Perfect Instant Pot Beef Stew
It’s about time we had a perfect Instant Pot beef stew recipe, don’t you think? No fuss and completely delicious, this stew is packed with flavor (and tender, fall-apart meat), and it is easy as can be to make.
Instant Pot recipes are a tricky thing.
I, for one, love my Instant Pot (ahem, both Instant Pots) with all my heart and soul.
I’ve become a crazy woman wondering, dreaming, thinking, and testing what recipe I can convert over to the IP! I’ve had some successes…and some pretty bad flops (creme brulee, I’m looking at you).
It’s a life-changing machine and truly has made my every day dinner-making life so much easier.
{Sidenote: my recommendation for the best size/type of Instant Pot is down below!}
However, I know not everyone has an Instant Pot, many have no plans to ever get one, and some of you probably haven’t even taken yours out of the box yet!
It leaves me wondering sometimes if I’m alienating readers by posting Instant Pot recipes.
And because I worry about everything (got a problem? let me know and I’ll do the worrying for you), these are the types of things that keep me up at night.
That’s why, where possible, I also try to include slow cooker or stovetop directions with Instant Pot recipes.
But this perfect Instant Pot beef stew definitely falls into an Instant Pot- (or other pressure cooker-) only category. There are no alternate directions because it’s lifechanging in the IP.
It’s definitely one of those landmark recipes that makes an Instant Pot a valuable (necessary??) asset.
If you only ever made this perfect Instant Pot beef stew in the miracle appliance, it would be worth it.
The good news for non-Instant Pot fans/owners: this Instant Pot version is based on the delicious slow cooker hearty beef stew recipe that’s been on my site for years.
So if you don’t have an Instant Pot, there’s still an amazing crockpot version at your fingertips.
Even though Instant Pot/pressure cooker recipes might be slightly polarizing, I’m afraid I can’t be stopped.
I have several more groundbreaking Instant Pot recipes up my sleeve to share this month – seriously, some of the best Instant Pot recipes yet to come.
But, never fear, if I haven’t convinced you to get an Instant Pot yet, in most of those cases, I’m including slow cooker and/or stovetop directions.
I don’t know about you, but I’m sitting here contemplating whether life and dinner really existed before the Instant Pot.
This perfect Instant Pot beef stew couldn’t be easier. And it’s one of my kids’ favorite, favorite, favorite meals of all time.
Once I figured out the trick to fall-apart tender meat without overcooking the vegetables, my stew-loving life was complete.
There’s nothing quite as wonderful as a warm, flavorful bowl of home cooked beef stew. Comfort food at its finest.
As with many other Instant Pot recipes, this beef stew has me saying: I’ll never cook beef stew another way!
And since I get asked a lot, here are a few quick notes about what Instant Pot I have and which one I recommend:
–All of my Instant Pot/electric pressure cooker recipes are written for the popular 6-quart model (I have the older 7-in-1 which is no longer available thanks to the recently introduced 9-in-1)
–I also have the 8-quart Instant Pot (again, I have the older 7-in-1 model that is no longer available)
–I use the 6-quart Instant Pot 85% of the time for my family of seven. The other 15% of the time when I am serving company, cooking in bulk to freeze, OR because I need to cook simultaneous Instant Pot recipes (like, rice in one and smoky chicken in another), I pull out the 8-quart. It is as amazing as the 6-quart…just a little bigger.
–The 8-quart, thanks to its larger size, does take noticeably longer than the 6-quart to heat up and naturally release pressure, but other than that, it functions just the same as smaller models
–Keep in mind that you can always cook small (very small) batches in a large pressure cooker, but you can’t cook double or larger batches in a smaller pressure cooker (especially observing safety guidelines about not filling it up more than halfway for foods like beans and rice).
–Ultimately, I recommend the 6-quart Instant Pot to just about everyone (unless their family is larger than 7-8 people or they enjoy making enough food to feed an army on a daily basis).
One Year Ago: From-Scratch Vanilla Pudding Cake
Two Years Ago: Pressure Cooker “Roasted” Whole Chicken
Three Years Ago: Chocolate Covered Strawberries Tuxedo-Style
Four Years Ago: Cinnamon and Sugar Breadstick Twists
Five Years Ago: Cheesecake Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Perfect Instant Pot Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ cup chopped yellow or white onions
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 3 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (see note)
- 2 tablespoons instant/minute tapioca (see note)
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, I use coarsely ground
- 2-3 pounds stew meat, or a chuck or arm roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 to 2 ½ cups chopped carrots, about 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 to 2 ½ cups peeled and chopped potatoes, any variety, about 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 cups frozen peas
Instructions
- Select the Saute function on the Instant Pot (use the + or – button to adjust the heat to the normal setting). Add the oil and onions, and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until the onions start to turn translucent. Add the tomato paste, stirring it into the onions, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the beef broth, soy sauce, tapioca, bay leaves and black pepper. Whisk or stir to combine.
