Instant Pot beef stew is a flavorful, full meal ready to eat in half the time of cooking the stew on the stove top.

bowl of Instant Pot Beef Stew with beef, potato and carrots


 

Beef stew is one of the best comfort foods out there, well right along with Instant Pot Butter Chicken, and some homemade Instant Pot Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes. Unfortunately most versions of stew require a lengthy prep time to get tender, melt in your mouth meat that means this gets reserved for the weekend.

Our recipe made in an Instant Pot allows you to make this cozy comfort food in just a fraction of the time. Quick and easy prep combined with the power of the pressure cooker shortens the cook time so you can enjoy it nearly any night of the week.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Thank you!

Instant Pot Beef Stew in a red bowl

Ingredients You’ll Need 

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to get to indulge in this rich and filling beef stew.

  • Beef chuck roast – You may be able to find pre-cut cubes in your grocery store or ask your butcher to trimmed and cut it into 1-1 1/2 inch cubes.
  • All-purpose flour – The flour helps to thicken the soup. For a thicker stew, you can add in a slurry containing more flour and water at the end. If you want to make the soup more keto friendly, you can omit the flour, which will make the stew a little thinner.
  • Seasonings – To add great flavor to the stew, you’ll need paprika, coarse ground black, pepper, Kosher salt, Worcestershire sauce, and dried Italian seasoning.
  • Fats – You’ll use both extra virgin olive oil and some unsalted butter.
  • Aromatics – For this recipe, we use diced shallots and minced garlic to add extra flavor. 
  • Beef stock – Beef stock adds a lot more flavor than plain water. 
  • Cabernet Sauvignon – This robust red wine adds richness and flavor to the stew. If you prefer, you can use your favorite red.
  • Vegetables – You’ll need to chop baby carrots into bite-sized pieces and red potatoes into about 1/2 inch cubes.

We used a 6 quart Instant Pot for this recipe. Using a larger or smaller pot may require changes in the amount of liquids used.

New to using an Instant Pot? Make sure you read our beginner’s guide on “How to Use an Instant Pot” to get started!

Instructions

It doesn’t take much to make beef stew in the Instant Pot. Here’s what to do.

Step 1 – Prepare the meat. If you didn’t get the butcher to trim and cut the beef, use a sharp knife to trim the hard fat and silver skin from the beef. Once it is cleaned, cut the beef into 1 to 1 1/2” cubes. Make sure you don’t skip this step!

Next, combine the flour, paprika, pepper, and salt in a large one gallon resealable bag. Seal and shake to combine and then add the beef and shake until well coated.

browning beef for Instant Pot Beef Stew

Step 2 – Sear the beef cubes. Place the olive oil and butter in the bottom of Instant Pot and set it on SAUTE. Once butter has melted, remove beef from flour and shake gently to remove loose flour.

Place the coated beef pieces in the bottom of the pot. Don’t overcrowd the pot! This means you may need to cook the beef in batches using approximately ⅓ of the beef in each batch. 

Turn the pieces until all sides are browned. You will need to let each side cook for about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Set each cooked batch aside.

Step 3 – Prep the veggies. As the meat cooks, prepare the shallots, garlic, potatoes, and carrots. You should dice the shallot and mince the garlic. Potatoes and carrots should be cut into bite-size pieces. Set aside.

ladle of Instant Pot Beef Stew

Step 4 – Add the ingredients and pressure cook. Once all the beef cubes are browned, add the shallots and garlic to the Instant Pot. Cook until they are translucent or about 3 minutes.

Next, add the wine and deglaze the pot by scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pot. Cook with wine for about 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, press CANCEL to turn off SAUTE.

Once it is deglazed, add the beef stock, Worcestershire, and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine. Next, return the beef to the pot along with the potatoes and carrots. If there is not enough liquid to cover the beef and vegetables, add just enough beef broth or water to cover them.

Finally, place Instant Pot lid on top and lock in place. Make sure to set the valve to sealing to lock in the pressure. Set to cook on HIGH for 30 minutes. 

When it is done cooking, do a natural release for 10 minutes before releasing the pressure and opening the pot.

bowl of Instant Pot Beef Stew

Should I Brown Stew Meat First? 

Yes! It doesn’t matter if you are doing a slow cooker, oven roast, Instant Pot roast, or a stew, if you use red meat, make sure you brown it first. Browning the meat adds so much flavor to stew. The added flavor goes straight into the other ingredients making them extra flavorful too.

