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Perfect Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe (the BEST gravy!)

written by Ashley Fehr

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4.94 from 462 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings 8 servings

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Last updated on February 1, 2024

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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!

overhead image of instant pot roast with potatoes and carrots

This recipe was originally posted in 2018, but has been updated to include new step by step photos and video.

Table of Contents

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!)

instant pot pot roast with potatoes and carrots in pressure cooker

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.

close up image of gravy being poured onto instant pot beef roast
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How to make Instant Pot Pot Roast:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
seasoning ground beef roast on cutting board
Combine seasoning blend and rub over roast
searing roast beef in instant pot on saute
Sear roast in Instant Pot on saute
cooking onions for gravy after browning roast
Remove beef and saute onions
deglazing the instant pot with beef broth to make gravy
Deglaze the pot with broth and add gravy ingredients
seared beef in instant pot with broth ready to pressure cook
Add roast back into the liquid and pressure cook
cook potatoes and carrots in gravy after taking out roast
Remove the roast and pressure cook the potatoes and carrots

Instant Pot Pot Roast FAQs

What is the best cut of meat for pot roast?

  • You don’t have to spend big money on a great cut of meat to make a pot roast — the Instant Pot tenderizes an inexpensive roast in an hour or less! This is one time where you can save a little and still have an amazing meal.

  • With that being said, chuck roast (as it will be called in the United States) or blade roast (as it is called in Canada) is the most common choice for pot roast. It is not an expensive cut, but it has great marbling which leads to very tender meat. You can use other varieties, but one that is labelled “pot roast” in Canada will be your best bet!
    • How long do you cook a pot roast in the Instant Pot?

    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.

    Can I cook a frozen roast in the Instant Pot?

    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.

    Why is my pot roast tough?

    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.

    Do I have to trim my roast?

    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.

    close up image of pressure cooker pot roast in bowl with fork

    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?

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    Instant Pot Pot Roast (with the BEST gravy!)

    written by Ashley Fehr

    4.94 from 462 votes
    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 
    square image of instant pot pot roast with potatoes and carrots on the side
    Review
    Print
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
    Time to build and release pressure 40 minutes
    Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
    Cuisine American
    Course Main Course
    Servings 8 servings
    Calories 447cal

    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
    US Customary – Metric

    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

    *UPDATED December 3, 2021. 
    I made a few changes to this recipe to make it even more flavorful (and get us more gravy!). I wanted to list them here so you can see what has happened.
    • 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

    Serving: 261grams | Calories: 447cal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 943mg | Potassium: 1236mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3921IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 5mg
    Keywords instant pot beef roast, instant pot roast, instant pot roast beef, pressure cooker pot roast, pressure cooker roast

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    Meet Ashley

    My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!

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    Comments

      • Priscilla Silva says

        I had 1.5lbs of chuck roast so I pretty much followed everything in half and it came out delicious!!! I will definitely be doing this recipe again!

        Reply

        • The Recipe Rebel says

          Hi Priscilla! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!

    2. Dennis says

      Just made this. My daughter said she likes this alot, alot alot. She said she even loved the potatoes and she doesn’t like cooked potatoes. I also loved this. Excellent recipe. Now to try it with venison.

      Reply

    3. sweingold@gmail.com says

      This is probably the best Instant Pot recipe I have ever done. The meat was perfect and the gravy was phenomenal! I only had one small issue that the 3 minutes pressure cook for the veggies was too short, for me anyway. Anticipating this, I even bumped it up to 4 minutes with the 5 minute natural release and the tiny new gold potatoes were still somewhat under cooked and the carrots were pretty crunchy. Next time I do this recipe, I will bump the final veggie pressure cook to 6 minutes.

      Reply

      • Genevieve says

        I’m not sure what size cut you did on your veggies. For me, and this is for any recipes calling for potatoes and carrots: I half my potatoes (russet) and then cut them into 1in thick pieces, carrots also into 1in slices. I put them in for 8-10 minutes depending on how soft I want them, 8min will have the tiniest bite to it and 10min will almost melt/fall apart in your mouth. My preference is 8min just to avoid them turning to mush with leftovers.