- Add the stew meat and give a quick stir. Secure and lock the lid with the vent in the closed position. Cook on high pressure for 18 minutes (select “manual” or “pressure cook” and dial up or down to get to the right number, the IP will start on its own).
- When finished cooking, let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes and then quick release the remaining pressure. Add the carrots and potatoes. Wipe the seal and inside of the lid dry and make sure the ring is pressed down all the way (if the ring is out of place or too wet, the IP may not come back up to pressure). Secure and lock the lid with the vent in the closed position. Cook on high pressure again for 3 minutes.
- Quick release the pressure (or naturally release for 10 minutes and then quick release the rest). Take out the bay leaves. Stir in the frozen peas to heat through, and add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed. The stew will thicken a bit as it cools.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
I have the larger size IP and am curious to know if this recipe could be doubled? Would I need to adjust cooking times?
Yes, I think it could be doubled for the 8 quart. I’d keep the cooking times the same.
I have the 3-qt. IP as there is just the two of us. We spend the winter in our RV being snowbirds. The 3-qt. size IP is great for RVing for two persons. Usually makes enough for two meals! Only wish I would read directions more carefully. Seems I always miss an ingredient of instruction along the way! Darn!
If I doubled the recipe, would I need to adjust the cooking times?
This recipe is delicious and everyone in my family loved it!
As long as your Instant Pot is big enough to double the recipe safely, the cooking times should be about the same.
OMG!! This is amazing!! Only my second time using my InstaPot and this has just became an absolute must for my recipe box!! I’ve never tried to make beef stew before but rest assured I will make it frequently now. I did add a cornstarch slurry at the end to thicken it and added 2c. frozen corn too. Thank you Mel!!
Not often do I make something that every person in my family says was amazing: I’m surprised that of all things beef stew got that kind of praise. The baby even loved it (he is more or less anti-food at this point in his life). Personally, I like my stew a bit more tender, so next time I’ll cook the beef for 22 minutes and the veggies for 8 (I cooked them for 6 minutes this time).
Glad to hear this was a hit! Thanks for the feedback. 🙂
Great beef stew recipe in the IP pressure cooker!!! Actually followed your recipe, Mel, but sauteed the beef and onions together before starting the cooker. Just a matter of habit. I have enough to freeze for another time. Enjoyed every bite while watching my Dallas Cowboys play the Rams!!! Thanks!!! @cantstopcooking
Hi Mel! I use your recipes faithfully and always send people home with the recipes. Thank you for making me a hero! Per your recommendations I ask for and received an Instant Pot for my birthday. I am hoping to try this recipe. I bought the 8-quart since we feed our Bible Study every week which can be 8-12 people. How do I adjust this (or any) recipe to make it in the 8-Quart? Thank you!
If you are making it per the recipe (even if you are putting it in an 8quart vs a 6 quart) you won’t need to make any adjustments! Sometimes cutting a recipe down may necessitate less time, but otherwise, it should work just fine in the 8 quart as is!
This was delicous! It was my second time making it. I love that while it was cooking I had time to make your Parmesan garlic knot rolls. I used a whole onion and it didn’t overpower the flavor. I also added celery with the carrots and potatoes (to use ’em up) and it all worked out great. Thanks so much!!
I’ve made this a couple times now and it’s delicious. I love that the IP makes it pretty hands off. It’s so nice not having to babysit dinner as it cooks!
Great recipe! Tasty and simple steps. This one is a keeper!
I made this tonight and it tasted fantastic!! Thanks! Everyone loved it and packed their school lunches with the leftovers already!
This will be my maiden voyage with my 6 qt. pot – I am nervous. My question is: There are only two of us and I want to make 1/2 recipe from above – how do I adjust time and such?
Just try halving all the ingredients and cutting maybe 4-5 minutes off the cooking time.
Question: If I make this ahead of time is there a “stay warm”? Or will keeping it warm overcook the meat?
I use the warming function on the IP all the time and it doesn’t seem to overcook things as long as it isn’t left for hours and hours.
