This Instant Pot Pot Roast recipe is an easy, comforting dinner that comes together so quickly in the pressure cooker! With tender veggies (not mushy!), a fall apart tender roast and seasoned gravy. With step by step VIDEO
Love pot roast? Try my Easy Pot Roast recipe or my Slow Cooker Pot Roast next!
This recipe was originally posted in 2018, but has been updated to include new step by step photos and video.
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September is one of the best months of the year, and not just because it’s my birthday month. It means that things like this Instant Pot Pot Roast are back on the table.
Comfort foods, especially those that are healthy and nourish our bodies, are my favorite kinds of meals!
This Potato Soup, this Rigatoni Pasta Bake, and so many of these Easy Crockpot Meals are popping up on our table again and again (and no one’s mad about it).
When the weather starts cooling off, there is just nothing like a cozy meal to gather around with the family — especially if it’s cooking in the Instant Pot, hands off!
This Instant Pot Roast comes out perfectly cooked and has the best gravy (just check out the reviews below!), plus no mushy vegetables to speak of!
You can even throw the roast in completely frozen if you’ve got a little extra time to let it cook (and it turns out just as great as these Frozen Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot and this Instant Pot Whole Chicken you can cook from frozen as well!)
Why we love this Pressure Cooker Pot Roast!
This Instant Pot Roast is so tender it falls apart when you try to take it out. It has such great flavor, that you can even skip the searing if you want (I’ll be honest, I am often to lazy to sear my meat first!).
One thing it is missing? Mushy vegetables.
Vegetables in the Instant Pot cook very quickly, often just a few minutes or less, so it’s better to leave them out while the roast cooks, and add them later at the end.
I know that this is an extra step and you might be wondering if it’s worth it.
Trust me on this one.
This way, you will have a perfectly juicy and tender pot roast, and perfectly cooked but still totally appetizing veggies.
You know I’m not into any extra unnecessary steps (or dishes, or ingredients!), but the potatoes and carrots will cook in just a few minutes and if you buy small, pre-washed potatoes, you don’t even need to chop them.
How to make Instant Pot Pot Roast:
- Season and sear: Cut your roast beef into roughly 1 pound pieces and coat them with the seasoning blend. Meanwhile, turn your Instant Pot to saute, and brown each piece in oil on every side. You can skip this step, but I find it does add a lot of flavor and helps to keep the juices in the meat.
- Remove the beef and cook the onions: cooking the onions adds another layer of flavor to our gravy! Then add the garlic and cook just a minute, so that it doesn’t burn.
- Deglaze the pot: Add the rest of the gravy ingredients (still on saute). Scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot with a wooden spoon to remove any bits that might be stuck on the bottom.
- Add the roast and pressure cook until tender: If your roast is cut into 1 lb chunks, it shouldn’t matter how large it was to begin with — they will all cook in about the same amount of time. I cook mine for 60-65 minutes. Depending on the type of roast you have and how you like your meat cooked, you may want to add additional time.
- Let the pressure release and add the vegetables: at this point you have the option to remove the roast if it is cooked and tender, and shred it while the vegetables cook, or just add the vegetables on top of the roast.
- Once everything is cooked, let the pressure release again and serve: Letting the pressure release naturally, completely (turning it off and not opening the valve until the pin goes down on its own) is the best way to ensure moist and juicy pot roast. Once the pressure is released, open it up and thicken the gravy on saute if desired.
Instant Pot Pot Roast FAQs
The short answer? About 1 hour.
The long answer:How long a roast will need to be pressure cooked depends mostly on how large the roast or the pieces are that you cut it into. I prefer to cut my roasts into chunks that are approximately 1 lb in size (so if you have a 3lb roast, you’ll cut it into 3 pieces).
However, the cook time also depends on the thickness of the pieces, so there has to be some wiggle room. To be on the safe side, you can always allow for a little extra time pressure cooking the meat — I opt for about 1 hour pressure cooking on high for smaller pieces.
If your roast is frozen, or it is in one large piece, you will want to add a significant amount of time to ensure that your meat is fall apart tender.
Absolutely!
Increase the cook time to 90-100 minutes for a 3 lb roast, and 100-110 minutes for a 4 lb roast, and 120 minutes for anything larger than 4 pounds.
You won’t sear a frozen roast, but you can sprinkle the seasoning on and add the liquids as the recipe calls for below.
