This Instant Pot Yankee Pot Roast is a delicious, Whole30-friendly comforting supper! Leftovers freeze well so it’s a perfect meal for busy families!
Autumn’s here! Now that it’s sweater weather and my Ready or Not! book tour travels (and weeks of eating on-the-go) are slowly winding down, I’m craving hearty, home-cooked comfort foods. These days, I can’t imagine anything more satisfying than sharing a steaming bowl of meaty stew and veggies with friends and family. But if you’re like me, you don’t have the patience to babysit the stew while it simmers for hours on the stove or in the oven.
That’s why I recently converted my classic recipe for Yankee Pot Roast (on page 218 of our first cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans) for the Instant Pot, a.k.a. the crazy-cool kitchen gadget everyone (me included) has been telling you about. They’re right, you know: This electric pressure cooker is amazing because you just set it and forget it! Now that summer is officially over, isn’t it time you took your Instant Pot out of the box already?
Cooking Tips and Tricks for Instant Pot Yankee Pot Roast
- Definitely use collagen-rich chuck roast and not a lean roast like bottom or top round. These lean roasts will dry out in the Instant Pot, and no one likes powdery meat. (Ick.)
- Don’t go bigger than a 3½ -pounder ’cause it’ll take too long to cook through. If you’re looking for an even speedier recipe, cube the meat and make this beef stew instead.
- If your pot roast isn’t tender enough when the timer goes off and after the pressure drops naturally, cook it for 10-15 more minutes under high pressure or until a fork pierces the meat easily. Chuck roast is a forgiving cut, and it actually gets more tender with additional cooking time.
- The sauce won’t be super thick, but you can puree the veggies with a stick blender to bulk it up.
- Leftover pot roast freezes well, which makes it a great make-ahead-and-reheat dish. If you’re taking a pre-cooked unsliced roast out of the freezer, thaw it before you reheat it to ensure even cooking. There’s nothing more disappointing than slicing into a pot roast only to hit an icy center.
Time to make Instant Pot Yankee Pot Roast!
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 (3½ -pound) boneless beef chuck roast
- Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons ghee, divided
- 2 medium leeks, white and light green ends only, cleaned, trimmed, and thinly sliced
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ cup aged balsamic vinegar (but not the super expensive stuff)
- ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 cup bone broth or chicken stock
- 3 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Equipment:
- Measuring spoons
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Instant Pot (these are the models I recommend folks buy)
- Tongs
- Silicone spatula
- Measuring cup
Method:
Pat the roast dry with paper towels, and season it with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and a few generous grinds of pepper.
Press the “Sauté” button on your Instant Pot and add 1 tablespoon of ghee to the cooking insert. Once the fat’s melted, sear the roast until evenly browned, about 3 minutes per side. (Yes, you can skip the searing if you’re too busy—it will still taste good.)
Transfer the beef to a platter.
Add the remaining tablespoon of ghee in the now-empty insert, and toss in the finely chopped leeks, celery, and carrots along with a pinch of salt. Sauté the vegetables until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and tomato paste. Stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Pour in the vinegar, and scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom.
Nestle the roast back into the Instant Pot, and throw in the porcini mushrooms and thyme.
Add the broth.
Lock the lid. Make sure the valve on the lid is in the sealed position. Press “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” and set the cooking time to 75 minutes under high pressure.
When it’s finished cooking, allow the pressure to drop naturally (about 20 minutes). Take off the lid and stab the roast to make sure it’s fork-tender. If the meat is still tough, cook under high pressure for another 10-15 minutes and let the pressure drop naturally.
Fish the roast out of the pot and lightly tent with foil. Skim the fat off the top, if desired. Taste the sauce, discard the thyme, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Then, add the carrot slices to the Instant Pot. Cover and cook the carrots under high pressure for 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, slice the chuck roast against the grain into ½-inch slices. When the carrots are done cooking, vent the pressure manually. Ladle the sauce and carrots over the pot roast. Top with Italian parsley.
