Sunday pot roast used to mean starting dinner preparations early in the morning, but my Instant Pot changed everything. What once took four hours now takes just 45 minutes, yet delivers the same fall-apart tender meat and rich flavors that made pot roast a family tradition. The pressure cooker’s magic lies in rapidly breaking down tough connective tissue while keeping all the moisture locked inside.
This recipe proves that you don’t need to sacrifice quality for speed. The Instant Pot’s ability to brown meat directly in the same pot, then switch to pressure cooking, creates layers of flavor while saving time and dishes. The result is pot roast so tender it shreds with a fork.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
Pressure cooking creates an environment where tough chuck roast reaches the ideal 200°F internal temperature quickly, allowing collagen to break down into gelatin for incredible tenderness. The initial browning step builds flavor through the Maillard reaction, while the sealed environment retains all moisture and concentrates flavors that would normally escape during traditional slow cooking.
Ingredients
- Chuck roast – Provides perfect marbling and connective tissue that transforms into tender, flavorful meat
- Vegetable oil – Creates high-heat searing surface for proper browning and flavor development
- Beef stew seasoning mix – Delivers complex blend of herbs and spices for authentic pot roast flavor
- Beef broth – Adds rich, savory liquid base that enhances natural beef flavors
- Water – Helps create proper steam pressure and dilutes seasoning mix to right consistency
Step by Step Instructions for Instant Pot Roast Beef
- Turn on pot on to saute.
- Add two tablespoons of oil, and let it get hot.
- Season beef with salt. Place beef into pot and let it get brown on both sides by cooking for about 5 to 6 minutes on each side.
- Mix the package of stew mix with water.
- Pour seasoning over roast.
- Place lid on the pot, and use the meat setting. When roast has finished cooking, perform a natural release. Remove the roast from the pressure cooker.
- Steam potatoes or other desired vegetables for 6 minutes on high pressure.
- Perform a quick release on the vegetables.
- If you want gravy, mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 1/2 cup of water together and pour the liquid into a pot. Set the pot on saute and cook until the gravy has thickened.
Can you overcook meat in a pressure cooker?
The short answer is yes. And, unfortunately, once you overcook a piece of meat in the pressure cooker, there’s no going back. All you’ll have left will be a heap of dry, crunchy fibers with no taste. And there’s no way that any additional pressure cooking will put the moisture back in the meat.
The ideal pressure cooking time is the amount of time the food requires to be cooked all the way to the center. Therefore, the same piece of beef will need different pressure cooking times according to how it is sliced.
- A whole roast has the longest distance for heat to travel from the outside edges to the center – about 45 minutes.
- Meat sliced into 1-inch chunks for a stew, it will need approximately 20 minutes.
- And broken-up ground beef only takes about 5 minutes.
Can’t get enough roast? Try these favorite roast recipes!
- Beef Roast in Oven
- Beef Tenderloin in Oven
- Bone In Ribeye Roast
- Cracker Barrel Roast Beef
- Eye of Round Roast
- New York Strip Roast
- Stovetop Pot Roast
- Tri Tip Roast
- Yankee Pot Roast
Popular Instant Pot Recipes
Check out my easy beef recipes and the best Instant Pot recipes here on CopyKat!
Pressure Cooker Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 3 pound chuck roast
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 package beef stew seasoning mix
- 1/2 cup water
- 14 ounces beef broth
Instructions
Instant Pot Directions
- Turn Instant Pot on to saute.
- Add two tablespoons of vegetable oil.
- Season roast with salt on all sides.
- Brown roast on all sides, by cooking on each side for about 5 to 6 minutes or until the roast browns.
- Mix stew seasoning with water. Pour seasoning blend over the roast.
- Place lid on Instant pot with the steam valve closed.
- Select Instant Pot "manual" setting and set for 60-80 minutes on "high" pressure, 60 minutes for a 3 to 4-pound roast. 80 minutes for greater than 5 pounds.
- Do a natural release for at least 10 minutes, then quick release, and remove the roast.
- Peel and chop about 1 1/2 pounds of potatoes, and place into the Instant Pot. Steamer baskets are very handy for this!
- Place lid on Instant pot with the steam valve closed.
- Select Instant Pot "manual" setting and set for 6 minutes on "high" pressure.
- When the potatoes have finished cooking perform a quick release. Remove potatoes from the Instant Pot.
- If you want gravy, combine cornstarch and water together. Turn the Instant Pot to saute, and stir until the gravy thickens.
Standard Pressure Cooker Directions
- Heat oil in pressure cooker bottom over medium-high heat. Brown chuck roast on both sides. Mix beef stew seasoning in water and add to meat. Add beef broth. Secure lid and reduce heat when the pressure regulator starts to rock.
- Cook for 1 1/2 hours. While you can't do potatoes or vegetables with this method, I reduce some of the liquid after cooking, thicken for gravy and serve with mashed potatoes.
Is this time for frozen or thawed roast?
It is for a roast that has been thawed.
What the hick kind of pressure cooker are you using? I make pot roast in 35 minutes!
I now use my Instant Pot pretty much exclusively. I love it .
You can cook veggies with this. Cook pot roast 50 minutes, allow steam to vent/cool- open lid, Add veggies cook 10-13 minutes ( longer if whole potatoes)