Instant Pot Beef Stew is the perfect cozy meal for chilly days! This easy recipe features tender chunks of beef, potatoes and carrots that cook together in a flavorful red wine sauce. Stove top and slow cooker instructions are included too!
My obsession with Instant Pot recipes just keeps growing. Its ability to take classic beef stew from an all-day affair to under an hour is the perfect example of why! With the help of your pressure cooker, you can still achieve that all-day simmered flavor in record time.
This Instant Pot Stew is one of my personal favorite dishes to cook on a cold, chilly day, right along with my Ham and Bean Soup.
I used dry red wine in this beef stew for an extra depth of flavor you can’t beat. Not only does it make the dish a little fancy, it is also loaded with antioxidants. If you avoid alcohol, simply swap in a bit more beef broth in its place.
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Love
Oh boy, Erin, was this ever so delicious! My husband is still raving about this beef stew recipe and would like me to make another pot made this weekend. Thank you!
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Ingredients needed
- Beef chuck roast – Beef chuck roast that has marbling with the excess fat trimmed is the perfect cut for this beef stew as it’s tender, flavorful and won’t dry out when cooking. You can even use frozen meat in this recipe (more on that below).
- Flour – Use all-purpose flour for this beef stew.
- Olive Oil – Vegetable oil or avocado oil can be used also.
- Onion – Yellow or white onions give the best flavor to this stew.
- Garlic – You can substitute a half teaspoon of dried minced garlic per clove of fresh garlic if needed.
- Tomato paste – Adds a boost of tomato flavor without adding too much liquid.
- Beef broth – You can also use beef bouillon and water for the broth. Bone broth also works.
- Dry red wine – You can use pinot noir, cabernet, malbec, shiraz, zinfandel or merlot. Here are my 13+ favorite red wines for cooking.
- Worcestershire sauce – This will condiment will help bring out the savoriness of your beef stew.
- Carrots – cut the carrots in chunks similar to the size of the beef cubes.
- Potatoes – Russet potatoes go well with beef stew since they hold up pretty well compared to other varieties. Keep the potato chunks similar in size so they cook evenly.
- Lemon Juice – Lemon adds a fresh bright flavor to the end of the cooking process.
- Cornstarch – This will help thicken up your stew. Tapioca starch or arrowroot can be a good substitute too.
- Parsley – for garnish.
- Seasonings – Salt, dried rosemary, garlic powder, dried thyme, onion powder, black pepper.
How to make it
Add the beef, flour, salt, rosemary, garlic powder, thyme, pepper, and onion powder to a large bowl. Toss to combine then set aside.
Turn the instant pot to saute mode and heat the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and cook until softened, about two to three minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another thirty seconds.
Add the tomato paste to the instant pot and cook for one minute, stirring to combine with the onion and garlic. Pour in the wine, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce, scraping any browned bits off of the bottom of the pot while you stir.
Add the beef to the pot, cover, and set the valve to seal. Cook on high pressure for twenty minutes. Once done, let the pressure release naturally for ten minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure.
Add the carrots and potatoes to the pot, cover, and set the valve to seal. Cook on high pressure for ten minutes. Once done, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure manually.
PRO TIP – If you would like a thicker stew, whisk one tablespoon of cornstarch with one tablespoon of cold water. Pour the mixture into the stew, set the instant pot to saute and cook for two or three minutes, stirring, until thickened.
Add the lemon juice and additional salt and pepper if needed. To serve, sprinkle with parsley and additional lemon juice if needed.
Stove top directions
If you would like to make this recipe on the stove, follow the recipe card below through Step 3 on your stove top. Then, add the beef, bring the stew to a simmer, and cook, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, until the beef is tender.
Then, add the carrots and potatoes to the pot. Simmer for 3o minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
If you would like a thicker stew, whisk together 1 TBSP cornstarch and 1 TBSP water. Add it to the stew and use the continue simmering for 2-3 minutes, until thickened.
Add the lemon juice and additional salt and pepper if needed. To serve, sprinkle with parsley and additional lemon juice if needed.
Here’s my full instructions for stove top red wine beef stew.
Slow cooker directions
If you would like to make this recipe in a slow cooker, follow the recipe card below through Step 3 on your stove top.
Then, transfer it to your slow cooker with the beef, carrots and potatoes. Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours, until the vegetables are softened and the potatoes are fork tender.
If you would like a thicker stew, add the cornstarch slurry and stir to thicken for a few minutes.
Add the lemon juice and additional salt and pepper if needed. To serve, sprinkle with parsley and additional lemon juice if needed.
What to serve with it
There are so many ways to enjoy this hearty stew. Here are some recipes to serve along with this recipe for a complete meal.
- MORE → the 20+ best sides for beef stew
How to meal prep, store, and reheat this recipe
Beef stew can be stored in the fridge for up to three days in an airtight container. To make it last even longer, you can freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Stews thickened with cornstarch tend to separate after freezing, so I recommend not adding it before freezing this recipe. You can add cornstarch when you reheat the stew just before eating.
To reheat, add the stew to a pot on the stove and heat over medium until warmed through.
Recipe FAQs
If your meat is tough after cooking in the instant pot, it may have to cook for a longer amount of time or have more liquid added to the instant pot.
Mix flour or cornstarch with cold water and then slowly pour and stir it into the hot stew. Don’t mix the flour directly into the water to avoid clumping.
The high pressure in the Instant Pot cooks the meat above the boiling point, breaking down the collagen fibers in the meat quickly, leading to soft and tender meat.
Yes! Frozen cubed beef will also work in this recipe. There’s no need to adjust the cook time. It will just take slightly longer for the instant pot to come up to pressure.
Wine pairings
- Red wine pairs especially nicely with this stew. Try a nice Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, or Merlot.
- MORE → The 5 best wines with stew
More comforting soup & stew recipes
If you loved this Instant Pot Beef Stew you’ll love these other soup and stew recipes:
More chuck roast recipes
- MORE → 25+ Chuck Roast Recipes
- MORE → 25+ Beef Stew Meat Recipes
Did you try this instant pot beef stew recipe?
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Full Recipe
Instant Pot Beef Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast (excess fat trimmed, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 ½ cups beef broth
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 12-oz. bag baby carrots (or 3 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks)
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (about 6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (plus more to taste)
- *** To thicken (1 Tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 Tablespoon water)
For Topping:
- Fresh parsley (minced)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss the beef with the flour, salt, rosemary, garlic powder, thyme, pepper, and onion powder. Set aside.
- Turn the instant pot to saute and add the olive oil.
- Once hot, add the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds longer. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the red wine, broth, and Worcestershire sauce and scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Add the beef to the pot. Cover the pot and set the valve to seal. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release the remaining pressure. Add the carrots and potatoes to the pot. Cover and set the valve to seal. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release the remaining pressure manually.
- *** If you would like a thicker stew, whisk together 1 TBSP cornstarch and 1 TBSP water. Add it to the stew and use the SAUTE function to cook for 2-3 minutes, until thickened.
- Add the lemon juice and season to taste with more salt and pepper and lemon juice, as needed.
- Sprinkle with fresh parsley and enjoy!
Notes
- Beef stew can be stored in the fridge for up to three days in an airtight container. To make it last even longer, you can freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Stews thickened with cornstarch tend to separate after freezing, so I recommend not adding it before freezing this recipe. You can add cornstarch when you reheat the stew just before eating.
- To reheat, add the stew to a pot on the stove and heat over medium until warmed through.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2022. It was updated in 2023 to provide slow cooker directions. The instant pot beef stew recipe remains the same. Enjoy!
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