Instant Pot Pot Roast
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A complete pot roast Sunday dinner in just 60 min? Yes, please! With the most tender, melt-in-your-mouth tender beef!
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why i love this easy pot roast dinner recipe
- Faster cooking time. Hello, super speedy pot roast dinner! With the help of your pressure cooker, the Instant Pot® will create the most lovely, oh-so-cozy, tender pot roast in just 1 hr – and it tastes as if its been simmering and braising all day. This gives you more time to take a nap, do the laundry, drop off the kids at basketball practice, binge something quick like Parks and Recs – all of the things.
- Classic Sunday comfort food. This is just one of those dishes that brings you back to those cozy Sunday suppers. It’s simple, it’s wholesome, and the house just smells like home, a true family friendly meal, not to mention perfect for weekend company and holiday dinners.
- Fall apart beef. No more dry pot roast here. We’re talking moist, flavorful, fall part, melt-in-your-mouth shredded beef. Not to mention, a gravy you’ll want to pour on all your buttery mashed potatoes and crusty bread, of course.
- Leftovers taste even better. Similar to lasagna, pot roast tastes even better the very next day, allowing the flavors to meld and intensify even further overnight in the fridge.
- Freezes like a dream. Pot roast freezes beautifully, and can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months, repurposing the leftovers into so many different dinners (think soups, ragu, quesadillas and shepherd’s pie to name a few).
how to make pot roast in the instant pot
- Season the beef with salt and pepper, seasoning generously
- Sear the beef until a dark crust forms, sealing all the flavors inside
- Add the onion, garlic and tomato paste
- Deglaze the bottom of the pot with red wine (those browned bits have all the flavor) – this is a crucial step to avoid that dreaded BURN warning
- Add beef stock, seasonings and herbs, cook for 45 minutes
- Add in the vegetables and cook for an additional 10 minutes
- Shred the beef using two forks
- Add in the cornstarch slurry for the most flavor-packed gravy
- Spoon the gravy over the shredded beef, potatoes and carrots
tips and tricks for success
- Look for marbling. When choosing a chuck roast, make sure it is well-marbled to ensure flavorful, tender pot roast. Look for visible fat streaks throughout the meat – the fat will melt throughout the cooking process, yielding rich, juicy, beefy goodness.
- Sear the meat. Searing the chuck roast first will add all the extra, deeper flavors here, sealing all the juices inside.
- Tomato paste adds so much flavor. Tomato paste adds body and richness in small amounts without adding too much liquid to the pot roast. Opt for tomato paste in a tube, using up only what you need at a time without having to open up a whole can.
- Choose a wine you will drink. A dry red wine (cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir or merlot) is great here – it does not have to be anything fancy or overpriced. Just something you don’t mind sipping on since you will have an open bottle.
- Fresh herbs are best. Although you can certainly substitute dried herbs, fresh herbs are ideal here, delivering the best kind of flavor.
- Cook the vegetables after. Add the potatoes and carrots to the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes after the beef has cooked through. Cooking the vegetables with the meat will lead to overcooked, mushy veggies.
- Make a cornstarch slurry. Adding cornstarch directly into the Instant Pot can cause lumps. Always use a mixture of cornstarch and cold liquid (aka cornstarch slurry) to thicken the sauce, yielding a smoother, gravy-like consistency.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking in the pot roast drippings!
- Repurpose leftovers. The leftovers make for great nachos, sliders, enchiladas and breakfast hash for breakfast (or dinner!).
freezing and storage
Prep
Pot roast can be made 1 day in advance, storing the meat and vegetables separately in airtight containers in the fridge.
Storage
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheating
Pot roast can be reheated over low heat on the stovetop or in the oven at 300°F in a baking dish, covered in aluminum foil, until warmed through. Be sure to use some of the leftover juices and drippings to prevent the meat from drying out.
Freeze after cooking
Let the pot roast cool completely; portion into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Lay the bags flat in a single layer in the freezer (this will help them freeze quickly). To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating over low heat, stirring occasionally, or in the oven at 300°F in a baking dish, covered in aluminum foil, until warmed through.
what to serve with instant pot pot roast
Tools For This Recipe
6-qt Instant Pot®
Instant Pot Pot Roast: Frequently Asked Questions
We recommend using chuck roast for the best results possible. Brisket or rump roast (bottom round roast) can also be used.
Additional beef stock can be used for red wine as a non-alcoholic substitute. Stock will be less acidic and more mild in flavor than red wine.
