Best Ever Instant Pot Pot Roast

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Looking for the BEST Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe? You’ve found it! This pot roast recipe (using fresh or frozen meat) is tender, flavorful and the perfect one-pot meal.

Suitable for Keto, Paleo, Whole30 and gluten-free dieters. Recipe also includes Weight Watchers points.

instant pot pot roast and vegetable in a pot

This Instant Pot Roast is soooo good. Fall-off-the-bone meat, stock seasoned to perfection and loaded with carrots (or potatoes if you prefer) and mushrooms. And in only a fraction of the time as the traditional roast. #happydaysright?

It is an absolutely delicious, dreamy anytime comfort dinner (especially on chilly nights) and also makes a simple but memorable addition to Easter dinner or Thanksgiving dinner. Your guests will looove being greeted by the smell of this pressure cooker pot roast.

Have I mentioned it’s also the easiest one-pot meal ever?? (Well, at least as easy as my Air Fryer Pot Roast and this delicous Instant Pot Beef Stew, delicious Instant Pot Potato Soup

….or this Instant Pot Chili …and the best ever Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage…I sense a trend here.)

Why Make This Recipe

  • Quick and easy – it is super easy to cook for lunches, Sunday dinner and more.
  • Filling – this tender roast a hearty and satisfying meal loved by the whole family.
  • One pot – minimal prep and fuss-free.
  • Great For meal prep – you can store in the fridge to eat the next day or two.
  • Dietary – suitable for gluten free and dairy free diets.
Instant pot quick start guide image

What Is Pot Roast?

What is pot roast exactly? The story goes that French immigrants to the United States made a variation of the French dish boeuf à la mode, which was then modified by German immigrants to become what is known as pot roast.

To make pot roast, a large piece of beef (usually a tough cut) is browned and then slow cooked in liquid with aromatics (or put in the Instant Pot these days). It is often served with carrots, potatoes and onions. So pot roast is actually a cooking method.

A Bowl of Instant Pot Pot Roast On a table with vegetables and garnish

What Is The Best Cut Of Meat For Pot Roast?

Any tougher cut of meat is good as pot roast because of the way it is cooked. This is because these cuts are full of connective tissue, which is broken down during the roasting into rich, succulent flavourful meat. Oh, and the resulting gravy is just wow. Let’s look at three types of meat that you can use.

Chuck Roast

In the US, chuck roast is what is commonly used. It is generally tough but when it cooks it will become moist and tender and packed full of gorgeous rich beef flavor. Some cuts of beef chuck roast come with fat all around it. You can cook the pot roast with this fat on which definitely adds to the flavor. But if you plan to make gravy from the cooking liquid, you may want to separate the fat.

However, you can also trim it before you cook, or ask your butcher for a leaner cut of beef. It may be worth getting an already trimmed chuck roast for cooking so you know exactly how much meat you have (you will lose some of the weight when you trim off the fat otherwise).

If you are cooking this with meal prep in mind and plan to make a whole chunk extra and freeze for later, then I suggest you start with really fatty chuck roast.

The fat will prevent it from drying and keep it juicy and tender when you get around to defrosting and reheating. Try both the trimmed or the lovely fat on chuck roast and decide which you like best.

uncooked chuck Roast on a plate

Rump Roast

You can also use rump roast, which is from the back of the animal. This cut of meat works great as pot roast and is one of the cuts my OH loves. This cut is leaner than a chuck roast so you do need to be careful when you cook it.

What is great about rump roast is that you don’t have to worry about trimming lots of fat off it. But be aware that it is a bit more expensive than chuck roast – so it is a question of fat versus budget.

Brisket Roast

You can also use a brisket roast. This is pricer than a chuck roast. It is full of connective tissue which when cooked breaks down to add so much flavor to your recipe.

Guys, the great thing about this favorite pot roast recipe is that you can use the cut of beef you prefer. Hey if you are as obsessed as me, grab a few different cuts when there is a sale on.

Then have fun cooking them all, get your friends around, and have a pot roast tasting party and get them to vote for the best one. Personally, I prefer the beef chuck roast cut, as I love the extra flavor and tenderness from the fat.

