As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Fall-apart tender, this Instant Pot Chuck Roast is the ultimate comfort food. You can get an “it cooked all day flavor” in a fraction of the time thanks to using an Instant Pot.

a grey plate with shredded Instant Pot chuck roast, cut carrots, potatoes, and a bowl of horseradish.
Want to save this recipe?
Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

This Instant Pot pot beef roast is filled with all the classic flavors of your mom’s recipe, but it’s ready in a fraction of the time. If you could put a hug on a plate, it would be this dinner.

And because not everyone has a pressure cooker (yet!), I’ve also included slow cooking and oven-baking instructions.

What Type of Meat is Best For Instant Pot Chuck Roast?

I used chuck from Butcher Box, but you can also use brisket, rump, or round roast. Rump can be a tougher meat to cook compared with the others, but it will still be amazing.

Choose a cut that has decent fat marbling as it will add more flavor to the dish. You will be trimming some of the fat prior to cooking to keep the gravy/broth from being greasy.

a chuck roast, broth, vegetables, and spices on a white board.

How Long Do You Cook a Chuck Roast in a Pressure Cooker?

I have found the sweet spot is 21 minutes per pound of meat. This was a 3 lb cut, so I cooked it for a total of 63 minutes. That does not take into account the amount of time it took getting up to pressure or the natural release time after it was done cooking.

I used an 8-quart Instant Pot and it took 27 minutes for this to get up to pressure. This recipe calls for a 15-minute natural release and then a quick release. If you prefer a 100% natural release, my Instant Pot took 34 minutes to fully depressurize.

a white bowl of chunks of chuck roast.
3 showing different stages of prepping pot roast for cooking.
2 bowls showing pot roast being shredded.

Do You Have to Sear Pot Roast?

Nope! It does help lock in the juices for a deeper flavor, but it’s not necessary. In fact, I don’t include that step in this recipe because I feel that it intimidates people from making these kinds of meals. It’s those kinds of extra step that is a barrier for some home cooks. 

Just like this Instant Pot Beef Tips and Gravy recipe, we’re not searing and still getting great results! Instead, follow the instructions for the cooking and release times and your roast is going to be amazingly tender. Cross my heart.

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

  • If you’re pressed for time and perform a “quick release”, the meat will likely become tough. The quick-release option increases the temperature inside the Instant Pot to above boiling. As it can take ~12 minutes to depressurize the pot manually, you’re essentially boiling the meat for that time. Boiling = tough meat.
  • Cut vegetables into large pieces to avoid them becoming too mushy during the cooking process. I used baby potatoes and left them whole. We were able to easily cut them in half with just our forks when serving.
  • If you prefer veggies al dente, cook the roast without the carrots and potatoes. Remove the meat when the Instant Pot has depressurized and set it aside to rest. Add veggies, lock the lid, press manual>high pressure>4 minutes, and then do a quick release after it has finished cooking.
  • You can use arrowroot in place of the cornstarch. You may also want to replace 1/3 cup of the beef stock with red wine.
  • Use whatever veggies you prefer (mushrooms, etc.) but anything that is small (ex: green beans) will probably get mushy if cooked with the meat for the full amount of time. 
a palte of shredded pot roast with a pitcher of gravy being poured onto it.
5 from 18 ratings

Instant Pot Chuck Roast

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 3 minutes
Pressurizing/depressurizing: 42 minutes
Total: 1 hour 55 minutes
a grey plate with shredded whole30 pot roast, cut carrots, potatoes, and a bowl of horseradish,
Fall-apart tender, this Instant Pot chuck roast is the ultimate comfort food. You can get an "it cooked all day flavor" in a fraction of the time thanks to using a pressure cooker.

Equipment

Ingredients 

  • 3 lb chuck roast {or: rump, round, brisket}
  • 3 cups beef stock
  • 1 lb baby potatoes {whole}
  • 4 cups carrots {peeled and cut into very large pieces}
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 cup onion {chopped or sliced}
  • 4 cloves garlic {minced}
  • 2 tbsp marinara sauce
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 1 tsp thyme {dried}

Gravy {optional}

  • 3 tbsp cornstarch {or arrowroot powder}
  • 1/4 cup broth {taken from the Instant Pot after the meat has cooked}

