Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew: No Fuss Hearty Comfort Food
Warm up with our comforting Instant Pot Beef Stew! This hearty recipe delivers tender beef, flavorful broth, and a medley of veggies—all cooked to perfection in your pressure cooker. A wholesome and easy meal for chilly days.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast or boneless short ribs or beef brisket cut into 1½- to 2-inch cubes
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt or Magic Mushroom Powder
- 1 tablespoon ghee avocado oil, or fat of choice
- 2 medium onions thinly sliced
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms cleaned, stemmed, and quartered
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos or gluten-free tamari if you tolerate fermented soy
- 1 teaspoon Red Boat fish sauce
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 dried bay leaf
- freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup Italian parsley roughly chopped
Optional add-ins:
- 3 large carrots cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 pound Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss the cubed beef with 1½ teaspoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt. (Psst! You can use Magic Mushroom Powder in place of salt and it will taste umami-riffic!)
- Press the “Sauté” button on your Instant Pot and when the metal insert is hot, add your preferred cooking fat. Once the fat’s melted, add the onions and mushrooms and a ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Sauté until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. (If you’re using a stovetop pressure cooker, melt the fat over medium heat and sauté the onions and mushrooms.)
- Stir in the tomato paste and garlic, and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Toss in the salted beef, coconut aminos, fish sauce, thyme, and bay leaf. Give everything a good stir to combine all the ingredients. (You don’t need to add any extra liquid to the Instant Pot because the onions and beef will release sufficient liquid. However, if you’re using an older stovetop pressure cooker, you may need to add ½ cup of broth or water.)
- Press the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button on the Instant Pot and cover and lock the lid. Next, program the Instant Pot to cook for 35 minutes under high pressure. Once the pot is programmed, walk away. (If you’re using a stovetop pressure cooker, you won’t have all those buttons to press. Just cook on high heat until high pressure is reached. Then, reduce the heat to low to maintain high pressure for about 30 minutes.)
- When the stew is finished cooking, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to a “Keep Warm” mode. If you’re using a stovetop pressure cooker instead, remove the pot from the heat. In either case, let the pressure release naturally (about 15 minutes). If the pressure hasn’t released completely after 15 minutes and you’re impatient, you can manually release the pressure by turning the valve at the top to venting.
- Fish out the thyme and bay leaf, and check that the meat is fork tender. If not, cook for another 10 minutes under high pressure. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- If you’re eating the stew right away, you can skim the fat off the top of the stew. Ladle out the stew, and adorn with some chopped Italian parsley.
- Adding root veggies to your beef stew? Stir in the carrots and cubed potatoes into the cooked stew and pressure cook everything for 5 minutes under high pressure. Manually release the pressure, stir, and adjust for seasoning before serving.
Video
Notes
- You can reheat the stew in an Instant Pot or stovetop pressure cooker. Just take it out of the fridge and scoop off the hardened fat layer on top. If you want to add root veggies in your beef stew, stir in diced carrots and cubed potatoes. Pressure-cook everything for 5 minutes under high pressure. Manually release the pressure right away, stir, and adjust for seasoning before serving.
- No Instant Pot? You can make this stew in a slow cooker! All of the sautéing steps can be done in a large skillet and then the ingredients get transferred to a slow cooker or Crockpot. Cook the beef stew on low for 8 to 10 hours, adding the root vegetables in the last hour.
Nutrition
Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 22g | Fiber: 3g