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Home / Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker

Instant Pot Classic Pot Roast

4.91
/5
1 hour 45 minutes
12 Comments
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By: The Chunky Chefpublished: 10/01/2020

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Juicy, melt-in-your-mouth beef, tender vegetables and an ultra flavorful gravy make for the perfect Pot Roast recipe! Classic comfort food meets family friendly dinner, made with the ease of the Instant Pot! #potroast #beef #instantpot #pressurecooker #dinner #comfortfood #potroastrecipe
Juicy, melt-in-your-mouth beef, tender vegetables and an ultra flavorful gravy make for the perfect Pot Roast recipe! Classic comfort food meets family friendly dinner, made with the ease of the Instant Pot! #potroast #beef #instantpot #pressurecooker #dinner #comfortfood #potroastrecipe
Juicy, melt-in-your-mouth beef, tender vegetables and an ultra flavorful gravy make for the perfect Pot Roast recipe! Classic comfort food meets family friendly dinner, made with the ease of the Instant Pot! #potroast #beef #instantpot #pressurecooker #dinner #comfortfood #potroastrecipe

Juicy, melt-in-your-mouth beef, tender vegetables and an ultra flavorful gravy make for the perfect Pot Roast recipe! Classic comfort food meets family friendly dinner, made with the ease of the Instant Pot.

This Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings is the perfect comfort food!  Recipes like my Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa and Instant Pot Sausage Tortellini Soup are great for when you want an ultra-comforting family meal that’s ready incredibly fast.  This is one of my Pressure Cooker recipes you’ll definitely want in your recipe box!

beef and vegetable pot roast on white plate

POT ROAST RECIPE

Comfort food recipes like this Pot Roast recipe are essential in the colder months.  Instead of having to remember to make and set your slow cooker in the wee hours of the morning before you leave for work, you can have a mouthwatering pot roast in less than an hour and a half, most of which is hands off time! 

I know, I know, an hour and a half doesn’t really sound like a quick weeknight dinner.  And in a lot of cases, it’s not.  Unless you get home from work at a fairly early hour.  BUT, it’s still faster than cooking all day, or for 3 hours in the oven.

I tend to think of a pot roast dinner as weekend meal, so that’s when we enjoy this.  Usually on a Sunday night, so we can enjoy the leftovers for dinner on Monday night!

A lot of Instant Pot pot roast recipes say it’s ready in an hour.  But that doesn’t usually take into account the prep time, and time to let the pressure release.

For this recipe, I tested cooking the meat and veggies all at once, and cooking it in stages, and we much preferred the texture of the vegetables when they were cooked in stages.  When they’re all tossed in together, the vegetables were very mushy and sort of disappeared.

HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT POT ROAST

step by step photos of how to make instant pot pot roast

  1. Brown the beef. I like to brown my chuck roast, but I don’t do it all the time, and it isn’t necessary.  If you sear the meat, you’ll need to scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon when you add the beef broth.  Otherwise those browned bits that are stuck on there will cause your pressure cooker to not come up to pressure.
  2. Add all liquids. Once your beef is ready, add in the broth, seasonings, garlic, and horseradish. Add potatoes and thyme.
  3. Pressure cook. Seal and pressure cook for 45 minutes.
  4. Let pressure release. Perform a natural pressure release (by doing nothing) for 10 minutes, then turn the valve to “venting” and release any remaining pressure.
  5. Add vegetables and cook. Add carrots, celery, and onion, then pressure cook again for 15 minutes.
  6. Pressure release. This time let the pressure release on it’s own for 15 minutes, then turn the valve to “venting” to release any remaining pressure.
  7. Remove meat and vegetables. Shred the beef, and let it all sit on a plate.
  8. Make slurry. A slurry is the combination of cornstarch and a cold or room temperature liquid. Whisking the cornstarch and water until smooth, then stirring it into the cooking liquid will thicken it without any clumps.
  9. “Saute” to thicken liquid. Cook, stirring often, until the slurry has thickened the liquid into a loose gravy consistency, or until thickened to your liking.
  10. Serve beef and vegetables drizzled with plenty of cooking liquid.

ADDITIONAL COOKING TIPS

Juicy, melt-in-your-mouth beef, tender vegetables and an ultra flavorful gravy make for the perfect Pot Roast recipe! Classic comfort food meets family friendly dinner, made with the ease of the Instant Pot! #potroast #beef #instantpot #pressurecooker #dinner #comfortfood #potroastrecipe

THE MEAT

Since this pot roast is cooked in a moist, high pressure environment, you want a cut of meat that’s rich in connective tissue and marbled fat.  When cooked in a pressure cooker, or for long periods of time, those tissues and fat transform even the toughest beef into the most melt-in-your-mouth tender morsels.  My personal favorite, in terms of flavor, texture and cost effectiveness is a boneless chuck roast.  I buy them when they’re on sale and keep them in the freezer.  If your budget is more open, beef brisket is another good option.