Chances are, it just hasn’t cooked long enough. A beef roast will safe to cook long before it is tender, so giving it a little extra time doesn’t hurt anything.
I like to cut my pot roast into smaller chunks so that it cooks and tenderizes more quickly. If you are using a less-than-ideal type of roast (something lean with not much fat), you may want to cut it into even smaller pieces.
It’s up to you! I don’t usually trim much, as the fat makes the roast so juicy as it cooks. It can easily be trimmed once it is cooked.
If you prefer less fat cooking with your fat, you can trim the larger pieces.
Tips for making the best Instant Pot Pot Roast:
- Like I mentioned before, please do not add the veggies for the first cook time. You do not want your veggies cooking an extra 60+ minutes under high pressure! 3 minutes and they are perfectly tender and fluffy.
- You can skip searing the meat if you need to cut out some prep time, but it does add significant flavor to the dish overall. If you don’t sear, you’ll find that your juices (and therefore gravy if you thicken it) will be more “beefy” and you will taste less of the other flavors.
- If you need to save some time, cut the roast into 2-3″ chunks and pressure cook for 40-50 minutes, or save even more time by using pre-cut stewing beef.
- All of my Instant Pot recipes are tested in a 6 quart Instant Pot.
Looking for more Instant Pot dinner recipes?
- Instant Pot Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin & Potatoes
- Juicy Instant Pot Chicken Breast
- Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
- Easy Instant Pot Baked Ziti Recipe
Instant Pot Pot Roast (with the BEST gravy!)
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons seasoning salt (I use Lawry’s)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 lb beef chuck roast cut into 1lb chunks
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves (finely minced)
- 2 cups low sodium beef broth
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ lb Creamer potatoes (or baby potatoes) whole
- 3 large carrots peeled and cut into thick slices
- 1 tablespoon ketchup (or honey)
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine seasoning salt, garlic, parsley, onion powder and pepper. Sprinkle over roast to season.
- Turn Instant Pot to saute. When it reads hot, add the oil and sear roast on all sides. To do this, place the roast in the pot and do not move for 2-3 minutes. When you flip it, it should release from the pan easily. You may need to add extra oil to brown all of the pieces and cook them in 2 batches. When browned, removed the meat from the Instant Pot.
- Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened (adding more oil if necessary). Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
- To the Instant Pot add broth, vinegar, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce — if there are brown bits stuck to the bottom from the meat, give them a scrape with a wooden spoon and they should release easily — this will help to prevent a burn message. Stir to combine.
- Add the meat back into the pot. Put the lid on and turn the valve to sealing. Select Manual or Pressure Cook and set the cook time for 65 minutes on high pressure (90-100 minutes for a frozen roast).
- When the cook time is over, turn the Instant Pot off and let the pressure release naturally (this should take 10-15 minutes) before turning the valve to venting and opening the lid.
- Remove the roast to a plate, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and carrots, put the lid back on, turn the valve to sealing and select Manual or Pressure Cook for 3 minutes.
- While the potatoes and carrots cook, shred the beef and keep warm.
- When the cook time is over, let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes before moving the valve to venting, gradually releasing remaining pressure and opening the lid.
- Remove potatoes and carrots from Instant Pot and place on a platter with the beef.
- Stir in ketchup (it's not necessary but as a nice brightness and contrast to the savory flavor of the beef). Whisk together corn starch and water and stir into gravy.
- Turn Instant Pot to saute and cook, stirring often, until gravy has thickened. Serve with roast beef and vegetables.
Notes
- I added a sauteed onion and garlic to the gravy. You can skip this if you didn’t miss it 🙂
- I increased the broth to 2 cups from 1 cup — this gives us more gravy! I also increase the vinegar, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce to match.
- I removed the roast after pressure cooking to add the potatoes and carrots, but you can still do it either way. This way, the roast has time to rest and we can shred it while the vegetables cook.
- I added a tablespoon of ketchup to the gravy — this just brightens the flavors and adds a subtle touch of sweetness.
Nutrition Information
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Kendra Leary says
Ashley,
I think I need to add more carrots and potatoes. Is this ok and should I cook a little longer than 3 minutes?
Thanks!
Ashley Fehr says
3 minute should still be fine!
David says
Is the recipe the same if I use the ninja foodie deluxe?
Ashley Fehr says
If you are using a pressure cooker, the cook time should be the same. Sorry, I don’t have any experience with the Ninja Foodie!
