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Fall-apart tender, this Instant Pot chuck roast with a from-scratch gravy 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.
This Instant Pot chuck roast is filled with all the classic flavors of your Nana’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.
Reader Review
“I’m used to waiting hours and hours for pot roast. I’m so happy I found this instant pot recipe. Fastest I’ve ever made it and was so tender and flavorful. Veggies and potatoes turned out perfectly, too! “
Shawna
I used a chuck roast, 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.
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. Boiling = tough meat.
- Cut vegetables into large pieces to avoid them becoming too mushy during the cooking process.
- 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.
Tender Instant Pot Chuck Roast With Carrots and Potatoes
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%). Transfer meat to a medium-size mixing bowl and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and 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
- 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.
- Cut vegetables into large pieces to avoid them becoming too mushy during the cooking process.
- 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.
- Do not skip the 15-minute natural release time. A quick release will result in tough meat.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I was wondering if I can omit the marinara?
Hi Karen, it adds a great boost of flavor but it isn’t required for the recipe to be a success. You could try a bit of tomato paste, or leave it out altogether.
Love this recipe. I season and flour my roast. I tell it how beautiful it is! Then with 2 or so tablespoons of olive or avacado oil in the bowl, I use the Instant Pot to sear (10mins), pressurize (30mins) then natural release. Now, into a baking dish (I use disposables), add vegetables as you like. Place into a 350 oven for about 1 hour to 1hr 15mins. This last step fills the house with that delicious smell of Sunday, Cooked-all-day roast. The family can’t wait to eat this beautiful roast!
I love how you describe loving food, Barbara! That’s how I feel about dishes too, and it’s lovely to see other appreciate the act of cooking and enjoying the food.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a lovely review.
Your instructions are a bit confusing, what goes in first? Veg or meat?
Hi Nicole, the veggies go into the Instant Pot first.
When you are seasoning the meat (step 1), you’re doing so in a bowl (see visual process shots in the post). I’ll update the recipe card to clarify. Thanks.
This was delicious! My family loved it. This will be on rotation for us.
I love hearing that, Vicki!! I’m team “all the veggies” for this one. 🙂