This Instant Pot beef stew is tender meat combined with carrots, potatoes and peas in a rich and savory broth. An easy dinner that can be on the table in less than an hour!
I love a good beef stew, but it can take hours and hours for the meat to get tender. With a pressure cooker, you can make a delicious (and tender!) beef stew in a fraction of the time. I serve my beef stew with a side of garlic knots or with a cucumber salad for a complete meal.
I am in love with my Instant Pot, it has become such a big time saver in the kitchen! I love that I can have dinner on the table in no time, and this Instant Pot beef stew is the perfect example of that. A traditional beef stew would need to simmer for at least 2-3 hours. This Instant Pot version cooks in just 30 minutes, you can’t beat that!
How do you make Instant Pot beef stew?
The first step in this recipe is to brown your beef. If you’re in a huge hurry, you can skip this step, but I recommend taking the time to do it. The beef is combined with other ingredients including carrots, onions, potatoes, broth and seasonings, then pressure cooked to tender perfection.
What is the best beef for stew?
I use pre-cut beef stew meat for this recipe because it’s super convenient. Other great options would be a chuck roast, boneless short ribs or brisket that have been cut into 1-2 inch pieces. You want to look for a meat that has some fat content so that it will be juicy and tender after cooking.
How long do you cook beef stew in an Instant Pot?
This beef stew cooks for 30 minutes on high pressure. There is also some cook time involved in browning the meat, and the final step of thickening the stew requires you to simmer for at least 5 more minutes.
Tips for Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Cut your carrots and potatoes into large pieces so that they don’t get mushy in the stew after cooking.
- I like to use halved baby yellow potatoes. You can also use larger Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes that have been cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes.
- This recipe can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Want to amp up your beef stew to a new level? Sprinkle some cooked, crumbled bacon over the top before serving.
- You can add other vegetables to your stew such as a can of tomatoes or halved fresh mushrooms.
Once you try this Instant Pot beef stew, you’ll never want to make stew on the stove top again. The beef comes out meltingly tender and full of flavor, and the pressure cooker does all of the hard work for you!
More great soup recipes
- Albondigas Soup
- Mexican Chicken Soup
- Hamburger Soup
- Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Chicken Tortellini Soup
Instant Pot Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 onion diced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 pound small yellow potatoes quartered or halved
- 4 carrots peeled, halved and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 cups beef broth
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to Saute, then select More. Wait for the pot to heat up, then add the oil.
- Add half of the stew meat to the pot and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until browned.
- Remove the meat from the pot. Repeat with remaining meat.
- Place all the meat in the pot along with the onion, garlic, potatoes, carrots, beef broth, tomato paste, dried thyme leave, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir to combine. Seal the Instant Pot and set it to Manual High Pressure for 30 minutes.
- Carefully vent the pressure valve, or let the pressure release manually.
- Remove 1/3 cup of stew liquid from the pot. Add the flour and whisk until smooth.
- Pour the flour mixture back into the pot, and turn the pot back to the Saute function.
- Add the peas to the pot. Simmer for 3-5 minutes or until stew has started to thicken.
- Sprinkle with parsley, then serve.
MT says
Delicious, thank you for the recipe!
Dona Currie says
Great recipe. I used 1 pkg of dry au jus and added it to I cup water, 1/2 cup sherry and 1 cup beef broth. Also a splash of balsamic vinegar. Yum yum yum. no need to thicken.
Liz Mansur says
I ‘m loving my Instant Pot more and more. I made the Beef Stew today. My house smells amazing. I’m the only one that eats peas. So I used frozen green beans and added a sweat potato. Your recipes have been a huge hit.
Glenda Giguere says
This was the best beef stew I have ever tasted! I did brown the meat in a nonstick fry pan on the stovetop, then transferred the meat into the instant pot. Then I deglazed the frypan with some of the beef stock and poured it into the instant pot. I also omitted the flour.
I will be making this again very soon as it was so delicious. My husband loved it too.
Thank you so much for the recipe!
Rosa says
What can I sub for tomato paste?
Sara says
Any other tomato product such as tomato sauce or canned diced tomatoes.
Carol Lee Henson Breslin says
This was a great recipe – although I agree with the review above. All of my veggies were too soft for me, so I would crank it down to 16 minutes
As it was, it was so delish!!! And simple!
