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!
Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew
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!
why we love instant pot beef stew:
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 or Instant Pot Chicken Stew Recipe).
- Made in one pot – Any meal that only requires one dish is awesome!
- Hearty & delicious – Beef Stew is total comfort food!
- Affordable ingredients– there’s nothing fancy about beef stew! You probably have everything you need to make it at home already!
Beef Stew Instant Pot 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 and pepper, and wine (optional).
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded substitutions box.
How to make Beef Stew in Instant Pot
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 the 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 15 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
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, Instant Pot Chicken Stew and Ground Beef Stew if you’d prefer that!
This recipe is pretty versatile and you can easily adjust it to your own tastes.
Potatoes – Yukon Gold Potatoes are our favorite, but 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
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!
Should I brown stew meat first?
Yes, you should brown stew meat first when making stew. Browning the stew meat adds flavor and helps ensure the meat is totally cooked.
Do you boil potatoes before putting them in stew?
No, you should not boil potatoes before putting them in the stew. If you pre-cook your potatoes it will result in mushy potatoes. Potatoes should be added to the stew raw so that they cook while the other ingredients cook.
How do you keep potatoes from getting mushy in stew? Potatoes shouldn’t get mushy in stew. If you’re worried about them overcooking you can add them in after the stew has cooked for a little bit so they’re cooking for less time, or cut them into bigger chunks. If you do that though you run the risk of them not cooking all the way
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.
Storing Pressure cooker Beef Stew
Refrigerator: This beef soup will last in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Does Beef Stew freeze well? Beef stew freezes very well. Beef stew will last in the freezer for months, and when you’re ready to eat simply defrost it the night before in the refrigerator or heat it in the microwave or stove top. I love Souper Cubes for freezing leftovers. Code CLEANEATINGCOUPLE works to save $$ on our favorite silicone molds!
How to reheat this Easy Beef Stew Recipe – It’s best to reheat this beef stew recipe in the microwave or on the stove top. It should take about 2 minutes to heat up in the microwave and 4-5 minutes on the stove.
How can you thicken beef stew in Instant Pot?
To thicken instant pot beef stew, take some of the beef broth out of the pot and add to a small bowl off to the side. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of flour or corn starch to create a slurry.
Stir the mixture back into the stew and turn up the heat so that it starts to bubble. This should naturally thicken the stew
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.
Beef Stew Recipe Instant Pot Tips
It’s very easy to make instant pot beef stew but here are some of our tips:
- Brown your meat & onions before cooking– this adds a lot of flavor!
- Make sure to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the instant pot to avoid a burn notice
- Time Saving Tip: If you want to reduce the amount of time the instant pot takes to come to pressure, heat your beef broth in the microwave before adding it to the pot
- Make instant pot beef stew with red wine – I love deglazing the instant pot with 1/4 cup wine for extra flavor!
Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe FAQs
Many people say pot roast is one of the best cuts of meat for the most delicious beef stew. If you want an easy pot roast recipe, we love this one!
This recipe takes 15 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.
Stew meat can become tough in the instant pot if you cook it too quickly. IT’s best to let the instant pot come to pressure, cook, and naturally release the pressure for the most tender beef stew meat. Your stew meat also might be tough because of the cut of meat.
Other healthy instant pot recipes:
We love our instant pot and even have a free instant pot ebook! Check out our best Healthy Instant Pot Recipes Page if you are looking for more instant pot recipes.
Instant Pot Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb stew meat cut I small cubes (about one square inch)
- 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 15 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 says
Practical and simple. Turned out delicious. substituted tomato paste with petite chopped tomatoes..
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Frankee!
Cindy Watkins says
Way too much pepper! But otherwise good stew.
The Clean Eating Couple says
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 says
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 says
So glad you and your family enjoyed it, Jen! Thank you!!
Marsha says
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 says
So happy to hear this, Marsha! Thanks!!
Cheryl says
Wow wow wow!
This was incredible! I made it in the crockpot and I did browned the meat and onions before hand which definitely enhance the flavor. I followed the instructions but did not do wine.
This was so flavorful and perfect for a cold evening!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Cheryl! Glad you enjoyed it! It’s definitely the best cold weather food!
Welderguy43 says
Substituted corn for potatoes and it was delicious. I just happen to enjoy boiled potatoes with beef stew. Added some potato water because it was quite thick when finished cooking.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it!
Shaula says
I made this over the stovetop because I was making a quadruple batch. It was so easy to prepare and it was so good. We did not use the wine and it made no difference. There was still tons of flavor. The meat was so tender and the veggies turned out perfect. Loved it!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Shaula! Thank you so much!
Katie says
Can you double ingredients without increasing cook time?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I haven’t tried this, Katie but I think it would work!
Sharon says
I love instant pot recipes because you get great results
so quickly with little effort! So this doesn’t disappoint .
Really good and tasty. Give it a try, we loved it.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Sharon! Thanks!
Kelsey Hewit says
Hi,
Wondering if this recipe… could be stored in freezerr and thawed without ruining texture ?
Or if I made then kept in fridge for 2 days and just warmed it up on stove?
Thank you,
Kels
The Clean Eating Couple says
There is a section on storing/freezing all of our recipes in every post. Pasting what it says here: Does Beef Stew freeze well? Beef stew freezes very well. Beef stew will last in the freezer for months, and when you’re ready to eat simply defrost the night before in the refrigerator or heat in the microwave or stove top.
Gloria says
My whole family enjoyed this meal. So easy to make and was done in no time. Thank you!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you liked it!
Cassandra says
highly recommend! quick, simple and delicious.
Jennifer says
I used old rosemary and that was a mistake that is easy to fix next time. But my meat was tough. I did the 5 minutes saute with olive oil and another 5 minutes with the onions and garlic. And I think I had quality stew meat. I used all the ingredients in the recipe except the bay leaf. This was very good but I would like to improve on the meat.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Did you cut your stew meat into smaller cubes? I find that if the stew meat is too big it does not get as tender. In general, I prefer beef stew in the slow cooker over the instant pot because sometimes pressure cooking can cause the meat to become tough when cooked so quickly
Jennifer says
I will give that a try. Thanks!