Turned out wonderfully. Used a cheaper, 3 pound bottom-round roast. Seared the meat before hand and deglazed the searing pan with the broth I added to the stew. Thank you, Mel!
YAY! This is on the menu at our house tonight! We have been faithful followers of your blog for years and the slow cooker version of this recipe was our favorite! But, I have not made it in quite awhile because I just don’t have the time. Sooooo, I’m stoked to see your IP version. (Not sure how I missed it 9 months ago when it as posted or we would have eaten it countless times this year!) YUUUUMMMM! Thank you.
Hi Mel. I have had a Power Pressure Cooker XL for a few years and have never used it. I am trying it for the first time with your beef stew recipe. I did not realize the functions are so different from the Instant Pot. Do you know anything about how I would adapt your recipes for mine? For example, mine does not have a saute function. Thanks!
Darn, Christina – I’m not familiar with that pressure cooker at all! I’m sorry! Have you tried googling a Power Pressure Cooker to Instant Pot comparison chart?
I made this recipe last night and it was very good. Loved the flavor. Thanks for the detailed IP instructions. I’m new to the IP and I’m still not sure I love it or not yet but this recipe was delicious.
Thanks, Becky – I hope you find other recipes that make you love that Instant Pot!
This turned out so great! I should have lessened the initial cook time since I cut the meat into smaller chunks (1/2 inch cubes). I also first used only the full amount of soy sauce but after tasting it decided to add a bit of Worcestershire since I like things a bit more salty and figured it wouldn’t hurt. I had baby red potatoes that I decided not to peel (way too small) and it worked out well. Oh I also didn’t have any tapioca so I just thickened it after cooking with a cornstarch and water slurry. Tasted good to me! Thanks for another great recipe, Mel!
Any other prep for the baby reds? I’m thinking that maybe you had to pierce them? Excited to make this for dinner! New IP owner 🙂
I had no beef broth or stock, and I wanted a thicker gravy, so used 1 – 1/2 cups water. This came out delicious. A little on the salty side with the 1/2 cup of soy sauce. Next time I’ll reduce to 1/4 cup soy sauce. This is the easiest stew recipe ever!
Hi friend, you know 3T is about 1/4 c. not 1/2 c.
Hi friends! There are exactly 4 tablespoons in 1/4 cup 🙂 Adding 1/2 cup of soy sauce would have been 8 tablespoons so more than double the recipe’s 3 tablespoons!
We love this stew Mel! Have you ever made it the day before and the reheat it in the Instant Pot? I’m wondering if that’s possible for an even easier make ahead.
I haven’t done that, but I definitely think you could do that (and the flavors will probably be even more developed and delicious).
I followed the recipe exactly and it was amazing! Perfect! Love my IP.
Amazing!! Followed directions exactly.
Thank you Mel. Your staged method of cooking this stew works like a charm! No more mushy vegetables. I also like improvise and thought I’d share. I brown the meat first with spices then add minced garlic & onion followed by the liquids. I find that adding the spices to the meat during browning gives the meat a more robust flavour and will release flavors into the liquids during the pressure cooking stage. For spices I used 2 tbls coffee rub spice, 1 tbls Cajun spice, ¾ tbls paprika, 1 tsp mesquite liquid smoke, 1 tbls soy sauce, 1 tbls Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbls Franks Hot Sauce, 1 tbls beef bouillon (Concentrated). For liquids I used: 2 cups beef broth, 1/2 cup red wine, 1 cup Clamato juice, 1 tbls maple syrup, 6 oz. can tomato paste then added, 2 bay leaves
and 1 cup cremini mushrooms.
This gives your stew a great outdoorsy flavour with a light kick. Hope you try it 🙂
I Tri ed to add Pearl barley (1/3 cup) with the meat (sautéed wth flour) & broth/sauce after a few minutes burn came on. Took everything out, cleaned the inner pot then put back in meat & sauce on the trivet. Cooked meat 18 minutes, after put in potatoes & carrots came to pressure the burn light came on again. I used quick release and switched to slow cook added peas and fresh mushrooms. Flavour was good. Carrots not as tender as would have liked. I will try again with only a broth mixture. I could not find Tapioca granules at the store only tapioca flour therefore opted to cat meat with a pepper/flour mixture.
Mel,
This was the best beef stew I’ve ever made! We loved it!!!
Thanks, Dorothy
Can’t wait to try it. I notice you use the high pressure function instead of the meat/stew function. Is there a difference?
I don’t know exactly what pressure/time the meat/stew button uses. I always use the manual/high pressure function.
