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Instant Pot pot roast with potatoes and gravy is the perfect family-friendly dinner. This simple one-pot dinner recipe is sure to please even the most finicky eaters!
Adapt the ingredients to your family’s preferences. If desired, stir in some frozen pearl onions. Use a mixture of multicolored baby potatoes or multicolored carrots to add additional color. Rutabaga is another excellent option, or you can combine carrots and parsnips. If fresh herbs are unavailable, substitute 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried crumbled rosemary or thyme, or use a herb blend.
What is pot roast?
Pot roast is more of a cooking technique than a particular cut of meat. To prepare it, sear a large amount of beef on all sides until browned, then cook it with aromatics such as herbs, onions, carrots, and broth until it’s tender and melts in your mouth.
Cooking methods include:
- Using a Dutch oven on the stovetop.
- Baking it in the oven.
- Using a slow cooker.
- Using a pressure cooker.
To prepare the pot roast in this recipe, we will be using a pressure cooker (specifically, our Instant Pot). The use of a pressure cooker drastically reduces the cooking time.
How To Make Instant Pot Pot Roast
- Mix well kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, then season to the chuck roast on all sides.
- On the sauté setting of the Instant Pot, heat the oil.
- Sear the beef roast in the Pot, occasionally turning to brown on all sides. Browning should take approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove the roast from the pot. Stir in the onions and mushrooms. Continue to sauté, occasionally stirring, until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute. Combine the wine, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf in a medium bowl. Bring to a boil.
- Potatoes should be washed and peeled if desired. Carrots should be peeled and sliced into 1-inch lengths. To the pot, add the potatoes and carrots and top with the pot roast.
- Adjust the vent to sealing position on the Instant Pot lid. Select manual mode and program a timer for 60 minutes at maximum pressure. Add 10 minutes if the roast is quite thick. Add 20 minutes if it’s frozen.
- When the timer sounds, open the valve to relieve the pressure quickly and open the lid.
- Take the beef and vegetables off the cooking liquid with a slotted spoon and set them on a platter to keep warm. Strain the juices into a fat separator if you prefer. Reintroduce the liquids to the pot and adjust the setting to the soup.
- Mix well the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl until smooth. Stir this mixture in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, constantly stirring, for an additional 2 minutes.
- Drizzle approximately 1/4 cup of the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Serve with the remaining sauce in a gravy boat.
Tips
- Tougher beef cuts like chuck, brisket, and round are ideal for pot roast. Traditionally, the beef is simmered at low heat. This is why tougher beef cuts work so well. Tougher meat cuts are leaner cuts with lots of connective tissue.
- Even though the cooking time is 1 hour plus browning time, allow 15 to 20 minutes for the pot to reach full pressure. The quick-release procedure takes approximately three minutes.
- As previously stated, do not add the vegetables during the initial cook time. You do not want to cook your vegetables for an additional 60+ minutes under high pressure! They are perfectly tender and fluffy after 3 minutes.
- To save time, cut the roast into 2-3′′ chunks, pressure cook for 40-50 minutes, or use pre-cut stewing beef.
How Long Do You Cook Instant Pot Pot Roast?
The time required to cook a pot roast in an Instant Pot varies according to the size of your piece of meat. The total time required is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes for a 3-pound piece of beef. This includes the time needed to bring the meat to room temperature) and searing time and cook it inside the pressure cooker.
We understand that two hours and thirty minutes may seem like a long time, but we require all of it to achieve ultra-tender and juicy beef. The fantastic news is that a pressure cooker cooks pot roast much faster than a slow cooker, oven, or stovetop.
We previously stated that additional time was required to bring the beef to room temperature. After testing this pot roast recipe in our kitchen, we discovered that using beef straight from the refrigerator results in a less tender roast than using beef that has been brought to room temperature before cooking.
For a three-pound roast, we discovered that one hour on the counter was ideal. This additional time has another advantage; it allows us to season the meat. We strengthen the beef liberally with salt immediately after removing it from the refrigerator, which helps the salt seep into the beef and impart extra flavor when cooked.
Can you use frozen beef?
You may be wondering if frozen beef can be used in a pot roast. Technically, the answer is yes; however, the cooking time will be increased (20 to 30 minutes longer).
