Instant Pot Beef Stew
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Loaded with flavorful chunks of meat + potatoes that come out amazingly tender. Truly the BEST beef stew recipe ever!
Featured Comment
I wish I could say I made this in preparation for St. Patrick’s Day this weekend, but I didn’t.
Because as I’ve mentioned before, we’re starting to get that brisk weather in Southern California. About 60 degrees cold (basically not cold at all). So my routine hasn’t changed at all.
I’m still in my no-shame sweatpants with a cozy bowl of comfort here. Loaded with tender chunks of meat and potatoes that just melt in your mouth. I’ve had 4 bowls already with crusty bread, so I should probably leave the house at some point to work this off.
tips and tricks for success
- Sear the meat. Browning the beef first is key here. That dark crust on the stew meat cubes will create such richer, deeper flavors in your stew (plus, the browned bits at the bottom of the pot are all lovely bits here, adding so much flavor).
- Potatoes and carrots should be cut in larger pieces. We want our vegetables to be cut a little larger here as they will cook down quite a bit in the Instant Pot (or else they will be overcooked, fall apart and turn to mush).
- Add wine. The recipe calls for 4 cups beef broth but you can substitute a little bit of the broth for red wine (about 1/4 cup), deglazing the bottom of the pot and letting it simmer for about 5 minutes. Pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon or merlot are all great options.
what to serve with beef stew
Tools For This Recipe
6-qt Instant Pot®
Instant Pot Beef Stew: Frequently Asked Questions
We have a stovetop version here!
Yes! Here is our favorite slow cooker beef stew recipe.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Baby Dutch yellow potatoes are readily available in most major grocery stores but you can also substitute Yukon gold potatoes, fingerling potatoes, yellow potatoes or quartered red potatoes.
The beef stew is thickened with a flour slurry (flour mixed with water but in this case, we are using the stew broth). Depending on the desired consistency, you can use 1-4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. The key here is to add the slurry slowly until the mixture starts to thicken.
Beef stew is very much freezer-friendly. You can freeze the leftovers in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Instant Pot Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 pound baby Dutch yellow potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 4 carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- 4 ribs celery, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, optional
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup frozen petite peas
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Equipment
Instructions
- Season beef with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Set a 6-qt Instant Pot® to the high saute setting. Melt butter; working in batches, add beef and cook until evenly browned, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in beef broth, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Stir in potatoes, carrots, celery, garlic, tomato paste, Worcestershire, thyme, rosemary, paprika, caraway seeds and bay leaves until well combined; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 30 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour and 1/2 cup stew broth.
- Select high sauté setting. Bring to a boil; stir in flour mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more beef broth as needed until desired consistency is reached.
- Stir in peas until heated through, about 30 seconds.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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i’d like to make this for a group but am gluten free – as a substitute for the flour, could i use an all purpose gluten free flour, or just sub for cornstarch? and if so, how much (1:1?) thanks!
Hi Michele! Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
This is my second time making this. The first time I made it, I did it exactly (with the caraway too), but found it too liquidy, so this time I cut the beef broth to two cups and it was perfect! So delicious!
Thank you Larissa! So glad you found a way to make it your own 🙂
The only reason I used corn starch instead was because I didn’t have flour on hand.
I’m a bit of a beginner with the Instant Pot. I read somewhere that it takes at least 1 cup of liquid before it comes to pressure. I noticed the brorh is added after the vegetables are sauteed.
Do the vegetables produce enough liquid (1 cup) while sauteeing them to allow the pot come to pressure? Just wondering
I have never made a comment on this blog, but I’ve been following for so long. CHUNGAH…..this blog is golden. I have never gone wrong with a recipe from you. I got an instant pot purely because you endorsed them, and I am so excited to see what instant pot recipe you have next!
I made this stew and it was wonderful. The only change I had to make was using corn starch instead of flour to thicken the broth.
On behalf of all the lurkers on damndelicious that have enjoyed your delicious recipes but haven’t commented yet, THANK YOU!
☝️ This! I’m a lurker and have gotten my coworkers on board with your blog. We are all in love and have yet to make something less than stellar from any of your recipes. Thank you! (Now off to the kitchen to make this recipe!)
