As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This Instant Pot beef stew is the ultimate cozy comfort food, packed with tender chunks of beef, hearty vegetables, and rich, savory broth. Thanks to the pressure cooker, you’ll get all the slow-simmered flavor in a fraction of the time. It’s a one-pot meal that feels both wholesome and satisfying.
Call me intuitive, but I think the ease and flavor of this easy Instant Pot beef stew recipe is going to be a game-changer dinner for most of you.
It tastes like it has simmered on the stove all day, but it’s actually ready in under 75 minutes.
And thanks to my all-time favorite secret ingredient, you’re adding extra veggies that no one will notice, but you’ll know. Secrets are fun!
Reader Review
“I cannot get enough of this stew! We are constantly making this recipe and we never get sick of it! Unbelievably easy and SO hearty and flavorful! The beef is so tender you honestly don’t even have to chew it (but I mean, please still chew your food). This is an absolute staple in our household! “
Lo
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Good cuts for stew beef: chuck, bottom round, or top round are all delicious.
- The liquid will not cover the top of all the ingredients before cooking. Don’t worry, your stew will not dry out. It’s going to be awesome. Like you!
- This stew will thicken up quite a bit the next day. If you prefer something with more broth, it is best to reheat with a splash of vegetable juice or beef stock.
Tender & Flavorful Instant Pot Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 lb stew beef, cubed {chuck, bottom round, or top round}
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup onion {diced}
- 5 cups carrots {peeled and cut into LARGE pieces}
- 4 cups potatoes {about 4 russets peeled and cut into LARGE pieces}
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup tomato-based vegetable juice
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine beef, cornstarch, kosher salt, and pepper. Toss to coat.1 lb stew beef, cubed, 2 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- Pour the beef broth and vegetable juice into the insert of the Instant Pot.2 cups beef broth, 1 cup tomato-based vegetable juice
- Add the beef and other ingredients to the Instant Pot (do not stir). The liquid will not cover the ingredients before cooking.1 cup onion, 5 cups carrots, 4 cups potatoes, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp dried tarragon, 1 bay leaf
- Lock the lid into place and set the steam release handle (valve on top) to “Sealing”. Press Manual>High Pressure>22 minutes.
- When the Instant Pot has finished cooking, allow it to sit for 10 minutes (this is called a natural release).
- If the pressure indicator is still up, flip the vent to “venting” to remove any remaining pressure.
- Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Good cuts for stew beef: chuck, bottom round, or top round are all delicious.
- The liquid will not cover the ingredients before cooking. Don’t worry, your stew will not dry out. It’s going to be awesome. Like you!
- You can make this beef stew in a slow cooker. Put all the ingredients in your slow cooker and set it to low for 8 hours.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks delicious! I love stew that is full of flavor like this one! I’ll have to try the recipe soon!
Not a very good Instant Pot recipe as the potatoes and carrots were borderline mush (Yes, I followed the recipe to the letter, setting the Instant Pot for exactly 22 minutes), but it was flavorful – so will make it in the crockpot next time.
J, I’m sorry to hear you had that experience with the veggies. May I ask how large you cut them so I can improve directions to help others?
We make this monthly and have never had the same issue with veggies. Most Instant Pot beef stew recipes call for 25-35 minutes of cooking time; mine is lower to prevent veggies from getting mushy.
Apparently we really love this recipe! I’ve made it twice in less than a month 😆
Changes I made this time: added an extra pound of meat (it really needed to be cooked) and a second cup of veggie juice. As lazy cooks, we just scrubbed and tossed in the little red potatoes from our produce box and cut up a 2lb bag of baby carrots. Oh, and I hate beef broth so we only ever have chicken broth on hand. We just managed to keep everything below the MAX line in our Instant Pot, but oh man, EVERYONE loved this!!! And, we have plenty of leftovers 😁
Really pushing the limits of what constitutes a recipe AND the max fill line, right Tina? Ha, I love it!! So glad it’s been working out so well for you. 🙂
Made this last night! Well, I used it as a guide. I had some roasted veggies and sweet potato soup in the fridge that needed to be used so I tossed those in instead of the veggie juice and veggies called for. I used chicken broth (what I had on hand). I did have beef stew meat and potatoes! Even with my crazy substitutions it came out amazing!
Lady, you know that I love when people use my recipe as a base and make it their own. I’m glad that your rando-fridge items found a home with this recipe.
I made this in the crockpot. It was delicious and full of flavor. Excellent.
