This Instant Pot Pot Roast is a one-pot meal that can be ready in just over an hour! The roast and veggies are tender, moist and full of flavor!
Growing up, pot roast was our traditional Sunday dinner! It would cook all day and the house would be filled with its delicious aroma! Mom loved to serve it with cucumber dill salad or fruit salad! Now I can still have the delicious, flavorful and aroma filled meal, but in a fraction of the time.
Instant Pot Chuck Roast
When I think of pot roast I can’t help but recall the savory aroma that fills the house, the tender meat that shreds so easily with just a fork and the deliciously soft potatoes and carrots that seem to melt in your mouth. It is one of my most favorite and easiest meals to make!
But when I got an Instant Pot I realized that my pot roast recipe went from easy to just plain simple. It cuts down on the cooking time dramatically. What used to take 4-8 hours, now can be accomplished in about an hour and a half!
The hardest part of the whole recipe is deciding what cut of meat to use. Chuck roast, brisket, round roast, pork loin, rump roast are all great options. Here are some quick tips for picking the best cut:
- Cuts with nice fat marbling will provide the most flavorful and tender roasts
- Leaner cuts like rump, chick or brisket have less fat marbling but you can still get a moist and tender roast by braising it. (Braising is cooking the meat on low heat, in a small amount of liquid, covered in a pot, for a long period of time).
- Cutting your roast into chunks before cooking will help it cook more quickly and more evenly (about 4-6 chunks).
- Cut along the fat veins
How to Make Instant Pot Roast
It really is amazing at how easy this delicious roast is!!
Cook the roast
- Cut your roast into chunks, season then and brown them in the Instant Pot using the SAUTE function
- Add the beef broth and all the seasoning (not the potatoes or carrots yet!)
- Set your Instant Pot to MANUAL HIGH for 60 minutes
- Let it naturally depressurize for 10 minutes and then manually depressurize by turning the venting valve
Add the veggies
- Add the cut-up potatoes and carrots to the Instant pot
- Seal and set your Instant Pot to MANUAL HIGH for 3 minutes
- Let it naturally depressurize for 10 minutes and then manually depressurize by turning the venting valve
Cooking Tips
Cook time: The length of cook time is decreased if you cut your roast into chunks rather than trying to cook it in one large piece. I suggest doing 20 minutes/pound of meat.
Frozen meat: If you’re using a frozen roast cook for 30 minutes/pound instead of 20 minutes/pound. Also, skip the searing of the meat if it is frozen.
Choice of liquid: Beef broth is a great option, but I have seen recipes that use water, coca-cola or tomato juice as well.
Tough or dry pot roast: You run the risk of having dry and perhaps tough meat if you don’t have enough liquid when you cook the roast. Make sure you don’t cook it longer than necessary. It might be tempting, but the longer it pressure cooks the more moisture is removed. If you have a dry roast my suggestion is to eat it with lots of gravy!
Slow cooker: To make a pot roast in a slow cooker an important thing is to combine everything at once and cook on low for 7 hours. This ensures a nice slow cook for a tender roast.
Changing It up + Additions
I think this recipe is pretty good as it is, but of course, you can always change it up a bit!
Venison: If you prefer using cuts of venison over cuts of beef you can totally do that. But just remember that venison is a leaner cut of meat so it dries out quicker. In this case, you might want to add more liquid before cooking.
Mississippi pot roast: It is a roast that includes: ranch dressing mix, au jus gravy mix, butter, and jar pepperoncini peppers.
Dry rub: Make sure when you’re using a dry rub you firmly press the rub into the meat on all sides before placing it in the instant pot. You could use rosemary, salt, thyme, garlic, onion, pepper, and paprika.
Gravy recipe: You can combine 6 tablespoons of butter, ½ cup of flour, 3-4 cups of roast drippings, and salt and pepper to taste. This makes a very flavorful and rich gravy.
Cornstarch Gravy: To make a gravy out of the broth remove your roast and veggies before adding cornstarch to your liquid to thicken it. Start with 2 tbsps of cornstarch and mix it with 2 tbsps of water before adding to the overall liquid from the instant pot. Cook on the SAUTE mode until the liquid thickens.
How to Store, Freeze + Reheat
Storing: This can be stored in an air-tight container or wrapped tightly in heavy-duty foil for up to 4 days.
Freezing: You can freeze this in an air-tight container with its reserved liquid for 2-4 months.
Reheating: When reheating a cooked yet frozen pot roast you can let it thaw in the fridge overnight and then rewarm in the oven at 350 degrees.
For more Instant Pot recipes, check out:
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Instant Pot Spaghetti
- Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese
- Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Sliders
- Instant Pot Greek Yogurt Cheesecake
Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 3-4 lb. beef chuck roast - cut into 8 chunks
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tsp coarse kosher sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 cups beef broth - or beef au jus
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp parsley - freshly minced
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 small yellow onion - cut into thin slices
- 1 lb new potatoes - or potatoes cut into 1-inch chunks
- 4 large carrots - peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
Instructions
- Salt and pepper the chunks of beef. Turn Instant Pot on SAUTE, add oil. Once the oil is hot, add half of the beef to the pot. Brown on both sides, then remove and transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining beef.
- Return all the beef to the Instant Pot. Add beef broth or au jus and water, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add balsamic vinegar, worcestershire, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, and onions.
- Place the lid on and turn the valve to sealing. Select MANUAL (high pressure) mode for 60 minutes.
- Once the beef is fully cooked, let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure by switching the valve over to venting.
- Once the pin has dropped, remove the lid and add the potatoes and carrots to the pot, pushing them down under the meat.
- Place the lid back on, turn the valve to sealing and select MANUAL (high pressure) mode for 3 minutes.
- When the cook time is over, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure by switching the valve over to venting. Once the pin drops, remove the lid and serve.
This is the only way to cook roast! It always turns outs so tender! And the flavor is just amazing. Thanks for the recipe!
This is the way to cook roast!! So fast, tender & juicy!!
We always had this growing up for Sunday suppers! Love how easy it is to make in the instant pot!
I LOVE how quick, easy and delicious this is!! The perfect weeknight meal!!
My husband LOVES pot roast! I can’t wait to try this in the instant pot!