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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Gina says
This recipe is a family fav now! I didn’t get to measure out the servings the last time I made it. You say it contains 8 servings but do you know what the serving size is??
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad you liked it! Sorry, I don’t know the exact serving size in weight.
GINAMARIE says
No problem 🙂 thank you for the quick response!
Rebecca Sarvady says
I am hoping to make this but my chuck has been pre-cut into about a dozen or so pieces, suggestions for modifying?
Ashley Fehr says
That is totally fine! I would just reduce the cook time slightly — 40-60 minutes should be fine!
Valerie Ferrell says
This recipe is amazing! I’ve made it twice now! Funny, that I always forget how much /extra/ time it takes to fully pressure up to get going, and then the cook time, and the natural pressure release. It takes me about 2 1/4 hours to get /everything/ done from start to dinner table. Plus, the extra juices really are perfect for gravy! I’m glad I have an instant pot recipe because I’ve /never/ had this much luck cooking it any other way! Thanks, Ashley!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Valerie! I’m so glad it’s been a hit!
Jordyn Sento says
I don’t have the seasoned salt… can I just use regular salt?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes you can, but I would maybe reduce it slightly as seasoning salt has other spices added in and you may find regular salt more salty
Brooke says
Great recipe! Thanks so much! I cooked a 4-lb roast for about 75 minutes, and it came out fork tender. I did need to cook my veggies a little longer (about 6 minutes instead of 3) and I added some garlic and onion, but otherwise I followed the recipe exactly and my whole family loved it. 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Brooke!
Taylor says
We don’t have whole potatoes, so I‘m just planning to add mashed potatoes on the side. My chuck roast is 3.35 pounds. Considering it’s the only thing going into the instant pot, should I adjust the cook time?
Brooke says
I would still cook your roast for about an hour as the recipe states so it gets good and tender. And make sure you cut it into segments like she says to do. I made this recipe last night with a 4-pound roast and cooked it for about 75 minutes (then a 10-minute natural release of pressure), and it came out really tender.
Josiah J. says
I plan to make this tonight but do not have beef broth. Is there anything I can substitute? I do have chicken broth, but I don’t know if that would affect the taste to much
Ashley Fehr says
I would use chicken broth if that’s what I had! It will change the flavor but it won’t be bad
Kim says
Hi Ashley,
I plan to make this tonight, but I do not have any tomato paste, will it be okay without? Or should I add canned tomatoes?
Also, we love extra sauce! Should I double or triple the beef broth and then thicken with cornstarch and water after it is done in the IP?
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Kim! It will be fine without the tomato paste, but I personally would add a little ketchup (call me crazy). I like a bit of tomato with this sauce! You could definitely double the sauce, but I would double everything and not just the broth
Dawn L. says
Just tried it tonight with a 2.4 pound thawed Butcher Box chuck roast. Perfect. I didn’t bother with carrots, and would’ve added frozen peas but didn’t have them. SO I did 2# of mini potatoes instead. Nice flavor…and I didn’t get any burn message. (I used my 8 qt. IP which tends to do that more than my 6 qt, so I’m very pleased.) I just wish I had
a bigger roast! I did it on 55 min. and took the meat out before doing the potatoes since the meat was tender perfection. Other changes: I used 1T. of a high end smoked balsamic and 1 T. of Costco’s Kirkland brand balsamic. Instead of canola oil, which I personally don’t like to use, I put in a nice pat of bacon fat for more flavor.
Dawn L. says
OK…after my comments from last night, I need to add that I did thicken the sauce with corn flour but I have to say: Double the sauce! If is so good, the family loved the recipe and was scraping the pot for more sauce. So good! (I took the potatoes out when I did this, then put them back in so they would get coated.)
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you so much Dawn! I’m so happy you liked it!
Deano says
Is it possible to use a frozen roast, or must you thaw it before cooking?
Ashley Fehr says
You can use a frozen roast, but I would probably cook it 2 hours, since you can’t cut it into smaller pieces
Kathryn Nagel says
can i use more broth to get more gravy?
Kathryn Nagel says
Also could I add Brussels sprouts? I have a bag of them ready to go that need to be used!
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, you can definitely add more broth but I would double all of the sauce ingredients. I’ve never tried brussels sprouts in the Instant Pot so I can’t say how that would work
Sandy says
I have an 8 qt Instant Pot. I learned, the hard way, that you need to make sure to deglaze the pot after searing the meat. I remove the meat, add the broth (or whatever liquid you’re using) and make sure there are NO bits stuck to the bottom of the pot, or you’ll get the burn message. Tomato sauce seems to be a big culprit as well. I can’t make chili in my pot without getting the burn message.
