Delicious gravy, potatoes, carrots, and fall-apart tender meat make up this delicious and comforting Instant Pot pot roast. The ideal Sunday dinner dish is this simple pot roast recipe.
INGREDIENTS
3 pound boneless beef chuck roast
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large sweet yellow onion (coarsely chopped)
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ cups low sodium beef broth
4 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
6 medium carrots (cut into 1-inch pieces)
1.5 pounds whole baby potatoes
2 tablespoons cornstarch (optional, for thickening gravy)
2 tablespoons water (optional, for thickening gravy)
INSTRUCTIONS
Cut the beef chuck roast in half.
Sprinkle the salt and pepper on all sides of the beef.
Heat the olive oil in the Instant Pot using the saute setting until hot.
Place the seasoned beef in the pot and brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Do not move the beef until you are ready to turn it; once it has seared it should easily release from the bottom of the pot. After browning the beef on both sides transfer it to a clean plate.
With the Instant Pot still on saute mode, add the onion to the pot. Cook until softened and lightly browned, stirring often and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and press cancel to turn off the Instant Pot.
Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and beef broth. Stir well and scrape up any browned bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot.
Place the beef back in the pot. Add the fresh thyme sprigs or dried thyme.
Close the Instant Pot lid and move the steam release valve to the sealing position. Cook on Manual/Pressure Cook, high pressure, for 60 minutes. When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes and then quick release any remaining pressure by moving the valve to the venting position.
Open the Instant Pot and add the carrots and potatoes on top of the beef. Close the lid and pressure cook for 5 minutes more on high pressure using the Manual/Pressure Cook function. When the cook time ends allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Then quick release any remaining pressure by moving the steam release valve to the venting position.
Remove the beef and vegetables from the Instant Pot, leaving the juices in the pot. Discard the thyme stems (if you used fresh thyme). Use two forks to shred the roast into chunks.
Thicken the juices in the Instant Pot (optional): Turn the Instant Pot on saute mode. Stir together 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl and pour into the liquid in the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until gravy has thickened slightly.
Serve pot roast with the gravy.
NOTES
Recipe has been updated to reduce the cook time for the vegetables to 5 minutes, after reader feedback that the vegetables were overdone in 10 minutes.
If your roast is larger than 3 pounds, add 10 minutes per pound to the pressure cook time.
To cook pot roast from frozen, skip the step of browning the meat. Pressure cook a frozen 3 pound beef chuck roast for 90 minutes, followed by a 10 minute natural pressure release. Then add your potatoes and carrots and pressure cook for 5 minutes more, plus 10 minutes natural release. If your roast is larger than 3 pounds, add 10 minutes per pound to the first pressure cooking time.
Leftover pot roast can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen pot roast overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheat leftover pot roast in a pot on the stove, covered, over medium heat, adding a little broth or water as needed to thin the gravy. You can also reheat pot roast in your pressure cooker using the sauté setting, or in the microwave.
