Best Damn Instant Pot Beef Stew (2024)

Your Instant Pot pressure cooker is the perfect appliance for making this delicious, savory beef stew recipe. With chunks of beef, potatoes, carrots, and an easy mix of pantry-friendly ingredients, we can make the most awesome, wholesome, homemade beef stew – the ultimate comfort food.

Why I Love This Recipe

When I first got my Instant Pot, I wanted to quickly make my favorite comfort foods and beef stew was at the top of the list. I love using the Instant Pot because it takes about half the time of making beef stew the traditional stovetop way. And there’s never a doubt that the beef will come out tender and savory. That’s the beauty of pressure cooking – we can get the most tender meat in dishes such as this.

I also love this recipe because everything takes place in the Instant Pot! I don’t have to use a separate pans or a huge, heavy pot for the cooking. With our Instant Pot, everything happens in one place, so I always know cleanup will be easy.

Oh, and the taste – kinda important, right? Let me tell you, we’ll use a couple of easy cooking tricks to bring out some amazing flavors from our ingredients for a rich and savory beef stew I know you’re gonna love.

Ingredients

We’ll use a combination of fresh ingredients and pantry ingredients that are common and easy to work with.

Most supermarkets sell packages of stew meat. I like buying these because it’s then one less step I need to do. The prepackaged stew meat will usually be cut into chunks of about 1-2 inches. This is fine. I don’t mind the variation in size for this recipe. If you like a more uniform size, cut any larger chunks in half.

You can also buy a whole beef chuck and cut it into cubes. Beef chuck has excellent marbling and is ideal for stew meat while also being readily available and affordable.

We’ll want to use thick slices for the potatoes and carrots. For the potatoes, we want to go with the Yukon Gold variety. These potatoes will hold up well and keep their shape during the pressure cooking process. You don’t need to peel the potatoes. Keeping the skins on is just fine. Just make sure to scrub them well. 1lb of Yukon Gold potatoes will be around 3 medium-sized potatoes.

For the carrots, it’s best to pick out medium to larger-sized, loose carrots from the produce section. The prepackaged carrots are usually very thin. Peel the carrots and make thick, 1-inch slices. Much like the potatoes, the larger-sized carrot slices will hold up better during cooking.

Finally, we want the onions cut into larger chunks as well. I mean, this is beef stew after all, so you can see the pattern here of larger chunks of everything. This way we have ingredients which hold up well during cooking and give us a nice, hearty amount of goodness in every spoonful.

Preparation and Cooking

We want to start by patting the meat dry as best we can with paper towels, then using a bowl and tossing it first in salt and pepper, then the flour. With the Instant Pot set to sauté mode, add half the oil, and once it’s shimmering, add half the meat. We’re going to brown the meat for about 3-4 minutes.

Once placed in the pot, stir it around to get it coated with the oil, then leave it alone for a minute or two to develop a nice golden crust. After a couple of minutes toss it around and brown the other sides. We’re doing this in two batches because we don’t want to overcrowd the pot. We’ll get better results by doing two batches. When the first batch is nice and golden brown, carefully remove to a plate, add remaining oil and repeat the process with the 2nd batch.

When that 2nd batch is done and removed to a plate, leave the Instant Pot in sauté mode and add the tomato paste. The tomato paste is going to get sauteed for a quick minute to help bring out some extra flavor.

Now we’ll press cancel to stop the sauté mode and pour in 1 cup of the beef broth (or wine if using), and deglaze the bottom of the pot. All those stuck-on bits (called “fond”) on the bottom of the pot are loaded with flavor and will make our sauce extra delicious. We also need to scrape it off to prevent a burn notice when we begin the pressure cooking cycle. Just use a wooden spoon and scrape up all those delicious bits. They will release easily once that cup of broth or wine is added.

Now we’re ready to add the remaining ingredients. Pour in the remaining broth, Worcestershire sauce, along with the seasonings, meat, potatoes, carrots and onions. Top it off with the bay leaves.