If you’re serving the pot roast later, you can stop before adding the carrot chunks in the step above. Refrigerate the roast for up to 4 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat, take the hardened fat shell off the top of the sauce…
…and cook under high pressure for 10 minutes. Release the pressure manually. Add the carrot chunks and cook for 3 minutes under high pressure. Release the pressure manually (again). Finish by slicing the roast and topping with the sauce and carrots. Garnish with Italian parsley.
Serve with roasted veggies and Garlic Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes”!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Instant Pot Yankee Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 1 3½ -pound boneless beef chuck roast
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons ghee divided
- 2 medium leeks white and light green ends only, cleaned, trimmed, and thinly sliced
- 1 celery stalk finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves smashed and peeled
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ cup aged balsamic vinegar but not the super expensive stuff
- ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms rinsed
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 cup bone broth or chicken stock
- 3 medium carrots cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Instructions
- Pat the roast dry with paper towels, and season it with 2 teaspoons kosher salt and a few generous grinds of pepper.
- Press the “Sauté” button on your Instant Pot and add 1 tablespoon of ghee to the cooking insert. Once the fat’s melted, sear the roast until evenly browned, about 3 minutes per side. (Yes, you can skip the searing if you’re too busy—it will still taste good.) Transfer the beef to a platter.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of ghee in the now-empty insert, and toss in the finely chopped leeks, celery, and carrots along with a pinch of salt. Sauté the vegetables until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and tomato paste. Stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Pour in the vinegar, and scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom.
- Nestle the roast back into the Instant Pot, and throw in the porcini mushrooms and thyme. Add the broth.
- Lock the lid. Make sure the valve on the lid is in the sealed position. Press “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” and set the cooking time to 75 minutes under high pressure.
- When it’s finished cooking, allow the pressure to drop naturally (about 20 minutes). Take off the lid and stab the roast to make sure it’s fork-tender. If the meat is still tough, cook under high pressure for another 10-15 minutes and let the pressure drop naturally.
- Fish the roast out of the pot and lightly tent with foil. Skim the fat off the top, if desired. Taste the sauce, discard the thyme, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Then, add the carrot slices to the Instant Pot. Cover and cook the carrots under high pressure for 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, slice the chuck roast against the grain into ½-inch slices. When the carrots are done cooking, vent the pressure manually. Ladle the sauce and carrots over the pot roast. Top with Italian parsley.
- If you’re serving the pot roast later, you can stop before adding the carrot chunks in the step above. Refrigerate the roast for up to 4 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat, take the hardened fat shell off the top of the sauce, and cook under high pressure for 10 minutes. Release the pressure manually. Add the carrot chunks and cook for 3 minutes under high pressure. Release the pressure manually (again). Finish by slicing the roast and topping with the sauce and carrots. Garnish with Italian parsley.
Notes
- Definitely use collagen-rich chuck roast and not a lean roast like bottom or top round. These lean roasts will dry out in the Instant Pot, and no one likes powdery meat. (Ick.)
- Don’t go bigger than a 3½ -pounder ’cause it’ll take too long to cook through. If you’re looking for an even speedier recipe, cube the meat and make this beef stew instead.
- If your pot roast isn’t tender enough when the timer goes off and after the pressure drops naturally, cook it for 10-15 more minutes under high pressure or until a fork pierces the meat easily. Chuck roast is a forgiving cut, and it actually gets more tender with additional cooking time.
- The sauce won't be super thick, but you can puree the veggies with a stick blender to bulk it up.
- Leftover pot roast freezes well, which makes it a great make-ahead-and-reheat dish. If you’re taking a pre-cooked unsliced roast out of the freezer, thaw it before you reheat it to ensure even cooking. There’s nothing more disappointing than slicing into a pot roast only to hit an icy center.
Jamie Barnden says
Made this for friends at lunch today and it was really delicious, will definitely make again.
mlynn says
Can’t wait to try this. Question: If I use regular (not dried) mushrooms, will they get too mushy?
molliew says
Can you do this in the crockpot? I was convinced the original was for the crockpot, then opened my book just now and it’s for a dutch oven.
Abby Sherman says
Made this tonight- SO GOOD! I had some random turnips that I cubed and threw in. Everything turned out excellent! Thank you, Michelle! You’re an Instant Pot genius!
