This easy Instant Pot Pot Roast recipe with vegetables and a luscious, flavorful gravy is the ultimate comfort food. Incredibly tender, melt-in-your-mouth pot roast is possible in far less time with the help of your pressure cooker.
We also love my Instant Pot Ranch Chicken for a cozy one pot meal!
When you don’t have the time to cook a classic Dutch Oven Pot Roast, your Instant Pot is the solution!
My ultimate goal with this recipe was to create an Instant Pot Pot Roast that is fast, easy and flavorful. I’m thrilled with the result and so happy to be sharing it with you today.
There are important tips and tricks in this recipe that set it apart from other pressure cooker pot roast recipes. This post includes all the details you need for a perfect result.
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
- Simple Ingredients – It calls for common, easy to stock ingredients
- Flavor! – A delicious seasoning blend creates the perfect, old-fashioned pot roast flavor.
- Fast – The Instant Pot comes to pressure and releases pressure only one time, saving precious time.
Many of us grew up eating our mom’s or grandma’s pot roast for Sunday dinner and it is truly a comfort food classic. Most of those old recipes were cooked on the stove, in the oven and sometimes both. With the pressure cooking method, you can reach that same tender result in a fraction of the time.
How Long Do You Cook Pot Roast in an Instant Pot?
No more having to start a meal like this in the early afternoon. With the help of your Instant Pot you can have perfectly tender pot roast on your table in just over an hour.
To speed the cooking process along even more, you can cut the chuck roast into chunks so that it cooks in one 35 minute cycle with the vegetables. This is about half the time it can take to cook a whole roast.
Ingredient Notes
- Boneless beef chuck roast – See below for detailed information on which cut is best for pot roast.
- Pot roast seasoning mix – An assortment of commonly stocked dried herbs and spices creates amazing flavor.
- Veggies – Look for substantial carrots and cut them into large 2- to 3-inch pieces. I like to use a combination of baby gold and red potatoes. You’ll also need a yellow onion and some minced garlic.
- Tomato paste – Adds richness to the amazing gravy.
- Red wine – A medium to full-bodied red wine, like Cabernet, Zinfandel, or Merlot, is the best choice.
- Low-sodium beef broth – Always go with low-sodium and season with additional salt only if needed.
- Worcestershire sauce – One of the best flavor boosters!
- Cornstarch – For thickening the gravy.
- Olive oil
How Do You Add Flavor to Pot Roast?
A delicious mixture of dried herbs and spices adds a TON of flavor to the chuck roast and the gravy. This is the key to flavor and one of the things that sets this recipe apart from others. Many other pot roast recipes are under seasoned resulting in a bland, flavorless roast.
The amounts called for in the recipe will make exactly the amount of seasoning needed. It can be mixed up in advance and stored in an airtight container to save time.
What is the Best Cut of Beef for Pot Roast?
Chuck roast is the most common cut of beef used to make pot roast. Chuck is from the front part of the animal and the different cuts will be labeled as blade, boneless cross rib, top blade, bottom blade, and shoulder. And, there can even be different names for the same cut from store to store. I know how confusing this can be! Certified Angus Beef has detailed information on the specific cuts of beef that are best for braising.
Here are the details on my favorite cuts to use for pot roast.
Boneless Chuck Cross Rib Roast
I love the boneless chuck cross rib roast (the cut pictured above) which is sometimes labeled as a shoulder roast. This is a leaner cut of chuck and it requires less trimming. Using a leaner cut means the drippings will be less greasy and you’ll end up with a clean and luscious gravy for your Instant Pot chuck roast.
Boneless Chuck Pot Roast
A traditional chuck pot roast is a rectangular, highly marbled cut that’s easy to find at most grocery stores. Nothing rivals a chuck pot roast in terms of a tender result, but it has quite a bit of fat and requires more trimming. As an example, we used a chuck pot roast in the video for this recipe so take a look at the recipe card below to see it in action.
Cutting the chuck roast into chunks allows you to cover more surface area of the meat with the seasoning mix which means more flavor. It also gives you the opportunity to more effectively trim the fat which will yield a better gravy.
