Whip up a big batch of warm, comforting Instant Pot Beef Stew tonight. It's quick and easy, thanks to the pressure cooker!
Dark, cold, drizzly late winter days cry out for big bowls of vegetable beef stew.
Beef stew is such a classic comfort food, isn't it? Just like rigatoni with Italian sausage, Instant Pot chicken thighs, or macaroni and cheese. I could actually eat big bowls of comfort food dishes all year long (and I do!).
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🌟 What makes this recipe work
Thanks to the pressure cooker, beef stew doesn't need to take all afternoon to cook!
- You can make Instant Pot Beef Stew in under an hour. That's a small fraction of the time it would take on the stove!
- It's hearty, rich, and satisfying. The ultimate comfort food!
- The recipe calls for everyday simply ingredients. Nothing fussy or hard-to-find.
- The Instant Pot cooks the beef beautifully so it's tender and moist.
🥩 Ingredient notes
This is a classic beef stew recipe, full of hearty vegetables and beef chuck. To make this Instant Pot Beef Stew recipe, you'll need:
- boneless beef chuck
- salt & pepper
- olive oil
- carrots
- russet potatoes
- yellow onion
- garlic
- fresh or dried thyme leaves
- beef broth
- tomato paste
- Worcestershire sauce
- cornstarch
- frozen peas
Most of these items you will likely already have in your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
Be sure to print out the FULL RECIPE in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!
Start by browning the beef in your pressure cooker on SAUTE mode. Remove the beef, then add the onions and garlic; sauté until soft. Next, you'll add the tomato paste and thyme, and cook for about a minute. Then add the broth and Worcestershire sauce, and stir to combine.
IMPORTANT STEP! This is when you deglaze the pot and scrape up any brown bits at the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. See FAQ notes below for more explanation.
Add carrots, potatoes, and beef to the pot. Sprinkle corn starch over the ingredients and gently stir, mixing in the cornstarch until it has dissolved.
Seal the lid on your Instant Pot and PRESSURE COOK (or Manual on some Instant Pot models) on High for 20 minutes. After coming up to pressure (this takes approximately 8-10 minutes), the display will start counting down. Once it reaches zero, allow for NATURAL RELEASE for 10 minutes and then carefully use tongs or an oven mitt to turn the knob to do QUICK RELEASE for the remaining time.
Once the valve pin is down completely, carefully unlock and open the lid. Stir in the peas and gently combine until the peas have thawed.
Stir and serve immediately. You can garnish with thyme sprigs or chopped parsley. Enjoy this delicious beef stew!
👩🏻🍳 Cooking tips and recipe FAQs
Yes. Doing this will help you avoid the dreaded BURN notice that can happen when cooking meat in an Instant Pot. If you don't scrape up the little bits that stick to the bottom of the inside of the pot, the bits can overheat during pressure cooking, causing the Instant Pot to give you the BURN notice.
Allow beef stew to cool completely first, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 or 5 days.
Yes! Allow the stew to cool completely, then store in a freezer-safe airtight container or in freezer bags for up to two months. You can reheat the frozen stew in the Instant Pot on SAUTE mode, in a pot on the stove over medium heat, or in the microwave.
🍽 Serving ideas
One of the things I love about this instant pot beef stew is that it can be a full meal in and of itself.
However, for larger family meals or if you're feeding hearty appetites, consider serving these sides:
- a large green salad, to balance the heaviness of the dish
- buttermilk biscuits, homemade French bread, or savory cornbread to help soak up that yummy stew
- Instant Pot garlic mashed potatoes
🍷 Wine pairing for beef stew
Hearty, rich, pressure cooker beef stew calls for a full-bodied red wine with medium to high acidity. Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic pairing for this dish. The fat and umami in the meat of beef stew balances out the high tannins of Cabernet Sauvignon.
For a bit of a splurge, try 2015 St Supery Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon from California ($89). Or try one of my favorite Pacific Northwest Cabernets, the 2014 Pepper Bridge Cabernet Sauvignon ($60) or the 2017 Browne Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon ($29).
More Instant Pot dinner recipes
Looking for more EASY dinner recipes to make in your Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or other electric pressure cooker? Be sure to check out our full collection of Instant Pot recipes! If you like this Instant Pot Beef Stew, you might also like one of these pressure cooker recipes:
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Instant Pot Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 to 1 ½ lbs boneless beef chuck, cut into 2" pieces
- salt & pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped into 2" pieces
- 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2" pieces
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 to 2 tsp thyme leaves
- 1 ½ cups beef broth
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- ¾ cup frozen peas
- optional: additional thyme sprigs and/or chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Season all sides of the beef with salt and pepper.
- Press SAUTE button on the Instant Pot. Add olive oil and allow it to heat up for about a minute. Add the seasoned beef and stir occasionally, browning the beef on all sides.
- Using tongs, remove transfer beef from the instant pot to a plate. Set aside.
- Add the onion and garlic to the Instant Pot and saute until they're just about softened, stirring constantly, which takes approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and thyme and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste darkens slightly in color. Add beef broth and Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits.
- Add carrots, potatoes, and beef to the pot. Sprinkle cornstarch over the ingredients and gently stir, mixing in the cornstarch until it has dissolved.
- Seal the lid and cook on HIGH pressure for 20 minutes. After coming up to pressure (this takes approximately 8-10 minutes), the display will start counting down. Once it reaches zero, allow for NATURAL RELEASE for 10 minutes and then carefully use tongs or an oven mitt to turn the knob to do QUICK RELEASE for the remaining time.
- Once the valve pin is down completely, carefully unlock and open the lid. Stir in the peas and gently combine until the peas have thawed. Stir and serve immediately, garnishing with thyme sprigs or chopped parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
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Amanda says
This was delicious and simple. Thank you for the recipe.
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
So glad you liked it! Thanks, Amanda!
Ash says
This was incredible!! Great instructions for this new IP user!
Marlynn says
Yay! Instant Pots are the best!
Tonje says
This is delicious, and so great in the instant pot!
Marlynn says
Thanks, Tonje!
Jen says
This is comfort food at its finest! Thank you for making this in the instant pot. Gives me another way in case I get behind in the day planning dinner.
Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says
So glad you found this helpful. Thanks, Jen!
Angela says
I love this Instant Pot recipe for beef stew. So fast, easy and delicious. Thank you!
Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says
Thanks so much, Angela! :)
Tara says
Beef stew is one of my fave comfort meals, too. Making it in the Instant Pot is infinitely faster and easier!
Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says
Agreed! You can't go wrong with beef stew! Thanks, Tara!