        Reply

    4. Angela says

      I have just about given up my cookbooks once I realized how easy it is to just search online for whatever you want to make. When I came across your recipe I thought I’d give it a try. Oh my gosh; the rest was history. I made a pot roast from another recipe I had found but deleted it once I made yours. The time was absolutely on point. I thought the vegetables would not be tender and the roast not done but I was wrong. I even tweaked it according to your updated notes.Everything turned out wonderfully; thank you. I’ll be trying some of your other recipes too.

      Reply

    5. Michelle says

      I have made this recipe more times than I can count! I love how tender the meat and veggies come out. It’s one of our favorites as a family and we make it at least once a month. Thanks so much for sharing it!!

      Reply

    6. Amanda says

      Tried this tonight for dinner. It was so yummy and flavorful! Even my 2 year old approved! Win-win! Thank you! 🙂

      Reply

    7. Naya says

      Hi Ashley!
      Not only was the pot roast absolutely phenomenal, but the recipe itself was one of the best written and easy to follow recipes I’ve read/tried! Thank you endlessly!!

      Reply

    8. Michelle says

      Hi,
      The roast had amazing flavor and I followed the instructions with 2 cups of water but there was no liquid left at about the 30min mark of cooking.
      What can I do so I still have liquid left ?
      Michelle

      Reply

      • The Recipe Rebel says

        Hi Michelle, it’s hard to say without being in the kitchen with you but this is my best guess. There should be no steam or liquid evaporating when your instant pot is coming to pressure. If there is, you are losing the liquid. This is typically caused by the seal not properly sealing. If it does seal properly there is no reason why you shouldn’t have liquid. It just boils inside, it doesn’t evaporate. Hope this helps!

        Reply

        • Michelle says

          Thank you for the advise as I did notice that there was steam coming out. I am new to this way of cooking .
          Thanks again

    9. Jimmy says

      My wife said this was the best pot roast she’s ever had! The gravy was just perfect. The recipe was very easy to follow also. Thank you!

      Reply

    10. Marcus says

      I make this pot roast recipe at least twice a month and use the leftovers to make a stew! If I were to double the recipe to cook for a larger group, would I need to double the cook time?

      Reply

      • Mel says

        As long as your pressure cooker is large enough to hold everything you shouldn’t have to adjust the cooking time. However I would recommend cutting the meat into large 4″-6″ chunks so it cooks evenly. I’ve made this and similar recipes this way, adjusting quantity but not cook time, and they all came out great

        Reply

      • The Recipe Rebel says

        Hi Rachelle! I’ve only tested this out in a 6qt, but from what I understand using an 8qt just means that it make take a little longer to come to pressure. You shouldn’t need to adjust the recipe.

        Reply

    15. John Dockham says

      I made this for my wife and myself. We loved it😀, thank you. I’ve been making slow cooker pot roast for years, always braised it but never used tomato paste and vinegar, I always will now. I’ve altered the seasoning a little. I skipped the seasoning salt and added onion powder to the meat rub. Also added rosemary during the veggies cooking. We will be cooking this for one of the meals we prepare and serve to the unsheltered after service next Sunday and I’m excited to hear the feedback from thankful people. I’ll be sure to share this recipe with anyone who may be interested. Again, thank you for blessing us all by sharing this!

      Reply

    16. Grace says

      This recipe is a family favorite now! It’s on our menu all the time. So easy and simple, and clean up is nothing.

      Reply

    19. Jamie says

      SKIP IT! Takes WAY too long to get through this as recipe because the website is so polluted with ads. The recipe is so / so. Not horroble- I mean the end product was edible- but definitely not anything special. There are MUCH better recipe options and those won’t inundate the reader with ads.

      Reply

      • The Recipe Rebel says

        Hi Jamie! I’m sorry you were disappointed with the recipe and site. There is a very special “jump to recipe” button at the top of each recipe that takes you right to the recipe, however those annoying ads allow me to keep posting free recipes here.

        Reply

    20. bob says

      It says on the updated version to add 2 cups broth instead of 1 cup but I didn’t notice anything on top about 1 cup of broth in the ingredients..

      Reply

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