Easy Instant Pot Pot Roast

Let me show you how to make a classic, melt-in-your-mouth Instant Pot pot roast! This easy recipe yields incredibly flavorful beef that the whole family will love. This recipe is perfect for your Instant Pot or any pressure cooker.

Watch the Video

Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe Video

I’ve got the secret to the most tender Instant Pot pot roast you’ll ever make. Get ready for a cozy meal everyone will love!

Seriously, this pot roast is SO tender. This recipe is my go-to for busy nights when I want something hearty and delicious with minimal effort.

The Secret to the Best Instant Pot Pot Roast

I’ve got 2 tips for the best pot roast. First, choose a chuck roast. Chuck roast is perfect, transforming into incredibly tender, flavorful beef when pressure-cooked.

Second, make the most delicious gravy by searing the roast right in your Instant Pot before cooking – it’s surprisingly easy!

Close-up of fork-tender Instant Pot pot roast with carrots and potatoes.

How Long to Cook a Roast in the Instant Pot

When cooking a pot roast in an Instant Pot, allow 20 minutes for every pound of meat.

  • For a 1-pound roast, cook for 20 minutes.
  • For a 2-pound roast, cook for 40 minutes.
  • For a 3-pound roast, cook for 60 minutes.

Important: Add 20 to 30 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure and then release its pressure naturally after cooking.

How Long to Cook a Frozen Roast in the Instant Pot

You can cook frozen beef in your Instant Pot. However, it will take longer – about 30 minutes per pound.

Important: You won’t be able to sear frozen beef, which adds a lot of flavor to this recipe. For the best results, we recommend using thawed beef.

The Best Beef Cuts for Pot Roast

The best cuts of beef for pot roast are tougher cuts of meat since they become tender and juicy when cooked slowly or at high pressure in a pressure cooker.

  • Chuck roast (recommended)
  • Round roast
  • Rump roast
  • Brisket
Seared beef with rosemary, thyme, and carrots ready for the Instant Pot

How to Make Pot Roast in an Instant Pot

Prep: Season the beef and let it come to room temperature for 1 hour. After testing this recipe a few times, we found that when we left the beef out on the counter to come closer to room temperature before cooking it, the pot roast was much more tender at the end of the cooking time.

I also love that the beef sits with the salt for about an hour before cooking. During this time, the salt seeps into the meat and helps to season and tenderize it.

Brown: Sear the beef on all sides for the best flavor. Do this in your Instant Pot using the Sauté function or a separate skillet. By browning the meat on all sides, we add color and lots of flavor to the pot.

Sauté Veggies: Remove the beef, and then briefly sauté onions, carrots, and celery in the rendered beef fat. This step builds even more flavor into the dish, making our braising liquid taste incredible.

Deglaze: Add liquid and scrape up those flavorful browned bits from the bottom of the pot. We use beef broth, bouillon cubes, and apple cider vinegar. This step lifts all the flavor stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Pressure Cook: Cook the beef with veggies and aromatics on high pressure. Typically, it’s about 20 minutes per pound of meat.

Rest & Release: Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then use the quick-release button.

Serving Tips

  • The beef will be incredibly tender! I recommend shredding it.
  • I love adding potatoes during cooking for a complete meal, but you can also roast them separately for extra crispness.
  • I remove the carrots and celery for serving – they’ve given their magic.
  • The leftover liquid makes the most delicious gravy (recipe below), or you can simply spoon the juices over the beef.
Fork pulling apart incredibly tender Instant Pot pot roast.

How to Tell If Your Instant Pot Pot Roast is Done

Your pot roast is done when it’s incredibly tender and falls apart easily with a fork.

The beef should practically shred – this means the pressure cooker has done its job breaking down the tough fibers. Check out the photo and video above to see what this looks like!

What to Do if Your Pot Roast is Tough

Pot roast still tough? Cook it longer! The pressure cooking process breaks down tough meat, making it tender.

If it needs more time, simply put the lid back on, seal the pressure cooker, and cook at high pressure for another 10 to 20 minutes.

Pot roast served with creamy mashed potatoes.

Can You Make Pot Roast in a Crock Pot or a Slow Cooker?

Yes! You can adapt this recipe. Sear the beef and veggies first for maximum flavor. Then cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. We use a similar method when making our Slow Cooker Pulled Pork.

Can You Make Pot Roast in a Dutch Oven?

Yes! You can adapt this recipe. Sear the beef and veggies first for maximum flavor. Then cook, covered with a lid, at 275°F for 2 to 3 hours. This is a similar cooking time and method as Classic Beef Stew.

More Instant Pot Recipes

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Instant Pot Pot Roast

Easy Instant Pot Pot Roast

  • PREP
  • COOK
  • TOTAL

This easy Instant Pot pot roast recipe creates incredibly tender, flavorful beef. It’s perfect for the whole family. I use my Instant Pot, but this recipe works with any pressure cooker.

Here’s the secret: Choose the best cut of beef! Opt for tougher cuts like chuck, brisket, or round. In the pressure cooker, these transform into melt-in-your-mouth perfection.

Want to add potatoes? Baby potatoes are a great option. They’ll become very soft – perfect for serving whole or mashing alongside the pot roast.