BROWNING

Taking the time to sear and brown the beef adds a ton of flavor, but isn’t absolutely essential.  I love to brown my beef, since I love that extra deep flavor it adds… but I’ve made this several times without taking that extra step, and it still tastes delicious.

VEGETABLE TEXTURE

As written, the vegetables are tender, but not fall apart in your mouth tender.  If you prefer a softer texture to your pot roast vegetables, feel free to add them in the first pressure cook time, with the beef and liquid.  Then omit the entire second pressure cooking time and move straight into the “thicken liquid” steps.

pot roast with vegetables on white plate

VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE

  • RED WINE – for a deeper, more complex flavor, try swapping 1/2 cup of the beef broth for a dry red wine.  Use the wine to deglaze the pot, then add in the beef broth.
  • ONION SOUP MIX – if you have a packet of onion soup mix, feel free to use it.  Just omit the dried minced onion and reduce the salt to 1/2 tsp.
  • DRIED HERBS – not everyone has fresh herbs on hand, so if you need to, you can substitute the fresh thyme for 1 tsp dried thyme leaves.
  • OTHER VEGETABLES – carrots, potatoes, celery and onion are classic pot roast vegetables, but adding some whole button mushrooms is a great addition.  Just add them when you add the carrots, celery and onion.
  • OTHER POTATOES – for a recipe like this, you want a waxier potato that holds it’s shape.  Red potatoes would be a good substitute. If you can’t find baby potatoes, you can use larger ones, you’ll just want to halve or quarter them.

MAKING POT ROAST AHEAD OF TIME

The great thing about pot roast is that the leftovers tend to taste even better the next day!  When making this recipe ahead of time, my advice would be to store the pot roast, veggies and liquid all together, to keep the meat from drying out.

STORAGE

Leftover pot roast should be refrigerated in an airtight container and consumed within 4-5 days.

Leftovers can also be frozen for up to 3 months, although sometimes frozen potatoes can have a different texture and consistency when thawed.

Juicy, melt-in-your-mouth beef, tender vegetables and an ultra flavorful gravy make for the perfect Pot Roast recipe! Classic comfort food meets family friendly dinner, made with the ease of the Instant Pot! #potroast #beef #instantpot #pressurecooker #dinner #comfortfood #potroastrecipe

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE

The following links are affiliate links.

The Chunky Chef, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.  For more information regarding this program and what it means for you, please see my Privacy page.

  • Instant Pot – I recently upgraded to this model and I love it!

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beef and vegetable pot roast on white plate

Instant Pot Pot Roast

4.91 from 11 votes
Author: The Chunky Chef
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Depressurizing Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Calories: 464
Servings: 6 - 8 servings
(hover over # to adjust)
Print Rate Pin
Juicy, melt-in-your-mouth beef, tender vegetables and an ultra flavorful gravy make for the perfect Pot Roast recipe!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 Tbsp canola oil
  • 2 lb. boneless beef chuck roast
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tsp black pepper divided
  • 32 oz reduced sodium beef broth
  • 1/4 cup prepared horseradish
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 Tbsp dried minced onion
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 1/2 lbs baby Yukon gold potatoes scrubbed clean

ADD LATER

  • 1 lb. baby carrots
  • 5 stalks celery chopped into 1" pieces
  • 1 medium yellow onion quartered

TO MAKE GRAVY

  • 2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 3 Tbsp water or additional beef broth

Instructions

BROWN BEEF

  • Rub chuck roast with salt and 1 tsp of the black pepper.
  • Add vegetable oil to Instant Pot and select "Saute". When hot, add beef and cook for 2 minute per side, until browned. Remove to a plate

DEGLAZE POT

  • Add in beef broth and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to remove any browned bits. Add horseradish, garlic, remaining 1 tsp black pepper, dried onion and rosemary. Stir gently.
  • Return beef to the pot, then add thyme sprigs and potatoes.

PRESSURE COOK

  • Press "Cancel - or Keep Warm/Cancel". Close lid securely and make sure the valve is set to "sealing". Select "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" and adjust the +/- button until it reads 45 minutes.
  • When finished cooking, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then carefully turn the valve to "venting" for a quick pressure release. When the steam has all escaped, and the pin has dropped, remove the lid and discard thyme sprig stems.