So yummy! I left the tomato paste out (because my kiddos don’t love tomato anything) and it still turned out great!
Good to know! I’m making for second time and forgot the tomato paste.
This was so yummy. The beef was incredibly tender, just as promised ☺️ I didn’t want it to be too “tomato-y” so I only added about a tablespoon of tomato paste. Everything else was exactly as written. So good. Definitely a “best stew ever” recipe and one I’ll keep in my back pocket.
Disclosure: I almost never follow a recipe completely. This turned out really well. I don’t like tomato based stew so I left that out. I didn’t realize till I got started that I was out of broth so instead I used water but when I cooked the meat I doubled the onion and added garlic powder and a couple stalks of celery and carrot chunks to make a vegetable broth while the meat was cooking. After the meat pressure cooked I fished out the celery. Because my family is my husband and I and two small children I halved the meat and doubled the potatoes. The rest of the recipe and directions I followed except for using flour instead of tapioca and adding cornstarch at the end. The texture was perfect and the makeshift broth was tasty. Even the one year old liked the beef because it was so tender and easy to eat.
I’m new to the Instsnt Pot. Curious about not browning the meat first. Is there a reason why you skip this step? Just checking before I dive in! Thanks for the help!
I skipped it here to make the recipe a bit easier.
Perfect! Then I will too! Making it today and since it’s my first thing to make in the IP, wanted to check with the pro…can’t wait to try it! Thanks again!
Mel, my wedding-present slow cooker died after 11 years (glad yours lasted 13 1/2!) and my husband said we should look into getting an Instant Pot that I’ve wanted since it can pressure cook AND slow cook. So naturally I came to your website and have been reading through your posts all about pressure cookers. Thank you for this one too as I was really trying to decide on sizes and I’m glad you do the research for those of us who need the real answers! Thanks for being amazing!
Thanks, Melissa! That’s a long time for a trusty ol’ slow cooker!
Meat was perfect. Cutting the vegetables all the same size is crucial (1/2″ suprised me durring prep, but realized why once finished). Went through a loaf of buttered bread! I made the “life changing” beef stew recipe prior to this one and found the taste of this stew to be authentic by contrast (thought the “life changing recipe was a nice contrast in flavor to a traditional). Will make again! The kids might even get to try the next batch.
Wonderful stew…..will be making this again. I used flour instead of tapioca flour and also left out the tomato sauce.
Oh goodness, this was incredible! Quick question about leftovers… does this recipe freeze well? I made a half batch this first go round, but both my husband and I loved it, so i would love to make a larger batch next time!
Thanks for all the incredible IP recipes as well! They are fab!
I freeze stew all the time and I think it fares really well!
I cut this recipe in half and it was very good. If you don’t brown the meat, though, it might benefit from being salted an hour in advance of being cooked since the meet turned out somewhat bland.
This tasted amazing!!!! My husband tried a different stew recipe a few weeks ago and it was so watery and bad (mental note, introduce him to Mel), and I knew we could do better. This recipe made the best beef stew I’ve ever had!! Highly recommend. Super easy, and will make you look like a kitchen rock star. I did cut the peas to 1 cup, but otherwise made exactly as directed, using my Cuisinart electric pressure cooker. Amazing!!
Thanks for letting me know, Kristen!
This is perfect! Made it last night, half for my family and half to take to a sick family. It is delicious and tastes just like it has been simmering in my slow cooker all day. 5 stars for sure. Used unpeeled red potatoes, and the onion powder shortcut.
I came here to see if anyone else got the “burn” warning on the IP when making this, and sure enough, a few others did too! I looked it up and apparently if the bottom gets too hot, it flashes this warning and will not come to pressure. This happened to me on the second round – when cooking the potatoes and carrots. I stirred it up and added some water, but it still never came to pressure. So I just let it cook several minutes longer (it was basically boiling) and everything turned out great!! I read somewhere online that thickening agents can cause this warning, so I’m wondering if the tapioca could be added before the second cook. Either way, it is seriously so delicious! I may try a different method to thicken last time, because it ended up taking 2 hours after all was said and done!
Fast, healthy, and delicious. Recipe is too easy
This was so simple and delicious. It’s definitely being added to the rotation. Instead of chopped onions I used a bag of frozen pearl onions. I browned them just like I would have browned the regular onions. We loved it!
Great idea with the pearl onions!
Wow! This was my first venture into Instant Pot cooking and this recipe was fabulous! I’ll admit that I was muttering about how much of a detail person you were while I was making this, but I promised myself that the ‘Silver Lining’ was that the taste of this stew would be worth the effort. ‘Silver Lining’ realized! Again. Wow!
