Cook Time For Pressure Cooker Pot Roast
As per the Instant Pot cooking chart, you need 20-25 minutes to cook a pound of a large chunk of beef for pot roast. So you can adjust the time based on this.
Ive had great results using 20 minutes per pound, so I stick to that time.
I prefer to add the potatoes and carrots towards the end because Im not a fan of mushy vegetables.
Traditional Pot Roast V Instant Pot Pot Roast
It seems like every time a person asks in a social media group for an Instant Pot roast beef recipe, a fair number of people chime in telling people not to do it and asserting that the best roast will always come from traditional methods. I think there is a valid basis for that in that I personally believe that a good roast cooked low and slow for many hours will always be the superior product. BUT Instant Pot pot roast can be nearly the same and done in less time. For a person without access to an oven or who wants a quicker version, the Instant Pot is a great way to make roast beef.
The Easiest Instant Pot Chuck Roast
Ive been making this pot roast for 20+ years now. Ive made it in the slow cooker and in the oven, but today Im showing you how to shorten that cooking time and make the Easiest Instant Pot Chuck Roast ever.
This is one of my familys favorite meals. My kids have fought over who gets seconds and thirds on the carrots.
You May Like: How To Make Mashed Potatoes In An Instant Pot
How Long Do You Cook Pot Roast In An Instant Pot
No more having to start a meal like this in the early afternoon. With the help of your Instant Pot you can have perfectly tender pot roast on your table in just over an hour. To speed the cooking process along, I cut the roast into chunks so that it cooks in one 35 minute cycle with the vegetables. This is about half the time it can take to cook a whole roast.
Cook The Roast And Vegetables
- Use the sauté function on your Instant Pot to sear the seasoned beef chunks in a little olive oil in batches. Set the seared beef aside and sauté the diced onion and garlic. Add the tomato paste, a little red wine, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Flavor baby! Return the seared chunks of beef to the pot and tuck them down into the cooking liquid.
- Next, layer the carrots and potatoes on top of the meat so that they are not completely immersed in liquid. Secure the lid and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. When the time is up, allow the Instant Pot to do a natural release of pressure for 10 minutes and then press the steam release handle to release any remaining pressure.
Because the beef has been cut down and will cook much faster, you can add the carrots and potatoes at the beginning of the cooking process. This means the pot only needs to come to pressure and release pressure once and saves you about 15 to 20 minutes.
Read Also: How To Cook Penne Pasta In Instant Pot
How Do You Make Chuck Roast Tender
I hope we have answered this question for you here. Low and slow in a slow cooker works great but if it is rock hard like this your best bet is to use high pressure. In about two hours total youd never know that it went from the freezer to your plate with an MMmmmmmm as the result.
- It takes MUCH longer to cook slow cooker chuck roast frozen but can be done.
- If its defrosted, air fryer chuck roast is totally amazing.
If your piece is much larger than mine I would add an additional 30 minutes per pound more than mine. I would say that this was made in an 8 quart pot and I dont know that I would buy more than a 4 lb. piece. It would be hard to fit and the thickness may be an issue when getting it tender.
Want to see a few of my favorite things that I am totally obsessed with or visit my Etsy shop?? Take a peek and see how many you might already havetwinsies!
Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe Tips
- Dont skip the natural release time. Allowing the pressure to naturally release makes the meat more tender.
- Be sure to follow the recipe directions to pressure cook the chuck roast on its own first before adding the potatoes and carrots. While it may be tempting to add the vegetables at the very beginning to save a step, dont. If you pressure cook your potatoes and carrots for an hour they are going to be overcooked and mushy.
- A fresh 3 pound roast will need to pressure cook for 60 minutes at high pressure before adding the vegetables. If your roast is larger, add 10 minutes per pound to the cook time.
- If you prefer to serve your pot roast with mashed potatoes, you can omit the baby potatoes from this recipe. Try my Mashed Potatoes or Garlic Mashed Potatoes recipes.
- If youd like to substitute baby carrots for the chopped whole carrots just know that they will turn out very soft, since they cook more quickly than regular carrots.
Don’t Miss: Instant Pot Com Support
Why We Love This Pressure Cooker Pot Roast
This Instant Pot Roast is so tender it falls apart when you try to take it out. It has such great flavor, that you can even skip the searing if you want .