PRESSURE COOK VEGETABLES

  • Add carrots, celery and onion to the pot. Close lid securely and make sure the valve is set to "sealing". Select "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" and adjust the +/- button until it reads 15 minutes.
  • When finished cooking, let the pressure release naturally on it's own for 15 minutes, then carefully turn the valve to "venting" to release any remaining pressure.
  • When the steam has all escaped, and the pin has dropped, remove the lid.

THICKEN LIQUID

  • Carefully remove meat and all vegetables, leaving the liquid in the pot.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Whisk mixture into the hot liquid inside the pot and select "Saute".
  • Cook for several minutes, stirring often, about 5 minutes or until thickened to your tastes.

SERVE

  • Shred meat and serve alongside vegetables, drizzled with thickened sauce, and sprinkled with minced fresh thyme or parsley if desired.

Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!

Chef Tips

  1. Recipe times does not include the amount of time the Instant Pot takes to come up to pressure, which should take about 10-15 minutes.
 

SLOW COOKER DIRECTIONS

  1. Sear beef in a skillet over HIGH heat with canola oil.
  2. Add beef and all remaining ingredients (except cornstarch and water), cover and cook on LOW for 8-9 hours.
  3. Remove beef and vegetables to a plate.
  4. Whisk together cornstarch and water until smooth and whisk into slow cooker.  Increase heat to HIGH and cook, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    1. Or liquid can be transferred to a saucepan, add the cornstarch/water mixture to that and heat over MED heat until thickened.
  5. Return beef and veggies to the slow cooker and serve.
 

OVEN DIRECTIONS

  1. Sear beef in a heavy bottomed pot (a dutch oven is the classic pot used), then remove to a plate.
  2. Add beef broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen browned bits of flavor.
  3. Return beef to the pot, and add all remaining ingredients (except cornstarch and water), then stir gently.
  4. Cover with lid and bake in a 350°F oven for 2 1/2 - 3 hours, or until beef shreds easily and has reached an internal temperature of 202°F.
  5. Remove beef to shred, then remove vegetables, adding all to a plate.
  6. Whisk together cornstarch and water until smooth and whisk into pot.  Place pot on the stove over MED heat and cook until thickened to your liking.
  7. Return beef and veggies to the pot and serve.

Nutrition Disclaimer

The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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Hey there! I'm Amanda. Wife, mother, photography nerd, and bacon lover! I believe that delicious meals should be easy to make. Now that you’re here, stay a bit, browse a few recipes, and let’s get cookin’!

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Recipe Rating




  1. Samantha Scott says

    Posted on 12/26 at 9:58 am

    Hi!

    Is the time given for a frozen roast? If not, how much time should I add to the recipe, please?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 12/26 at 10:11 am

      Hi Samantha, I haven’t tested this recipe using a frozen roast, so I can’t say for certain how much additional time you’ll need.

      Reply
  2. Yvonne Siber says

    Posted on 8/3 at 7:14 pm

    I THINK I’m making this for dinner tonight. BUT one question: does the oil matter? Vegetable (per directions) or Canola (asrecipe states), I have both but was wondering if the type matters.

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 8/3 at 7:39 pm

      Either one will work, you just want a neutral oil with a high smoke point 🙂

      Reply
  3. SumBunny says

    Posted on 4/29 at 3:39 pm

    This is exactly what I was looking for, thank you! This is my first visit to your site and it certainly won’t be the last. I like your approach to cooking and realistic pov.

    Reply
  4. Allyson Reed Zea says

    Posted on 10/5 at 11:35 am

    This is the perfect fall weather meal! I love making it in the instant pot

    Reply
  5. Patricia says

    Posted on 10/5 at 9:04 am

    I love all the options for add-ins! What a great dish – a filling classic!

    Reply
  6. Cathy says

    Posted on 10/4 at 1:58 pm

    This is the best pot roast I’ve ever had!

    Reply
  7. Toni Dash says

    Posted on 10/3 at 6:15 pm

    This looks really amazing! Can’t wait to try it!

    Reply
  8. Vikki says

    Posted on 10/3 at 2:01 am

    So juicy and delicious, a fantastic classic!

    Reply
  9. Erin says

    Posted on 10/2 at 9:31 pm

    This Instant Pot pot roast couldn’t look any more perfect!

    Reply
  10. Beth says

    Posted on 10/2 at 9:54 am

    This looks so delicious and tasty! My husband is going to love this recipe! I can’t wait to give this a try!

    Reply

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