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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Hi there! I love your recipes. Can you tell me if I can make this with the roast frozen?
Yes, I do it frequently
Made this tonight. Its fantastic! Didn’t have bay leaves on hand . Subbed red wine vinegar for the red wine. My bf & I LOVE IT!! Will definitely make again!! Thanks !
have y’all ever made this without potatoes? How does it affect time?
The second time I made this recipe, I made it without the potatoes and carrots and did not change the time. It still came out tender. We cooked our potatoes on the side because we wanted different seasoning and veggies.
Yummy stuff No disappointment here
This is one of the best things I’ve made in my Instant Pot. I used 1/2 cup red wine and reduced the amount of beef broth by 1/4 cup. Also, used russet potatoes and put them in with the carrots at the end. Delicious!
This is the third time I’ve made this positively fool proof recipe. Young and old all love it. I’ve pretty much memorized it now. Thanks!
So Perfect so delicious so just right. My favorite instant pot receipe yet
This recipe is absolute gold. Turned out amazingly, with pull-apart meat, carrots cooked just right, and a thick, velvety sauce that was a huge hit with my family. The only quibble I have is with the line above about having pot roast done in under an hour. The recipe was relatively quick for pot roast, which usually cooks for ages, but it took me about 2-2.5 hours from start to finish, including time for trimming and browning the meat, scrubbing potatoes, peeling carrots, assembling ingredients, pulling apart meat at the end, plating, etc. Some notes:
– I used bottom chuck roast, which I trimmed heavily of fat though not obsessively
– This sounds and perhaps is obvious, but it’s very important to salt and pepper the final dish sufficiently, don’t be shy
– I substituted in Russet potatoes because I didn’t have baby reds, which resulted in the potatoes becoming mushy – either use the waxier reds as directed or maybe add the Russets in the 2nd stage of pressure cooking, along with the carrots
– Works great with the 1/4 of red wine as specified, but can up it to 1/2 cup for even more complexity and brightness to cut through the richness
– Goes great with a crusty bread, which you can then use to sop up the remaining sauce on your plate!
OUTSTANDING, delicious, moist, tender. Best I ever had, even better than grandma’s.
Like a lot of people using an instant pot I’m new to pressure cooking. I’ve made this a couple of times and it’s always turned out excellent. The only change I make is to drain the liquid At the end and make a roux on sauté mode instead of using cornstarch because I prefer the consistency of the gravy that way.
My husband said it was my best roast ever!!! Thank you so much!!! I used a chuck roast, and left russet potatoes whole, used about half tablespoon of dried thyme and teaspoon of dried rosemary because that’s what I had on hand. Upped first cooking time to 55 mins because roast was thick. Came out perfect!!
Great easy recipe
This was absolutely amazing!! Tender and savory!!
This was amazing! We absolutely loved it! HIGHLY recommend!
Best recipe for pot roast. My husband loved it. Says it was the best. Instead of adding potatoes I made garlic mashed separately and used balsamic vinegar instead of red wine. Definitely adding to our menu. Thanks for sharing.
Mashed potatoes are a great idea. I made this last night and the meat was amazing but potatoes were overcooked.
Just my second recipe in the InstaPot. This is a winner. I substituted Balsamic for the wine because I like it more than wine. Appreciated the tip on that though. There wasn’t a single negative result or taste from this though. Fork tender and the huge carrot chunks I used were perfect. Thanks for the recipe-which my daughter provided me. I’m sure I’ll be making more of your recipes.
This was excellent – the husband who has hated everything out of the Instant Pot – this recipe converted him. Simple but such a comforting sauce (and makes a ton, to boot). The potatoes come out bland so we will roast them separately next time, but this recipe is great regardless. Serve with a crusty baguette!
Wow, this recipe rocked my world! Great use of flavors! My family was fighting over the leftovers. I did make a few adjustments to the recipe, however. First, I used chicken bone broth instead of beef broth, because that’s what I had on hand. Second, I increased the red wine from 1/4 cup to 3/4 cups, because most of the recipes I’d been looking at online called for more red wine. Lastly, I decided that 3 cups of broth plus wine was a lot of liquid, so I used only 1 1/4 cups broth, for a total added liquid content of only 2 cups. I knew that as the meat cooked it would add more juice to the pot, and it certainly did. I had plenty of leftover gravy, and it did not go to waste.
Great flavor, and very easy and fast
Absolutely delicious!!! I didn’t use red wine, and substituted the tomato paste with tomato sauce (because I thought I had paste but no. Still worked the same though.) I also wished I would’ve kept the meat cooking longer to make it so tender it falls apart on its own. This recipe is still amazing though(:
Pot roast turned out great and made great gravy. Husband did not think it would work to do in such a short time and he raved about it.