One thing it is missing? Mushy vegetables.
Vegetables in the Instant Pot cook very quickly, often just a few minutes or less, so its better to leave them out while the roast cooks, and add them later at the end.
I know that this is an extra step and you might be wondering if its worth it.
Trust me on this one.
This way, you will have a perfectly juicy and tender pot roast, and perfectly cooked but still totally appetizing veggies.
You know Im not into any extra unnecessary steps , but the potatoes and carrots will cook in just a few minutes and if you buy small, pre-washed potatoes, you dont even need to chop them.
Natural Release Locks In Those Instant Pot Chuck Roast Juices
When cooking meat in the Instant Pot, one important tip is to use natural release vs. the quick release method. Natural release is when you allow the Instant Pot to come down from pressure naturally. Now, it does take additional time to do this , but natural release essentially lets the cooked meat rest, which ensures the chuck roast stays juicy. Quick release is when you switch the pressure valve to vent, which prematurely releases the pressure from the Instant Pot.
If you are in a hurry, try to give the Instant Pot at least 15 minutes of natural release before letting out the rest of the pressure manually.
Don’t Miss: How To Make Caldo De Res In Instant Pot
What Side Dishes Go Well With Pot Roast
Well mashed potatoes . Im a huge fan of the two together! However, the potatoes are the second part of this recipe and are easy enough to skip. Other side opportunities include:
- If you want a little greens, consider adding this simple tossed green salad.
- Roasted Brussels sprouts, green beans, or broccoli are easy to whip together while the roast isroasting.
- If you like the idea of potatoes but not mashed potatoes, you could make my favorite Company Potatoes or some simple roasted or baked ones in the oven with a little EVOO or butter and salt and pepper.
- Sometimes I like to go simple with my veggie sides and arrange cut-up carrots, celery, and cucumbers to a dinner plate with some hummus or ranch dressing for dipping.
- Other grain and pasta sides that go great with pot roast include couscous, white or brown rice, and wide egg noodles.
How To Cook A Roast In An Instant Pot
Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
Read Also: How To Cook Sweet Potatoes In An Instant Pot
The Ultimate Hearty Meal
Anyone else out there feel themselves craving hearty meals in the colder months of the year?! Here in Minnesota, were all about those savory meaty meals like this Instant Pot pot roast that will leave your entire kitchen smelling amazing + its ready in a fraction of the time of a traditional oven-cooked pot roast because its made in a pressure cooker.
How Do You Make Instant Pot Pot Roast
Start by browning your roast in the pot. Remove the roast from the pot, then saute the onions and garlic until tender. Add a little red wine to the pot, along with an assortment of herbs and spices. Next, pour in beef broth and place the roast back in the pot. Cook the roast, then manually release the pressure. Add carrots and potatoes to the pot, then bring it back to pressure and cook for a few more minutes until the veggies are tender. Remove the roast and veggies to the pot, then stir corn starch into the pot liquid to turn it into a gravy. Shred the meat, then serve with the gravy, carrots and potatoes.
Recommended Reading: How Do I Hard Boil Eggs In The Instant Pot
Can I Use Frozen Beef
You might be wondering if you can use frozen beef for pot roast. Technically, the answer is yes, the cook time will just be longer .
That said, for the best results, we highly recommend following our method which calls for thawed beef thats seasoned with salt and been left on the counter long enough to take the chill off.
This extra time creates the most flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth pot roast. Using thawed beef also allows us to brown the outside of the meat before braising it, which adds a lot of extra flavor to dish.
Instant Pot Pot Roast With Potatoes And Carrots
A classic meat and potatoes meal. “I usually make a pot roast in the slow cooker, but the Instant Pot made the meat so tasty,” says Lela. “The roast was very tender and flavorful. It takes about 20 minutes to prep, 60 minutes to cook, and 20 minutes to cool down — allow 15 minutes more for the gravy.”
Also Check: How To Use Saute On Instant Pot
No Sauteing Just Throw It In
When Ive looked at instant pot roast recipes, so many of them want you to spend time searing the roast and saute things. I even saw one that was 120 minutes cook time. What is the point of the Instant Pot if youre going to do all that? I like a recipe that I can just throw it all in and voila, its done. If thats you, too, then this is the recipe youre looking for.