How to Make Instant Pot Pot Roast
Prep the Roast
- Using a sharp knife, cut the roast into 4 to 6 chunks. How many chunks will depend on the size of your roast. If you are using a highly marbled cut of chuck, cut it at the seams where you see veins of fat running through it. Trim and discard the fat from the edges of each piece. There will be small fat deposits left, but if you start with a 4 pound highly marbled piece of chuck, you could end up trimming as much as ½ pound of fat.
- Sprinkle the seasoning mix over the chunks of beef and use your hands to press it into the surface of the meat. I like to do this on a foil lined board for easy cleanup.
Cook the Chuck Roast and Vegetables
- Use the sauté function on your Instant Pot to sear the seasoned beef chunks in a little olive oil in batches. Set the seared beef aside and sauté the diced onion and garlic. Add the tomato paste, a little red wine, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Flavor baby! Return the seared chunks of beef to the pot and tuck them down into the cooking liquid.
- Next, layer the carrots and potatoes on top of the meat so they’re slightly above the level of the liquid. Secure the lid and cook the pot roast on high pressure for 35 minutes. When done, allow the Instant Pot to do a natural release of pressure for 10 minutes and then manually release any remaining pressure.
Because the beef has been cut down and will cook much faster, you can add the carrots and potatoes at the beginning of the cooking process. This means the pot only needs to come to pressure and release pressure once and saves you about 15 to 20 minutes.
How Much Liquid Should I Use?
In a 6-quart Instant Pot, it takes about 2 ½ cups of liquid to rise just to the top of the chunks of beef. The chuck roast needs to be completely submerged in the liquid to cook properly. To ensure that the carrots and potatoes don’t get mushy, they should rest on top of the chunks of beef.
How to Make the Best Pot Roast Gravy
- After removing the pot roast and vegetables from the Instant Pot, set it to sauté and add ½ cup of water to the concentrated cooking liquid in the bottom of the pot. Taste and if needed, add additional water to dilute as desired.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch and whisk the slurry into the cooking liquid. Then, simmer the gravy for about 5 minutes, or until it is thickened to your liking.
Pro Tip
If the gravy is not as thick as you’d like after simmering, mix together an additional 1 tablespoon water with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and whisk it in to the gravy to thicken it further.
Serving Suggestions
Use two forks to shred or separate the cooked chuck roast into large chunks and place it on a serving platter with the carrots and potatoes. Serve it with the gravy and a warmed loaf of crusty French bread for dipping.
Now, go forth and eat pot roast! If you try this recipe I’d love to hear how it worked out for you in the comments section below.
More Instant Pot Recipes You’ll Love
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Instant Pot Ranch Chicken
- Chili in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken
- Pressure Cooker Baked Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Mexican Casserole
Check out my entire collection of Instant Pot Recipes.
Sign up my free newsletter for all the latest recipes and join me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for tons of cooking inspiration!
Instant Pot Pot Roast
Ingredients
For the Pot Roast
- 3 ½ to 4 pound boneless beef chuck roast
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup medium to full-bodied red wine , like Cabernet, Zinfandel, or Merlot
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut into large 2- to 3-inch chunks
- 1 ½ pounds whole baby potatoes
For the Pot Roast Seasoning Mix
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried crushed rosemary
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
For the Gravy
- ½ cup water, or as needed
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch, or as needed
- 2 tablespoons cold water, for the cornstarch slurry
Instructions
- Cut the chuck roast into 4 to 6 chunks, separating at the seams to expose the fat deposits (if using a highly marbled chuck roast). Use a sharp knife to trim as much of the fat as possible from the chunks of roast. It's fine if some fat remains but trim as much as you can to ensure that your gravy will not be overly greasy. Place the trimmed chunks of roast on a large piece of foil and blot dry with paper towels.
- Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle the rub over the pieces of beef and use your hands to press the seasoning into the meat. Wash those hands!
- Press the SAUTÉ key on the instant pot and the ADJUST key to toggle to the MORE setting. Wait for the pot to say “HOT” before adding ingredients.
- Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the heated pot. Add half of the seasoned beef (or as much as will fit comfortably without being too crowded) and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until nicely seared. Transfer seared beef to a plate and repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the rest of the beef. Transfer second batch of beef to the plate and set aside.
