An Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe everyone will love! This quick beef soup is delicious, healthy, hearty and so tender from the pressure cooker.
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This Instant Pot Beef Stew is a delicious and classic meal that is made even easier with the help of the instant pot. It takes only 10 minutes of prep time and quickly will become a favorite in your home!
Beef Stew Instant Pot
The best part about this instant pot beef stew (besides being super hearty and cozy) is it takes SUCH minimal work and simple ingredients.
Making a stew in your instant pot is such a quick and effortless way to get a filling and healthy dinner on the table in less than an hour!
We love stews because they are such an easy way to get a ton of protein and veggies, while only using one pot. (If you are looking for another stew we love, check out our Slow Cooker Chicken Stew).
Easy Beef Stew Recipe Ingredients
To make this beef stew, you will need these simple ingredients:
- stew meat
- potatoes (see below for our suggestions)
- carrots, celery, frozen peas, onion,
- beef broth (low or no sodium)
- tomato paste,
- olive oil
- garlic, bay leaf, fresh rosemary, salt, pepper and red wine (optional).
For the full recipe and ingredient substitutions, see below.
How to Make Instant Pot Stew
Here is how to make this easy beef stew in the instant pot:
- Set your instant pot to sauté for 10 minutes. Heat olive oil and brown stew meat on all edges (about 5 minutes). Add onions/garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- After the meat has browned, add all remaining ingredients (EXCEPT peas). Stir until combined, then cover and set your instant pot to sealing, Manual Pressure for 25 minutes. Note: It will take the instant pot about 10 minutes to come to pressure.
- When the beef stew is finished cooking, quick release the pressure. Discard bay leaf, stir in the frozen peas & enjoy!
Substitutions for Easy Beef Stew
This recipe is pretty versatile and you can easily adjust it to your own tastes.
Potatoes – You can sub in russet potatoes or red potatoes for this recipe. I have not tried sweet potatoes in this recipe, but I think they would become too mushy
Tomato Paste – You can make this without the tomato paste. It just helps the stew thicken + adds a little flavor
Meat – You can substitute beef with boneless, skinless chicken breasts if you do not eat red meat. We also have a Slow Cooker Chicken Stew recipe if you’d prefer that!
Wine – A 1/3 cup of red wine adds a nice depth of flavor to this recipe – although it’s totally not necessary. If you are doing a Whole30 do not add wine.
Rosemary – If you don’t have fresh rosemary you can substitute the same amount of dried rosemary. You can also omit rosemary if you don’t like it, but I think it adds such a nice flavor!
How Long is Meat Stew Setting on Instant Pot?
The meat stew setting can vary from 20 minutes to 45 minutes.
We don’t recommend using the stew setting on your instant pot, since there is some variance. Instead, we like to use the Manual, Pressure Cook setting as written in the recipe to ensure it cooks correctly!
How can I make my Beef Stew more flavorful?
This instant pot beef stew is very flavorful as it is written; however, if you are finding you would like a little more flavor, feel free to add more spices.
If you decide to add more salt, we do recommend adding the salt to taste AFTER it’s finished cooking, since it is a lower salt recipe.
Some people also like adding thyme and Worcestershire sauce to their beef stew. We haven’t personally tried these with this particular recipe, but they should work fine, just season to taste.
Does stew meat get more tender the longer you cook it?
Yes and no. You definitely do need to cook the meat for a while to make sure it gets tender and juicy; however, if you overcook meat in the instant pot, it can get dry.
If you follow our recipe though, your meat should be perfectly tender.
Tips for Success for Beef Stew Instant Pot
- Make sure to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the instant pot to avoid a burn notice
- If you want to reduce the amount of time the instant pot takes to come to pressure, heat your broth in the microwave before adding to the pot
Instant Pot Beef Stew FAQs
Many people say pot roast is one of the best cuts of meat for the most delicious beef stew
This recipe takes 25 minutes of high pressure and the beef is perfectly cooked and tender.
Some other recipes recommend a cooking time of 40-60 minutes; however, with stew meat, the slices of meat are sometimes smaller and don’t need as long of a cooking time.
Yes and no. You definitely do need to cook the meat for a while to make sure it gets tender and juicy; however, if you overcook meat in the instant pot, it can get dry.
If you follow our recipe though, your meat should be perfectly tender.
Other healthy instant pot recipes
We love our instant pot and even have a free instant pot ebook! If you are looking for more instant pot recipes, we have so many on our site that you can find here.
- Instant Pot Bone Broth
- Easy Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
- Instant Pot Applesauce
- 20 Whole30 Instant Pot Recipes
Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb stew meat
- 1 tablespoon garlic finely minced
- 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
- 2 cups carrots cut in 1/2 inch thick circles
- 1 cup celery thinly sliced-1/4 inch thick
- 2 cups fingerling, russet or yukon gold potatoes cut in 1 inch pieces (about 8 oz)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 cup beef broth low or no sodium
- ¼ cup red wine optional
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Set instant pot to sauté for 10 minutes. Heat olive oil. Brown stew meat on all edges (about 5 minutes). Add onions/garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- While meat/onions brown, cut all other vegetables/potatoes.
- After the meat has browned – add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT peas and stir until combined.
- Cover and set to sealing, Manual Pressure for 25 minutes
- It will take the instant pot about 10 minutes to come to pressure.
- When it’s finished cooking, quick release the pressure. Discard bay leaf, stir in frozen peas & enjoy!
Crockpot Instructions
- Optional: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and brown stew meat + onions. This step is not necessary, but will add an extra layer of flavor.
- While meat/onions brown, cut all other vegetables/potatoes.
- After the meat has browned – add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT peas and stir until combined.
- Cover and set to low for 6-8 hours.
- When it’s finished cooking discard bay leaf, stir in frozen peas & enjoy!
StoveTop Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and brown stew meat + onions. Cook for about 10 minutes.
- While meat/onions brown, cut all other vegetables/potatoes.
- After the meat has browned – add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT peas and stir until combined.
- Cook on high for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and allow stew to simmer for additional 30 minutes
- When it’s finished cooking discard bay leaf, stir in frozen peas & enjoy!
Frankee
Practical and simple. Turned out delicious. substituted tomato paste with petite chopped tomatoes..
The Clean Eating Couple
So glad you liked it, Frankee!
Cindy Watkins
Way too much pepper! But otherwise good stew.
The Clean Eating Couple
Sorry you felt that way, Cindy! 1/2 teaspoon of pepper isn’t much when spread through 4 servings – but maybe you can add less next time to fit your tastes!
Jen
SOOOOOO GOOD!! I made this today for my family and it was a huge hit and truly so simple to make. I’ve been terrified to make beef stew because the ones I’ve had have been meh. But this was very flavorful and everyone approved (including 6 month old baby and 5 year old picky eater).
The Clean Eating Couple
So glad you and your family enjoyed it, Jen! Thank you!!
Marsha
Whole family loved this recipe. Definitely going in the meal rotation! Super fast to put together and very little clean up. Perfect for a busy weeknight meal.
The Clean Eating Couple
So happy to hear this, Marsha! Thanks!!