The best beef stew, the Instant Pot way.
The middle of February is a great time for comfort food. One recipe I turn to over and over is my beloved Crockpot Beef Stew, because it’s so warm and satisfying. Have you tried it yet? It’s a fan SUPER favorite!
There’s only one problem: cooking it in the crock takes anywhere from 6 to 10 hours. That’s a good thing if you want to throw the meal together in the morning and have a hot dinner waiting at the end of the day…but what if you’ve just come home from work and you’re really in the mood for a good beef stew? It’s too late to start cooking it then.
Or at least, it used to be. But now, it’s Instant Pot to the rescue!
With the Instant Pot, you can whip up a hearty beef stew in less than an hour…including prep time, cooking time, and sitting time. So if you get home at 5:30, you can have a delicious beef stew on the table by 6:30. And that means you can have a The Best Instant Pot Beef Stew in your belly, where it belongs, by 6:45.
So now, it’s your choice…you can start your stew in the morning or in the evening. With the Instant Pot, it’s all good.
The Best Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Place all ingredients into Instant Pot EXCEPT for the frozen peas, corn and flour/water mixture. Stir until well combined.
- Seal Instant Pot at set valve to sealing.
- Select the Meat/Stew option (35 mins high pressure)
- Once cooking time is complete, let Instant Pot sit for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes is up, quick release pressure, placing the valve to the venting position.
- After Instant Pot is depressurized, Stir in frozen corn, peas and flour/water mixture and stir until stew thickens a little bit more and corn/peas are warmed, about 3-5 mins.
MORE BEEF RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE
- The Best Crockpot Beef Stew – The low and slow version of this recipe.
- Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage – quick, easy and delish!
- Easy Crockpot Beef Tips and Gravy – so comforting
- Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers – a classic
- Easy Instant Pot Pot Roast Dinner – my kid’s favorite
Get your Instant Pot Today! Click on the Instant Pot for details.
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Published on: February 16, 2017
Updated on December 8, 2019
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The Best Instant Pot Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef stew meat (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2-3 cloves of garlic minced
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 32 oz beef broth
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups baby carrots carrots
- 4-5 small red potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces (about 3 cups)
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 cups frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into Instant Pot EXCEPT for the frozen peas, corn and flour/water mixture. Stir until well combined.
- Seal Instant Pot at set valve to sealing.
- Select the Meat/Stew option. (35 min High pressure)
- Once cooking time is complete, let Instant Pot sit for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes is up, quick release pressure, placing the valve to the venting position.
- After Instant Pot is depressurized, Stir in frozen corn, peas and flour/water mixture and stir until stew thickens a little bit more and corn/peas are warmed, about 3-5 mins.
Video
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Nutrition Information:
Nutrition Disclaimer
Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Rhonda says
Recipe sounds wonderful! I’m allergic to flour, can I use corn starch instead?
Adam says
The photos make the stew look very soupy. Could you use less broth and still have it turn out well?
Rae rae says
Made it by recipe. It came out with a sweet flavor. Word. But with a piece of meat we couldn’t tell as much. Do you have a thought on that? Or a suggestion how to stifle that ?
TJ says
Made this tonight, the kids loved it. I did cut down the amount of potatoes and carrots and in their place I added rutabaga.
George Morgan says
Hi Instant Pot Fans,
I just made this Beef Stew. It’s amazing!
Thanks for the recipe!
George
Karen B says
I made this 2 days ago and it was FANTASTIC!!! I had to make a slight change to the recipe( Substituted
1 – 1/2 Tbs Soy Sauce + 1/2 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar for the Worcestershire sauce, due to food allergy) and added 1 – 1/2 tsp Greek Seasoning.
The stew was too thin even with the flour/water thickening, but it was the BEST Beef SOUP I ever had!!!!
I had some cooked Couscous in the refrigerator, that I added to each bowl before serving. It made for a really hearty Beef Soup!!!
My family loved it for dinner and enjoyed the leftovers for a snack the next day!!!
