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.
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!)
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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Kim Pelletier says
Making this today! The size of my roast is only 2lbs…any idea how I should adjust the cook time?
Kimberly Pelletier says
Update – I used a 2lb london broil and adjusted the cook time to 45 mins. Came out excellent!!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Kimberly! I’m glad it turned out well for you!
Megan says
I’ve never made pot roast before and this turned out so so good! My husband and I have a new favorite. I didn’t add the tomato paste and it turned out fine. Had to thicken up the sauce a little at the end, but WOW. Thanks for the recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Megan! I’m so happy to hear that!
Kim says
Can this be cooked from frozen?
Ashley Fehr says
It could but you’ll want to add a significant amount more cook time.
Valleygirl says
I only added 10 mins and did all natural release. My 3 lb roast was perfect from frozen.
Ashley Fehr says
So glad to hear that!
Stephanie Tuohey says
I love my instant pot and I love finding an amazing dish for it. This is a real winner. Followed it exactly as is and it turned out perfect. I think the carrots and the sauce together are amazing. Meat was tender, I actually didn’t cut it and it turned out perfect. Will definitely be making it again.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Stephanie! I’m glad to hear that!
Dan LA says
Excellent. Way better than my dutch-oven or crock-pot roast. Super. Adding the vegetables at the end cooked them without making them mushy. This will be my new pot roast recipe.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that!
Audra Dodds says
How long do i cook beef stew tips as opposed to a whole roast?
Marcy says
I am making this for the 2nd time for my parents. My father puts ketchup on almost every meat but when I cooked this, he absolutely loved it and I was happy that he found something with delicious flavor, without ketchup. This is an awesome recipe!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Marcy! I’m so happy to hear that!
Ashton Wilson says
how would I adjust this recipe for elk?
Joni Uptegrove says
Hey there I might be able to chime in as we mainly eat venison (whitetail or elk) when it comes to red meat. What we’ve learned is to nearly double the seasonings since venison doesn’t have the same marbling of good-tasting fat like beef or pork. I’d also proceed with caution using an instant pot for elk. We tried it on a whitetail roast and it just wasn’t long enough cook time for it to become tender like our venison roasts become in a crockpot. It was pretty tough when it came out of the instant pot.
Laura says
A few weeks ago, pot roast was on sale at my grocery store. My husband was not excited that I was making that for dinner. I made this recipe. My whole family loved it! Tonight I am making it again, this time he is looking forward to dinner!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Laura! I’m so glad it’s been a hit!
Elsa says
High pressure or low pressure?
Ashley Fehr says
Always high pressure unless listed otherwise
Summer Lawrence says
Is this High or Low pressure? I am assuming high.
Ashley Fehr says
Yes always high unless specified
Courtney curtis says
I do not have balsamic vinegar. What else can i use to replace it
Ashley Fehr says
You can omit it or use apple cider vinegar
Kyle says
I’ve used red wine vinegar too and it worked just as well!
Marie says
Outstanding! Wouldn’t change a thing.
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Marie!
Jessica says
My picky husband and my even pickier children absolutely loved this recipe. They couldn’t get enough, Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Jessica!
Janet Martin says
I have no tomato paste. Should I just add some water or more beef stock instead?
Ashley Fehr says
You won’t need any more liquid — it just adds flavor.
Karen Corson says
I used ketchup ?
Leslie McCarthy says
Me too Karen, ketchup worked great. 🙂 Turned out delicious, will use this again.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Leslie!
Charles says
Let me start by saying… this is a great recipe! Only 2 small notes… one is a suggestion: I think deglazing the pot with red wine after searing meat adds tons of flavor. The 2nd thing is I think you should change the total time to more like 1:45. With 55 mins cook time along with the time it takes to come up to pressure and the additional 3 mins for the veggies at the end, I would say the total time along with prep is more like 1:45 to 2hrs. Thank you for an excellent recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Charles! The total cook time is calculated automatically by the recipe card and is the sum of the active prep time and the cook time. It does not include time to build pressure. I love the idea of using red wine!
Jeff York says
Very Good! I added mushrooms and onion as I had them on hand. I’ll be eating this for a couple days.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Jeff!
Bill says
I just found your recipe and I have everything I need EXCEPT the beef stock. I do have chicken stock. Do you think it would affect the taste that much of I used that instead?
Ashley Fehr says
I think that’ll be fine!
Katana says
The meat is so tender. This is an amazing recipe that I am going to incorporate into my weekly dinners when the roast meat is on sale at the grocery store. I would love to cook this for a group of people.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy to hear that Katana!
R. Jones says
Tried this for dinner tonight for my very first time cooking in my IP, and for my very picky family. It was a HIT!! I did change up the dry seasoning to my liking and added chunks of onion as well. My kids who are as picky as they come went back for seconds. It was so tender and juicy, the only regret I have is I forgot to take a picture. The kids have already asked for it again soon!!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so happy they loved it! Thanks for leaving a comment!
Allison says
I’m sad to report that the meat was dry. I did not change anything about the recipe and didn’t quick release – as I was careful not to cause the meat to seize up. The only thing I can think of is that cutting the meat in half was a bad idea. My mom, who has been making mouth watering, delicious pot roasts for decades, was horrified at the mere mention of cutting it in half (haha) and swears that’s what ruined the roast. The veggies and gravy were tender and delicious. I am going to try again using a different cut of meat this time (one recommended by mom) and will not be cutting it in half. I’ll keep you posted 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Allison! I can assure you that cutting the meat in half will not make it tough 🙂 But it sounds like you might want to cook it a bit longer. I would try adding 20-30 minutes to the cook time for the same size of roast that you used originally
Ron S. says
I plan to try this recipe tonight and went to the grocery store where I know the butchers. They had two packages of pot roast of identical weight but the meat looked different. One had fat marbling throughout and the other looked leaner but quite nice with good muscles and some interior fat. The butcher looked at both and chose the one with more marbling as the one to be more tender because that more muscled piece was likelely to be tough and more grissely………Even with the same description, there was likely going to be a big difference in tenderness after similar cooking times. Ask the butcher if you can when you have a choice
Karen Corson says
I would say the quick release was your mistake. The recipe says natural release ten minutes. That’s why. Try it again! So good.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Karen!