- Press CANCEL and then select SAUTÉ again and ADJUST to the REGULAR setting. Add the onions and garlic to the pot and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Add the red wine, broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Nestle the chunks of browned beef down into the sauce and then top with the carrots and potatoes. Don’t stir. You want the meat submerged in liquid and the carrots and potatoes on top.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot. Press the MANUAL button, select HIGH, and set the time to 35 minutes (making sure the steam release handle is in the “Sealing” position). After the cooking is complete allow the Instant Pot to do a natural release for 10 minutes then use a long handled spoon to push the steam release handle to the “Venting” position to allow any remaining steam to release completely before you open the pot. Press CANCEL.
- Transfer the carrots and potatoes to a serving dish and tent with foil to keep warm. Transfer the beef to a cutting board and let it rest while you make the gravy.
For the Gravy
- Press SAUTÉ and ADJUST to select the LOW setting Stir ½ cup water to the concentrated cooking liquid in the Instant Pot to dilute it a bit. Taste and if needed, add additional water to dilute as desired. In a small bowl whisk together 2 tablespoons cold water and 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Whisk the mixture into the Instant Pot and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the gravy has thickened to your liking, stirring occasionally. Press CANCEL and unplug the Instant Pot. Transfer the gravy to a gravy boat.
For Serving
- Shred or chunk the chuck roast and serve with the potatoes, carrots, and plenty of gravy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Fixed this last night but too done; was more like beef stew. Set time to 40 min but will cut time way back and cut down on liquid!
Great recipe! Wonderful flavor. I used blade beef roast which needed lots of trimming of fat. I was glad that the recipe noted that the fat should be trimmed since I had never made a pot roast before and there was definitely a little bit of fat at the top of the broth .
Like others I opted not to add any more liquid for the gravy. I created the cornstarch slurry using the hot liquid itself. Other than needing to add a bit of salt to the gravy I thought the flavor was excellent. The texture of the gravy turned out to be silky – not thick but not watery at all. Even without the extra liquid there was more than enough gravy for eight servings.
Thanks for sharing!
Got an instant pot for Christmas. My whole family was so impressed with this recipe. It was delicious. I love to cook so did not find it too tedious to make. It will become a frequent dinner. Thank you very much for sharing.
I am not one to comment on recipes – but this was truly excellent. I added some mushrooms and used chicken broth, otherwise I left the recipe alone. Thank you for the excellent recipe.
I was leery of putting the vegetables in with the meat as I have tried this with other recipes and the vegetables always turn out overcooked. I should have trusted my gut- the potatoes were overdone but edible, the carrots were mush. And I should have read the comments first about the gravy. It took me 25 minutes and 4 rounds of cornstarch slurry and it still wasn’t thick enough, but I just gave up because dinner was already late. Also, the website was excruciating to navigate, taking nearly 15 seconds to load each page and crashing 3 times. The meat was quite good, but if I make this recipe again I would have to make significant alterations.
I have made this 2 times now with rave reviews. This time, I have some HUGE carrots – cut in chunks – and baby potatoes. Last time the carrots were too small but I was prepared for that because of your excellent instructions. I KNOW they will be perfect this time. I also found some shallots on sale so added a couple of them to the onions. We adore onions! I do not dilute the broth as many reviewers said. Love the beefy flavour. Chucked in a in a couple bay leaves for this one but it absolutely optional. This recipe is really fool proof for an Instant Pot Noob. (Yes… it is INSTANT POT, NOT Instapot. Lol (pet peeve)
Thank you for this excellent, easy-follow, super-yummy recipe! 🙂
Thanks so much, Lisa! Love your additions and SO happy to hear it worked out so well for you 🙂
The food comes out great. Absolutely delicious. However, this “one hour” recipe takes over two hours in reality even if you make it as lightning speed, and I call that frankly misleading.
The first time I made it I had three friends with me to handle the chopping and peeling and we powered through it in three hours, start to finish. The second time I did it alone but with the benefit of experience, and got it down to two and a half.
The half hour savings came from NOT adding an extra cup of water to the cooking liquid when making the gravy. The first time I made this recipe I followed it exactly, and ended up with some VERY watery gravy that needed a lot of reduction (and a lot of extra cornstarch) to get it to a normal gravy-like consistency. The second time, I did not add water which saved time. The cooking liquid is not really all that concentrated, and anyway you want strong flavor in gravy.