So glad you liked it! And look at you, cooking new things! Proud of you, lady. 🙂
Did you brown the stew meat before placing in crockpot or did you just dump everything in the crockpot? I’d prefer to dump everything in but not sure what’s best. Thanks!
Great question! I was wondering the same thing! 🙂
This was really, really good, the men in my home loved this.
Could you use tomato sauce instead of the juice?
You can, but you’d be missing a lot of the flavor. If you use sauce, I would add a bit of garlic powder and onion powder.
Your comment about your grandmother caught my eye. I know you love your instant pot but for this stew… what about your wood stove? Or does that only get up and running for the occasional evening? I love using our wood stove to make stews and to simmer that big pot of bones and veg when I make stock.
We only use it in the evening unless it is a snow day. We have enough solar gain in our house that the wood stove makes it too hot unless we wait until about 4 pm to get a fire going.
Hi – the recipe says to put it on the stew setting for Instant Pot and increase the time to 22 minutes… When I put it on the stew setting, it automatically sets to 35 minutes. Am I supposed to increase from 35 (to 57 minutes) or lower the cook time to 22 minutes?
The cook time should be 22 minutes, so if you use the stew setting and it is giving you 35, you would decrease it to 22.
You can also just cook on manual high pressure for 22 minutes if your stew setting is too high.
This tasted like it had been simmering all day! Rich, savory, tender! Perfect flavor and texture!
So glad you liked it, Jennifer! It’s one of our favorites and it’s so cozy. 🙂
So good. And so quick to throw together!
So glad you and the fam liked it! 🙂
Delicious!! And the baby loved it too. I added some frozen peas at the end for a little extra colour. Will definitely make this one again!
Love the addition of peas, and I’m so glad S was a fan too. 🙂
Can I double this recipe? Have an 8 quart pressure cook. If so how would that change the time?
You can double the recipe. I would actually reduce the cooking time by 3 minutes. The more food in the IP, the longer it takes to come up to pressure and depressurize. The food is cooking while it is pressurizing, so if you left the time the same it might overcook.
this was fabulous! And different! And easy! Saving this recipe for sure – thanks much!!
WOW! I have to be honest and say I avoided this recipe for months because I already had “my” beef stew recipe and it didn’t call for any of those ‘scary’ and ‘unknown’ spices like tarragon, and until this I did not own bay leaves. ???? The pandemic has me feeling restless and looking for new, healthier meal ideas, and the pictures of this look so good, I decided to give it a try. I am glad I did! It’s delicious. I had to make a few substitutions.. the beef broth I had was already open when I pulled it out of the cabinet (haven’t determined if it came home from the store that way or if hubby used it and won’t admit to putting it back in the cabinet instead of the fridge) so I subbed beef ramen seasoning in two cups of water. I also used Basil instead of the tarragon. I feel like this was a great recipe for a “spice beginner” such as myself. ???? Overall 5 stars here! I am already looking forward to making this again.
Also.. forgot to add I used a slow cooker because I don’t own an instant pot.
Awww, I’m so thrilled you liked it so much! Love the creativity you had around the beef broth. 🙂
I cannot get enough of this stew! We are constantly making this recipe and we never get sick of it! Unbelievably easy and SO hearty and flavorful! The beef is so tender you honestly don’t even have to chew it (but I mean, please still chew your food). This is an absolute staple in our household!
I’m so glad you enjoy it Lo, and I do appreciate the reminder to chew! Bwahaaa.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. 🙂
this sounds absolutley delicious, great for leftovers probably! thanks for giving the different twists so I can try a different one each time! 🙂
Thanks for including the crock pot instructions. I’m still a little intimidated by my Instant Pot.
Suzanne, have you made anything in it yet? If not, I think starting with a super easy dish like rice is the best bet. It can help you build confidence to make more involved dishes. Something like this: https://www.sustainablecooks.com/parmesan-rice/
My husband really liked it. I wasn’t as hip to the tarragon herb flavor-guess I could to the thyme or Italian herb mix next time. I would also add some garlic. My potatoes were mushy. Follow directions very closely.
Garlic is always a great add Lori! 🙂
For the potatoes – how small did you cut them?
This stew is so yummy! Making it in the Instant Pot ensure a really tender and delicious beef too. It’s perfect for a cold day. And it is really quick to put together!
So glad you liked it Jenny! I agree, the Instant Pot makes it soooo tender. 🙂