While it feels a little sacrilegious to convert the beef roast recipe of my youth into something for the Instant Pot mini, I couldn’t resist the thrill of shaving down the cooking time. In just 30 minutes, friends, I have the taste of my childhood: instant pot beef roast! My mom cooked her beef roast in the slow cooker, like every other 80s moms, of course. After loading up the crock with a marbled chuck roast, potatoes and carrots, she sprinkled on a packet of French onion soup mix and liberally doused some red wine before locking on the lid. I definitely didn’t realize I was consuming red wine at such a young age. Meh, I turned out mostly okay (heh). Anyway, my mom’s beef roast slow cooked all day long while we were at school and work. But thanks to the magical efforts of pressure cooking and my instant pot mini, I have the same flavors in just 30 minutes. I can hardly believe how lucky I am! I also tackled her instant pot beef stroganoff with wild success, so I knew I would get a winner again. I made a few changes to her recipe, because I never keep soup mix in the house. I’m not fundamentally against it—I just never remember to venture down that aisle at the grocery store. Luckily, with a well-stocked pantry and an entire fresh onion, we can assimilate the taste of my childhood instant pot beef roast. However, even though we’re using spices from the pantry, I want you to know that it’s easy spices you already have: onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, salt and pepper. If you have celery seed or celery seed powder, add a teaspoon—if not, don’t even worry about it. If you’re new here, I cook for two people. I’m using the Instant Pot Mini 3-quart machine. At first, I thought this smaller instant pot mini was too small to make such things like an instant pot beef roast, but this recipe makes me realize we can do it. We just have to be creative! Read on for my tips on cooking for two in the instant pot mini.
Why you’ll love this Instant Pot Chuck Roast
You’ll love this instant pot chuck roast because of the nostalgic flavors of a slow-cooked dis that comes together in a fraction of the time. The beef is melt-in-your-mouth tender and the vegetables are so tender, too. This recipe also doesn’t use any seasoning packets, which are known for their ultra high sodium content!
Instant Pot Beef Roast Ingredients
Olive Oil. A small amount of olive oil for searing the beef before the pressure cooking process begins. Onion Powder. Dehydrated onion granules, ground, not the onion flakes. If you want to use the dehydrated onion flakes, use 1 tablespoon. Garlic Powder. One teaspoon of dehydrated ground garlic granules. Dried Thyme. One-half teaspoon of dried thyme leaves, not ground thyme, but the whole leaves. If you want to use fresh thyme, use 10 sprigs of fresh. Place them whole in the crockpot, and just remove the stems before serving. Dried Celery Seed. It’s entirely optional to use one-half teaspoon of celery seed. It helps to mimic the packaged dip flavor, but if you don’t have it, omit. Beef Chuck Roast. We only need a one-pound beef roast. However, they’re usually sold in 2-3 pound sizes. You can cut them in half to make a one-pound roast, but be sure to cut down the middle and evenly distribute the fat. Tomato Paste. One tablespoon of tomato paste; store the extra in the freezer for another recipe. Worcestershire sauce. One tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce brings incredible umami flavor to the liquid that the meat cooks in. Don’t skip this step, or your instant pot chuck roast will be lacking in flavor. Red Wine. We need ⅔ cup of dry red wine, not a sweet wine. Use a wine that you like to drink, like a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Pinot Noir. Onion. One whole medium sliced onion might seem like a lot, but we’re trying to mimic the flavor of packaged onion soup mix, so we need plenty of onion. The onion slices cook down in the meat and wine broth and become super soft and tender. As a kid, they were my favorite part of the roast. Carrots. Two medium carrots, peeled and sliced into coins. Potatoes. One-half pound of baby potatoes, any variety.
Best meat for an instant pot beef roast:
My mom always bought marbled beef chuck roasts. I’ve seen them labeled ‘for crockpot’ at the store now, because apparently that’s all most people use them for is slow cooking! If you’re up for it, I think a chuck roast is a great cut to grind to make burger patties or for chili! Speaking of, have you seen my small batch chili or my blue cheese burgers? I want you to seek out the smallest chuck roast you can find. A 2-pounder is a perfect one, and I routinely find them this small. This recipe uses just 1 pound of chuck roast, but we’re going to cut the 2-pound piece of meat in half and store the rest in the freezer for another instant pot beef roast someday. When you’re cutting a chuck roast in half, cut it down the middle and try to preserve equal amounts of fat on each piece. For example, don’t cut down one of the layers of fat and leave one lean piece and one fattier piece. The fat in a chuck roast melts into the meat and keeps it moist while cooking. If you don’t want to eat the fat, refrigerate the meat before serving, and scrape the white fat off the cooking liquid before re-warming.