Having said that, for the best results, we strongly recommend using thawed beef that has been seasoned with salt and left on the counter long enough to remove the chill. This additional time results in the most delectable, melt-in-your-mouth pot roast. Additionally, by using thawed beef, we can brown the outside of the meat before braising it, which enhances the dish’s flavor.
Why Should Use An Instant Pot Pot Roast?
You can finish making this beef quicker than it takes to cook for a long time, and I guarantee that the result is the same level of tenderness and juiciness as the beef that was slow roasted for a day or two. That is pressure cooking at its most enchanted!
The Instant Pot drastically reduces cooking time without sacrificing flavor or texture. After only 90 minutes of cooking time, this pot roast with vegetables is melt-in-your-mouth tender!
Vegetables cook quickly in the Instant Pot, frequently in just a few minutes or less. We wanted to emphasize these little potatoes’ smooth, creamy texture and their rapid cooking time in the pressure cooker. As a result, we added my vegetables near the end of the cooking time.
- Servings: 6 Servings
- Level: Easy
- Equipment: Instant Pot
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 75 mins
- Total Time: 90 mins
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 large onion (peel and dice)
- 4 to 6 ounces mushrooms (thinly slice)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 6 carrots
- 1 1/2 pounds potatoes, preferably small creamer potatoes
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup dry red wine, or use stock
- 3 cups beef stock, unsalted
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary, or a few sprigs of thyme
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cold water
Directions
Mix well kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, then season to the chuck roast on all sides.
On the sauté setting of the Instant Pot, heat the oil.
Sear the beef roast in the Pot, occasionally turning to brown on all sides. Browning should take approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove the roast from the pot. Stir in the onions and mushrooms. Continue to sauté, occasionally stirring, until the onions are translucent.
Add the garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute. Combine the wine, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf in a medium bowl. Bring to a boil.
Potatoes should be washed and peeled if desired. Carrots should be peeled and sliced into 1-inch lengths. To the pot, add the potatoes and carrots and top with the pot roast.
Adjust the vent to sealing position on the Instant Pot lid. Select manual mode and program a timer for 60 minutes at maximum pressure. Add 10 minutes if the roast is quite thick. Add 20 minutes if it’s frozen.
When the timer sounds, open the valve to relieve the pressure quickly and open the lid.
Take the beef and vegetables off the cooking liquid with a slotted spoon and set them on a platter to keep warm. Strain the juices into a fat separator if you prefer. Reintroduce the liquids to the pot and adjust the setting to the soup.
Mix well the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl until smooth. Stir this mixture in low heat. Cook, constantly stirring, for an additional 2 minutes.
Drizzle approximately 1/4 cup of the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Serve with the remaining sauce in a gravy boat.
Instant Pot Pot Roast - FAQs
When the pot roast is tender and easily separated with a fork, it is done. The beef should fall apart in your hands, indicating that the pressure cooker has broken down all of the connective tissue in the beef. This is demonstrated in the photograph above.
If the pot roast remains tough after cooking, cook it longer. If the beef remains tough, it merely requires additional time for the braise to work its magic and break down the beef’s connective tissues.
Since we are using a pressure cooker, if the beef is not tender after following our instructions, you will need to re-seal the pot and cook it for more time (an additional 10 to 20 minutes is my suggestion).
If you prefer vegetables that are incredibly soft and fall-apart tender, as well as having absorbed more flavor from the broth during cooking, the slow cooker is the way to go. If you prefer your potatoes and carrots to be more like a steamed “side” cooked alongside the meat, the Instant Pot is your best bet!
If you have enough pulled meat to almost fill the bottom of your pressure cooker, reheat it directly in the pot. Add a small amount of water and pressure cook for approximately 10 minutes.
The extra step will result in a nice crust on your meat and will aid in the preservation of flavor as it cooks slowly.
To avoid sentimentality, we prefer to keep the potato and carrot chunks reasonably thick. However, the pot will be somewhat crowded, which will slow down the cooking of the vegetables in the Instant Pot.
White or red wine both work well with pot roast; keep it on the dry side.
Conclusion
If you are finding some quick and healthy methods to prepare delicious meals for your family, you will learn about many of the great Instant Pot recipes that can be prepared with this handy cooker. The Instant Pot can be used to quickly and easily prepare a variety of soups, meats, and vegetables for your meals.
Making a Pot Roast is now incredibly easy with the help of an Instant Pot, and it tastes delicious! The Pot Roast recipe takes less than 2 hours, and the meat is unbelievably tender!
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