This Instant Pot Pot Roast is my go-to recipe when I need a tried and true comfort food recipe but I’m low on time, or didn’t think about what was for dinner until it was too late to have a hearty meal.
This has so few ingredients too, so you can whip it up in just a few minutes!
Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe
Is it weird that since I’m newer to the Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker cooking that every Instant Pot recipe that I make I start my blog post with “oh my gosh”?
It’s so true. I am thinking oh my gosh, how can it be that pressure cooker meal that I make turns out amazing?
And, this pressure cooker pot roast is honestly no exception. It was amazing. And I was so proud of it, too.
This Instant Pot beef roast was fall apart tender, full of flavor and seriously easy enough to make that my six year old could have made it. Now, don’t go calling the police on me, she didn’t make it, but she probably could have.
I have this Instant Pot and love it. Chances are that if you are looking for an Instant Pot beef roast recipe you probably have one of these magical machines, but in case you’re wondering about the fantastic new accessories that the Instant Pot folks have released, check them out here. They’re awesome and make life even easier! Gotta love that!
OK, so on to more about how I whipped up this super easy Instant Pot pot roast with vegetables this week!
Add 1/2 of the Olive Oil to the Instant Pot and set to sauté, let the oil get thinned out and shimmery.
Once it is hot, add the beef chuck roast and sear both sides
Add your beef broth to the Instant Pot over the beef
Pile in your veggies, remaining Olive Oil, and onion soup mix.
Place lid on the Instant Pot and set valve to sealed, and set the Instant Pot to manual and add 60 minutes to the timer. You’re all set and ready to rock and roll!
After the Pressure Cooker is finished, do a natural pressure release for ten minutes, followed up by a quick release (be careful to not get in the way of the steam!)
You’re going to end up with the best Instant Pot pot roast with vegetables you’ve ever had – Mmmm!
Enjoy!
** I love to use the juices as a gravy over the meat and vegetables – YUM!
Instant Pot Beef Roast Recipe Ingredients:
- 2 pound beef chuck roast
- salt to taste
- 4 T Olive Oil
- 2 c beef broth
- 1 package onion soup mix
- 1 yellow onion, sliced into thicker pieces
- 1 pound red potatoes
- 2 cups baby carrots
A Closer Look at the Ingredients
Chuck roast
A two pound chuck roast is the cut, and the size matters for the time. Chuck has the fat and connective tissue that turn tender under pressure. Leaner roasts come out dry.
Olive oil
Four tablespoons, split. Half goes in for the sear, and the rest goes in with the vegetables. A well oiled pot is also the easiest way to avoid a burn notice.
Beef broth and onion soup mix
Two cups of broth and one packet of onion soup mix. The broth makes the pressure and becomes the gravy. The soup mix is the only seasoning besides salt.
Onion, potatoes and carrots
One onion in thick slices, a pound of red potatoes, and two cups of baby carrots. Thick cuts matter. Small pieces turn to mush in sixty minutes under pressure.
Step by Step, With the Details
Heat the pot
Set the Instant Pot to saute and add half the oil. Wait until it is thin and shimmering. A cold pot steams the meat instead of searing it.
Sear both sides
Salt the roast and lay it in the hot oil. Four minutes without moving it, flip, four more. A deep brown crust is where the gravy flavor comes from.
Broth in, scrape the bottom
Pour the broth over the roast and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen every brown bit. Stuck bits are what trigger the burn warning.
Vegetables on top
Pile the onion, potatoes, and carrots over the roast, drizzle the remaining oil over them, and sprinkle the onion soup mix on top. Do not stir.
Sixty minutes on manual
Lid on, valve to sealing, manual or pressure cook for sixty minutes. It takes about ten minutes to come to pressure first.
Ten minute natural release, then quick
When the timer ends, leave it alone for ten minutes. Then turn the valve to venting, standing back from the steam, and open the lid when the pin drops.
Why the Ten Minute Natural Release
A quick release right away pulls the juices out of the meat and leaves it dry. Ten minutes of natural release lets the roast relax and reabsorb them.
A full natural release works too and takes about twenty five minutes. The ten minute version is the balance between tender meat and getting dinner on the table.
Making Gravy From the Liquid
Move the roast and vegetables to a platter and set the pot to saute. Whisk two tablespoons of cornstarch into a quarter cup of cold water and stir it into the simmering liquid.
Two or three minutes of stirring and it thickens into gravy. Taste it for salt before it goes over the meat. The soup mix is usually enough.
Timing for a Bigger Roast
The sixty minutes is for a two pound roast. Figure twenty minutes per pound, so a three pound roast gets about seventy five minutes and a four pound roast gets ninety.
For a roast over three pounds, cut it into two pieces. Two smaller pieces cook more evenly than one thick one.
Keeping the Vegetables From Turning to Mush
The thick onion slices, whole baby carrots, and whole small red potatoes in the recipe are sized to survive sixty minutes. Keep them that size.
If you want firmer vegetables, cook the roast alone, do the release, add the vegetables, and pressure cook five more minutes with a quick release.
Leftovers, Reheating and Freezing
In the refrigerator
Store the sliced or shredded meat in its liquid, covered, for up to four days. The liquid is what keeps it from drying out.
Reheating
A covered pan over low heat with a spoonful of the juices, or the microwave at half power.
Freezing
The meat freezes well in its juices for up to three months. The potatoes do not freeze well, so eat those first.
Questions I Get About This Recipe
Can I use a frozen roast?
Yes, with no sear. Add twenty to thirty minutes to the pressure time and expect a little less flavor in the gravy.
I got the burn notice. What happened?
Brown bits stuck to the bottom after the sear. Scrape the pot clean with the broth before the vegetables go in, and do not stir the soup mix down to the bottom.
What if I do not have onion soup mix?
A tablespoon of dried minced onion, a teaspoon of garlic powder, a teaspoon of salt, and a half teaspoon of pepper gets you close.
Can I make it in the slow cooker instead?
Yes, eight hours on low. My Mississippi pot roast is the crock pot roast I make most, and it has only five ingredients.
Does the size of the Instant Pot matter?
A six quart is right for a two to three pound roast with vegetables. An eight quart works the same way but takes a few more minutes to come to pressure.
More Instant Pot and Crock Pot Beef Dinners
- Mississippi Pot Roast
- Crock Pot Beef and Noodles
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Pulled Beef Slow Cooker Sandwiches
Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pound beef chuck roast
- salt to taste
- 4 T Olive Oil
- 2 c beef broth
- 1 package onion soup mix
- 1 yellow onion sliced into thicker pieces
- 1 pound red potatoes
- 2 cups baby carrots
Instructions
- Add 1/2 of the Olive Oil to the Instant Pot and set to saute, let the oil get thinned out and shimmery
- Once it is hot, add the chuck roast and sear both sides
- Add your beef broth to the Instant Pot over the beef
- Pile in your veggies, remaining Olive Oil, and onion soup mix
- Place lid on the Instant Pot and set valve to sealed
- Set Instant Pot to Manual and add 60 minutes to the timer
- After the Pressure Cooker is finished, do a natural pressure release for ten minutes, followed up by a quick release (be careful to not get in the way of the steam!)
- Enjoy!
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