Instant Pot Beef Stew | Easy Dinner Ready In Under 1 Hour!

This Instant Pot beef stew is tender, warm, cozy, comforting, and packed with flavor – everything a beef stew recipe should be! Make one for now and freeze one for later with this frugal, healthy dinner that stretches to feed a crowd.

I used to think that beef stew was something you only made when it was cold out…

Or when you wanted a warm, cozy, Sunday night dinner… like Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup or Easy Baked Ziti or Slow Cooker Quinoa Chicken Cacciatore.

Or when your freezer was down to just the one package of meat, and you needed to make something that would cover a few meals…like Ground Beef Taco Meat or Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli or Slow Cooker Beef Ragu.

But I knew the first time I made this Instant Pot Beef Stew that it would be a winner among my Instant Pot recipes, and we’ve served this all year, on any day of the week, and we’ve made it work regardless of the cut of beef we had in the freezer!

BEEF STEW INSTANT POT

I love making dinner in my Instant Pot. I love the “set it and forget it” mentality, letting me spend time doing things that are more fun than standing at a hot stove and stirring.

Aside from making beef stew Instant Pot style to save time, I also love that its:

• Versatile – LOTS of options with the meat and veggies!
• Freezer-friendly – I can make one for now, and another in a gallon resealable storage bag for later.
• Feeds a crowd – Even though this recipe only uses 1 pound of meat, it’s enough to cover several meals.
• Tender, warm, cozy, comforting, and packed with flavor – everything a beef stew should be!

Plus, it is one of the classics! We all need a go-to beef stew recipe, right?

PRESSURE COOKER STEW INGREDIENTS

This is what I typically put in my pressure cooker stew, but you have a lot of wiggle room with the meat and vegetables in this beef stew recipe. Keep reading for more variations that will help use up what you have and save money buying what’s on sale!

Psst! If you’re going to add salt, I highly recommend Ava Jane’s Kitchen. You may think all salt is created equal, but unfortunately, 90% of the salt produced around the world contains microplastics (gross, right?). Ava Jane’s Kitchen is an exception. Their salt is 100% microplastic-free, and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt (just pay shipping and handling!)

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BEEF STEW RECIPE

Follow these quick instructions for easy beef stew!

Step 1. Load the Instant Pot with the beef or chicken broth, stew beef, thyme, marjoram, salt, garlic, tomato paste, and coconut aminos (or soy sauce) and stir.

Step 2. Layer the onions, carrots, parsnips, and turnips on top.

Step 3. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes.

Step 4. After the cooking time is completed, let the pressure natural release for 10 minutes. Press the sealing valve to release any remaining pressure.

Step 5. Stir in frozen peas, cover, and let the pressure cooker stew sit for 5 minutes.

Step 6. Ladle finished stew into bowls and serve hot!

Store any leftovers from this beef stew recipe in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze leftover cooked stew in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

MAKING INSTANT POT BEEF STEW GRAVY

If you want to thicken the liquid from the Instant Pot beef stew into a gravy (so less like a soup, and more like a traditional stew), ladle 2 tablespoons of liquid from the stew into a mug or small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and stir well.

• If the stew is still very hot (i.e. you just removed the lid), stir this cornstarch slurry back into the stew and stir until the liquid has thickened.
• If the stew has cooled, turn the Instant Pot on “sauté” and when the stew is hot again, add the cornstarch slurry and stir well.

(Using a cornstarch slurry after the cooking time is completed is best for pressure cooking so you don’t get the burn error. Plus, it keeps the dish gluten-free!)

BEEF STEW INSTANT POT RECIPE VARIATIONS

Vegetables: I use root vegetables in my version of Instant Pot beef stew, but you can go the more traditional route with Yukon gold potatoes and carrots (like in my Slow Cooker Beef Stew recipe), or even add celery. If you want to add mushrooms, summer squash, or frozen peas, add them at the very end, close the Instant Pot, and let them cook in the residual heat for 5 minutes.

Beans/Lentils: Adding beans or lentils is a great way to stretch your meat as well and increase the nutrients and fiber in the beef stew. Add 1-2 cups of your favorite cooked beans or lentils at the very end of the recipe and let them cook in the residual heat for 5 minutes (same as the vegetables above). Black beans, kidney beans, green lentils, brown lentils, and black lentils are all great options!

Meat: Beef stew meat is the traditional cut of beef for stew recipes, but I’ve also made this recipe using chuck roast and flank steaks that I’ve cut into 1-2” cubes myself! This is a perfect way to use the meat you already have, and if you’re a member of Butcher Box, this is how you can make your monthly order go even further!

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TIPS FOR THE BEST INSTANT POT BEEF STEW

• Skip the Sauté –Some recipes call for dredging the meat in flour and sautéing it in batches, but I’ve found that it doesn’t make much of a difference in the end. Skip that step, save time, and make this meal more hands-off!
• Stretch the Meat – Stew meat often comes in 1-inch pieces, but if you cut each of those pieces in half (to about ½” inch chunks) then your stew meat will go much further! You’ll get more pieces of meat in each serving, and you can get away with using just 1 lb of meat for the recipe, versus 2+ lbs.
• Make One Freeze One – while you measure ingredients for tonight’s dinner, measure the same ingredients into a gallon freezer-safe bag for later!

SERVE WITH INSTANT POT BEEF STEW RECIPE

One of the great things about this Instant Pot beef stew recipe is that it really doesn’t NEED any side dishes along with it to be a complete meal.

But if you want to beef it up (pun intended), my number one pick would be a loaf of Rosemary Olive Oil Bread or No-Knead Artisan Bread, which you can use to sop up all the extra soupy gravy in your bowl. Yum!

To help this meal stretch to feed a crowd even more, you can pair beef stew with Kale Caesar Salad and Parmesan Cheese Crisps.

Whether you serve it on its own or with some sides, your family will be heading back for a second bowl!

STEW BEEF INSTANT POT FAQS

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