Both times I started with all my ingredients ready to go and a nice clean kitchen with nothing in the way to slow me down. Both times I multi-tasked as much as possible, for example chopping the onions and garlic while the beef was searing.
Other than that this recipe is great and comes out delicious, but if you go into this expecting it’s going to take “about an hour” you’re going to have some very hungry and impatient guests and family members. It takes over an hour just to build pressure, cook the pot roast, and perform the ten-minute natural release. There’s no way to make that go any faster, plus you have to make the spice rub, chop and sear the beef, chop the vegetables, sauté the aromatics, and make the gravy.
This recipe presents itself as taking “about an hour” right in the very first sentence, but it is WAY, WAY off. If there’s anybody in the world who can get this on the table in less than TWICE the advertised time, they’re a better cook than I. Also, leave that extra cup of water out of it, it doesn’t do anything but suck up even more time while you wait for it to steam off again.
I’m sorry to hear it took so long for you, Gabriel. The time it takes for the IP to come to pressure and do the natural release are not included in the total time which is clearly stated on the recipe card. As indicated, you should take this into consideration when timing your meal. The Instant Pot should only be brought to pressure once and and it should not take more than 10 to 15 minutes at the most. If it truly is taking that long there could be a problem with your unit. As far as the prep, it only takes me about 15 minutes to slice the veggies, trim and cut the roast into chunks, mix up the seasoning mixture, and quickly saute the meat. I admit this could take some people an extra 5 or 10 minutes which brings us to 1-1/2 hours total but I can’t imagine how the entire recipe would take anywhere close to 3 hours. Also, you mentioned you saved half an hour by not adding the cup of water to the gravy. The gravy is not reduced, but it is thickened with a cornstarch slurry so adding water should not add any time. I just wanted to clarify that to avoid confusion for others.
Glad to hear that you were happy with the end result 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight and turned out great!!! This was my 4th use of my IP and so glad I found your recipe!! Thank you!!! I did drop Rosemary and Thyme to 1tsp because they have strong flavors and I was worried about them being overpowering. Still can’t believe I can cook a pot roast so quickly, just blows my mind!!!
This was absolutely delicious. My husband said it was just like his mom used to make, what he measures everything against. But it only took a fraction of time! I took suggestions from other reviewers and cooked it for 30 minutes. The meat was falling apart and vegies were cooked well.
Ok, I was so looking forward to this recipe! But something didn’t work! And I think it’s my fault since there are so many glowing reviews. But I would still like to trouble shoot. I had a 2 lb eye of round roast on hand that I used instead of the chuck roast. So that may have been the killer to this recipe fail for me. Followed directions and cooked for 35 minutes, 10 min natural release. Cut the roast into only 2 pieces because it was not very big. Veggies were fine but the meat was DRY. It was edible by shredding the meat in very small pieces and drowning in gravy, but wow it was not tender at all. So, again, maybe it’s the cut of meat? Flavor on the gravy was good but a little too peppery for my taste. I want to try this again with the chuck roast and dialing back on the pepper. The veggies were tasty and the gravy was really good! Wound up toasting some sourdough bread that needed to be eaten and soaking it in the gravy. That was yummy! Would appreciate any insight into why my meat might have turned out so poorly. Thank you!
I suggest trying it again with a chuck roast. An eye of round is much better roasted like in my recipe for Tender Eye of Round Roast with Gravy.
This was absolutely amazing!!! The only change to the ingredients I made was with the broth. I didn’t have beef broth so I used chicken broth. I couldn’t find large carrots so I used the already cut baby carrots and since I didnt want mushy carrots I cut my meat in small chunks and cooked for 30 min and did a 7 minute natural release. I also didn’t add water to dilute the sauce. The sauce was so flavorful. This was my second meal prepared in the pressure cooker. I will definitely make this again. I also added red pepper flakes to the gravy to give it some spicy heat.
I made this last night. It was absolutely delicious. My only concern is that I didn’t complete it in the time stated for the prep. Maybe I’d I had prepped for my prep.. I think that the heating and venting time should be added to the list at the beginning Instead of the end. Just my opinion. So my timing was off but I have to admit “it was worth the wait” as my guests reassured me. Alls well!!