This recipe make a fall apart, tender and flavorful chuck roast with a 65-minute instant pot cook time. There is no searing anything. There is no sauteing the juices. You dont need beef broth. It takes just four ingredients.
The Ingredients And Seasoning
Tomato sauce, Beef Chuck Roast, Chili Powder, Garlic, Onion, Bell Pepper, and Vinegar.
As I mentioned, the flavor profile is very similar to the Cuban Ropa Vieja. I also like to add some vinegar at the end to bring out some brightness.
If you like olives, add a few spoons of olives and the brine at the end instead of vinegar.
Chili Powder– I love the sweet and smokiness in ancho chili powder, but you can use regular chili powder.
Garlic– Fresh minced garlic is going to give the best flavor, but if you dont have any then sub granulated garlic.
Bell Pepper- I like to cook the red bell peppers with the meat, because they melt into the sauce, but if you want some crunch you can add some sliced bell peppers at the end for some color and crunch.
Onion– I used a sweet yellow onion, but Ive also tested it with sliced white onion, both will work but the yellow onion will add a little sweetness.
Don’t Miss: How To Make Spaghetti In An Instant Pot
What Are The Best Cuts Of Meat To Use
The best cuts of beef for pot roast are tougher cuts of meat like chuck, brisket, and round.
Traditionally, the beef cooks at a low temperature for a long time. Its because of this that tougher cuts of beef work so well. When I say tougher cuts of meat, Im talking about the leaner cuts with lots of connective tissue.
My Pressure Cooker Pot Roast Was Tough Why Did That Happen
There are a couple of reasons for your Instant Pot pot roast not cooking as expected so Ill run through the most common issues below:
Recommended Reading: How To Sterilize Instant Pot
How To Cook A Frozen Roast In An Instant Pot
Wondering if you can cook a frozen chuck roast in your Instant Pot?
Well, the short answer is yes! The long answer is a bit more complicated. Please note that your results will be much better if you used a thawed piece of meat, but, I know that sometimes you really want to make a pot roast and the only meat you have on hand is frozen. Been there, done that!
If you do decide to cook a frozen chuck roast, youll want to add about 5 extra minutes per pound of cook time and skip the searing step. Since youre adding so much cooking time, I would suggest doing a quick release after the first 70 minutes, then adding the vegetables, and cooking on high pressure for an additional 15-20 minutes.
I make frozen chicken breast in an Instant Pot all the time, but with a beef roast, you will find that the outside cooks much faster. This can mean result in the outer layers being overdone by the end of the cooking time.
If you do decide to cook a frozen chuck roast in the Instant Pot, let me know how it turned out in the comment section below. Im sure that your experience will be really useful for our other home cooks.
An Easy And Simple Recipe For Instant Pot Pot Roast
I love a classic pot roast that has been cooking for hours. It naturally tastes rich and savory with deep flavors due to the slow cooking process. But have you tried cooking a roast in a pressure cooker? It will completely change the way you ever cook a pot roast. You get the same results in a fraction of time as opposed to the 8-10 hours required in a slow cooker.
This Instant Pot pot roast is simply amazing, the meat just shreds apart at the touch of a fork. In fact, it always falls apart when I try to remove it from the pot. Not only is the meat so tender, but it is also flavorful at the same time, infused with all the deliciousness from the herbs and aromatics.
A handy tip Use a trivet and place the seared roast on it, that way you can just pull the cooked roast intact out of the pot.
You only need a few easy steps to make this tasty IP pot roast which are
- Brown the chuck roast on both sides
- Saute the aromatics
- Deglaze the pot with red wine
- Dump in the rest of the ingredients except the potatoes and carrots, press a button, walk away and do your thing for an hour
- Come back, open the lid, add the veggies, and press a button again, set for 10 minutes this time.
- Open the lid, remove everything, and thicken the liquid with a cornstarch slurry to make the gravy, which is a completely optional step.
So, basically you need only 6 brief steps for this recipe. Though Ive stretched it out in pictorials below to make each and every step as clear as possible.
You May Like: How To Clean Sealing Ring Instant Pot
