Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew with carrots and potatoes, delicious broth and amazing flavor! This recipe is perfect for the cool season, the broth is warming and nourishing. Use bone broth and collagen for added benefits!
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At my house Fall means two things; the instant pot is always running and beef stew is on a weekly rotation.
I have a feeling that I am not alone on this.
Aside from the occasional Turkey Chili, we have decided that Sundays are for Beef Stew. Now, the only variation here is that sometimes I’ll make this Instant Pot Beef Stew and other times I’ll go for the very similar Dutch Oven Beef Stew and on a more rare occasion I make my childhood Brazilian Beef Stew.
The point is -we eat lots of beef stew!
Over the years I made so many beef stews, and I feel that I have finally created the perfect recipe. Bellow I’ll share my recipe and process, so hopefully this is the LAST stew recipe you’ll ever have to look at 🙂
what meat is best for stew
Chuck meat is the preferred cut for stews. Now, when I started making stews I felt intimidated by this chunk of meat, so instead I spent $2 extra dollar per pound for the pre-cut ‘stew’ meat. Up to you, they are both the same.
The nice thing about buying chuck meat whole is that it usually costs less and you get to control the size of the stew pieces, plus be able to trim the fat as much or little as you like.
how to add flavor to stews
Sauté shredded or finely chopped carrots with onion and garlic for extra flavor and color. This is something I started doing a while back and made a huge difference in my stew recipes.
Carrots are often used as a natural coloring and flavoring to many natural packaged foods, so it’s no surprise that it works well in stews. This tip also works for all types of slow-cooked meats.
how to thicken a stew
Whisk 1/4 cup of flour with 1 cup of hot water or broth until mixture is thick, creamy and no longer lumpy. You can use any flour including gluten-free flour.
how to boost the nutritional value of your stew
Add bone broth and/ or collagen to your recipe! More often then not I add these, as an extra boost of nutrition.
Bone broth is known to help build a strong immune system. During the cold winter months I add these bone broth packets to all my soups and stews.
Collagen is another fantastic addition to your cooking, as our bodies naturally decline the production of collagen in the aging process. We feel this loss in our joints, sagging skin, dull hair and digestion. I have been using this (unflavored) Collagen Powder for years!
If using bone broth and collagen, simply add them to a bowl, add the flour and whisk with hot broth or water until dissolved.
(affiliate links enclosed)
what herbs are best for stew
Thyme and sage are great added in the cooking process, when seasoning the beef. After the stew is done cooking, add fresh parsley or cilantro, cover and let it stand for up to 5 minutes. This will add even more flavor to your stew.
what to serve with stew
Stews can be served as is, as the starchy vegetables like potatoes can complete the meal without leave you unfulfilled. However, if you still want to add a side to this wonderful meal try mashed potatoes or polenta, corn risotto or this simple brown rice recipe.
A soft Sandwich Bread for dipping in this delicious broth is a must, or you if you are more of a crust bread lover (tough decision, I know!) try making this Instant Pot Artisan Bread.
(Recipe photographed alongside my Corn Risotto)
Instant Pot Beef Stew
Equipment
- Instant pot
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 lb chuck roast, cut in chunks
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 carrots
- 4 large yellow potatoes, quartered
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups beef broth or bone broth
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 bay leaves
- fresh thyme
- pinch of salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Turn instant pot on sauté mode. Heat oil and sauté onion, garlic and 2 carrots either shredded or cut into small cubes, until soften and fragrant (3-4 minutes)
- Add tomato paste and season with salt, pepper and thyme (1 minute)
- Add beef and sauté until browned and coated with flavorful base (2-3 minutes)
- In a small bowl or measuring cup whisk flour and 1 cup of hot broth until flour is no longer lumpy. Mixture should be thick and uniform.
- Add flour mixture to the pot and remaining 3 cups of broth. Give it a good stir.
- Add remaining carrots and potatoes. Add bay leaves and close the pot, turning valve to lock positon.
- Cancel sauté mode and cook on HP for 55 minutes. When done allow for 10 minutes of NPR then release remaining pressure.
- Open the pot and remove bay leaves. Garnish with fresh parsley, cilantro or thyme.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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When I cooked the vegetables with the meat, they came out too soft and mushy. The flavor was great. Next time, I will cook the meat for 25-30 minutes, then add the vegetables and cook another 10 minutes or so. I like the vegetables to be a little firmer. But will definitely make again.
I love your recipes but this one just didn’t work for me. When I tried to pressure cook, I got a burn message. The bottom was covered with stuck goo. I removed everything and scraped and cleaned it. I tried again only to have the same thing happen. I ended up putting in my cast iron dutch oven which really delayed dinner. Any tips on what could have happened?
An IP burn message can be due to several things. In this particular case it could have been from burnt food pieces on the bottom of the inner pot caused during sauteing mode or starch-thickened sauce that is made too thick. Still hard to pinpoint the problem. This recipe has been tested way too many times that I am confident it shouldn’t have given you a burn message. However things happen, even a matter of one ingredient brand over another can completely change the recipe. Sorry it happened!
The instant pot beef stew has become a standard for us. We get a hunk of beef that is slightly smaller so we’ve adjusted down the cooking time by 5 minutes- this one I s a sure winner in our house!