Ingredient Notes

  • Oil – Use olive oil or others you prefer.
  • Beef – This recipe calls for boneless beef chuck roast or rump roast beef
  • Seasoning – Salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, fresh thyme, and minced garlic give this such great flavor.
  • Vegetables – This recipe calls for a selection of onions, mushroom, and carrots. You can use onion powder if you don’t have onions.
  • Broth – Use beef broth or you can use chicken broth or vegetable broth instead.
  • Secret ingredient / Extra flavoring – balsamic vinegar and chopped anchovies are the secret ingredients that elevate this pot roast. You can also try Worcestershire sauce.

So wondering how to cook a roast in an Instant Pot? Then gather your ingredients and let me show you how.

How To Cook A Roast In An Instant Pot

Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

  1. Season meat with salt and pepper.
  2. Select the sauté function, add 1 tablespoon oil to the bottom of the pot, and wait until it says hot. Then sear the meat for 5 minutes on each side till browned.
  3. Use tongs to remove browned beef from the pot and set it aside. Add remaining oil, use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the insert to remove any bits of meat stuck on.
  4. Sauté the onions for 5 minutes before stirring in the garlic for 30 seconds. Cancel the sauté function and deglaze with 2 tablespoons of beef broth.
  5. Add in the beef chuck roast, mushrooms, carrots, beef stock, balsamic vinegar, anchovies, mixed herbs, and thyme. Season with any extra salt and black pepper if needed.
  6. Cover the Instant Pot, select Pressure Cook or Manual (depending on the model of your pot), high pressure, and set the time for 50 minutes. When done, allow for a complete natural pressure release (NPR), open the lid, and remove the Instant Pot Chuck Roast.
  7. Optional step: You can make the liquid into a gravy. Make a cornstarch mixture with 1 tablespoon cornflour and 2 tablespoons water. After the roast is cooked, remove the meat, add this cornstarch paste to the Instant Pot insert and sauté until you get the thickness you like. 
  8. To serve: Remove this best pot roast Instant Pot, slice or shred, and serve with vegetables on a serving platter and the wonderful gravy poured over top.
image collage showing the steps for making instant pot pot roast

Chef’s Tip: The anchovies add umami, that indescribably ‘mmm’ savory and rich flavor, to this pressure cooker pot roast Instant Pot.

Make It In Your Crock Pot

Yeap, you can make this a slow cooker beef pot roast instead – because sometimes nothing but your slow cooking will do.

  1. First, season your meat as you normally would, then brown and add it into your crockpot.
  2. Then add in the rest of your ingredients, cover, and cook on high for about 4 hours or on low between 7-8 hours.
  3. Test the meat and if not done, cook for another hour or until done.
  4. Then dig right in.

Tips For Success

Cut up the Chuck Roast (or Rump Roast) Joint

This tip depends entirely on the size of your beef chuck roast and the size of your pot. If you have only a small beef joint, then you can cook it whole.

If you have a big lump of meat, then cut it into 2 or 3 smaller beef chunks so they can fit inside the pot. They can then be easily browned and present maximum surface area for all the seasoning you are going to be adding in.

Pressure cooking the meat more fully in the beef broth can also result in more juicy tender meat.

Season the Beef

Seasoning the meat is one easy way to also add flavor. As a starting point, you want to add awesome Stone House Seasoning. Or if you prefer, you can just some salt and ground black pepper.

You can use a dry rub of your choice that is either store-bought or homemade. If using homemade beef dry rub, make it up ahead of time so you have it on hand, for this recipe and various other recipes.

Add a little more rub than you think you need to your pot roast, as flavors can become a bit muted in the Instant Pot.

Homemade dry rub ingredients can include:

  • Poultry seasoning, Garlic powder, Onion powder, Cajun seasoning, Baharat spice blend, Italian seasoning, dried thyme, ground cumin, and ground allspice can help make this the best roast ever.

PS => another great idea is for you to make an extra batch of your favorite dry rub, put it in little labeled spice jars, and gift it to your fellow Instant Pot foodie friends. They will certainly appreciate it.