The best veggies for an instant pot beef roast:
Onions: Because we’re trying to approximate the flavor of that dried onion soup mix, we’re going to use an entire onion in this recipe. I know, most dinner for two recipes use half an onion or less, but this time, we’re using the whole thing! Carrots: We add two whole carrots and half a pound of baby potatoes—that’s it! In my expert beef roast opinion, celery is for beef stew, not beef roast. Potatoes: You can use one large Russet potato, chopped, instead of baby potatoes, if that’s what you have on hand. Honestly, my mom always used Russet potatoes! The way a potato cooks in beef juices and red wine will make your eyes roll back in your head. That’s why, as a vegetarian most of my life, my Mom’s beef roast was something I couldn’t resist.
Finally, our extraneous seasonings: tomato paste, dried spices, Worcestershire sauce, and red wine. When these flavors mingle with beef, a magical elixir is created that you will want to drink from a mug.
Instant Pot Beef Roast Tools
Again, just a reminder, friends, that this recipe is for the smaller Instant Pot Mini 3-quart machine. I don’t know if you can double it, because I haven’t tried it. If I took a large recipe, scaled it down, and then doubled it, that would be the definition of insanity, ok? However, if you’re looking for a larger instant pot beef roast recipe, try the internet. But, if you’re cooking for two and looking for your favorite comfort foods scaled down, then I’m your girl.
How to make Chuck Roast in Instant Pot
What to serve with Instant Pot Chuck Roast
An instant pot roast is a meal with a main and side vegetable dish built in. If you want to serve it with extra instant pot mashed potatoes or a side salad, like this chopped salad, it’s great too.
Beef Roast Instant Pot storage
Let any leftovers cool, and then move to air-tight food storage containers and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can freeze leftovers in individual portions for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and heat through to serve.
Why is my roast beef tough in Instant Pot?
If a roast beef is tough, it wasn’t cooked long enough. When roast beef is cooked for plenty of time, all of the tendons and sinew melt, so the meat becomes super tender. Try returning it to the instant pot for another 10-15 minutes of high pressure.
Does roast have to be covered with liquid in Instant Pot?
No, because there is little to no evaporation of the cooking liquid when cooking in the instant pot, a roast does not need to be completely submerged. This recipe contains a bit of red wine, Worcestershire sauce, and olive oil, which is plenty of liquid. 2. While the oil preheats, combine all of the spices in a small bowl: onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, salt, thyme and celery seed (if using). Press this spice mixture on both sides of the chuck roast, pressing it into all surfaces of the beef. Use all of the spice mixture. 3. Once the olive oil is hot, add the beef and sear it on the first side for about 5-7 minutes. When it’s golden brown on the first side and releases easily from the pot, flip and sear the second side. 4. When the beef is seared on both sides, remove it from the pot. Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and red wine and stir very well. Nestle the beef back into the pot–the liquid won’t cover the beef completely. 5. Press ‘OFF’ to kill the ‘Saute’ function. Next, hit ‘PRESSURE COOK,’ and make sure it’s set to ‘HIGH.’ Then, turn the timer to 35 minutes. Ensure the ‘Keep Warm’ function is off. 6. Sprinkle the onions, carrots, and potatoes around the beef. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, and turn the valve to ‘SEALING.’ 7. The Instant Pot will beep, and then come up to pressure fully before the 35-minute timer begins to count down. 8. Once the timer is up, allow the pot to complete a natural pressure release. The pressure valve will drop down to let you know all pressure has left the pot. 9. Remove the beef from the pot, slice and plate with the vegetables. Drizzle the wine juices over everything before serving. *You will most likely only find a 2-3 pound beef chuck roast. Buy it, cut it in half, and freeze the other half for another batch of instant pot beef roast on another day.
Instant Pot 3 Qt Pressure Cooker