Instructions 

  • Cut the meat into 4-6 pieces, somewhat uniform in size. Trim most of the fat (about 75%). Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and the smoked paprika.
    3 lb chuck roast, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • Add stock, onions, minced garlic, thyme, and marinara to the Instant Pot.
    3 cups beef stock, 4 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp marinara sauce, 1 tsp thyme, 1 cup onion
  • Place the meat into the pot and then top with any veggies you want to cook along with the roast. Add sprigs of rosemary on top.
    1 lb baby potatoes, 4 cups carrots, 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • Lock the lid into place and set the steam release handle (valve on top) to “Sealing”. Press Manual>High Pressure>63 minutes.
  • When it has finished cooking, allow the pressure cooker to sit for 15 minutes. Then, carefully flip the steam release handle to "venting" and allow any additional pressure to be released.
  • Remove the lid. If you'd like to make the optional gravy for this recipe, carefully remove the meat, carrots, and potatoes and set aside to rest in a baking dish.
  • Shred the meat with two forks after it has rested for ~10 minutes.

Optional Gravy

  • Combine 3 tbsp of cornstarch and 1/4 cup of broth from the instant pot in a small bowl. Whisk really well.
    3 tbsp cornstarch, 1/4 cup broth
  • Make sure you have removed the meat and vegetables and press "Saute".
  • Add the cornstarch slurry to the broth and gently whisk it in. Allow the mixture to cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
  • You can place the meat and veggies back into the pot or serve the gravy separately.

Notes

  1. If you want to sear the meat, use the Saute function on the Instant Pot. Add 2-3 tbsp of oil to the inner pot and add the seasoned meat. Allow it to sear for ~2 minutes before flipping the pieces.
  2. Cut vegetables into large pieces to avoid them becoming too mushy during the cooking process.
  3. If you prefer veggies al dente, cook the roast without the carrots and potatoes. Remove the meat when the Instant Pot has depressurized and set it aside to rest. Add veggies, lock the lid, press manual>high pressure>4 minutes, and then do a quick release after it has finished cooking.
  4. Do not skip the 15-minute natural release time. A quick release will result in tough meat.
Slow cooker instructions – cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the meat is fall-apart tender.
Oven baking instructions – place in a dutch oven casserole dish and bake covered at 275 degrees F for 4-5 hours.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 547kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 49gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 156mgSodium: 456mgPotassium: 1630mgFiber: 5gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 14364IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 95mgIron: 6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @sustainablecooks or tag #sustainablecooks!

Shop This Post

About Sarah

Helping you serve up budget-friendly sustainable recipes with a side of balanced living.
Come for the food. Stay for the snark.

You May Also Like:

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

40 Comments

    1. Hi Shiela, I’m not 100% sure what you’re asking here. Do you mean do they have the texture of mushrooms? Or are you asking if you’d be able to add mushrooms and cook them for an hour?

      I’m going to copy and paste a note from the “pro tips/recipe notes” section of the post in the hopes that it answers your question. Please let me know if it doesn’t!

      “If you prefer veggies al dente, cook the roast without the carrots and potatoes. Remove the meat when the Instant Pot has depressurized and set it aside to rest. Add veggies, lock the lid, press manual>high pressure>4 minutes, and then do a quick release after it has finished cooking.”

  1. I made this a few weeks ago and it was delicious!!! Could you please tell me how long I would cook it in the instant pot for a 4 lb roast?5 stars

    1. Hi Melissa, I recommend 21 minutes per pound, so that would be 84 minutes for a 4 lb roast.

      So glad you enjoyed it!

  2. One of my favorite things about your recipes is that you reference each ingredient in the directions! I don’t know any other site that does that, including the New York Times Food Section!!! I am sure it takes you a lot of extra time to do it, and I want you to know how much easier it is to follow your recipes than ANYONE else’s and that I really appreciate it. Thank you so much.5 stars

    1. I love that aspect too! Makes cooking from the web so much easier.
      I wish I could take complete credit for it, but it’s only partially my doing. The software that I use has an option for adding the ingredients in the instructions. A lot of bloggers who use this software don’t know about it. It also requires that we enable and insert those fields. But I love it so much that I pretty much have updated most of my old recipes.

  3. The first time I used this method, I will admit I was skeptical. Now, it is the only way I prepare it in the fraction of the time.5 stars

  4. This was delicious! Followed recipe except subbed tomato paste with a pinch dried basil for marinara, and did not put any veg except onion in the instant pot. I’ve never been a fan of carrots and potatoes cooked with roast. Made mashed potatoes and green beans as sides. Thanks for sharing a great and easy recipe!5 stars

    1. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

      And the no veggies makes me laugh because I could take or leave the meat and I only want the veggies. We’d make a good dining partner pair! 🙂