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
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.
If you look around my site for about 5 seconds, you know that healthier comfort food is my jam. Sure, there’s the occasional over the top dessert (it’s all about balance, right??), but you won’t see a lot of green salads or smoothie bowls.
It’s not because there’s anything wrong with those things, I just really believe in nourishing our bodies with real food, full flavors, and enjoying every bite.
Not that smoothie bowls aren’t delicious or nourishing — they are! Green salads on the other hand…. 😉
I haven’t always been sold on the Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker (I use the Instant Pot brand, but other brands of pressure cookers will work just as well), but at the beginning of the year I set out to really give it a chance and see what all the hype was about.
I discovered that I actually liked it (surprise!) for certain things, but that it wasn’t going to replace my slow cooker, stove top or oven.
My favorite things to cook in the Instant Pot? The recipes that also usually do well in the crock pot, but in the Instant Pot they take just a fraction of the time. Large, tough cuts of meat, roasts, soups with lots of veggies (like this Chicken Noodle Soup!), and macaroni when you need it to cook in two minutes.
It is also great for those days when you forget to take the meat out of the freezer to thaw and you need a dinner option in record time (I’ve got you covered with tutorials for cooking frozen chicken breasts, frozen pork tenderloin, frozen chicken thighs, a frozen whole chicken in the Instant Pot, so you know I’ve been there before!)
This Instant Pot 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. I wanted to really show off the smooth, creaminess of these Little Potatoes and how quickly they can cook in the pressure cooker.
For this reason, I opted to add my vegetables near the end of the cook time. I know that this is an extra step and you might be wondering if it’s worth it.
Trust me.
If you know me, you know I’m not into any extra unnecessary steps (or dishes, or ingredients!). But Little Potatoes cook under pressure in just a few minutes, and you really don’t want them under high pressure for 60 minutes or more. You can throw them in whole with no washing or peeling (see! We’re saving steps 😉 ), so it’s not going to inconvenience you too much to add them part way through.
Tips for making this Instant Pot 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. If you are using a leaner cut of meat, I recommend cutting into smaller pieces so it is more tender.
- 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 — I know the 8 quarts and different models have different liquid requirements so it’s important to take that into consideration.
Looking for more Instant Pot dinner recipes?
- Instant Pot Pork Chops with Bacon Apple Glaze
- Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
- Easy Instant Pot Baked Ziti Recipe
*This post is generously sponsored by The Little Potato Company and I was compensated for my time in creating it — all opinions are, as always, my own.
Instant Pot Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons seasoning salt (I use Lawry’s)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 lb beef chuck roast cut into 1lb chunks
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 cup low sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1.5 lb Little Potatoes
- 3 large carrots peeled and cut into thick slices
- OPTIONAL: corn starch to thicken juices
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.
- To the Instant Pot add broth, tomato paste, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce — if there are brown bits stuck to the bottom from the meat, give them a scrape and they should release easily. Stir to combine.
- Put the lid on and turn the valve to sealing. Select Manual or Pressure Cook and set the cook time for 55-65* minutes on high pressure, depending how large your pieces are. (see notes below)
- When the cook time is over, turn the Instant Pot off and let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before turning the valve to venting and opening the lid.
- Add the Little Potatoes and carrots, put the lid back on, turn the valve to sealing and select Manual or Pressure Cook for 3 minutes.
- When the cook time is over, let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before moving the valve to venting, releasing remaining pressure and opening the lid.
- Remove beef from the Instant Pot and slice or pull as desired. Serve with potatoes and carrots.
- OPTIONAL: If desired, combine equal parts corn starch and water, stir into the remaining juices and turn the Instant Pot to saute. Whisk continuously until juices are thickened. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning as desired, adding a tablespoon of honey if you want to add a little sweetness.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Linda Johnson says
Wow my family was really impressed especially with the tender roast beef. Thank You so much!!!!!’
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.
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!
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.