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.
A cornstarch slurry is a mixture of cornstarch and cold liquid (such as water or stock) used as a thickening agent. To avoid over thickening, always add the cornstarch slurry towards the end of cooking time.
Yes! Here is our favorite slow cooker pot roast recipe.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Pot roast is very freezer-friendly! Freeze in individual servings, thawing overnight and reheating on the stovetop or low oven to avoid overcooking or drying out the meat.
Instant Pot Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 1 (3-pound) boneless chuck roast, excess fat trimmed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ tablespoons canola oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup dry red wine
- 3 cups beef stock
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 ½ pounds baby red potatoes, whole
- 4 large carrots, cut diagonally into 2-inch pieces
- 2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
Equipment
Instructions
- Set a 6-qt Instant Pot® to the high saute setting.
- Season beef with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Heat canola oil; add beef and cook until evenly browned, about 2-3 minutes per side; set aside.
- Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in red wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in beef stock, Worcestershire, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves. Top with beef. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 45 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Add potatoes and carrots; select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 6 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Remove beef, potatoes and carrots from the Instant Pot®; shred beef, using two forks.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water; set aside.
- Select high sauté setting. Bring to a boil; stir in cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more beef stock as needed until desired consistency is reached.
- Serve beef, potatoes and carrots with juices immediately.
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Excellent taste and so very Tender! My Family insist we have this D. Pot Toast at least once a week! I must confess It was my best BEEF POT ROAST. THANK YOU FOR THE RECIPES!!
This was the first meal I cooked in my new Intant Pot and it was an instant success! The whole family loved it!
It’s the best pot roast recipe I’ve ever made! It was so easy & absolutely delicious & truly “damn delicious “
I made this recipe for tonight’s dinner. The spices and sauce was absolutely delicious. I did find that even with a slightly less then 3 pound chuck roast, I had to cook the meat an additional 45 minutes beyond the time given. It also helps to add the potatoes during the 2nd time pressure cook because they get too mushy otherwise. I would make it again with the changes noted above.
This was delicious! Followed as written, including 45 min cook time + 10 with carrots. The meat was fork tender. We loved the gravy. Picky eaters went back for seconds. Will be making this from now on for pot roast!
Made this tonight. Best Pot Roast I ever had! I cooked a 2kg housekeepers roast in 75 min and use 2 1/2 Tablespoons white vinegar instead of red wine. Meat shredded with cooking. Easy and absolutely delicious!! Highly recommend.
Made this tonight and followed directions explicitly. Timing was perfect for a 3 lb chuck roast.
The timing for the meat and the vegetables was all excellent! I just ended up with too much gravy at the end. But flavor and tenderness were perfect!
Wonderful rich flavor, a little more salt perhaps, but that’s personal preferences.
I did need an extra 45 mins with the meat, and this seems to be a common issue. I would also suggest cutting the meat up into smaller pieces.
A Sunday dinner to look forward to. Not a scrap is left. Thank you
Are you sure you used a instant pot Shelley, no way the meat was raw at 45 minutes.
Made this receive several times even with short ribs always delicious. Highly recommended. I use only 2 cups liquid total though, based on my instant pot. 45 minutes and natural release for 15, amazing fork tender.
Really loved this recipe! Would make again!
I didn’t have fresh herbs, so I put in sprigs of dried rosemary and thyme, and it was still fine. Other subs for things I didn’t have involved my own blueberry wine instead of red, my own red pepper sauce instead of tomato paste, a red onion instead of yellow, and added about 2 tbsp of katsu sauce I had leftover, and used many more cloves of garlic because I love garlic a lot. The sauce was amazing, and I love that the recipe is very forgiving.
After 45 mins on high pressure, the meat was definitely cooked all the way through, and shreddable with very little effort on the outside, and shreddable given some effort for the rest of it. If I really wanted, I could have cooked it for 60 mins, and then the entire thing would have been falling-apart tender, but still good! I think people who cooked it for 45 mins and their meat was still raw either had a much bigger piece of meat than 3lbs, or they cooked on low pressure, or their pressure cooker is not working properly.
Totally agree with the commenters here – cook at least 90 min. I used 3 pound blade roast, 1/2 c Merlot, 3 c of “better than bullion’s” beef stock, onions, garlic and salt/pepper and 1 Tspn Lea and Perrins (similar to Worcestershire sauce) as above. I used a dry rub on the beef and cut it into 3×2 inch chunks approximately. Sauté as above. I pressure cooked on high for 75 minutes, quick released and added 4 chopped carrots, 1 c of peas and a bag of mixed small potatoes (the 1 inch round variety) and pressure cooked on high 15 minutes. Then I thickened the gravy with some cornstarch and water. Fabulous, fall apart meat. One hint – you may want to mash the potatoes with a fork to soak up the gravy – your call.