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, that’s very important!
Liz says
We have a tomato allergy can we omit the tomato paste or do you recommend a substitution?
jd says
try some other sort of acid like red wine
Ashley Fehr says
You can leave it out! I would probably add a touch of something sweet, maybe a tablespoon of brown sugar or honey.
Bonnie says
Look up AIP “Nomato” sauce online. It’s an amazing substitute for tomato sauce and easy to make!! We can’t have tomatoes in our household and use the nomato sauce all the time! It also freezes well so I make extra.
Kaitlin O says
Hello! Plan to make this recipe this week. I have a smaller Chuck roast (1.5lbs). Should I change the cook time? Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
I would! I would reduce it to 40-60 minutes.
Kaitlin O says
Thank you!! It’s in my instantpot now ?? smells delicious!!
Ashley Fehr says
I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Pissed o’f PARENT says
SdAwful based on your recipe it burned!! Thanks for ruining dinner night for my daughters and I
I_Hate_Karens says
Based on other comments, it looks like everyone else has encountered no issues with this recipe.
Perhaps you just suck at cooking, Karen.
Jenn Poole says
???????
Mike says
???
Roberta says
A burnt meal doesn’t ruin dinner night.
Rachel Cooks says
It can be frustrating when meals don’t quite go as expected. I have made this recipe five or six times and had it turn out great, and today when I made it, the meat burned. Badly. Turns out I forgot to put the silicone ring back in the lid so I didn’t get a good seal and all the liquid evaporated, burning the stuff at the bottom.
Wendy Rae says
I have made this twice and the first time was not as successful as the second. I think it is because I didn’t TURN OFF the Instant Pot for the meat to natual release the first time. I did turn it off the second time and the meat was so tender and amazing! Thank you for the amazing reciepe.
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Wendy! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Christen says
Hi, what did you mean by “turn off”? Do you hit cancel or unplug when doing a natural release (that’s what I would consider turning the pot off) or just let it naturally release with the pot still “on”?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, unplug or hit cancel
Niki Maas says
We had this tonight and it was delicious. We used one bag (1 lb) of baby carrots and cut up russet potatoes. My picky husband even liked it!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad!
Lindsay says
I made this last night since these were some of the few ingredients available at the grocery store. I did have to sub chicken broth for the beef broth, but it came out amazing! Somehow my husband had never tried a roast before, but I’m sure he will be asking for it often now!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Lindsay! I’m so glad you were able to locate everything and it came out well!
Angela Thomas says
I tried this recipe for the first time tonight and it was the first time that I used my instant pot as well! I normally use my slow cooker for pot roast but I’m thrilled to say this was the best pot roast that I’ve ever had! The meat was so tender! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Angela! I’m so glad!
Margaret Wilson says
I’m cooking the pot roast in my instant pot this weekend. I’m so excited because this will be my 1st time using an instant pot. My question is…I’ll be using an 8qt instant pot, should I adjust the recipe at all?
Ashley Fehr says
You shouldn’t need to adjust the recipe, but I know that some like to make sure they are over the minimum liquid requirement which I believe is higher for the 8 qt than the 6 qt. If you want, you could double the sauce just to ensure there is enough liquid but it should work even without.
Vivian - CT says
I’m making this right now and I think there is a lot to adjust from the 6qt to 8qt.
I added approx 2-2.5cups of beef stock extra to make up for the .30lbs of extra Chuck. And added a few extra TBSP of balsamic, tomato paste & Worcestershire
Another thing….I cut the 3.30lb chuck roast in half like they said and I cooked it for an hour…..hard as a rock. So then I put it in for 15mins more and a little better but realized this is going to take 5hrs if I don’t cut it up into cubes. I just cooked it for another 30mins and it’s done perfectly!
Now I’ll add the veggies for 15mins and see how they came out??
It does smell delicious though!!
****Family loves it but definitely cube the meat and don’t cut potatoes in half.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing Vivian! I definitely recommend cutting the roast into 1lb pieces so they cook more quickly. I’m glad that the flavor was good!
Mickey White says
This was great ! I used some different seasonings for our taste ; regular vinegar since it’s all I had ; the meat was tender ; Vegetables were not mushy . I added onions and Celery chunks also ! THanks . I have an off brand pressure cooker ( not an Instant Pot ) . Thanks for the recipe !
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Mickey!