I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this recipe for soup; it truly was delicious!!! But, if I decide to make this as a stew, I would definitely reduce the amount of Beef Stock to 24oz. and reduce the pressure cook time by 3 min. My bite size beef pieces were falling a part which was perfect for soup.
Mariah says
Wow!!! This was only my 3rd Instant Pot meal and it was sooo good!! Literally the best stew I have eaten, and even better the next day! I love the zip the Worcestershire adds.
My modifications: I had to sub tomatoe sauce (~8oz) in place of paste because I was out, subbed veggie broth for beef because, again, was out, I added more flour to make my thickener (maybe because GF blend?) and I forgot the peas- and it was still awesome!!
Im happy to say this was my 18 month olds first stew and she loved it! It will become a regular meal in our home, thank you!!
Mariah says
I forgot to add: I actually used the saute function for 3-4 minutes at the end to thicken it up more, just stir constantly, worked like a charm to achieve “stew” status. I probably will make my thickener with even more GF flour next time. 🙂
Vanessa says
This looks delicious! Do the veggies take on the meaty/greasy flavor?
Juanna says
I can’t get this recipe to print
Corey says
Once you push the print button a new window should open up with the printable recipe card. You might have your pop-up blocked?
Chris says
To sauté, or not to sauté? If one has time and energy, would sautéing meat first improve this recipe? Would any adjustments then be necessary?
(And also, if using the “manual” button, set for 35 minutes?)
Thanks!
Kaitlyn says
That’s what I had to do! 35 minutes worked perfectly for me in my “generic” electric pressure cooker.
Juli Southard says
Flavor of the meat was very good, veggies perfect, but not thick and flavorful broth/soup. Sometimes I’ll add potato flakes to thicken up. Next time more salt and pepper
Suzanne says
I’ve now made this 3 times and it’s come out delicious each time. I follow the recipe to a “t”, except for a time adjustment for my altitude of 7600 feet and one time using a bottom roast instead of a chuck roast, and it has a nice thick stew consistency and has amazing flavors.
Angie Rierson says
Doubled recipe in an 8 quart Instant Pot. Turned out great! This was my first recipe in my new Instant Pot, and I want to thank you for a great recipe! I even messed up a few details, and it still turned out wonderful!
Leslie says
Did you keeps the times the same with the double recipe? Hoping to make a double batch for a group and want it to work out. Thanks!
Corey says
You might need to increase the time a bit. My worry would be fitting it all in the crockpot. I used a 6qt crockpot and it is pretty full with just the regular recipe.
Leslie says
I have an 8qt (like the person in the original comment) so I have a bit more room. Maybe will add a few more minutes and see what happens. Thanks!!
Leslie says
Doubled it and it JUST fits in the 8qt. Added 5 minutes (so 40 minutes). Think that was a bit too much time (veggies were a bit soft) but otherwise it was all good.
David says
I suggest you try one variation to this recipe:
Use the sauté feature and brown the beef first in batches, and before you do that use part of the flour salt/pepper and dredge the beef in it. It will add a TON of flavor to the dish, you can put the liquid in just after you pull out the last batch of browned beef and use it to deglaze the pot, scraping around with a wooden spoon, then put the beef and all other additions in.
Great recipe. Still finding my way with this instant pot from a prior stovetop pressure cooking guy. Moved and now I can’t control my stove well (electric).
Thanks for the great recipe!
Lisa says
This was my 3rd IP meal. I have a 3 quart so I divided the recipe in half and I wrote the ingredients out noting half amounts so I wouldn’t make a mistake. When I opened the lid it was a red-gray blob, very unappetizing and very thick, no thickening agent needed. Some of the meat was perfect and some was dry. The vegetables were mush and it was way too spicy. I double checked the Worcestershire Sauce amount and I added the correct amount for half the recipe. I didn’t like the tomato paste taste either. I will try stew again but probably use my tried and true Crock Pot stew recipe. I’ve looked around your blog and will try some of your other recipes.
Snow White says
Incredible. Made a few little changes but holy cow this was amazing. Will make a million times more.