Linda Johnson says
Wow my family was really impressed especially with the tender roast beef. Thank You so much!!!!!’
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Linda!
Katarina says
Followed this step by step the only thing I changed was I didn’t have parsley so I used a dash of thyme and it was so delicious and flavorful! It was also super tender .. will definitely follow again.
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Katarina!
Amanda says
Probably the best roast I’ve ever made. I was nervous to make in my InstantPot but this was amazing! Thank you for sharing!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Amanda!
geri says
Perfect! Didn’t have Worchestershire sauce so added 1 tablespoon of low sodium soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce, and didn’t use beef broth because I didn’t have any of that either. {need to up my shopping game!} Added a teaspoon of smoked spicy Paprika. Best roast in the Instant Pot yet. Thank you.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Geri!
David Clancy says
Ashley, can you get away with not cutting the roast into smaller bits? Or will it not cook completely?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes you can, it will just require a longer cook time.
Krista says
Great recipe! 100% will make again. The only change we mafe was the equivalent of 1 large onion in with the taters and carrots for the last 5 or so minutes.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Krista!
Terrie says
I made this last night. It was outstanding! I didn’t have any Worcestershire sauce so I used a dash more balsamic vinegar and some ketchup. Everything turned out great!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Terrie!
Cassie says
Made this- I just added onion soup mix, and some extra onion/garlic powders + Worcestershire sauce. The roast was delicious! I added carrots and potatoes for 3 min, and my potatoes were perfect but carrots were pretty mushy. Maybe next time I’ll do smaller potatoes bite sized chunks, and only do like 1 or 2 minutes….
Cassie says
I also added the beef broth of course!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing Cassie!
Keri says
Made this tonight and we loved it! Turned out perfect!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad!
Hayden says
I’m so excited to try this! I made a couple of alterations such as adding red wine and a bay leaf to the stock. I also added celery and mushrooms with the rest of the veggies. I’m sitting her smelling it cook and salivating from the smell! I it comes out tasting like it smells! Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Hayden! I hope you enjoyed it!
Renee Penna says
Can you make this in a crock pot instead?
Ashley Fehr says
I have a crockpot version here: https://www.thereciperebel.com/slow-cooker-pot-roast/
Jessica says
How do I adjust the cook time for a smaller roast? Mine’s 1.7lbs (small household!)
Ashley Fehr says
I would just cut it in half and cook for the same amount of time. Any amount of 1lb pieces of meat should cook in about the same amount of time
Emily says
Do you pour the water into the pot first? Sorry this will be my first time using my instapot!
Ashley Fehr says
Nope! You will just follow the recipe as written 🙂
D says
Have made this at least once a month for meal prep lunches for work! Recipe is easy and tastes great and it made under 2 hours. Love this recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that!
Monika says
Didn’t love the flavour of this dish
Ashley Fehr says
Can you tell me what you didn’t like about it?
Muggie says
Cooking now, added some sliced onion and celery, cause, why not! Had it on hand and it needed used up.
Delicious recipe 😋
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you!
Betsy Weaver says
I’m still learning how to use my instant pot but this recipe made it so easy to make the best roast I’ve ever made. I seared mine first. I didn’t have tomato paste so I used spicy diced tomatoes and it added an interesting flavor. Through no fault of the recipe, I wound up overcooking the potatoes and carrots but they were still yummy.
Easiest gravy I’ve ever made. I don’t use cornstarch, though. I use flour and water. It was so fast and easy. My husband thought I was the greatest cook on the planet. The other great part of this meal is it’s ONE pot to wash. Oh my lord, I love this.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Betsy! I’m so happy to hear you liked it!
Peggy says
This is a perfect recipe. You cannot go wrong. She simplified everything for us . 😊
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Peggy! You made my day!
Spring Pelc says
I made this for dinner tonight and it was absolutely SUPERB!!! I am not a fan of Chuck roast, so I used an English roast instead. I followed the directions to a “T” and made the gravy too. The meat was extremely tender and melted in our mouths. My mother use to make an English Roast on top of the stove, on low heat, and this recipe brought back fund memories of my Mom. Thank you❣️❣️
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Cheree says
Can you cook it while it’s still frozen?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes! I would add some time because you may not be able to cut it into 1lb chunks to cook. I would do 90-100 minutes for a frozen roast.