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
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Pin this recipe to your favorite boardInstant Pot Pot Roast (with the BEST gravy!)
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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Katie says
Best roast I’ve ever made!!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Katie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for your review!
Vanessa Weaver says
I did all of the additional steps that were updated before I read it. Extra beef broth means more gravy! I also added some mushrooms to give it an extra beefy umami flavor. This is by far the best roast beef recipe for the instapot. She’s so thorough and explains every detail. I love it and I love this recipe. Family is hounding me to make it again tonight. Here we go!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Vanessa! So glad you enjoyed the roast! Thank you for this review!
Loraine says
Made this for dinner tonight for 4 people. One word by all DELICIOUS! Will definitely be making this again.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Loraine! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!!
Anna Zeigler says
Can you cook this in a crock pot? If so how long?
Donna says
This recipe was a 10 – everyone in the family loved it. So flavorful!!!!!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Donna! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for your review!
Anna says
Instant Pot pot roast is my favorite! It tastes like it was cooking all day! Rich and flavorful!
Ashley Fehr says
I totally agree!
Toni says
This is my kind of comfort food! Everyone loved it!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Toni!
wilhelmina says
This was fabulous! I managed to achieve that all day flavor in much less time. Wonderful!
Ashley Fehr says
I think that’s the best part!
Dawn says
Tried this today and it’s fantastic! Made it for my elderly parents who just haven’t enjoyed eating lately. We haven’t seen them so excited about a meal in months. Thank you so much! 😊
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Dawn! I’m so glad they liked it!
Patti Goodman says
I’ve been raised my entire life on my mama’s roast and potatoes, using cream of mushroom soup and a packet of Lipton’s onion soup mix. The recipe has been tried and true for years, so I have never strayed from it…until now. lol I had my box and can of soups all ready to go, but I needed to know the time for cooking in an instant pot. (I’m new to instant pots) I came across this recipe and I just happen to have all of the ingredients, so I went for it!! Let’s just say that I now have a new roast recipe and if my sweet mother were still alive, we probably wouldn’t be speaking now! lol It was delish!!
Ashley Fehr says
Haha! Well I don’t want to come between you and mom but I am glad you loved it!
Tanane Davidson says
Simple but absolutely delicious! New family go to meal!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Tanane!
Jill says
Absolutely delicious!
The ingredients together made a flavorful recipe – the meat was perfect and the veggies just right! This will be my new go-to recipe for Pot Roast
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Jill! I’m so glad you liked it!
C. Skinner says
Made this recipe tonight for dinner and the family is literally raving about it! This one is definitely a keeper!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m thrilled to hear that!
jp21921@gmail.com says
This is my go-to meal!!! I love it and I’ve cooked it more than a dozen times… So delicious!!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad! We love this pot roast too!
Jenn says
I made this for my parents when they came to visit and they LOVED it. My husband loved it. Our cat loved it. It was a hit. I will be following this recipe from now on anytime I make pot roast.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Jenn!
Mariel Campbell says
Made this tonight for dinner! Didn’t have any Little potatoes so just cut my regular ones into pieces about the same size as Little potatoes. And was out of regular balsamic vinegar so I used my raspberry infused balsamic. It came out so good!! The gravy this makes is pure gold!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad you liked it!
Rachael says
LOVED this pot roast recipe! I have an 8 quart instant pot. I first cut a 3 pound chuck roast into 3, one pound chunks. I seared the three pieces in a cast iron. To get the good stuff stuck on the bottom of the cast iron, I poured in some beef broth and scraped all of the bits into the instant pot. Cooked the roast in two cups of beef broth (in addition to the other ingredients you add at this step) on high for 55 minutes, then let it natural release for 10 minutes. Opened it up and put whole baby potatoes (1.5 lb bag from the “Little potato” company), chunks of one yellow onion, and big chunks of 6 carrots on top of the roast. Cooked for another 5 minutes and let it naturally release for another 10 minutes. PERFECT! The seasoning and broth tasted so good. The pot roast tasted even better the next day 🙂 Will definitely be bookmarking this recipe, thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Rachael! It’s a favorite here too!
Rachel says
Just made this and it was DELICIOUS and so so easy. My husband said it is one of the best things I have ever made!
Ashley Fehr says
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that!
Cindi Strange says
I have a 3 qt mini instapot and would like to make this. Any suggestions for cooking time changes? I purchased a 1 1/2 pd roast.
Ashley Fehr says
If the meat is cut into roughly 1 lb pieces (I would just cut it in half) then I wouldn’t change anything at all 🙂
Douglas says
Today is the second time I’m making this pot roast. The first time it was a smash hit. I’ll just say that I think it is the best recipe ever. Well done.
Tami says
WOW WOW WOW this was fabulous I did omit the paste, but did everything else thank you 🙏🏽
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Tami!
Pam says
This was awesome. I did omit the tomato paste and added onion and a 1/3 cup red wine. We plan on making it at least once a month. Thank you
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Douglas!