Warm and cozy INSTANT POT BEEF STEW with beef chunks, potatoes, carrots, peas, and seasonings. A simple yet complete dish prepared in just a few minutes that perfectly creates a tender and meaty stew. A mouthwatering blend of smoky, meaty, and herby flavors. Every saucy spoonful of this stew is like a warm hug!
I personally love this dish because it reminds me of how my family would get together at the dinner table. I often cook this dish spontaneously since all of the ingredients were already available in my pantry. My family and I would enjoy this dish during a rainy or chilly night and it just gives us that cozy feeling.
Let me be the first to tell you that this is an easy dish. Prepping the ingredients is just a breeze, and cooking it is super effortless! All you have to do now is to find your favorite cozy attire to match the warmth of this dish!
Instant Pot Beef Stew
One of the most popular dishes you can cook in your instant pot multi-cooker is this beef stew. It’s so widely cooked that it has its own food preset in the buttons. So why is it common practice to cook this dish with high pressure?
We all want to eat tender meats right? Beef, naturally, has a lean composition which means that if it isn’t cooked properly it would be hard and tough. This is where the Instant Pot comes in.
Aside from simmering the sauces and combining the flavors, pressure also builds up inside the pot. This pressure from evaporating liquids tenderizes the meat without drying it out. The process also helps the flavor penetrate to the core of the meat. Now, you can have tender meats bathed in a flavorful sauce.
Recipe Ingredients
I said it before and I’ll say it again. This recipe is simple, easy, and will surely give you a tasty final product. You can even make this dish spontaneously just as how I make mine. Most of the ingredients are commonly found in a regular household pantry. Now let’s go simplify the ingredients for this beef stew recipe.
The Beef Chunks
- Stew Beef or Beef Chuck cut into smaller pieces
- Salt and pepper
- Homemade Creole Seasoning or Homemade Italian Seasoning, depending on your preference
Flavorful Stew
- Canola oil or cooking oil
- Diced onion (Check my tips on How to Cut Onions easily)
- Minced ginger
- Minced garlic
- Bay leaves
- Tomato paste
- Bouillon powder beef, chicken, or vegetable to adjust the taste (optional)
- Fresh Thyme
- Smoked Paprika
- Water or beef Broth
- Diced green onions (Here’s a quick guide on How to Cut Green Onions)
- Potatoes in large chunks
- Carrots, also in large chunks
- Peas
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Parsley (for garnish, optional)
- Cornstarch
- Cool water
- Parsley for garnishing
The ingredients can be daunting by the number but trust me, it’s all going to be worth it. Just looking at the list of ingredients could give you an idea of what it should taste like. Mouthwatering isn’t it?
Tips and Tricks in Cooking Your Beef Stew
Deglazing
You might notice that there are bits and parts of the beef stew that have caramelized. Pouring a liquid and doing a light scrape on these parts will release them back to the stew. This process is called deglazing. Those caramelized parts and bits are concentrated with flavor so it’s best to use them to add flavor to your stew.
Potatoes
You can opt to hold back on the potatoes if you don’t immediately plan to serve your dish. One of the main functions of this ingredient is to provide the right amount of thickness to our dish. Since we’ll be using cornstarch for this recipe, we can hold back on adding this ingredient.
Frothing
Although this might not be a problem with the instant pot beef stew, frothing may sometimes occur. The cause of this is the consistency of the stew itself. If it’s creamy or a little thick, expect a certain amount of froth. This will subside as soon as you open the lid. Nothing to worry about here.
Can You Freeze It?
Oh yes, you can! This instant pot beef stew freezes well and will be good for 3 months or so. However, since this dish has potatoes in it there are a few considerations you have to take.
- Potatoes soften and become grainy when frozen so it’s a big no to freeze these.
- The corn starch and sauce can separate when freezing.
The best way to prevent this is by planning ahead. If you plan to freeze your instant pot beef stew, hold back on the potatoes. Cook them separately and add them when you plan to serve or reheat the dish.
You should probably wait for the sauce to thicken. This happens as you thaw down the frozen instant pot beef stew. You can reheat it once it reaches a thick consistency.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many dishes to serve alongside this beef stew. Mainly plain tasting carbs that will absorb the sauces well. Here are my picks for the best recipes to serve with this dish.
