Old-Fashioned Beef Stew | Instant Pot Recipe

As an Amazon affiliate, and affiliate with other businesses, I earn from qualifying purchases.

This easy-to-make Instant Pot Beef Stew is the perfect cold-weather comfort food. On the table in under an hour from start to finish but tastes like you let it simmer all day.

Close up picture of Instant Pot beef stew, with chunky potatoes and carrots, topped with fresh parsley, and more parsley in the background.

This easy homemade stew is a classic, old-fashioned recipe, based on a stovetop version my mom cooked for me growing up.

I converted Mom’s original recipe, using small new potatoes to skip the peeling and dicing, and I cut my carrots and celery into larger pieces.

Since you can have it on the table in under an hour, it no longer has to wait for weekends.

Ingredients for Instant Pot beef stew, including beef, broth, oil, celery, crushed tomatoes, seasoning, flour, butter, corn, carrots, peas, potatoes, and onions.

How to Make a Flavorful Beef Stew in the Pressure Cooker

✅ This easy beef stew recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, Cosori, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.

DO NOT flour your beef before cooking

DO NOT coat your beef in flour before cooking in your pressure cooker!

This can lead to a thick build-up on the bottom of your cooking pot, resulting in a Burn notice and a ruined stew.

Browning beef for stew in an Instant Pot with measured out veggies in bowls around it.

DO brown your beef

The #1 thing you can do for a flavorful stew is to brown the beef!

All the brown bits on the bottom of your pan add flavor to your stew!

If the browning is moving too quickly, and you’re near the end of the browning process, just add the beef broth, even if not all the beef is browned.

If you still have a good amount of beef to brown, add another tablespoon of oil and adjust your Saute setting to a lower heat level.

Ladling chunky beef stew from an Instant Pot.

DO taste your beef after cooking

After pressure cooking, BEFORE adding the vegetables, taste the beef to ensure it’s cooked as tender as you like it.

If your meat seems chewy after pressure cooking, return the lid and cook at High Pressure for another 3 to 5 minutes with a 5 minute natural release.

If you like fall-apart-tender beef, add a few extra minutes to the cook time.

A spoon scooping beef stew from a bowl, placed in front of an Instant Pot.

Frequently asked questions

What cut of meat is best for stew?

➡️ Chuck roast, which has a little higher fat content than rump roast and gives you a more flavorful stew.

➡️ Round roast or rump roast, which have less marbling and can make it easier to trim up each bite to discard the fats.

➡️ Round steak is flat, so it is easier to cube, and it is often a cheaper cut.

You can also buy a pack of pre-diced stew meat if you prefer. Regardless of the cut you use, be sure to dice it into uniform 2-inch pieces for even cooking.

Beef, broth, and seasoning in an Instant Pot for making beef stew. With veggies in bowls ready to add later.

Can I make stew with frozen beef?

As long as your beef is cubed and frozen flat, you can absolutely make it from frozen.

(If it’s frozen in a big clump, it’s much, much harder to ensure the outside and inside pieces are cooked evenly.)

Other changes:

Frozen beef doesn’t brown evenly, so skip that step.
Add at least 5 minutes to the High Pressure cook time.
Use an instant-read thermometer to test a few pieces to ensure they’re above 160°F. If not, return the lid and cook at High Pressure a few minutes more.
Do not add the veggies until AFTER you’re sure the meat is cooked to your liking.

How to store leftovers?

Cool leftover stew to room temperature and store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Or, freeze soups and stews in individual portions for a quick and easy meal.

Variations

If you prefer a cornstarch thickener: Start with a mixture of 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water. Select Saute and simmer until the stew thickens.

If you prefer russet potatoes: Substitute about 2 cups diced russet potatoes.

If you like red wine in your beef stew: Substitute ½ to 1 cup of red wine in place of the same amount of beef broth. (Cook’s Illustrated recommends a $10 bottle of Côtes du Rhône for beef stew.)

If you prefer other herbs or flavors: This stew recipe is very flexible! Add in rosemary, thyme, in place of or in addition to the bay leaf. You can also add garlic, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, or even Worcestershire sauce to make it taste more like the soup you grew up with.

I’d love to know—what are your favorite winter-time comfort foods?

Instant Pot beef stew in a white bowl with a spoon, with fresh parsley and another bowl of stew in the background.

Homemade Beef Stew with Carrots and Potatoes

Servings: -8 servings

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 12

Additional Time: 20

Total Time: 47

Course: Beef

Cuisine: American

You can have this hearty Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Beef Stew cooked and on your table in under an hour.

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Recipe Rate

Equipment

Ingredients

2 pounds chuck roast trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup diced yellow onion fresh or frozen
2 cans reduced-sodium beef broth 14.5 ounces each*
1 can crushed tomatoes 14.5 ounces
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 bay leaves
10 small new potatoes washed and quartered**
3 large carrots cut into ½-inch pieces
2 ribs celery cut into ½-inch pieces
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cold water
1 cup frozen corn ***
½ cup frozen peas ***

Instructions

Season the beef generously with salt and pepper.
Select Sauté (adjusted to medium-high heat or Level 4). When hot, add the butter to the pressure cooking pot. When the butter is melted, add the oil and brown the meat in batches for about 5 minutes per batch—do not crowd the pot. Repeat until all the meat is browned, adding more oil if needed. Transfer the browned meat to a plate and set aside.
Add the onion to the cooking pot. Sauté for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened. Stir in the beef broth to deglaze the pot, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, parsley, bay leaves, and browned beef with any accumulated juices. Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 10 minutes cook time.
When the cook time ends, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and finish with a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
Add the potatoes, carrots, and celery. Replace the lid and cook on High Pressure for 2 minutes more.
When the second cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker. Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and finish with a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
In a small bowl, whisk the flour and cold water until smooth. Add 1 cup hot broth to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Add the slurry to the pot.
Select Sauté and bring the sauce to a boil, stirring constantly until it thickens. Stir in the corn and peas. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Video

Notes

* If you like red wine with your stew, substitute ½ to 1 cup of red wine in place of the same amount of beef broth.

**If you prefer russet potatoes, substitute 2 cups peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces.

**If you want to skip chopping vegetables all together, you can use a frozen mixed vegetable medley with carrots, peas, and corn, about 2 cups.

Nutrition

More hearty recipes for the Instant Pot

Looking for more pressure cooker comfort foods to fend off the winter blues?

If you like mushrooms, try our Beef and Wild Mushroom Stew featuring a rich sauce made with white wine, heavy cream, and mushroom stock.
Shepherd’s Pie is another meat-and-potatoes food I love in the winter time. I often use ground beef since it’s less expensive.
My Beef Stroganoff uses inexpensive round steak to create a flavorful gravy that I’ll serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
Think you hate meatloaf? Then you haven’t tried my BBQ Bacon Meatloaf. Even my pickiest eaters will ask for seconds on this one.
Chicken Noodle Soup is a comfort food classic with the same great flavor as a traditional homemade soup and ready in under 30 minutes!

FOR MORE FROM PRESSURE COOKING TODAY

🥘 Browse our collection of the best Instant Pot pressure cooker recipes.

💬 Follow Pressure Cooking Today on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates.

👥 Join our Electric Pressure Cooker Facebook Group. Our positive community of pressure cooking fans use all brands of electric pressure cookers, so it’s a great resource if you have questions about your particular brand.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Old-Fashioned Beef Stew | Instant Pot Recipe