To William who posted his own directions for damn delicious recipe.. come on.. celery is not a must have in a roast. Ugh.. I have never put celery in a roast. Celery is good but not in my damn delicious pot roast.
This recipe is devine. I added some cooking time to my roast after reading reveiws. I figured it would be better over done rather than under. I also cut up small red potatoes into quarters and used small carrots. Cooked them all at once for 12 minutes and let them naturally release preasure.
I accidentally added 2 Cups of red wine..lol..oops.. I added a little more steak seasoning to make up for extra liquid but really it tasted good without. That’s what I used for browning my roast too is Mont steak seasoning.. its really good on this.
Thank you for another fabulous recipe. I have made this or one like this before in the oven. Needed to get today’s roast cooked faster because I forgot to get it in the oven early. You are a life saver. Thanks
Absolutely loved this. I used regular potatoes and small carrots in the bag so I cut the cooking time for the carrots to 5 minutes. Next time I will use the small potatoes because the big potatoes I cut a little smaller than I probably should have and they were, not mush, but very soft. The gravy was so flavorful and perfectly thick. We are not big on shredding our meat, so we simply sliced. I really would not change a thing otherwise. Thank you for a delicious supper. We have our own rating system… my husband rates it a “plate licker.”
Thankfully I read the reviews and modified the recipe:
45 minutes high pressure -> meat and braising liquid
45 minutes high pressure -> add potatoes
10 minutes high pressure -> add carrots (also celery, oddly missing from the recipe)
remove solids, sauté mode with cornstarch slurry
Sub soy sauce for Worcestershire sauce if you don’t normally buy it — no need to go out and buy a bottle that will only languish in your fridge for years.
It came out perfectly like this. I encourage the author to edit the recipe, and for anyone who is making it to do so as I have described.
This worked perfect!
Was very delicious!
I haven’t actually made the recipe yet, I’m excited to try it cause it looks and sounds wonderful.
I have a couple of questions first tho. Newbie instant pot cooker here, I just bought the instant pot duo 6 qt.
I cannot find where or how to use the high sauté function, only the sauté button. I haven’t been able to find out how to change it from sauté to -high Sauté.
Also, I don’t seem to have a manual function button. I used the pressure cook button and the pressure level button to move to high pressure and then changed the cooking time using the “+” button. Is that the same end result as using the manual button?
Please forgive my lack of understanding lol just learning. Thank you so much for any information
Hi Karen,
I’m using my instant pot for the first time with this recipe. On mine, to get the sauté to high you just push the sauté button once or twice more until it get to high.
Use the pressure cooking button as the “Manual” button. I just made this with my Duo and it was delicious. My son actually asked me to “figure out some recipe” to use the leftover gravy!
Hey! To change it from sauté to high sauté, press the sauté button two or three times. Each push makes it move between the three options: low, medium, high! I hope this helps.
Great base flavor, I bought my beef already chopped. It’s screaming for more salt however. Surprisingly bland and I followed recipe exactly
Easy and sooo good
I just made this as my first dish in the IP Viva. The wife can’t stop raving about it. After looking at many pot roast recipes…this grabbed my attention, since it calls for wine and who doesn’t like cooking with wine. I wasn’t able to find any fresh herbs, which probably would make it even more delish, but it was good none the less. I would however, emphasize to liberally salt the roast, as the sauce could go with that seasoning, especially the (fall apart) new potatoes. This recipe will be made again and again in this house.
Like most of the other comments have said, 45+10 is not long enough for thebroast to become tender and pull apart. I cooked it for an additional 30 mins and even then it could have gone longer, but by then my family was hungry and cranky so we ate it anyway lol. If I were to make this again I would cook the roast for 45 mins by itself, then add potatoes and cook for 45 mins, and then add carrots snd cook for 10 mins.
I woukd also leave the tomato paste out of the gravy but that’s just personal preference.
Love this recipe! I added celery with the carrots and mushrooms with the onions and garlic. Didn’t have any wine or balsamic vinegar so just left it out! Also added peas at the end and served over egg noodles. I always add an extra 35-40 mins of cook time for fall apart tender roast! Very versatile recipe!