- baguettes or any crusty bread (my go-to pair)
- Skillet Cornbread
- Easy Dinner Rolls
- Flatbread
- plain warm rice
More Stew Recipes
How to Make Beef Stew in an Instant Pot
Thoroughly season beef with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning or Creole Seasoning. Turn the Instant Pot on to “SAUTE” mode. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and heat up until it is simmering. Add beef and brown well, turning once, about 3-4 minutes per side, or until beef browns up. Do not overcrowd the pan. Cook in batches, if necessary. Take the beef out and set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the instant pot and add onions, ginger, garlic, thyme, smoked paprika, green onions, and bay leaves. Stir for about 2-3 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add tomato paste and beef broth. Stir well thoroughly scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Make sure you remove every bit of stuck-on food so that you don’t receive a “burn” warning.
Throw in browned beef, potatoes, carrots, and beef bouillon into the instant pot and salt according to preference. Close and seal the Instant Pot. Cook on “High Pressure” for 35 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Vent to release any remaining pressure, then carefully open the lid. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Set Instant Pot to Sauté mode. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water to create a slurry. Add to the Instant Pot and stir until the stew thickens. Add the peas and stir to warm through. Remove, garnish with parsley and serve with bread.
Watch How To Make It
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Instant Pot Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (.91 kg) stew beef or beef chuck , cut into small chunks
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons Creole or Italian seasoning
Beef Stew
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 onion , diced
- ½ teaspoon (1 g) minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon (2.80 g) minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon (0.80 g) fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons (2.1 g) smoked paprika
- 2-3 green onions , diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons (32.76 g) tomato paste
- 2 cups (470 ml) broth or water or more
- 1 pound potatoes , cut into large chunks
- 2 -3 large carrots , cut into large chunks
- 1 teaspoon bouillon powder beef, chicken, or vegetable , adjust to taste (optional)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- 1 cup (150 g) peas
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons (7.6 g-11.4 g) parsley , optional
Instructions
- Thoroughly season beef with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning or Creole Seasoning.
- Turn the Instant Pot on to “SAUTE” mode.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil and heat up until it is simmering.
- Add beef and brown well, turning once, about 3-4 minutes per side or until beef browns up. Do not overcrowd the pan. Cook in batches, if necessary.
- Take the beef out and set it aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the instant pot and add onions, ginger, garlic, thyme, smoked paprika, green onions, and bay leaves. Stir for about 2-3 minutes or until onions are translucent.
- Add tomato paste and beef broth. Stir well thoroughly scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Make sure you remove every bit of stuck-on food so that you don’t receive a “burn” warning.
- Throw in browned beef, potatoes, carrots, and beef bouillon into the instant pot and salt according to preference.
- Close and seal the Instant Pot. Cook on "High Pressure" for 35 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Vent to release any remaining pressure, then carefully open the lid. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
- Set Instant Pot to Sauté mode.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water to create a slurry. Add to the Instant Pot and stir until the stew thickens. Add the peas and stir to warm through.
- Remove, garnish with parsley and serve with bread.
Tips & Notes:
- Wanna make it in your slow cooker? Check out this Slow Cooker Beef Stew recipe HERE.
- If you plan to freeze your instant pot beef stew, hold back on the potatoes. Cook them separately and add them when you plan to serve or reheat the dish.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
Nicole Allen says
Imma, your recipes are always a hit! This stew was flavourful and meat was so tender! Thanks for making us look like we know what we’re doing!
Imma says
Thank you so much, Nicole. YOu people are my motivation to bring more authentic recipes 🙂 Stay tuned to have more flavors in your life.
IJEOMA VIVIAN NWOSU says
Lovely recipe ,but can this be prepared without the use of an instant pot?
ImmaculateBites says
Yes it can. Just cook stove top on low heat until tender. Add more water as needed.
Yvonne Hepburn says
This went down a treat with my family.
Meat was very tender and the gravy was just the right thickness. The only thing I changed was adding chopped tomatoes instead of the tomato puree{I love chopped tomatoes).
Thank you so much for sharing.
ImmaculateBites says
Great! Thanks.
Peter Patterson says
It was great my son love it a lot
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks so much!!