Deb Tonniges says
Made this last night with a couple of changes. It’s been my experience with meat and vegetables is that the veggies get mushy before the meat gets done. Put the meat, broth, tomato paste and seasonings in first for 25 minutes. Did a quick release and added the vegetables except peas and corn for another 10 minutes. Then followed the recipe. It was wonderful. Would also make a great soup if you didn’t add the thickening at the end.
Mel says
I am an avid crockpot user, but recently bought an instant pot. I searched forever for a crockpot beef stew that I liked, but I never found one that I enjoyed. The meat always tasted too acidic from the addition of the vegetables cooking all day. Tried your recipe with my instant pot today and AT LAST! I have a beef stew recipe that will be my go-to! I was so skeptical since there wasn’t even a step to brown the meat, but it didn’t matter! It turned out delicious! The only changes I made included omitting the corn (not my favorite), and adding in a half teaspoon of ground thyme and a bay leaf, and using golden potatoes instead of red. It tastes like it’s been in a dutch oven for hours! THANK YOU FOR THIS AMAZING RECIPE!
Corey says
Thank you Mel for taking the time to leave such a nice comment. I am very happy to hear you loved the recipe!
Lucy says
This was my very first time using my InstantPot. I’ve been nervous about using it, but this recipe was excellent and SO easy!!! I used a closer to 2.5 lbs of stew meat as well as more potatoes and it came out wonderful! I did add about 5 minutes onto the time to make sure the meat cooked all the way through. I’m not a huge fan of onions, so I exchanged that for 2 diced shallots and used a mix of Yukon gold and Petite red potatoes. My husband is a huge fan and after finishing dinner remarked that he’s excited for leftovers tonight 🙂
Jessica Larson says
Thank you for posting! This was my first-ever instapot recipe and I loved it! The flavor profile is hearty like you expect for beef stew. It is fairly liquid-y so next time I will be making biscuits/rolls to go along and mop up the flavor left behind 🙂 The only change I made was that I substituted 4 TB cornstarch with 4 TB water to make it gluten-free for me
Shari Giarraputo says
Just made this delicious meal. I’m just getting used to the instant pot. My husband kept asking me how long it took to make. I cooked the stew and I had to run out. I left it covered over an hour and came home and added the corn and peas and flour and water. It was perfect!!!! Thanks for sharing
Michelle says
So it needs to cook for 35 min?
Hannah says
Do I cook the same time for frozen meat?
Ashley F. says
I’m going to make this recipe tonight for just two of us so I’m cutting the recipe in half. Any recommendations on if/how I should adjust the cook time?
Meg says
Fantastic! Family loved it! Made it exactly as recipe says. Made some sweet cornbread to go with it. Will definitely make it again!
Jean says
Perfect recipe however, I recommend adding 3/4 can of tomatoe sauce. Not only does it thicken the juices but it gives it that added flavor. But great recipe!
LJ says
Great recipe however, next time I would sauté the beef first within the insta pot and I would add a few more vegetables and 3/4 can of tomato sauce to thicken the juices. Nevertheless it was totally delicious & I ate a bit more tha I should have. Couldn’t stop myself, lol.
Samuel A Murrah says
If I do half the recipe size on the instant pot should the cook times be about the same since pressure is pressure so it might actually pressurize faster on its own?
Dan says
Pretty good stew, hearty and delicious. This was my first Instant Pot meal and I was very pleased with the result! I felt like it was missing something, I think next time I’ll try sauteing the onions and browning the beef first, or even using a mirepoix base to give it a little more depth. I added a can of stewed tomatoes at the suggestion of a friend who send me this recipe. That was a great idea as well!
Donna says
This was my first meal in my new instant pot wow it was amazing and so tender I loved it and so did my mom thanks for the great recipe ❤
Tara Wingate says
If you make a double batch how long will you cook it for?
Corey says
I don’t think I would recommend doing a double batch, because your pot might be too full then
James says
Decided that I was going to make beef stew, but it was the middle of the afternoon. I bought an Instant Pot on black Friday and it was still in the box, I was scared that I would mess up. I was wrong your illustrations made it easy!! Many thanks!! I followed your recipe almost to a T. Mine is a 8qt so I went 45 min, didn’t want to open up a container of beef broth as I had most of box in the fridge, didn’t cut up the potatoes, used large baby carrots. They stayed firm, nothing mushy about them. The flavor was fantastic, ate way more than I should have!!! Wife says that it was the best she ever had. I don’t argue with her, was in total agreement.