I did substitute a premade Italian herb mix for the thyme (I used all of last years crop already – have to grow more!) and subsituted beef broth for the chicken broth but it was fabulous. I made a few rookie missteps using the Instant Pot, but in the end it all came together!
My favorite beef stew in the world is the Guiness beef stew at James Joyce in Baltimore and a pub in Dublin, Ireland. I wonder if anyone has tried your recipe and used Guiness? I’m interested to see if you would just add or substitute the Guiness for another liquid; and how much.
Anyway. Thank you for the great recipe and for being that ‘detail person’ (did you count all of your bees?). It was worth it!
Mel, I don’t have an electric pressure cooker, but I do have a stove top pressure cooker that I often use for potatoes, beans, carrots, etc. But I have been hesitant to try any multi-ingredient recipes. Do you know if instant pot recipes like this one can be made in a stove top pressure cooker? Would I need to use different cook times? Thanks
We made this tonight and it was yummy! Do you think it would turn out to do your sweet potatoe Stew recipe similar to this in the IP?
Yes! I’ve tried that sweet potato stew in the IP and it worked great. 🙂
Gonna borrow my sister Instant Pot to try this recipe, it looks so good~ I guess I will buy one soon. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
So delicious ! Made this for Sunday dinner and we all loved it. Really love all your IP recipes. I used 2T dry chopped onion in place of 1/2 cup fresh. I used 1 T corn starch in place of 2T of tapioca and doubled potatoes since I was out of carrots. Followed everything else as written and really enjoyed this. I made your vanilla pudding cake for dessert and that is always a hit. We had a great meal!
Thanks, Nita!
I made this the other day and it tasted wonderful. Everyone loved it. However, it took forever! I ended up having to put it on the stove to get the potatoes done, I know I cut them too large. However, I’m wondering if higher elevation affects IP cooking time?
Hi Jenny – I don’t know the ins and outs of that, but I think I have heard that higher elevation may mean longer cooking time for pressure cooking.
Wonderful! Best stew ever, and I don’t really like stew. Hubby does tho’, so I made it for him (but he ate around the peas). Then I found myself loving it too, dipping the meat into a bit of creamed horseradish. The meat didn’t get all shreddrd and the veggies held there shape. I didn’t really make any modifications except to brown the meat a bit in cast iron and then deglaze with the broth before adding to the IP. I also ground the tapioca. I used red potatos. I cooked just a half recipe in my 3 qt. IP and it was the perfect amount. Next time I may try adding a splash or two of red wine.
Glad you loved it, Brooke – thanks for checking in to let me know!
Delicious Mel!!! I used 2 T cornstarch dissolved in 2 T water in place of tapioca. And corn instead of peas since that’s my family’s preference. Will make again for sure!
Thanks, Cindy!
This beef stew was the best I have ever made. I made it in my Instant Pot with a big chunk of frozen beef. It was amazing. The peas pop in your mouth and the beef was perfect.
Thanks, Leisa!
This is such a yummy, adaptable recipe! I gathered everything I needed from the store except I forgot tomato paste…oops! Fast forward to the snowy, blizzardy afternoon that I set out to make this stew and realized that I didn’t have any. So I took a deep breath and squeezed some ketchup (!) into my IP and hoped for the best. The stew turned out wonderfully rich, and just a little bit sweet from the ketchup I assume. It was so delicious! My veggies took much longer to cook…9 minutes in the IP instead of 3 but otherwise it was no-fail. I used baby red potatoes so left the skins on and it was a warm, comforting, rustic bowl of goodness on a cold winter’s night. Thanks, Mel!
Haha, I sometimes have to take deep breaths and just “go for it” too when I have a substitution to make. Glad it worked out!
Hi Mel! I made this last night – what a comforting and delicious meal! The meat and veggies were so tender and the sauce was very flavorful. I didn’t saute the onion before and added onion and garlic powders to the liquid. Obviously, the tomato paste flavored the sauce with more of a tomato flavor (which was yummy) – next time I make it, do you have any suggestions to try to make the sauce more “beefy” flavored? Maybe subbing the paste with a condensed beef soup?? Thanks again – have a great day!
Hi Patricia – I haven’t ever used condensed beef soup, but if you want to lessen the tomato and up the beef flavor, I’d probably decrease the tomato paste to 1 teaspoon or so, and use a beef concentrate paste (or bouillon) to get more beef flavor.