Instant Pot Beef Stew

Instant pot beef stew is one of those stew recipes you pull out when the weather chills you to the bone. Beef stew just has a way of warming you up and leaving you completely satisfied. You know, the kind of satisfied where you go put on your comfortable fuzzy pants.

This stew is even doable on a busy weeknight but that won’t affect the awesome layers of yummy flavor. Savory melt-in-your-mouth beef and soft potatoes along with lots of wholesome veggies give this instant pot beef stew recipe plenty of substance.

Try my classic beef stew when you have time to make this on the stovetop and when you’re really busy and need dinner to cook while you run a million errands, try my slow cooker beef stew.

If you feel like trying something a little different, my pork stew is out of the world delicious!

Let’s make this!

What I Love About This Recipe

• Savory succulent beef practically melts in your mouth
• Plenty of wholesome veggies and potatoes
• Doable midweek – ready in an hour
• Spreads a warm fervent glow around the dinner table

Recipe Notes

• Browning The Beef: Building incredible flavor into this stew is done in stages, the first stage being browning the beef. It’s important to brown your beef in a single layer even if you must brown a couple of batches. This creates proper browning which caramelizes the exterior of the beef and creates a fond (the little brown bits on the bottom of the pot) which adds a ton of flavor to your instant pot beef stew recipe.
• Sauteing Aromatics: Take the time to sauté your onions and garlic until soft. Sautéing veggies helps coax out their milder sweeter flavors.

Instant Pot Beef Stew Ingredients

• Stew Meat – I like to use beef chuck for this recipe. It comes from the front shoulder and has plenty of connective tissue to melt into the meat. If it goes against everything you know to choose this economical cut of meat for a homemade stew recipe, check out the science of why it works here.
• Veggies – A tasty combination of peas, carrots, potatoes, and onions give this recipe great textures and flavors and yummy wholesome nutrition to warm your insides.
• Beef Broth – Adding low-sodium beef broth to your stew gives you the opportunity to add salt separately so it behaves as you want it to. It’s also sooo much yummier than using water. At the right concentration, salt enhances the umami flavor in savory dishes.
• Tomato Paste – Tossing in a can of tomato paste not only helps with your fond but it adds some slightly sweet undertones to your stew recipe.
• Better Than Bouillon – Better Than Bouillon is a spiced flavoring paste that is over-the-moon incredible. It’s got a ton more flavor than those salty bouillon cubes and it’s easier to measure. You can use a little or a lot depending on your recipe.
• Herbs & Spices – A fragrant blend of thyme, parsley, Bay leaf, and Italian seasoning give your instant pot beef stew recipe an ambrosial flavor that’s just hard to beat.

Storing + Freezing Tips + Make-Ahead

• How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?  This will last 3-4 days in the fridge. Store in a large resealable container or use gallon-sized Ziplocs to save space. You can also keep single-serve portions in shallow airtight Tupperware dishes that are easy to grab-n-go.
• Can You Freeze This? Yes this can be frozen for up to 6 months. If you plan to freeze this wait to add the potatoes and the cornstarch slurry. Freezing causes the slurry to separate and the potatoes tend to get a little grainy.
  • Thaw overnight in the fridge.
  • You can pre-cook the potatoes, or thaw the stew then heat it up and add the potatoes to cook. Add the cornstarch when you heat to serve.
• Make-Ahead Tips: This is perfect to make a day ahead of time. The flavors are even better a day or two after it’s made.
• Food Safety: Here’s an article from the FDA regarding food safety.

How To Make Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe

1. Brown the beef. Set aside.
2. Saute the onions.
3. Add the tomato paste.
4. Saute.
5. Add beef broth.
6. Add the seasonings.
7. Add the herbs.
8. Add the potatoes.
9. Add the carrots.
10. Add the browned beef. Lock the lid and set the valve to seal.
11. Add peas and cornstarch slurry.
12. Serve.

See full instructions below.

More Delish Stew Recipes

• Cowboy Stew
• Shipwreck Stew
• Chicken Stew
• Brunswick Stew
• Bigos (Polish Hunter’s Stew)
• Guinness Beef Stew
• Meatball Stew
• Green Chile Stew

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Instant Pot Beef Stew

Instant pot beef stew pairs succulent melt-in-your-mouth beef with oodles of nutritious veggies swimming in layers of yummy satisfying flavor.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time50 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

• 3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil, as needed
• 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 cups low sodium beef broth
• 1 tablespoon beef flavor Better Than Bouillon,
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 cups carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Instructions

• Turn a 6.5-quart Instant pot onto saute function. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. When the display reads "hot". Add the beef in batches, in a single layer, and brown. Remove to a plate. Repeat the process with the remaining oil as needed and beef.
  
• Add the onions (1 ½ cups) and garlic (4 cloves) to the Instant pot and saute, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add tomato paste (2 tablespoons), stirring constantly, and continue to saute for 1 minute.
  
• Add beef broth (3 cups) stirring, gently scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen all brown bits on the bottom of the pan (do not skip or the burn light may turn on).
  
• Add dissolved Better Than Bouillon (1 tablespoon), Worcestershire sauce (2 tablespoons), Italian seasoning (1 teaspoon), thyme (1/2 teaspoon), bay leaf (1), salt (2 ¼ teaspoons), and pepper (1 teaspoon) and stir to combine. Add in potatoes (2 cups), carrots (2 cups), and browned beef.
  
• Lock the lid and set the valve to seal. Set the function to "manual mode-high pressure" for 35 minutes. The instant pot will start on its own.
• Switch the valve to the "venting" position to quick release for 10 minutes.
• Carefully remove the lid (there will likely still be some remaining steam). Remove and discard bay leaf. Gently stir in the peas (1 cup) and cornstarch slurry (3 tablespoons). Turn off the heat and allow it to sit for 3-4 minutes to thicken before serving.
  

Fans Also Made:

• 
  Beef Barley Soup
• 
  Beef Noodle Soup
• 
  Hamburger Stew
• 
  Vegetable Beef Soup

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Notes

1. Browning The Beef: Building incredible flavor into this stew is done in stages, the first stage being browning the beef. It’s important to brown your beef in a single layer even if you must brown a couple of batches. This creates proper browning which caramelizes the exterior of the beef and creates a fond (the little brown bits on the bottom of the pot) which adds a ton of flavor to your instant pot beef stew recipe.
2. Sauteing Aromatics: Take the time to sauté your onions and garlic until soft. Sautéing veggies helps coax out their milder sweeter flavors.

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