Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe

Classic comfort food, this amazing Instant Pot beef stew recipe is a flavor bomb. Rich and savory, filled with tender chunks of beef, vegetables, and herbs in a juicy gravy. Pressure cooking gets it to the table faster than stovetop beef stew or slow cooker beef stew, while extracting delicious flavors. Serve it or freeze it for future meals.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Like This Recipe
• Recipe Ingredients for Beef Stew
• Substitutions and Variations
• Recipe Instructions
• What is The Most Tender Beef for Stew
• Serving Suggestions
• Recipe FAQ's
• More Recipes
• ⭐️Did you Make This Recipe?
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• 💬 Comments

Why You'll Like This Recipe

What makes this Instant Pot beef stew recipe a flavor bomb? Tomatoes, tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, and optionally, Parmesan. They all add umami, that fabulous fifth taste.

• The flavors are fantastic (so report my friends and family).
• Homemade beef stew is a classic dish.
• An Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker makes it faster (and better) than stove top.
• Plenty of vegetables keep it healthy and a meal in a bowl.

Another "umami bomb" of flavor is these steakhouse mushrooms.

Recipe Ingredients for Beef Stew

Don't let the list of ingredients deter you; it's worth the prep work.

• Beef: Buy boneless chuck roast, not pre-cut stew meat; it's easy to find.
• Onion: A savory flavor base for a stew, use sweet, yellow, brown, or white onions.
• Carrots: A sweet vegetable flavor addition and must-have for soups and stews.
• Celery: Choose a head with large ribs or use an extra smaller ribs.
• Potatoes: Gold potatoes work best and hold together; russet potatoes fall apart.
• Cooking fat: Use both olive oil and unsalted butter, or all olive oil.
• Herbs: Dried herbs work great as they rehydrate in the pressure cooker, use Italian seasoning.
• Wine: Preferably a dry red wine or white wine. I use the mini airline size for cooking.
• Tomato paste: Adds a savory richness and "umami" flavor.
• Paprika: Adds a mild sweetness to dishes, adds color and flavor, either regular or smoked.
• Beef broth: Use a good beef bone broth like this one. Skip canned or boxed if possible, and if that's the only option, read labels carefully. Check the freezer section for good options.
• Diced tomatoes: Use canned tomatoes, regular or roasted.
• Peas: Frozen peas are easy to add, thaw first. Petite peas are more tender.
• Worcestershire sauce: Gives the beef stew a deep, satisfying flavor.
• Bay leaf: Either dried or fresh, adds depth of flavor.
• Cornstarch: To make a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce if desired.

Please see the recipe card for salt, black pepper, and measurements. 

Substitutions and Variations

If you don't have a dried Italian blend, use a combination of dried basil, oregano, thyme, and/or rosemary.

Substitute broth for the wine. If wine is fine, try a dry sherry or a splash of cognac.

If you want to add green beans, chop them into small pieces and add with the potatoes.

Chef's Tip: Shortcut the process by doing your prep work ahead. Trim and cube the meat, chop the vegetables, etc. then refrigerate until 30-45 minutes before cooking your beef stew.

Recipe Instructions

Why use an electric pressure cooker? Because it produces a beautiful beef stew with rich, concentrated flavors done in a fraction of the time of stovetop or slow cooker beef stew recipes. I use an Instant Pot®, but you can make pressure cooker beef stew by using another brand of electric pressure cooker.

Step 3: Brown half of the beef on the saute setting in olive in a single layer, then repeat. Do it in two batches; don't crowd the meat for best browning. Remove browned meat and juices from the pot to a bowl and set aside.

Step 4: Cook onion, celery, and garlic on the saute mode until softened, then deglaze with a half cup of red wine or broth, scraping the bottom of the pot of any browned bits with a wooden spoon.

Step 7: Carefully unlock and open the lid and stir in the the peas, the remaining tomato paste, and the worcestershire sauce. Close the pot back up and allow the remaining heat to warm the peas through for a few minutes. If using the slurry, add with the peas.

Please see the recipe card for more detail on how to make Instant Pot beef stew.

What is The Most Tender Beef for Stew

Boneless chuck roast makes the most tender and flavorful beef stew, and it is the most traditional cut of beef for making stew. As is, it is tough cut, but pressure cooking or long cooking make it tender.

Boneless chuck roast gives you great beefy flavor for a beef stew and pressure cooking makes it tender in no time. There is quite a bit of trimming to do, so buy a little larger piece than you might think and trim out extra fat and tendons. Buy about a 2 ¼ pound - 2/13 pound piece.

Don't buy pre-cut beef stew meat. It's the cheapest and toughest option with a mix of piece sizes and you don't know what you are really getting. Uneven sized pieces won't cook at the same rate and some bites could be more tough than tender. 

Serving Suggestions

Instant Pot beef stew is a meal in itself. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley. Serve with crusty bread to soak up the fantastic juices (skip for low carb).

Beef stew keeps in the refrigerator for 3 days or freezes well for longer term in an airtight container, labeled and dated.

Recipe FAQ's

More Recipes

While beef stew is a casual dish, if you love beef try my slow roasted beef tenderloin for special occasions.

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