Amy Witherow says
I have a tri-tip. Would that work? And what if your roast is smaller, like 2.5 pounds. Would you cut the time down by 1/4 (because the roast is 1/4 smaller)? It would be helpful for you to give timing instructions for smaller roasts.
nomnompaleo says
Nope! You can’t substitute tri-tip for this recipe. If your roast is smaller, you can cut down the time a little — but it isn’t always linear.
Jill P says
Thank you for the recipe… my Roast was 2.6# and I did the Manual setting for 55 mins. & let it decompress for 17 mins… Perfectly tender! I threw in some baby Bella’s (cut chunky)from the start & they are great.
Wamgirl says
Saw your poster at Old Town Alexandria VA Whole Foods- BRAVA girlie !! Excited to try this recipe..
Nicole Hilfman says
Wow, just made it, amazing! Everyone loved it! I blended up the cooked veggies to make a nice thick gravy, soon good:)
Tory says
Hi Michelle! I just made this recipe last night and it was SO GOOD! However, I do have a couple questions I’m hoping you could help with. When the meat was finished cooking, it was basically falling apart and couldn’t be sliced like you did with yours. Is that normal? I will say that your meat looked thick and three dimensional whereas mine was flat and maybe an inch or two thick, like a typical steak. I think it’s possible I bought the wrong cut. The label on mine said “Beef Chuck Bottom Chuck Roast– Boneless” which was the closest option I saw to what you specified. I’m just starting to learn to cook, and don’t quite understand the nuances between cuts of meat yet.
I also couldn’t find aged balsamic vinegar in my store, so I used regular balsamic vinegar. It turned out fine, but I would like to try it the proper way next time. Do you have any aged balsamic brands I should keep an eye out for?
Finally, I was wondering why we use dried mushrooms vs. whole/regular ones. I had never used dried before this recipe and am curious. Thanks again– this recipe is definitely a keeper!
Michelle Tam says
I think your chuck roast was too thin, but if it tasted great I wouldn’t stress about it not slicing. My favorite aged balsamic vinegar is Napa Valley Naturals Grand Reserve (25 stars). The aged balsamic at Trader Joe’s is also pretty good. Dried mushrooms have concentrated umami flavor and taste better than fresh. Plus, you can keep them in the pantry for a long time!
Tory says
Thank you so much! I’ll definitely keep an eye out for that vinegar 🙂
Jacqueline says
Can you make this in a slow cooker instead of instant pot? If so, do you need to change any ingredients.
Michelle Tam says
You should be able to cook it in a slow cooker on low for 8 to 10 hours. The ingredients should be the same.
Kelli says
Love, love, love your recipes but I recently had to give up all nightshades, therefore tomatoes. Is there anything you would suggest to sub for the tomato paste?
Thanks !!!
Michelle Tam says
You can leave it out!
Dark Beauty says
Someone has suggested you substitute purée carrots like from baby food jar for tomato paste.
Amy says
I can’t believe I have not reviewed this. It’s like my signature dish. I make it all the time, for guests, for just us, etc. My family loves it, it’s such a treat. I keep the dried Porcinis in the house and all the other stuff except the leeks which I get with the roast. I find I have to cook it a little longer but it seems that is often the case with my Instant pot and these recipes. When I have time to make the carrots it’s absolutely heavenly. I will admit I’m not a Paleo follower so I make it with egg noodles or potatoes. It’s sizzling right now.
Jennifer says
Can you make this into a crock pot recipe?…..PLEASE!!!!!
Michelle Tam says
I’d try cooking it on low for 9 to 11 hours.
Sarina says
Absolutely fabulous! Love your beef stew recipe but had a whole roast. Didn’t have mushrooms so I used your mushroom powder. Turned out amazing.
Mary says
Made this last night to celebrate NYE. It was so good and got tons of compliments. The best part is that it was super easy. It also filled the house with an amazing aroma. I pureed some of the sauce with an imersion blender, and definitely recommend doing that and pouring it over the meat before serving. I’ve made this recipe before and there is a reason it’s one of my faves.