Instant Pot® Tender Beef Stew
I’m sharing my Instant Pot® Tender Beef Stew with you today because fall is right around the corner. It’s one of those comfort foods you serve with a slice of homemade bread.
I made this recipe on Sunday to serve to friends at the last minute. As in one hour, start to finish. Mark and I were planning on fixing dinner for just the two of us and then I received a text message from friends.
I was really glad I had some potatoes, onions, celery, and some stew meat. Then I grabbed my one-hour French bread recipe and started making it. Yes, indeed, you can make dinner in one hour complete with homemade bread.
What Sizes of Instant Pot Are Available?
My Secret To Buying Cheap Meat
You may have heard me talk about how I stock my freezer with cheap meat. I go once a week to the grocery store to get bread for lunches and bananas for Mark’s breakfast. He eats cereal and bananas every morning.
I grab a shopping basket and walk to the back of the store where the meat department is located. The basket almost pulls me back there, just kidding! I scan the section very quickly. All the meat is marked down an additional 30% off the lowest marked price.
Can you hear me squealing yet? It’s crazy, I grab all the choice meat cuts I can and place them in my basket. THEN I go through the packages and keep the ones that will work for me. None of them have seasoning on them, I don’t care for those.
I pay for them and take them home to my freezer. These are the best deals ever for my pocketbook.
Did you see my post on how to use an Instant Pot? I had some cooking printables made to go with the 3-quart and 6-quart Instant Pot pressure cookers that may help you. They would be great printed on cardstock. 3-quart Instant Pot times cheat sheet or our 6-quart Instant Pot times cheat sheet.
Instant Pot® Tender Beef Stew
Step 1
The first thing you do is put the oil in the pot and brown the bite-size pieces of meat, turning them a few times to brown all sides. Drain the grease, if any. Add one cup of water to the pressure cooker and set it on HIGH (pressure) for 30 minutes.
After you hear the beep that it’s finished, place a towel over the pressure vent and turn it to release the pressure. Be careful with the steam, it will burn you if you aren’t careful.
Step 2
Cut the potatoes, carrots, celery, and onions into bite-size pieces. After the meat cooks (I have to have my meat very tender) add the vegetables, the beef broth, spices, and tomato paste. Place the lid back on and cook another 20 minutes on HIGH (pressure).
When you hear the beep again, let the pressure release by placing a towel over the pressure vent as you turn it. Be careful not to let the steam burn you.
Step 3
Remove about 2 cups of the “beef stew drippings” and put it in a bowl. Stir the flour into this bowl to thicken the gravy. Stir this mixture back into the beef stew mixture.
Then cook it using the Saute/Brown button until it thickens. Serve and enjoy.
Instant Pot® Tender Beef Stew Recipe
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 pounds stew meat, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 onion, cut into bite-size pieces
- 3 potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1-1/2 cups chopped carrots
- 3 stalks celery cut into bite-size pieces
- 32 ounces beef broth
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons flour to thicken beef stew drippings
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon sweet basil
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic (optional)
- 1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 cup frozen peas (optional, add right before serving)
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Brown the meat in the oil on "saute" or "brown" in the pressure cooker. Drain oil, if needed. Use one cup water to cook the meat for 30 minutes on HIGH (pressure) in your pressure cooker. Release pressure carefully after it beeps. Add the chopped vegetables, broth, tomato paste, and spices to the meat in the pressure cooker. Cook an additional 20 minutes on HIGH (pressure). Release the pressure after it beeps. Remove about 2 cups of the "beef stew drippings" and put it in a bowl. Stir the flour into this bowl to thicken the gravy. Stir this mixture back into the beef stew mixture. Cook it using the Saute/Brown button until it thickens. Serve and enjoy.
What Beef Cuts Are Best For Stew?
- Stew meat
- Chuck roast
- Sirloin steak
- Round roast
- Beef round eye
- Pot roast
- Steak
What Should I Serve with Beef Stew?
- A tossed salad with cucumbers, celery, onions, and chopped tomatoes
- French bread
- Artisan bread
- Sliced cheese
- Fruit
Can I Freeze This Beef Stew Recipe?
You absolutely can freeze this recipe. I use my quart mason jars and fill them by leaving 2 inches from the top for expansion. Thaw them in the refrigerator for a day or two and you have a meal ready to reheat.
French Bread Recipe
This recipe has been in my family for almost 50 years. My girls would sell it as a fundraiser for the school, church, and even door-to-door. It was safer back then to do that, just giving you the heads up.
It’s easy to make and is truly a no-fail recipe. If you have fresh ingredients you can make this any day of the week, literally. I bake the loaves on cookie sheets.
- 2-1/2 cups hot water
- 4 teaspoons SAF instant yeast
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon Real Salt
- 6 cups white BREAD flour or freshly ground hard white wheat
- egg whites (lather loaves with a brush after first bread rise/cut 4-5 shallow cuts on top of loaves)
- sesame seeds or poppy seeds (optional sprinkle on egg whites before the 2nd bread rise time)
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake for 25 minutes.
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Mix everything in the order shown except the egg whites and optional seeds. Knead for about five minutes in a bread mixer.
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Let rest for 15 minutes covered.
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Shape the dough into 2 loaves and place on a greased cookie sheet.
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Lather the tops of the loaves with the egg whites, and cut four to five shallow slices/slits on top of the loaves. Next, sprinkle seeds if desired.
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Let rise one more time for about 15 minutes covered with greased plastic wrap.
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Remove the plastic wrap. Preheat the oven to (400°F) = (204°C) degrees and bake for 25 minutes.
Final Word
There is something about cooking from scratch. This Instant Pot® Tender Beef Stew recipe is so easy to make and you probably have the ingredients in the freezer, refrigerator, and pantry right now.
I hope you try making it, and my homemade French bread recipe. Thanks for being prepared for the unexpected. May God bless this world, Linda
I have always made beef stew the way my mother did it. She dredged the meat chunks in flour seasoned heavily with salt and pepper. Then she browned the meat as you suggested. The advantage to doing it this way is that you eliminate the need to thicken the broth later. I haven’t made stew in my IP yet so not sure if it would give a burn notice or not. Have you ever had that happen to you – get a burn notice?
Also, in all of my research on cooking with the IP, Instant Pot DOES NOT recommend covering the pressure valve with anything. I was planning to order one of those cute covers I have seen on Amazon but… So, I would not be using a towel to cover that when doing a pressure release – quick release (QR) or natural release (NR). If I do need to do a manual release (QR or release of the remaining pressure after NR for a bit of time), I will use the handle of a wooden spoon or utensil.
Hi Leanne, I should have dredged the meat, great reminder!! Thank you! Great tip on the wooden spoon. Linda
I love my instapot and this sounds so good Linda, and the bread, oh my. I stopped eating any kind of bread about a year ago but I may have to try this 🙂 for a treat of course!
Hi Shannon, you could make it for company maybe! LOL! It makes two fairly large loaves! Have fun making it, it’s so easy! Linda
Does the recipe and cook time stay the same with the 3 qt mini instant pot? I’ve had such a hard time finding recipes that work for my mini! They either overflow or don’t cook right!
Hi Olivia, the 3 quart Instant Pot only has 700 watts compared to the 6 quarts with 1000 watts of heating power. It will take a little longer in the 3- quart but not much because they cook so fast. Here is a post I wrote on how to use the Instant Pot. It has some printable charts for the 3, 6 & 8 quart Instant Pots. I hope this helps, Linda