Kaitlyn Smyth says
This was outstanding. I had to make a couple adjustments. I swapped crushed tomatoes for paste because I didn’t have any and beef for venison. By far the best I’ve ever had. I even threw in the venison frozen and it turned out perfectly.
Jamee Smith says
Great recipe! Flavor was awesome & the meat was very tender. However, my potatoes & carrots were over cooked. When I pressed the Meat/stew setting the time on my IP was 45 minutes. On your screen it was 35 minutes. I saw nothing in the directions to adjust the time? Does it depend on the IP size? Next time I’ll lower the cook time.
Becky D. says
Followed the directions to a T – other than I spaced out and added the water and flour at the beginning of the cook time, instead of the end. I also left out the peas and corn (per hubby request). Still – it was easy, quick and came out great. It’s a keeper! Thanks.
Clayton says
A search for Instant Pot beef stew led me to your recipe. I made it and let me say this: it is by far the best Instant Pot beef stew that I’ve ever had. It is also the easiest and tastiest beef stew recipe that I’ve ever made, and I’ve made quite a few in my life—including my mother’s. (Shhhhh. Say nothing, please.)
The tomato paste adds an incredibly rich velvety texture to the soup/broth/gravy.
I shall be making your recipe many more times knowing that it will turn out perfectly every time.
Thank you!
Josephine says
It was way to simple to be this good.
John Sergeant says
would suggest using only 1TB of the Worcesteershire instead of 2 and using less liquid. Be careful opening the vent or you ill spend an hour cleaning your kitchen!~
Greta says
Hey there, made this stew and we all absolutely love it!! Just wondering if I can leave the meat out sometimes if I just feel like having carrots and potatoes, etc , and if so, how would that affect the time? Thanks!!
Monika says
The stew is in the pot right now. I don’t have to wait until it’s done because I know it’s going to be delicious. I tasted it before I put on the lid and it was yummy then. Cannot wait for dinner tonight. Thanx for a great recipe.
Helen McLaughlin says
The beef is absolutely the most tender, the flavour is great. At the end I wound up with a little more liquid than I thought I would, but it’s not a problem that I can’t fix. I recommend this recipe.
Vicki says
I really liked this recipe ..was quick and easy to get ready.. definitely going to be my favorite stew
Francesco says
The family loves it as do I.
Sherry H. says
I have this cooking right now! It’s my first meal in insta-pot!!
Bill says
We loved it! The only change I made was 20 ounces of beef broth and a 12-ounce bottle of Guinness. This was the first thing we’ve tried in our Instant Pot, and it was a total winner. Thanks so much!
Carol Frizzell says
Made this for a bunko party. The ladies loved it. Very tasty. I ate the remaining over the next few days. Going to make it again soon.
Barbara Dorfman says
Loved it. I did brown meat in a few tablespoons of olive oil and omitted the corn. Very tasty. Will serve for guests too next time and will make 2 batches.
K Smith says
Made this a few times and love it better than any other stew recipe I’ve tried, stovetop/slow cooker/etc. I leave out the peas and corn (family preference) but otherwise perfect as is. Tonight we added a couple rutabagas and that was good too. It will be a regular in the rotation this winter, thanks!!
Barbara says
Was trying to find a beef stew recipe like my mom used to make. This one was pretty close. My family liked it and I’ll make it again. The only thing I would do differently is not cutting the potatoes into bite size pieces. The potatoes were mushy. I will just quarter them next time.
Heather Wilson says
This recipe was great! We have a family of 6 and it’s hard to find a meal all 4 of my children like. Everyone liked this, except the littlest, because she only want to eat chicken nuggets and vanilla yogurt. It was cold and rainy- this was perfect, hearty comfort food. Thanks for a great recipe. We will surely make this many times in the future.