Ingredeints To Make Instant Pot Pot Roast like chuck roast, carrots, and mushrooms in a pressure cooker

Brown The Chuck Roast Instant Pot

Ok, you are not going to always have time to sear the meat and if that is the case skip the browning step – this recipe is all about easy. However, if you have time, then please do brown the beef. Browning adds a lot of lovely flavor to the end dish and it also keeps the meat nice and moist.

You can brown the meat on the stovetop using a skillet or you can do so in your Instant Pot. To brown the chuck roast in the instant pot, you would select the sauté function of Instant Pot, add oil and wait till it says hot.

Then sear the meat for 5 minutes per side till browned and using tongs, remove beef from the pot. If your meat is in more than one piece, then you might have to sear it in batches.

Don’t forget to deglaze the pot with some beef broth after browning the meat to avoid the dreaded burn notice.

Add In Some Wine

You can easily replace some of the beef broth with wine for a different kind of flavor. You can add in about a third of a cup of your favorite red wine. The rest of the wine is totally payment to you, the rather awesome cook.

Cooked Instant Pot Chuck Roast And veggies in some broth

Firm Carrots, Yes Please

To make sure the carrots stay whole, cut them up into really big chunks (baby carrots will not work here). For firmer carrots, don’t add them in with the meat. Instead, cook the meat until done, remove from the pressure cooker, and then pressure cook the carrots in the remaining sauce for 5 minutes on high.

You can start with large carrots which you cut down into chunks, or you can make your life even easier by starting with baby carrots. P.S. ==> the same goes for potatoes.

Natural Pressure Release

Natural release is a must when cooking meat in the Instant Pot. Otherwise, you might end up with really tough dry beef. So don’t be tempted to do a quick release.

Close up of a pot of Instant Pot Chuck Roast and vegetableswith thyme

Delicious Variations

  • Make it with gravy You can convert the remaining beef broth into gravy. To whip up some gravy, make a cornflour paste with 1 tablespoon cornflour and 2 tablespoons water. After the roast is cooked, remove meat, add this paste to the juices remaining in the pan, press the sauté function, and cook till you get the gravy thickness you like. Feel free to add extra seasoning in at this point.
  • Make it with potatoes – This certainly adds bulk to the recipe and makes it a more complete meal. Quarter the potatoes and add them to the carrots or instead of the carrots. You can also use baby potatoes if you prefer. It all depends on what you like or have in the pantry.
  • Serve with Mashed Potatoes – Simply whip up a batch of these easy and creamy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes and serve it along with your roast. Make enough for leftovers and serve for tomorrow’s lunch.
  • Make it with onion soup mix – Add one packet of dried onion soup mix in with the beef broth. Be careful with other seasonings though when you add this, as you don’t want to over-flavor your food.
  • Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast – You just need to get the cornerstone ingredients to whip this up, aka au jus gravy mix, ranch seasoning, pepperoncini, pepperoncini juice, butter, and of course your chuck roast.
  • Add Tomato – add extra flavor with some tomato sauce or tomato paste.

Storage

  • Store – Keep leftover Instant Pot Beef Roast in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Great for meal prep.
  • Freeze – Let it cool down, slice the beef, place sliced beef in an airtight container or Ziploc bag and pour over some gravy to prevent the beef from drying out, and then close the lid. Label the container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you are going to eat this over a period of time, then what I suggest is for you to portion the pot roast in appropriate sizes, so you just reach into the freezer and grab what you need.
  • Thaw – Remove the soup from the freezer the night before needed and let it thaw in the fridge. For a faster thaw, you can add the bagged soup into a microwave and thaw according to the microwave’s instructions. Transfer the thawed soup into a bowl and reheat in a microwave. Or transfer the thawed soup into a saucepan and reheat over low to medium heat.
  • Reheat – If you are starting with frozen roast, defrost overnight in the fridge. Scoop off any extra fat which normally solidifies on the top. Then warm gently in a microwave using a covered mixing bowl or heat in a saucepan over medium heat.
Instant Pot Beef Roast with vegetables on a table with garnish

FAQs

How Long To Cook Roast in Instant Pot?

On of the main questions people have is ‘how long do you cook a roast in a instant pot pressure cooker?’ This depends on the size of your beef and if you are cooking from fresh or frozen.

