Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew (Pressure Cooker Recipe) (2024)

Published: Jan 17, 2018 · Modified: Aug 25, 2020 by Richa · This post may contain affiliate links.

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Learn how to make this homemade Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew which is made from start to finish in an electric pressure cooker. This really takes the guesswork out of making a hearty, flavorful beef stew and leaves you with tender, fall apart beef chunks in a thick, tasty brown sauce. Its healthy and can easily be made gluten free!

Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew (Pressure Cooker Recipe) (1)

Seriously, that luscious gravy gets me hungry every single time I look at that picture. My husband and I both love a good beef stew. For us, it has to be thick, hearty, full of carrots, mushrooms and potatoes and tender, fall apart chunks of beef. And this easy instant pot beef stew is ALL OF that!

This recipe is incredible easy. I'd say the only tough part is browning the beef, which is something that you should get right. I prefer doing everything in the IP (use the saute function) even if I have to do it in batches, but you can always brown the beef in a pan and add it to the Instant Pot if that's easier for you.

Quick Walk Through: Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew

FAQs
Cooking Notes for Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew
Watch Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew Video Recipe (Step by Step)
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Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew (Pressure Cooker Recipe) (2)

FAQs

1. How to brown beef?

Browning beef before you add everything else for a beef stew helps lock in the flavors. To brown beef, heat a little oil or butter to the pot and add beef chunks. Make sure not to overcrowd the pot or the beef will start to steam instead of browning properly. Sear the meat on high heat till its a light golden brown. The idea is to only sear and not cook the beef completely. I like to saute it in batches in the Instant Pot but you can always brown it in a pan if thats what you are comfortable with and add it to the IP or pressure cooker.

2. What vegetables can I use for Beef Stew?

We love using carrots, mushrooms, celery and potatoes because they stand under pressure and don't completely disintegrate. But I love using beans and green peas too. Actually, any hearty winter vegetables will work.

3. How does the Instant Pot cook Beef Stew so quickly?

Basically the Instant Pot or any other pressure cooker helps cook things faster and more evenly by creating pressure in a sealed environment. The steam that is created helps meat, lentils and other things cook much faster than a stovetop, slow cooker or oven.

4. How do you thicken up beef stew?

I like to use flour to thicken up this easy instant pot beef stew, but if you want this to be gluten free, you can substitute the all purpose flour with cornflour.

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Cooking Notes for Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew

Cut carrots and potatoes of the same size to cook everything evenly. Make sure to not cut them too small though, as cooking in the Instant Pot can make them mushy and disintegrated.
Allow the instant pot to release pressure naturally for the best results and to prevent accidents. This is especially helpful when you're dealing with lots of hot boiling liquid like in this beef stew.
Here’s the Instant Pot that I use in case you want to check it out:Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1

Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew (Pressure Cooker Recipe) (4)

If you are in the mood, serve these over my Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

Seriously never going back to making this any other way. Because this easy instant pot beef stew is the shizzz!

Watch Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew Video Recipe (Step by Step)