Easiest Instant Pot Beef Stew

This is an Instant Pot beef stew recipe with tender pieces of beef, diced potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion cooked in a savory broth. It's the perfect soup for cold weather or using up leftover vegetables!

I love slow-cooked beef. Whether it’s in this beef stew recipe, my braised red wine short rib recipe, or Instant Pot beef stroganoff.

It’s so tender and juicy, but the time it takes to get tender in a slow cooker doesn’t exactly fit into my schedule, and sometimes I need to get dinner going quickly.

The pressure cooker gets you there in much less time!

I was nervous about the different densities and sizes of the meat and veggies, but everything was cooked through, and nothing was over- or under-cooked.

And you still have that great taste, the tenderness, and juiciness needed for beef in a stew or pot roast.

Ingredients for Instant Pot Beef Stew

• Beef Stew Meat or Sirloin
• Olive Oil
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Onion
• Celery
• Red Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Merlot is best
• Beef Broth
• Tomato Paste
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Garlic Powder
• Salt & Pepper
• Cornstarch, optional
• Water, optional

How to Make Instant Pot Beef Stew

• Season the beef with salt and pepper. Set the pressure cooker to the Saute setting on ‘normal’ (or ‘medium’) heat. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pot. Once oil is hot, brown beef on all sides, approximately 2 minutes per side. Set beef aside.

• De-glaze the pot by adding red wine. Scrape up any tidbits left from the meat. In a bowl, whisk rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, salt, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and beef broth.
• Add vegetables and beef to the pot and pour beef broth mixture over the top.
• Place the lid on the pressure cooker and be sure the vent is closed on top. Select the Meat/Stew setting, adjust to the ‘more’ (or ‘high’) setting, and set the timer to 32 minutes.
• When it is done cooking, allow the pressure cooker to natural release steam for 15 minutes, then open the vent and remove the lid.

• If you prefer a thicker broth, in a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and cold water. Add it to the pot while still hot and stir until the stew thickens.

Tips

Choose the right cut of beef

• Best: Chuck roast - it's well-marbled and becomes tender under pressure.
• Cut it into 1½-inch cubes for even cooking.
• Avoid lean cuts (like round steak) - they can turn dry and tough.

Brown the beef first

• Use the Sauté function with a bit of oil.
• Brown in batches so the pieces sear instead of steaming.
• Deglaze with a splash of red wine or broth to scrape up the browned bits (that's flavor!)

Keep veggies from turning mushy

• Use waxy potatoes (Yukon Gold or red).
• Cut carrots and potatoes into large chunks (about 2 inches).

Choose the right wine

• Use a dry red wine (like Cabernet, Merlot, or Malbec).

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• French Onion Pot Roast
• Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff
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• Instant Pot Steak au Poivre Soup