For this particular recipe using fresh beef you need 50 minutes under pressure. The actual cook time will be a bit longer as you wait for the Instant Pot to come to pressure at the beginning and then naturally release pressure at the end.

Check further below for cooking frozen pot roast. However, don’t forget to check the temperature of the meat when done using a meat thermometer.

How To Cook Instant Pot Frozen Roast?

Yeap, you can throw a rock-hard frozen roast into the Instant Pot and get wonderful results. To cook Instant pot frozen roast – add about 20 mins to your cooking time. You would not season the meat; add seasoning to the beef broth instead. And no searing of the meat since you will add it in frozen.

If you get a large chunk of meat before freezing, then use a sharp knife and cut it into chunks before freezing. Also, you can season the meat before freezing if you are a planner (unlike me).

How Can I Make It Keto?

To make this into a keto pot roast recipe, omit the carrots as they are high in carbs. If you want to make keto gravy then you would need to use something like xanthan gum instead to thicken your gravy.

Serving Suggestions

Your Instant Pot Chuck Roast recipe already has carrots (and/or potatoes) ready-made. But if you want to serve it up with more stuff, then here are a few ideas for additional sides. Serve pot roast with

Pictures From One Of My Lovely Readers

I love seeing when my readers make my recipes. Jason said ‘Made this tonight – thanks for the recipe and tips!’

instant pot pot roast on a plate with a breadstick, carrots, and other dish

More Instant Pot Recipes

There you have it, folks. A super easy Instant Pot Pot Roast recipe. Sooo easy and soooo good.

Weight Watchers Points

If you replace the olive oil used for browning with a calorie-controlled cooking spray, there are 13 Blue Plan SmartPoints in a serving.

*IP Pot Roast Recipe Video**

 

Tools Needed

Previously published January 2020. Updated March 2023.

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instant pot pot roast and vegetable in a pot
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4.83 from 23 votes

Easiest and Best Instant Pot Pot Roast

This one pot roast beef is SO tender and flavorful.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: American, Western
Servings: 6
Calories: 553kcal
Author: Bintu Hardy

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds (1.35kg) chuck roast or rump roast beef
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 8 mushrooms sliced
  • 8 large carrots cut into 4 parts
  • 1 ½ cups (355ml) beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 2 anchovies chopped
  • 2 teaspoons mixed herbs
  • 4 sprigs of fresh thyme

Instructions

  • Season meat with salt and pepper.
  • Select sauté function of Instant Pot, add 1 tablespoon of oil and wait until it says hot.
  • Then sear the meat for 5 minutes on each side, until browned.
  • Remove meat from the pot and set aside.
  • Add remaining oil, scraping the bottom of the Instant Pot to remove any bits of meat stuck on.
  • Then sauté the onions for 5 minutes before stirring in the garlic for 30 seconds.
  • Cancel the sauté function and deglaze the insert with 2 tablespoons of stock.
  • Add in the meat, mushrooms, carrots, beef stock, balsamic vinegar, anchovies, mixed herbs and thyme sprigs. Season with any salt and pepper if needed.
  • Cover the Instant Pot, select manual pressue / high pressure and set the timer for 50 minutes. When done allow for a complete natural pressure release (if not cooked through, cook for another 5-10 minutes).
  • Remove the pot roast from Instant Pot, slice or shred, and serve with the vegetables and sauce poured over top.
  • (Optional step) Make gravy using the cooking liquid. To thicken, create a corn flour paste with 1 tablespoon corn flour and 2 tablespoons water. After the roast is cooked, remove meat, add the paste to the insert and sauté until it reaches the desired thickness.
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Video

Notes

  • Cut the meat into chunks so it fits inside the Instant Pot.
  • Seasoning the meat is one easy way to also add flavor. Try this Stone House Seasoning. Or if you prefer you can just some salt and ground black pepper. You can also use a dry rub of your choice that is either store-bought or homemade.
  • Deglaze the insert using some beef broth to avoid getting a burn notice.
  • Store – Keep leftover Instant Pot Beef Roast in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  • If you replace the oil with a calorie-controlled cooking spray, there are 13 WW Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 553kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 373mg | Potassium: 1306mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 13650IU | Vitamin C: 7.9mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 6mg

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