This instant pot beef stew recipe is a hearty, healthy, and easy dinner! Don’t forget the crusty bread for dunking!
Yessssssssss. Bring on the cold weather and ALL the soups. Can soup be a favorite food? Just that whole genre. I don’t care whether it’s thick and chunky like this beef stew or light and fun like my lemony artichoke orzo soup. I just. love. soup.
Instant pot recipes are also just the best. Right after my father-in-law gifted us one for Christmas, I was SO afraid to use it. (New appliance? Wait. New appliance that is capable of exploding when used improperly? Cue terror.) BUT. After we got over the initial intimidation, the instant pot quickly became our most-used small appliance. It is so incredibly easy to use and can have dinner ready in under an hour. Beautiful.
How to Make Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Trim and cut the chuck roast into bites.
- Chop the baby potatoes, carrots, onion, and celery!
- Dump everything except the cornstarch in an instant pot and set to “stew” or high pressure for 35 minutes.
- Let the stew naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release.
- Stir the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water together to create a cornstarch slurry and stir the slurry into the stew.
- Let the stew cool for five minutes, give it a stir, and serve!
Now how is that for the easiest set of high-level instructions ever?
Why We Love It
Beef stew is just pot roast in soup form and who does not love a good pot roast? Tender, fall-apart-in-your-mouth beef, sweet carrots, and baby potatoes! This is one of our favorite cold weather dinners and can be served on its own or with a side of crusty bread for dunking. Or you know. A side salad. But who needs one when there are loads of veg in the soup? 😉 There is a fair amount of chopping prep, but that’s all you need–a cutting board and instant pot and you’re done!
Instant Pot Beef Stew FAQ
The “stew” setting is equivalent to 35 minutes on high pressure.
This recipe uses a cornstarch slurry–a mixture of cornstarch and water. The stew will continue to thicken as it cools. It’s important to use cold or room-temp water to make the slurry, since cornstarch will clump up in hot water instead of dissolving.
A variety of beef cuts will work for this recipe, including sirloin, ribeye, or generic stew meat cuts. Chuck roast or ribeye will give you fall apart beef chunks with a really savory broth, but they’re slightly more expensive. A sirloin will be a leaner cut, so a little less fall-apart, but still delicious. Stew meat is a bit of a gamble. It’s most often made from chuck or round cuts. Sometimes it’s great; sometimes it’s questionable. But it is less expensive!
Any bread for dunking and a side salad!
If you make this instant pot beef stew, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! I love looking through the photos of recipes you all have made!
mikaela | wyldflour
8 cups
Serves 4
A thick & hearty beef stew that is ready in an hour!
20 minPrep Time
45 minCook Time
1 hr, 5 Total Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 1/2 lbs beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 6 medium-sized carrots, chopped (~ 2-3 cups)
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 400 g baby potatoes, quartered (~ 2 3/4 cups)
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried onion powder
- 1/2 tsp dried garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp dried coriander
- 1/8 tsp dried allspice
- 1 tsp salt
- black pepper to taste
- pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp water
Instructions
- Prep. Trim the roast and cut into bite-sized pieces. Chop the vegetables and set aside. (I typically quarter the baby potatoes, but if they're extra large, you may need to chop them smaller.)
- Instant Pot. Add all ingredients - except for the cornstarch - to the instant pot. Close the pot and select the "Stew" setting on the Instant Pot Duo. (If yours does not have such a setting, then cook on high pressure for 35 minutes.) Let it naturally release for 10 mins and then flip the quick release.
- To Finish. Stir the cornstarch and cold 2 Tbsp water together until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Stir the slurry into the hot beef stew and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve with crusty bread for dunking!
Notes
This stew will continue to thicken once it cools completely and is refrigerated. Leftovers are great! If you want your leftover stew more "soup-like," then you can always add extra chicken broth.
Want to prep this as a freezer meal? Freeze all of the prepped ingredients together except the cornstarch. When ready to cook, place the frozen stew ingredients into the instant pot and cook on high pressure for 60 minutes. Natural release for 20 minutes and then quick release. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and serve!
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