Instant Pot Beef and Cheddar
This Instant Pot Sliced Beef and Cheddar Sandwich recipe is the upgraded version of your favorite Arby’s order, with thin-sliced pressure cooker beef and melty cheese sauce on an onion roll.
This sandwich is like a delicious cross between a Philly cheesesteak and a French dip. It has tender sliced beef and a creamy homemade cheddar sauce. Serve it on your favorite buns for a classic American sandwich made at home.
This cheesesteak sandwich recipe pairs especially well with Pressure Cooker Baked Beans, Rosemary Garlic Potatoes, and Garlic Parmesan Air Fryer French Fries from Barbara Bakes.
Making Sliced Beef and Cheddar Sandwiches in an Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker
This cheese steak sandwich recipe works in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
The sliced beef is a quick dump-and-go pressure cooker recipe. Simply add thinly sliced beef, broth, and seasonings into the pot, bring to pressure for 10 minutes, and you’re done!
While the Instant Pot is working it’s magic, you can whip up the cheddar cheese sauce on the stove. This is a matter of melting butter, thickening it with a bit of flour and stirring in milk, just a bit of hot sauce for flavor—and cheddar cheese, of course!
(If you like, you can also make the sauce in your Instant Pot, on saute adjusted to low.)
To serve up sliced beef and cheddar sandwiches, I love using onion rolls. If you can’t find them, brioche buns are also the perfect pillowy and soft vehicle for the meat and cheese.
How Should I Slice the Beef?
I like to have the butcher slice the beef for me for this recipe. That way, I know it will be perfectly thin and even. I ask for slices 1/8-inch thick. Thinner beef curls on the edges a bit while it cooks to give you that classic cheesesteak sandwich look.
However, if you have a whole piece of boneless beef, you can always slice it yourself. A sharp knife is your friend for slicing thin, even pieces of beef.
💡 Tip: To make slicing it yourself a little easier, place the beef in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. When you take it out to slice, the beef will hold its shape better and slice without falling apart.
What Cut of Beef Is Best?
I use top round roast for this recipe. However, top sirloin steak will also work.
🛑 Fattier cuts of beef, like chuck roast, won’t produce the tender strips of steak you’re looking for in your sandwich.
Can I Freeze Sliced Instant Pot Beef?
The cooked meat in this recipe reheats and freezes quite well. (I often freeze it with the juices left in the pot so the meat doesn’t dry out.) It will last for up to 3 months in the freezer.
To defrost, thaw the container in the fridge overnight and reheat in the Instant Pot or microwave.
The cheese sauce can last a few days in the fridge in an airtight container.
What to Serve with Instant Pot Cheese Steak Sandwiches
These sandwiches go well with all sorts of different side dishes. Here are some recipes that I love to serve with Sliced Beef and Cheddar Sandwiches for my family:
- Quick Instant Pot Potato Salad makes these sandwiches ideal for a summer barbecue outdoors.
- Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Corn on the Cob is everyone’s favorite Instant Pot vegetable dish that takes just 2 minutes!
- Broccoli Slaw Salad from Barbara Bakes is green and crunchy to balance out the meaty and cheesy deliciousness of your sandwiches.
- Garlic Roasted Green Beans with Shallots and Almonds from Kalyn’s Kitchen have just the right amount of crunch and punchy garlic flavor to pair with nearly any entrée.
More from the Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook
This recipe is adapted from the Steak and Cheddar sandwiches on page 76 of the Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook. (The longer strips of beef stay in the sandwiches better for my young kids.)
If you don’t have a copy of the cookbook yet, it’s full of helpful tips and amazing family recipes you won’t find on the blog like Chicken Pesto Pasta (page 165), Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps (page 46), and Chile Verde (page 243).
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE…
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Instant Pot Beef and Cheddar
Equipment
Ingredients
Beef
- 2 pounds boneless beef top round roast thinly sliced*
- 1/2 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 onion hamburger buns buttered and toasted
Cheese Sauce
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce**
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In the pressure cooking pot, combine the beef, broth, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 10 minutes cook time.
- When cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker and allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then finish with a quick release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
- While the beef cooks, in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle in the flour and cook until bubbling. Gradually whisk in the milk, a little at a time, until the sauce is smooth and thick. Whisk in hot sauce and salt. Add the cheddar cheese a handful at a time. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
- To serve, top each bun with meat and ladle cheese sauce on top.
Notes
Nutrition
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The beef is phenomenal! I used the top round roast. Sliced it myself. I couldn’t get it 1/8″ thin, but that’s okay. It still turned out. Make sure to slice against the grain. I went with 11 minutes because the slices were a bit thicker and added a bit more meat to the Instant Pot. Served on toasted buns without the cheese. So much better than deli meat.
Thanks so much Crystal!
This looks delicious!! Especially if you’re a fan of Arby’s!! (Which I am!)) …. I noticed this recipe is by using an instapot, but I was wondering if there are variations for using a crockpot to cook the meat??
Thank you!!!
Hi Katelyn – I haven’t tried it in the crockpot, but you could use this recipe as a guide https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/slow-cooker-beef-and-cheddar-sandwiches/
I made this for supper. My husband who is super impressed with how tender meat is out of insta-pot was certainly game- but he isn’t easy to please. When I got the ‘Wow’ you can make that any time you want’ comment I knew it was a winner. I use top round like your recipe says and it slices so much better semi frozen. The flavor of this is oh so good.
Thanks Becky! So nice to hear it was a big hit.
Great dinner for busy weeknights!
I purchase pre-sliced beef top round from Walmart that is labeled ‘milanese’ and is 1/8-inch thick. I typically marinate it for smoked beef jerky or use it for beef rouladen, but am contemplating trying it with this recipe. Do you think a thinly-sliced eye of round cut could work, too?
Did yours turn out? I just bought the same item. 10 min seems like a long time to cook since that meat is so thin.
I bought beef loin top sirloin steak at Costco, will this work for IP Beef and Cheddar? I want to make for Christmas, it looks so delicious!
Made Lots of juice. Did you drain the meat after cooking? Your picture shows dry buns- mine are soaked.
in your cookbook you say to brown the beef first. You no longer recommend doing that,?
Hi Denise,
This recipe is a little different from the one in the cookbook—rather than using sirloin steak steak sliced into 1/4-inch pieces, this recipe has you slice the beef into 1/8-inch top-round roast thin slices that are larger and more like a philly cheese steak. (My store was out of sirloin steak and so we mixed things up a little.) Since the strips are so thin, I chose not brown them in this recipe—however, you can still brown these if you like!
This recipe looks great. To make the Horsey sauce just mix Miracle Whip and powdered wasabi (really horseradish) together. Let sit overnight. It is not the same made with fresh or jarred horseradish.
Thanks for sharing the horsey sauce recipe, Lauren!