Instant Pot Beef Stew has tender chunks of beef and hearty vegetables in a rich beefy broth.
Learn my favorite tips and tricks to cook this easy classic in an Instant Pot (or pressure cooker) for a family favorite everyone loves.
Instant Pot Cooking is Easy
If you’re new to pressure cooking (and the Instant Pot), you’re going to love it! It’s so easy to use and cooks meals in minutes in just one pot (including browning meat and cooking). Win-win!
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can find them online here! It makes the most tender ribs and chops and of course amazing beef stew.
We make homemade beef stew often but this recipe cuts down on time (and dishes) for a flavorful stew in one pot!
Instant Pot Beef Stew Ingredients
BEEF
When it comes to pressure cooker beef stew, there is no better cut of meat than chuck. Buy a thick chuck pot roast and cut it into chunks. If you can’t find chuck, regular stewing beef will work just fine!
VEGETABLES
This recipe contains the classics, potatoes, onions, carrots and celery. Peas are added in at the end (so they don’t overcook).
Not a fan of peas? No problem, add in some green beans instead!
BROTH
This is a rich brown-gravy type broth with flavor from fresh herbs and a bit of tomato paste. If desired a small can of diced tomatoes can be added for a tomato broth stew.
How To Make Instant Pot Stew
To make this instant pot beef stew recipe (full recipe below):
- SEAR: Turn the Instant Pot on to sauté and brown the stew beef chunks in small batches. Overcrowding will make too much juice and the meat won’t sear well.
- DEGLAZE: Simply add broth/wine and scrape any goodies off the bottom of the pan. These bits add flavor and scraping them off ensures you won’t see a “burn” notice on the instant pot.
- COOK: Add the rest of the ingredients (per recipe below) and turn the pressure cooker on.
- THICKEN: When cooking cycle ends, release the pressure from the Instant Pot and add the cornstarch slurry to thicken.
How Long to Cook Beef Stew in the Instant Pot
Sear, 15 minutes This pressure cooker beef stew recipe starts with searing the beef to get a good crust on it (don’t skip this part). This will take about 10-15 minutes or so (in 2 batches).
Build & Release Pressure, 25 minutes It will take about 10-15 minutes to get up to pressure and it will natural release for about 15 minutes.
Cook Time, 35 minutes The stew cooks for 35 minutes in the Instant Pot but keep in mind, that’s the cooking time only.
Overall, you can expect this Instant Pot Beef Stew to take about 90 minutes start to finish, but don’t worry, most of the time is hands off.
Time Saving Tip
While the beef is searing in batches, this is a good time to prep and chop the veggies. Performing tasks while things are cooking helps things flow easily during preparation!
Serve with…
Beef stew is practically a complete meat-and-potatoes meal in itself, no need to fuss with much else.
A fresh tossed salad (or caesar salad) and some crusty bread, French bread or dinner rolls are the perfect sides.
Got Leftovers?
To freeze beef stew place in a freezer bag or container. To reheat, no need to pre-thaw. Just empty the frozen block into a pot on low heat, and you’ll have dinner on the table again in no time!
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese – Reader favorite (and so easy)!!
- Instant Pot Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs – Easy for snacks, salads and sandwiches!
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Instant Pot Chicken Tacos – Great for salads or tacos
- Instant Pot Ribs – Melt in your mouth good!!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds stewing beef trimmed and cubed
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large onion diced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 cup red wine or 1 more cup beef broth
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 cups baby potatoes cubed
- 4 large carrots chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped, about 1 cup
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons water
- ¾ cup peas defrosted
Instructions
- Toss beef with garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Turn a 6-quart Instant Pot to sauté and add half of the olive oil. Brown half of the beef, about 3-5 minutes, don’t stir too much so you get a nice crust. Repeat with remaining beef and set aside.
- Add onions (and a bit more oil if needed) to the Instant Pot and cook 2-3 minutes or just until slightly softened.
- Add beef, broth, wine, tomato paste, rosemary, thyme, and vegetables except peas (ensure ingredients do not go above fill line). Secure lid and select Meat/Stew; cook on high pressure 35 minutes.
- Once the timer beeps, allow for a natural-release for about 15 minutes. Release any remaining pressure.
- Remove lid and turn to sauté bringing broth to a boil.
- Create a slurry by combining cornstarch and water in a small bowl or cup.
- Once the broth is simmering, stir in the cornstarch to reach desired consistency (you may not need all of it). Allow to simmer 2-3 minutes or until thickened and bubbly.
- Stir in peas and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Dinner, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Hello! I noticed there is one place that says to cook for 15 minutes and another spot says to cook for 35. Which one is the right one? Thanks!!
