Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe (2024)

Published: Sep 12, 2020 · Modified: Nov 2, 2021 by Veronika's Kitchen * This post may contain affiliate links

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Make the best Beef Stew in your Instant Pot with tender beef tips, carrots, potatoes, and green peas. It will become your favorite one pot comfort meal that you can make in one hour!

If you love delicious comforting meals, like Beef Stew, but don’t want to cook it for hours on the stove, you should try making it in a Pressure Cooker. You will have the same flavorful stew with tender beef tips but you can make it in just one hour!

Pressure cooking is a wonderful technique to make meals faster than what you would typically cook on the stove. Check out my post for Instant Pot Recipes for Beginner for more recipe ideas, like Instant Pot Lamb Shanks, Instant Pot Bolognese, Instant Pot Pot Roast, Instant Pot Boneless Short Ribs, Instant Pot BBQ Chicken, Instant Pot BBQ Ribs Recipe. The cooking time is reduced while also keeping the meat tender and flavorful.

This Beef Stew is a great example of how you can make a delicious comforting meal in a shorter amount of time! It’s similar to my Dutch Oven Beef Stew and Easy Chicken Stew Recipe but takes less effort to make. Also, I love to serve it with my Easy Dinner Rolls or Sandwich Bread Recipe.

Why you will love it

Easy to make. All you need to do is just chop the veggies and sear the meat. A pressure cooker will do the rest of the job.
Quick. You can make this recipe in one hour, comparing to 3 hours cooking in a Dutch Oven.
Delicious. You will have the same flavors as you would when slowly cooking this stew. Plus, the meat comes out beautifully tender and just melts in your mouth!

How to make Beef Stew in Instant Pot

First, we need to prepare the meat. If your beef tips are too big, cut them in 1×1 inch cubes. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. (Photos 1-4)

Now we can brown the meat, which will bring the most flavor to the dish. To do so, press the “Sauté” button and add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil.

When it’s hot, add half of the meat and brown of all sides for a few minutes. It’s important to keep some space in between of the meat and not to overcrowd. (Photos 5-6)

NOTE: The reason we need to brown the meat in batches, is because if you overcrowd the pan/pot, the meat will start releasing its juices and will boil instead of browning. When you keep some space in-between, they will get a beautiful crust that will give the most flavor.

NOTE: Also, when you brown the meat, try not to stir it too often. Just put the pieces in a single layer, leaving space in between, and don’t touch them for a couple of minutes until they are browned, then flip and sear on the other side.

When the beef tips are browned, transfer them to a plate and set aside.

Add the chopped onions and cook them for 5-8 minutes, until they are soft and translucent. Add minced garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Then add tomato paste and stir for another minutes. (Photos 7-12)

Now we can turn the “Saute” function off and add the rest of the ingredients (seared beef tips with the juices, chopped potatoes, carrots, beef broth, and bay leaves). (Photos 13-17)

Close the lid and make sure that the venting knob is set to “Seal”. Cook on manual high pressure for 35 minutes. When done, naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes, then do a quick pressure release.

Press the “Sauté” button again and bring it to boil. Add frozen peas and cook for a few minutes. (Photos 19-20)

Tips for best results

Make sure you sear the meet before adding other ingredients to ensure the most flavor.
Because we cook the meat for quite a long time, you want to cut your veggies (potatoes and carrots) into larger pieces, so they don’t get too soft while cooking.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of beef to use?

I usually buy already pre-cut beef tips at my local store. You also can purchase a whole piece of boneless chuck roast and cut it into 1×1-inch pieces.

What kind of potatoes to use?

I prefer to use Russet potatoes, as they keep their shape better. Yukon gold is another good option. Also, I prefer not to peel the potatoes so they don’t get mushy.

Can I freeze it?

Beef stew is perfect for meal prep and freezes very well. After it’s cooled off, put it in an air-tight container or a zip-lock bag and freeze it for up to 3 months. To thaw, just put it in the fridge overnight, then reheat in a pot or a sauce pan.

Print Recipe

4.91 from 11 votes

Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe

Make the best Beef Stew in your Instant Pot with tender beef tips, carrots, potatoes, and green peas. It will become your favorite one pot comfort meal that you can make in one hour!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 898kcal

Author: Veronika’s Kitchen

Ingredients

▢ 2 pounds beef tips cut in 1×1-inch
▢ ½ teaspoon salt
▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
▢ 1 large onion diced
▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
▢ 4 large Russet potatoes diced
▢ 2 large carrots diced
▢ 3 bay leaves
▢ 4 cups beef broth
▢ 1 cup frozen peas
▢ 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

First, we need to prepare the meat. If your beef tips are too big, cut them in 1×1-inch cubes. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
Press the “Sauté” button and add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil.
When the oil is hot, add half of the beef tips and brown on all sides for a few minutes. It’s important to keep some space in between of the meat and not to overcrowd.
NOTE: The reason we need to brown the meat in batches, is because if you overcrowd the pan/pot, the meat will start releasing its juices and will boil instead of browning. When you keep some space in-between, they will get a beautiful crust that will give the most flavor.
NOTE: Also, when you brown the meat, try not to stir it too often. Just put the pieces in a single layer, leaving space in between, and don’t touch them for a couple of minutes until they are browned, then flip and sear on the other side.
When the beef tips are browned, transfer them to a plate and set aside.
Add the chopped onions and cook them for 5-8 minutes, until they are soft and translucent. Add minced garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.Then add tomato paste and stir for another minutes.
Now we can turn the “Saute” function off and add the rest of the ingredients (seared beef tips with the juices, chopped potatoes, carrots, beef broth, and bay leaves.
Close the lid and make sure that the venting knob is set to“Seal”. Cook on manual high pressure for 35 minutes. When done, naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes, then do a quick pressure release.
Press the “Sauté” button again and bring it to boil. Add frozen peas and cook for a few minutes.
Gradually add cornstarch slurry (mixed water and cornstarch) until you get the desired thickness of the broth.

Video

Notes

Make sure you sear the meet before adding other ingredients to ensure the most flavor.
Because we cook the meat for quite a long time, you want to cut your veggies (potatoes and carrots) into larger pieces, so they don’t get too soft while cooking.

What kind of beef to use? I usually buy already pre-cut beef tips at my local store. You also can purchase a whole piece of boneless chuck roast and cut it into 1×1-inch pieces.

What kind of potatoes to use? I prefer to use Russet potatoes, as they keep their shape better. Yukon gold is another good option. Also, I prefer not to peel the potatoes so they don’t get mushy.

Can I freeze it? Beef stew is perfect for meal prep and freezes very well. After it’s cooled off, put it in an air-tight container or a zip-lock bag and freeze it for up to 3 months. To thaw, just put it in the fridge overnight, then reheat in a pot or a sauce pan.

Nutrition

Did you make this recipe?I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a review below. Or snap a photo and share it on Instagram; be sure to tag me @veronikaskitchen.