Thank you!
Jodie says
It cooks in my Tefal, 10 minutes just by adding more beef stock
Muriel says
Will it matter what size Instant Pot one uses?
Sara says
It does not, just make sure your pot is not full to the top so that there’s room for air to circulate.
Jim says
I think the cook time is misleading, since the Instant Pot takes some time to get to the appropriate temp for the 30 minutes of cooking under pressure.
Figure about an hour for actual pot time.
Otherwise, a tasty winter meal.
David says
Very tasty. Thanks for the comments / suggestions from Keri and Mark. My wife’s got a tomato allergy / nightshade intolerance, so I cooked some new potatoes outside on my turkey fryer burner, skipped the tomato paste and added red wine (Keri). Then I browned the meat in a 500º oven (it was already at 425º from my wife baking bread) and sauted the onions and garlic – adding the wine as they started to brown (Mark V).
For my own twist, I added some parsnips with the carrots, and reduced the cooking time to 18 minutes (Keri). Only change I’ll make next time is to vent right away at 18 minutes – or even drop it to 16. The carrots and parsnips were just a little too soft, even though I left them good and chunky. Roughed up the spuds with some butter for those of us that eat them, and everyone gave it a thumbs up. Thanks!
Keri says
I made the potatoes separately and mashed them while the IP was working, otherwise the prep time was realistic. Instead of tomato paste I splashed 1/2 cup of red wine with the meat after it browned halfway, then followed accordingly.
I will say that if you cook the potatoes separately, change to IP time to 18-20 minutes, 30 minutes without potatoes made the rest of my vegetables overcooked. My husband loved it regardless. Will try again with minor adjustments!
Deb says
The meat was tender and very flavorful! We really enjoyed this recipe!
Michelle says
Wow. What a great recipe. Will absolutely make this available.
Mark V says
I am going to try this recipe, but here is a tip to speed it up even further (with just as good results). Instead of sautéing the beef in the InstaPot, do it in a 500° oven. Coat the beef in a flour, salt, and pepper mixture, place it on a covered baking sheet (raised sides), shake the pan a couple of times during the roasting. It should take 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, you can use the “free time” to sauté the onions and garlic in the InstaPot, which enhances the flavor even more.
Nice recipe, can’t wait to try it.
Heathertg17 says
. My husband and I loved this recipe. I did not expect to love it this much!
MJ says
Hands down the best beef stew I have ever tried. I always found that making beef stew in a slow cooker, kind of oxidates the ingredients and gives them a particular taste I was never found of. But this beef stew is delicious! My only observation is that the potatoes and carrots cooked too much and were kind of soft. But the meat is just so soft that it overweights anything! Definitely adding this meal to my menu!
Anna says
I recently jumped on the Instant Pot band wagon and have been searching for different recipes. Today I felt like having a beef stew, and this recipe looked promising. I just finished making it and oh my gosh…it is absolutely delicious . I cannot believe how tender the beef is after only 30 mins. Yum!! I am inviting my family to come over for dinner, so they can have some, too. 🙂
Pam says
I made this recipe and it came out very good. I’m new to instant pot cooking, so I really enjoy trying different versions of an old classic. I used steak tips since I found them on sale and I kicked it up a notch with a few slices of a Smokey dried pepper I bought from a country farm stand. Wow delicious!!
LisaMarie says
Use fresh thyme twigs and a bay leaf for even more flavor.
Sue says
My meat was a frozen block, so I couldn’t brown it. I didn’t read all the directions and cut my vegetables too small. I cooked the frozen meat in the broth, tomato paste and seasonings for 20 minutes and quick released it. I then added the potatoes, carrot and onion and cooked for 10 more minutes. I quick released and finished as directed. It was delicious. I’ll bet it’s really delicious if the meat is browned first!!
Erick Cardona says
It’s took me an hour to go to my favorite grocery store and find all these ingredients and it took me another 30 minutes to prep up not including the cooking, so I would have to say it is very decent and I enjoyed it.
Daymon Warren says
This recipe made me look like I know how to cook! It was delicious and quick.
Becca Talbot says
This sounds nice – very healthy and also quite filling 🙂 great for a cold winter’s day x
Billie says
I added a little tomato beer to it. It was pretty amazing:)