Erica, in instruction 2, you sear the beef, which takes approximately 15 minutes. Instruction 3 indicates to set the Instant Pot for 35 minutes. It can take 10-15 minutes to get to pressure. In instruction 4, you leave the Instant Pot on natural release for 15 minutes. Hope that helps. Enjoy the stew!
One of the best and definitely the quickest stew I have ever made! We thoroughly enjoyed it.
Yay!! So happy to hear that Shelly.
I made this recipe with venison. It turned out so good! I will definitely be making this again!
Oh yum! Thanks for sharing!
I am enjoying now…sooo yummy. I added peppers because I like a little spice, and some pre-steamed zucchini. Everything was very chunky (like the picture) and other than that I followed the recipe as written. Thank you!
I added the pre-steamed zucchini with the peas at the very end.
Those sound like great additions Carrie, thanks for sharing!
The meat was so tender. Great recipe. Love my instant pot.
Thanks Tammy! Happy it worked out for you!
What can I say but “YUMMY” I liked the look of this recipe from the get go and I wanted to make it for my bride of 54 years but I thought it would be too much just for the 2 of us… My son and family were returning from a long weekend trip and the thought struck me that they might enjoy not having to think about dinner so I asked if they would like to stop by when they got back in town and they jumped at the offer
We had a wonderful family time together and made a neat memory… the stew was a hit all the way around… my grandkids can be a little finicky at times. If I could give it 6 or more stars I would just for the fellowship eating a meal with loved ones means to my wife and me
Thank you so much for sharing this story with us Don! We are so happy we could be a part of this moment.
first thank for the delicious recipe. comfort food on a hot,humid day and did not heat the kitchen up.this one will be in the rotations. easy to make
Yay! So happy you loved it Patti.
Hi Holly! I’ve really been enjoying the emails I receive daily from you! I just bought an instant pot but haven’t used it yet; however, I’d really like to try this recipe as one of the first. I was wondering what size pot you used to make this? Thanks so much!
My Instant Pot is 6QT. Enjoy!
Can’t wait to get email on different recipes.
Coming right up Hortencia :)
Can’t wait to fix this. Looks just like my moms.
Don’t you love recipes like that Kathy? Bringing nostalgia back in the kitchen!
Made this for our dinner tonight. Will serve it with cheesy biscuits. Yum!
I hope you enjoy the stew Colleen!
This recipe is a winner! I used fresh garlic instead of powdered the second time, and it tasted even better. Any advice on using flour instead of the cornstarch slurry to thicken the stew? I don’t always have cornstarch in stock and may try adding some flour at the end of the sauté step. Thanks for the great recipe.
So glad you loved it! If you’d like to use flour in place of cornstarch, I would suggest dissolving it in a bit of water or broth first and then stirring it in. Allow it to boil for a couple of minutes to remove any starchy flavors.
I used wondra flour coated the meat after it was browned
Great idea Judy!
For some reason my potatoes disappeared, except a few larger chunks. The sauce was gritty. Will not be cooking potatoes along with meat next time. The other vegetables were fine.
What type of potatoes did you use Tiffany?
I presure cooked. The meat 10 mins first then added veggies with stock herbs. Etc. Pressure cook another 10 mins veggies were perfect thicken it, delious !
This was amazing. Thanks for the recipe! This will be my stew recipe from now on!
I am so glad you liked the stew Kelly!
This recipe is delicious! I’ve made it several times subbing in sweet potatoes and it tastes amazing!
Love the idea of adding sweet potatoes, thank you for sharing!! So glad you’ve enjoyed the recipe!
If I halved this recipe would the cook time be halved too?
The cook time wouldn’t change Kathryn. Enjoy!
Can you make this recipe Instant Pot Beef Stew in a regular pot rather than a pressure cooker?
Yes you can, I would suggest following the directions on this Beef Stew recipe.
I made this last weekend and it is a delicious, hearty, stick to your ribs winter meal! I added 2 garlic cloves minced, used all of the cornstarch mix for a nice thick stew texture but next time will only use 2 TBL of olive oil. Great recipe, thank you!
I agree, the perfect winter meal, so glad you enjoyed it Amanda!
I love the idea of making stew in the instant pot. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of beef. Could you substitute pork or chicken and if so what adjustments need to be made to the recipe.
Thank you.
I have only tried this recipe with beef, but if you try it with chicken it should turn out fine. Let me know how it goes!
Just read the Beef Stew recipe for the instant pot. It looks like it could easily be done in an old fashioned pressure cooker. Would there be anything I’d need to know to adapt it that way?
I haven’t used an old fashioned pressure cooker in years so I can’t say for sure. I can’t see any reason it wouldn’t work. Please let us know how it goes!