Browning the meat takes some added time, but don’t skip this step! It is well worth the wait.

How to Thicken Beef Stew  

With the flour added in, the stew will thicken up some. But some people really like a thick stew. To do this, you can add a slurry at the end. A slurry is a combination of 2 tablespoons of flour and 2 tablespoons of water. 

Before adding it to the stew, whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl. Whisking helps remove potential lumps.

Once the stew has cooked and the lid is removed, turn it on saute mode and slowly pour and mix in the slurry. Cook the stew for an additional 10 minutes. As it cooks it will thicken even further.

Can I Make it Ahead of Time? 

Beef stew gets better the longer it sits. You can make this stew ahead of time on a Saturday or Sunday and then serve it on a busy weekday night.

To store, allow the soup to cool completely before ladling or pouring it into one large or several smaller airtight containers. Seal the container and store for up to 5 days in the fridge.

To reheat, place an individual serving in a bowl and heat in a microwave for 2 to 3 minutes or reheat the entire batch in a large pot on the stove over medium heat. Make sure to stir often so the bottom does not burn. 

If you want to freeze it, you can do that instead. To freeze, let it cool completely then store in an airtight, freezer-safe container in the freezer. 

To reheat frozen stew, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight then reheat in a large pot on the stove over medium heat. Make sure to stir often so the bottom does not burn. 

Instant Pot Beef Stew in a red bowl

Like this recipe?
Make sure to follow us on Instagram and Pinterest for more recipes like this.

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Instant Pot Beef Stew

Instant Pot beef stew is a flavorful, full meal ready to eat in half the time of cooking the stew on the stove top.
bowl of Instant Pot Beef Stew with beef, potato and carrots
Print Recipe
No ratings yet

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds Beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1-1 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1/4 cup All-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon Paprika
  • 1 teaspoon Black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons Olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons Butter
  • 1 Shallot, diced
  • 3 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 32 ounces Beef broth
  • 1 cup Red wine
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Dried Italian seasoning
  • 4 cups chopped Red potatoes, bite-size pieces (about 1/2″)
  • 3 cups chopped Baby carrots, bite-size pieces

Instructions

  • Trim hard fat (which does not melt during the cooking process) and silver skin (white and silvery looking) from beef and cut into 1-1 1/2″ cubes. It takes about 5 minutes, but don’t skip this step.It is totally worth it!
  • Combine flour, paprika, pepper and salt in a large 1gallon resealable bag. Seal and shake to combine. Add beef and shake until well coated.
  • Place olive oil and butter in the bottom of Instant Pot and set to SAUTE.
  • Once butter is melted, remove beef from flour and shake gently to remove loose flour.
  • Place coated beef pieces in the bottom of the pot. Don’t crowd the pot, cook in batches, approximately ⅓ of the beef in each batch. Turn the pieces until all sides are browned, approximately 2-3 minutes per side, and set each cooked batch aside.
  • Meanwhile, prepare shallots,garlic, potatoes, and carrots. Shallot should be diced and garlic minced. Potatoes and carrots should be cut into bite-size pieces. Set aside.
  • Once all beef is browned, add shallots and garlic to the Instant Pot. Cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.
  • Add wine and deglaze pot by scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pot, cooking for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes hit CANCEL to turn off SAUTE.
  • Add beef stock, Worcestershire, and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine.
  • Return the beef to the pot along with the potatoes and carrots. If there is not enough liquid to cover the beef and vegetables add just enough beef broth or water to cover them.
  • Place Instant Pot lid on and lock in place, seal pressure valve, and set to cook on HIGH for 30 minutes. When it is done cooking do a natural release for 10 minutes before releasing the pressure and opening the pot.
  • If necessary, add additional salt to taste (mine was perfect).

Nutrition

Serving: 8ounces, Calories: 359kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 86mg, Sodium: 1181mg, Potassium: 801mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 6855IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 61mg, Iron: 4mg
Nutrition Disclaimer: We are not certified nutritionists. Nutrition facts are an estimate and are provided as a courtesy. They are generated by an online API which recognizes ingredient names and amounts and makes calculations based on the serving size. Results may vary.
Author: Kat Jeter & Melinda Caldwell
Course: Main
Cuisine: American
Keyword: instant pot beef stew
Handwritten signature for Kat & Melinda