This Instant Pot pot roast recipe makes a juicy and incredibly tender roast that is paired with potatoes, carrots, and a flavorful brown gravy.
Before Joe and I were married, we used to go with my mom and sister to a local private club. It was pretty shady in a lot of ways, but their food was super cheap and really, really good. One of my favorite meals there was pot roast.
Their pot roast reminded me of my mom's from my childhood. (She had pretty much stopped cooking by that time.) It was tender and fell apart with a fork. It was also flavorful, but without anything weird. It just tasted like beef. The best part was that it was accompanied by a huge helping of mashed potatoes with copious amounts of homemade brown gravy.
The recipe below makes an amazing, tender, and flavorful pot roast, too, though it suggests making potatoes and carrots alongside it in the Instant Pot. This is more like the way my mom made pot roast when I was a kid, always with the potatoes and carrots right in the pot, and it doesn't make gravy, so you will have to whisk some up afterward.
I don't generally eat potatoes, but my family does and I'm sure would prefer them mashed like the club made them. It's totally up to you.
A quick side note: We once made this in the CrockPot, and IT WAS NOT THE SAME. So do yourself a favor and take the time to make it in the Instant Pot.
How to Make Instant Pot pot roast
- Trim all the fat from a 2 pound chuck roast steak, then sprinkle salt on each side. Set your Instant Pot to sauté and and wait until the screen reads “hot.” Add 2 teaspoon of the olive oil and sear meat on both sides. Remove roast from pot.
- Add remaining 2 teaspoon of olive oil to the Instant Pot and add the onions and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes until fragrant, then deglaze with broth, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce and stir well. Get all those brown bits up from the bottom of the pot to flavor your meat and veggies and make a killer gravy!
- Add the roast back to Instant Pot, along with potatoes. Place carrots in a steamer basket on top of meat and potatoes. Lock the lid and set on high for 60 minutes.
- After the cook time, do a natural release. It took my pot about 15 minutes to release all the pressure. If you are hangry or impatient, you could switch it over to quick release anytime after this point and you should be good. Remove roast & veggies from the Instant Pot and serve.
- To make gravy, remove a ½ cup of the stock and mix it with 1 T of your choice of thickener (we use corn starch but flour would also work if you prefer). Add this slurry back to the IP and place pot on sauté. Simmer until the gravy thickens to your liking, stirring frequently.
Here are a few other Instant Pot recipes you might enjoy:
- Sweet balsamic pork roast in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot sloppy joes
- Instant Pot chicken tacos
- The Best Instant Pot Sloppy Joes Recipe
Pot roast, which used to be an all day affair, got an update in this one-hour Instant Pot recipe, but you'll never know because it tastes so good!
The Best Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons olive oil divided
- 2 pounds boneless chuck roast trimmed
- ½ medium onion roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic pressed
- 1 ½ cups low sodium fat-free beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 medium Carrots sliced thick
- 6 cups baby potatoes skins on
- sea salt
- corn starch or thickener of your choice
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce optional
Instructions
- Trim all the fat from the chuck roast steak, then sprinkle salt on each side. Set Instant Pot to sauté and and wait until the screen reads “hot.” Add 2 teaspoon of the olive oil and sear meat on both sides. Remove roast from pot.
- Add remaining 2 teaspoon olive oil to the Instant Pot and add onions and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes until fragrant, then deglaze with broth, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce and stir well. Get all those brown bits up from the bottom of the pot to flavor your meat and veggies and make a killer gravy!
- Add the roast back to Instant Pot, along with potatoes. Place carrots in a steamer basket on top of meat and potatoes. Lock lid and set for 60 minutes.
- After cook time, do a natural release. It took my pot about 15 minutes to release all the pressure. If you are hangry or impatient, you could switch it over to quick release anytime after this point and you should be good. Remove roast & veggies from the Instant Pot and serve.
To make gravy
- Remove ½ cup of the stock and mix it with 1 T of your thickener. Add this slurry back to the IP and place pot on sauté. Simmer until the gravy thickens to your liking, stirring frequently.
Danielle says
Hey Tara,
Thanks for the wonderful recipe! I'll definitely give it a try.
I was wondering how you liked the instant pot versus the slow cooker. I don't like to cook meat in the slow cooker, because it changes the texture and makes it drier and tougher, even if there's liquid all the time. I would imagine that instant pot doesn't have this issue, but I've tasted a few dishes that were cooked in an instant pot, and the meat got an odd taste. Any insights, or tips on how to avoid that? I'll also check the bundle, I am off home for work for 10-14 days at a time, back home for 4-6 days, so meal planning is a huge help. Thanks so much!
Tara Ziegmont says
There is definitely a difference between meats cooked in the IP and meats cooked in the oven. I would say it's similar to what you would get in the slow cooker. Chicken, for example, comes out a little drier and a little denser than if you baked or fried it on the stovetop. I wouldn't say it's entirely dry and tough, but it is different. I've also never noticed that the IP meats had a different flavor, so I can't speak to that.
Danielle says
Thanks for your input, Tara! I guess I'm not very adventurous, and I will prepare your recipe in a regular pot, it should work perfectly if I'm not in a hurry.
Tara Ziegmont says
That will work!
Rebecca says
Is this an hour at low or high pressure?
Tara Ziegmont says
High pressure
Shawn says
I just made this tonight and it was so good!! This is only the 3rd time I’ve used my Instant Pot but I will absolutely be making this again. Thank you!
Elizabeth says
I've been using my IP for over a year now, but never for a pot roast. I hope it turns out good, I'm making it right now!
Elizabeth says
PS- I added in about a quarter of a cup of cooking sherry and some celery.
Christy Bacon says
So this is my first try at this instapot thing. When I go to cook it for 60 min do I put on Meat/Stew setting? I did that and set timer but it just says on right now. Help!!
Tara Ziegmont says
Hi Christy,
You want to set it to High Pressure. Mine doesn't have a Meat/Stew setting, so I'm not sure what that will do. Did you try the manual that came with it?
lindsay s says
i would just do the 'pressure cook' setting and increase the time to 60 minutes with the + sign. I mostly use the 'pressure cook' button and set my high/low pressure manually and also select my time manually. It is the same as using the other buttons if you have a recipe that indicates the amount of pressure and time on it; it does not cook it any differently in any way. The presettings are if you want a more 'preguided' way of cooking for pressure and time options is all.
Stephanie says
Hey LIndsay,
When I first put it at 60 min, the roast came out tough, then I put down to 52 minutes and it was great! I put mine on the Pressure setting.
Joan M Leoncio says
Hi! I dont have a steamer basket to put the carrots in. Any suggestions? And 60 minutes seems like quite a long time for the potatoes and carrots to cook. Will they be mush by the time 60 minutes is up?
Lindsay says
i just put mine at the very top of the roast and make sure the thicker pieces of carrot/potato are closer to the bottom with the tinier pieces on the very very top. I have also stopped my pressure cooker early, and added carrots for an extra 10 minutes at the end, for example. takes a bit more time bc of the depressurization/pressurizing time needed, but its an option.
Nana says
How much time would you cook for a 1lb piece of chuck roast
Elizabeth says
Dee-licious! Only thing I did different was use vegetable broth because I didn't have beef handy.
Barbara says
I can’t remember whether I commented on this recipe or not but here goes again. It had a really good flavor and came out very tender. The only difference that I would make is to inform your followers that when they make the gravy, not to put the corn starch in the hot broth. It will not dissolve in hot liquid, I used beef broth instead and it came out delicious. I will definitely try some of your other recipes. Thank you