Thank you so much for this sweet compliment Renee! We love it 🙂
Do you cook the peas prior to putting them in the IP, or do you put them in frozen?
No, they do not have to be cooked beforehand. You can add the peas into the Instant Pot in its frozen state.
Just made this for St Patrick’s day. Made it 99% to the directions with the exception of a bit more beef. All I can say is this is one of the best stews ever. IP has a huge following with a lot of sub par or untested recipes, this is spot on. We had so many people over that I had to make to twice. (Put the first batch in a slow cooker (CP) to keep warm). Taste and tenderness is excellent, all in about an hour vs 8-10 hours with a slow cooker.
I don’t need an Instant Pot, I don’t need it, I don’t need it!! I have enough kitchen appliances and too little counter space. You’re making it too hard for me to resist buying one!! Lol.
It’s a life-changer – PROMISE!
Blossom give in….. resistance is futile. You will thank Chungah. I have only had mine for a few months and it is the best appliance I owe.
Dear Blossom: GET ONE! What you will find is that you can yard sale/donate all the kitchen appliances you just won’t need anymore!!! Slow cookers, rice cooker, blah blah – just no longer needed! I keep the oven, but I got rid of the rest!!! PS: Can’t remember the last time I used the oven btw…lol
Blossom, hopefully, by now, you have “given in” and bought an Instant Pot. I have owned one since January of 2016, back when they were not all the rage…..yet!
This little device is beyond awesome! I can only echo what Chungah, Willem and Jaye have said before, BUY IT! It WILL change your “kitchen life” forever!
Look, I am an adult male (67 years old) and not at all a genius in the kitchen! But this little appliance just makes EVERYTHING I cook over the top! My friends actually brag about the dishes that I now make with my Instant Pot! And that was not the case before!
So, Blossom, get off the pot (no pun intended!) and get yourself an Instant Pot! I saw the 6 qt DUO model at Walmart over the Christmas holidays for $75.00, that is way less than I paid for mine on Amazon 4 years ago!
SO.GO.BUY.ONE! You WILL THANK US ALL LATER!
p.s. Santa brought me a Ninja Foodie Grill for Christmas. I could go on and on about this little device…but I won’t. I LOVE IT!
Was damn yummy!
I did make a few alterations by adding an sliced onion and sauted after the beef in its juices with the garlic. Also added 200ml of red wine and letting it simmer off the alcohol before continuing with the rest of the recipe, reduced the amount of stock to compensate for the wine.
Do you know approx. how big each serving is?
About 1-2 cups per serving.
Where does the high salt content come from? It looks great except for the high salt. Is it all from “season to taste” ?
The beef accounts for 263mg, the potatoes accounts for 126mg and the salt and pepper accounts for 155mg. I also recommend using low sodium beef broth. This has 36mg per half cup when the “full sodium” beef broth has 446 mg.
Thanks that answers my question. So most of it is from natural incurring salt in the beef and potatoes. Never thought of that. I made it and it is the best homemade beef stew I have ever had. It has the right spices that I love and the instant pot makes it to perfection. I added just a little more of the low sodium beef stock. We have eaten from it two times and have enough left over for a last meal. The green peas worked out great for St Patrick’s day… a bonus! Keep those recipes coming. I love the simplicity of what you cook and very few ingredients that are hard to get.
Hi, I am a big fan of pot meals. I noticed that the sodium level is very high. Is there a way to reduce, ala low sodium ingredients or would this compromise the stew.
P.S. I love your recipes!
The beef accounts for 263mg, the potatoes accounts for 126mg and the salt and pepper accounts for 155mg. I also recommend using low sodium beef broth. This has 36mg per half cup when the “full sodium” beef broth has 446 mg.
This was so good! All the potatoes disappeared though, and there’s was way too much gravy. Next time I’ll cut the broth in half and use whole baby reds.
I need this in my life! It looks amazing!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Hi,
Do you by chance have a stovetop version of this recipe? I don’t have an instant pot but this sounds delicious!
Hi Ann! I do not have a stovetop version at this time but here is the slow cooker version if you have a Crock-Pot handy! 🙂 https://damndelicious.net/2016/10/07/slow-cooker-beef-stew/