We also add carrots, celery, and garlic for extra flavor. Since they get soft during cooking, we consider them flavor additions rather than side dishes.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Watch Us Make the Recipe

You Will Need

For Pot Roast

3 pounds beef chuck, brisket, or round, see notes

Salt

1 ½ teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 large onion

5 medium carrots (12 ounces)

4 celery stalks

5 to 6 garlic cloves

1 ½ tablespoons high heat cooking oil

3 cups beef broth, try homemade beef broth

1 to 2 bouillon cubes or use bouillon mix, optional, see notes

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

4 rosemary sprigs

4 thyme sprigs

1 bay leaf

12 ounces baby potatoes, optional

For Optional Gravy

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons corn starch

2 tablespoons cream, optional

Directions

  • Prepare Beef and Vegetables
  • 1Season beef generously with salt (2 to 3 teaspoons). Let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

    2Meanwhile, stir the onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper until blended.

    3Prepare the vegetables. Peel and cut the onion into large chunks. Peel the carrots and remove the ends. Slice the carrots and celery into thick, long sticks. Smash garlic cloves with the flat side of a knife and peel away the skins.

  • Cook Pot Roast
  • 1Dry the beef with paper towels, then rub with the spice mixture.

    2Heat oil in your Instant Pot with the Sauté setting on high heat. Brown the beef on all sides (about 4 minutes per side). Remove beef to a plate.

    3Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic cloves to the pot. Cook until softened and lightly browned (about 6 minutes). Remove to a plate.

    4Add broth, bouillon, and vinegar, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up browned bits in the pot (not doing this may result in an error while cooking at pressure).

    5Turn the Sauté function off. Return the beef and veggies to the pot. Add rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, and potatoes (optional). The liquid may not cover beef and vegetables.

    6Select Pressure Cook (or Manual) on high pressure for 60 minutes (adjust time for your meat’s weight – assume 20 minutes for every pound.

    7Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick-release the rest (be careful to keep your hands and face away from the venting steam).

    8Taste the liquid and adjust with additional salt and pepper.

    9Shred the beef to your desired size on a cutting board.

    10Serve beef with potatoes (whole or mashed). Add cooked vegetables if you like them soft. Otherwise, they’ve done their job, and you can discard them.

    11Enjoy with the cooking liquid, or turn it into a gravy (see below).

  • Optional Quick Gravy
  • 1Remove vegetables and herbs from the cooking liquid. Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté (high heat). Boil until the liquid reduces by about a quarter.

    2Whisk cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Slowly whisk this into the reduced liquid, simmering until thickened.

    3Turn off the heat. Season to taste with salt, pepper, or other spices. If desired, add a splash of cream for extra richness.

Adam and Joanne's Tips

  • Our pressure cooker: We have the 6-quart Instant Pot.
  • Cooking time: Assume 20 minutes for every pound of meat.
  • Bouillon cubes / bouillon mix: Bouillon cubes/mix add richness. If you don’t have them, use a flavorful beef broth.
  • Roast is not tender: If the roast isn’t tender enough, seal the pot and pressure cook for another 10 to 20 minutes.
  • Nutrition facts: The provided nutrition facts are estimates. Sodium content will vary based on the ingredients you use.
Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1/8 of the recipe / Calories 456 / Total Fat 19.3g / Saturated Fat 6.5g / Cholesterol 183.6mg / Sodium 882.6g / Carbohydrate 14.2g / Dietary Fiber 2.9g / Total Sugars 3.5g / Protein 57g
AUTHOR:  Adam and Joanne Gallagher
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112 comments… Leave a Review
  • Hillary December 10, 2023, 11:15 pm

    Wow!! What a wonderful recipe! The roast was perfect. Super tender with lots of flavor. I ended up blending the liquid with the onions, celery, garlic, and some carrots. I used that as a gravy and it was so flavorful. Next time I will probably reduce the fresh thyme and rosemary. Definitely will make again! Thank you so much!!!!

    Reply
    • Adam December 11, 2023, 11:34 am

      Yay! We are so glad that you loved the recipe 🙂

      Reply
  • Greek goddess November 27, 2023, 10:16 pm

    Super tasty, relatively easy for the very gourmet taste that you get at the end. I followed the steps, I omitted the carrots as I didn’t have any. Added dried thyme (didn’t have fresh) and my own steak seasoning. My family loved it too- definitely one to cook again!

    Reply
  • Abdullah B November 17, 2023, 6:04 am

    I made this today, unbelievably delicious and fork tender! Made 700~ grams 40 minutes and 10 minutes natural release.

    Reply
    • Joanne November 18, 2023, 12:12 pm

      We are so happy you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  • Dell-Anne November 13, 2023, 10:51 am

    I made the Easy Pot Roast last night and followed your recipe to the tee. Everyone said it was the best roast they had ever had! They called me the Queen of the Kitchen! It truly was delicious. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!

    Reply
    • Joanne November 18, 2023, 12:12 pm

      Wow, how wonderful! So happy you found us and thanks for coming back!

      Reply
  • Shaheen October 19, 2023, 11:35 pm

    I recently had the pleasure of trying out this recipe at home, and I must say, it exceeded my expectations!

    Reply
    • Adam October 20, 2023, 10:50 am

      Wonderful! 🙂

      Reply

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