Secure the lid and use the pressure cook setting (on high pressure) for 35 minutes. (It will take about 10 minutes for the pressure to build before the pressure cooking cycle begins). When the 35 minutes are done, let it sit for 10 minutes (this is called natural release), then open the valve to release the remaining pressure. When all the pressure has released and the pin drops, carefully remove the lid.

If adding peas, add the frozen peas now. They won’t require any additional cooking. The stew will be hot enough to cook the peas as they’re stirred in.

Thickening and Serving

Press “cancel” on your Instant Pot to stop the Keep Warm mode. This will allow for some cooling and for the sauce to get a little thicker. Give the stew a good 10 minutes before serving to cool. The flour we used to sauté the meat, as well as the potatoes, will act as a thickener. Keep in mind that it’s still a fairly thin sauce.

Want a thicker sauce? Simply mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water in a cup, then pour the slurry into the stew and slowly mix it in. This is totally optional.

Ladle or spoon the stew into serving bowls using as much liquid as you like.

Storage, Freezing and Reheating

Beef stew is a recipe that can be excellent when reheated the next day. The flavors and the ingredients have a chance to mingle even longer, creating an even more savory flavor.

Let the stew cool and store in air-tight containers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave, stirring every couple of minutes to ensure even heating.

To freeze:

• Cooling: After preparing your beef stew, allow it to reach room temperature. This step is crucial for maintaining the overall quality of the stew and ensuring that it doesn’t inadvertently warm other items in your freezer.
• Portioning: Divide the stew into manageable portions, based on your typical meal size.
• Containers: Opt for containers or bags specifically designed for freezer storage. It’s important to leave a bit of space at the top of each container because liquids expand when frozen.
• Labeling: Clearly label each container with the contents and the date of freezing. Beef stew typically maintains its quality in the freezer for up to three months.
• Thawing and Reheating: When you’re ready to enjoy your stew, thaw it in the refrigerator. To reheat, gently warm it on the stove or in a microwave until thoroughly heated. Do note that certain ingredients, particularly potatoes, may alter in texture post-freezing but the overall flavor and nutrition should remain intact.

Make it your own

There’s all sorts of fun ingredients you can add to beef stew to make the flavors unique and adjust to your own tastes. Let’s take a look at a few ideas…

• Anchovy Paste or Fish Sauce: Even though it sounds a bit odd, adding just a little bit of anchovy paste or fish sauce can really boost the deep, savory taste of your stew. Don’t worry, it won’t make your stew taste like fish.
• Dark Chocolate or Cocoa Powder: This might surprise you, but a small piece of dark chocolate or a sprinkle of cocoa powder can give your stew an amazing, rich flavor.
• Coffee or Espresso: A bit of coffee or a shot of espresso in your stew can add an interesting and rich flavor. It’s a little unusual, but it can make a big difference. And don’t worry, you won’t have coffee flavored stew. Just a bit can really boost the other flavors.
• Dijon Mustard: Mixing in a little Dijon mustard can add a nice, tangy twist to your stew.
• Balsamic Vinegar: Just a splash of balsamic vinegar, added near the end of cooking, can help balance out all the flavors in your stew, making it taste just right.
• Smoked Paprika: If you like a bit of a smoky flavor, try adding some smoked paprika. It also adds rich, deep color.

These ingredients are not the usual ones you might think of for beef stew, but they can really add something special to the flavor. Just remember to add these extras in small amounts – you want them to enhance the stew, not overpower it.

You might also like…

RecipeTeacher Classic Beef Stew: Just like the name says, this classic recipe is an all-time favorite that cooks on the stovetop. As they say – “Just like grandma used to make.”

Best Easy Instant Pot Pot Roast: With only 7 ingredients, it’s the ultimate in easy comfort food. And your Instant Pot makes so good!!

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