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!!
Instant Pot Beef Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds stewing beef trimmed and cubed
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon 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 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.
Like our recipes?
Follow us on Pinterest!
4.9 out of 5.0 sounds about right.
It was so so good. The whole family loved it.
Hi wondering how much potato and carrots i have baby carrots and 4 large baked potatoes how much chopped onions? Im going to make my beef gravy with dried packets of beef flavored gravy
You can find the full list of ingredients, including how much of each, by scrolling down to the recipe or hitting “jump to recipe” at the top. Enjoy!
Hi! I have a ninja foodi so I do not have a stew meat button. How long do you think would be a good estimate for pressure cooking time?
Hi Lauren, I would cook on high pressure 35 minutes. Enjoy!
My husband loves this recipe. He said it was the best stew he’s ever had. I’m always trying new recipes and I think this one was one of his favorites.
This is absolutely the best recipe! Used 1 1/2 lb. bottom round. I skipped the wine and added a little Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves and more garlic. Used 2 twelve oz. bags of petite carrots. I also just removed the lid and folded in the peas still frozen so they are more fresh tasting. The meat is really tender and delicious! The veggies have especially good flavor.
Sounds delicious, thanks for sharing your substitutions, Carole!
Great recipe as usual and have made several times. Any suggestions on splitting up cooking time to keep vegetables from getting liquified.
Perhaps cook meat and some vegetables initially on high pressure for 20 minutes, which includes coming up to pressure. After 20 minutes, release pressure, add more liquid, scrape bits from bottom to prevent “burn”, add potatoes, carrots, celery in larger cut size and re-pressurize another 10 minutes, after which letting a natural pressure release for about 10 minutes.
Add starch, peas, mushrooms, etc while cooling down before serving, which would be another 5-10 minutes without a cover and heat off.
Those suggestions sound great, Steve! We would love to hear how it turned out for you.
Delicious! I added an extra carrot, next time i will double them because we love carrots, but the flavor was delicious, and the meat was super tender. Great Recipe! Thanks for sharing it!!!
Why do you not use Bay Leaves for flavor?
Feel free to add a bay leaf if you’d like. Remove before serving. Enjoy Mark!
Oh my stars, Holly! This recipe was super duper delicious! I followed your instructions to a T, and it turned out perfectly. My hubby and I had it for dinner tonight, and we LOVED it. Thank you for making our tastebuds, our bellies and our souls very happy!
You’re very welcome Allison! So happy to hear how much you and your hubby love this stew!
I haven’t made this yet as I don’t have an instant pot – it looks amazing though – how long should I cook it for in a slow cooker – I’d be really grateful if you can help!!
We use this recipe for slow cooker stew. Enjoy Christine!
This was I believe one of the best Beef Stew recipes I’ve ever made. Sadly though, I forgot to add the peas. I’ll add these to the leftovers. I’ll definitely be making this again.
So glad you enjoyed it, Janet! You will definitely have to try it with the peas next time.
Hello Holly,
I like the beef stew recipe. I made it and found it to be very tasty. I only had a pound of meat and it was plenty. Set pressure cooker for 30 min and will try 28 or 29 min the next time. I like slightly firmer vegetables. Also, liked the nutrition information but what quantity equals a serving.
Thanks,
A serving would be about 2 cups Robin. Serving size and nutrition will vary based on the size of the veggies you are using as well.
Made this a few nights ago and my family is still talking about it. My mods, because I decided to make it last-minute:
— A little less stew meat (I had 1.15 pounds)
— can of LeSeur peas (drained) instead of frozen thawed
— didn’t have fresh herbs on hand so used about 1/4 teaspoon of dried rosemary and thyme
Worked perfectly. Super flavorful — we will definitely make it, again. Thank you!
You’re very welcome! Thank you for sharing your changes!
Delicious. Holly, thank you! Would recommend updating step 4 to throw the beef back into the pot before clicking beef/stew button. Otherwise, great recipe.
Thank you Steve, I’ve updated this.
Your recipe never mentioned the onions. The video shows to sauté them after the meat but that step is not in the written recipe. May want to update. Everything is was great.
Sorry for the confusion Mike, I’ve updated the recipe. So glad you enjoyed it.