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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

    1. Stacy D says

      I have tried to make fork-tender roasts for years in the oven, with various cuts of meat, cook times, etc. They always turned out tough. But I just got my Instant Pot and tried this recipe. Turned out amazing ! It was exactly what I needed to cook a perfectly tender roast. I seared the meat, and added the veggies for the last 10 minutes of cook time and wallah, perfect. Not mushy and full of flavor. This is a keeper !

      Reply

    3. Sandy says

      This turned out great! I had to make a few adjustments tho. I didn’t have Canola oil, so I used vegetable oil instead and it worked fine. I didn’t have tomato paste, so I omitted that item. I didn’t have balsamic vinegar and used apple cider vinegar instead. I also added 1 teaspoon of sage and i used chicken broth instead of beef broth. I also, put the vegetables in the pot and added the pot roast o top of them to cook. Delicious!

      Reply

    4. Jennifer says

      Omg this is the first time a roast I made came out so tender and tasty!!! Yay!! I will be making this all the time !!

      Reply

    5. Kenneth,will cook anything once says

      Used this recipe and it turned out great. I had to used apple cider vinegar due to being out of balsamic. Also used fresh garlic.

      Reply

    9. Kris Faub says

      So I made this today and it turned out great! I did sub out the Worcestershire and balsamic for a can of cream of mushroom and I only seared it minimally (maybe 45-60 sec on 3 sides or so since the meat had several different sides the way it was cut). But boy did it turn out awesome! This saved me in a bind because I ran out of time to slow cook it for 8 hours and was able to have it ready by 6! Thanks so much for the recipe/directions!!!!

      Reply

    10. Tiffanie says

      We tried this for the first time tonight and honestly I think this is the BEST tasting roast I have ever had!! I will totally be making this again! Oh, and on of that it was so easy to make! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe with us!!

      Reply

    12. Sondra says

      I made this for a group of friends and they all loved it, especially my husband! Thank you! It worked perfectly to put the potatoes and carrots in later, no mushy veggies. I cooked it exactly like your recipe and then left it on the keep warm setting for a few hours until everyone arrived and it was fantastic!

      Reply

    13. Alexa says

      This is our favorite roast recipe ever! I refuse to cook it any other way now. I did use my own homemade bone broth.

      Reply

    14. Steve says

      Timing is way off. 65 minutes cook. 10 and 10 natural release. That’s alone is almost a hour and a half. Now include time required to get to pressure. Add prep and plan on almost 3 hours.

      Reply

      • Ashley Fehr says

        I don’t include the time it takes to reach pressure, no, just like I don’t include the time it takes to preheat the oven with baked goods. It really depends on how full your Instant Pot is. Maybe with prep time it will take around 2 hours, but very unlikely will it take 3.

        Reply

    15. Patricia says

      Outstanding pot roast. I did take the liberty of swapping a few ingredients to use things in my pantry. Used the broth from a can of Progresso Pot Roast soup (less sodium), used olive oil vs. canola oil and used button mushrooms and sweet onions instead of carrots and potatoes. Your instructions were perfect and easy to follow. Will definitely make the again.

      Reply

    16. Sondra Humphrey says

      I started with a 6 qt instant pot that I purchased off facebook yardsale. My husband has a terrible time with his teeth due to epilepsy and the medications he has to take. If it’s a tough meat he can’t eat it at all. I am a meat and potatoes kind of girl so I was heartbroken when he was unable to eat roast and potatoes out of the crock pot. Well, I cooked one in the instant pot AND it is fall apart tender and my husband can eat it. I always search the recipes for cook time but typically do my own seasonings. THis recipe is awesome and turns out terrific every time. I do go ahead and put my potatoes in at the beginning and never have a problem with them being to mushy. I also turn my broth into gravy for the cornbread I make to go with this meal. Love love love it and my hat is off to all of these people who post their recipes. Thank you so much. A suggestion I also have for those who are new to instant pot is ribs. Ribs turn out super tender and my hubs can eat those too!

      Reply

    17. Michael Page says

      Used this on a small venison roast.. Worked beautifully. Added a little extra broth as the meat is so lean. The gravy was delicious.. Thank you for the help..

      Reply

      • Megan says

        It’s when you don’t try to perm the steam valve (or the whole lid) right after cooking time. Natural release takes about 10 minutes for the pin to drop on its own. Check your manual for more info. A quick release is when you often the valve after cooking time to quickly release the steam.

        Reply

    20. Colleen says

      Making this now and hoping 60 min is good for a 2lb roast. I like the idea of the seasoned flour for the gravy so I’ll try that when it’s all said and done. Thank you for all the feedback, looking forward to dinner tonight!

      Reply

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