Instant pot beef roast with potatoes carrots and onions

Q: Does beef get more tender the longer you cook it in instant pot?

A while back I asked myself, Does pressure cooking tenderize meat? and this is what I found out. The pressure will in fact make your meat super tender, almost as if you slow cooked it for the better part of a day.

Using a pressure cooker is the best way to prepare tougher cuts of meat when you’re short on time like with this Instant Pot Pot Roast with Potatoes & Carrots. The seasoned meat and veggies cook together, and in under an hour you’ve got juicy beef pot roast & tender vegetables that literally melt in your mouth!

Table of Contents Show

Ingredients Needed
Making The Roast
How To Make A Gravy From The Juices
TIPS & TRICKS
Other Easy Roast Recipes To Try
Why is my roast tough in the instant pot?
Does beef get more tender the longer you cook it in instant pot?
How long do you slow cook a beef roast in an instant pot?
How long does it take to cook beef in an instant pot?

Nothing quite says comfort food to me like a savory roast with melt in your mouth veggies that have been baked together. It’s something ingrained in me from my Grandma’s cooking.

A good roast needs to cook slowly, and a great roast needs to truly slow cook. But as a busy working parent, I don’t always have the time or patience for that.

The pressure cooker literally saves the (dinner) day!

It creates the perfect environment for that tough beef to cook, softening until it’s fork tender – literally ready to fall apart & melt in your mouth. It’s a beautiful thing, even more so because instead of waiting all day this magic happens in under an hour.

Perfect if you’re like me and notorious for throwing ingredients in the slow cooker and then forgetting to turn the thing on or actually plug it in before leaving the house in the morning!

Ingredients Needed

Beef Roast – You’ll want a smaller cut for this recipe. Look for a roast that’s roughly 4-5 pounds.
Oil – I prefer extra virgin olive oil, but regular olive oil or even canola oil will work.
Aromatics – Sweet/yellow onion & fresh cloves of garlic infuse the meal with flavor as it cooks.
Tomato Paste – Paste, do not try to substitute with tomato sauce.
Wine – You can use any dry red wine you’d normally drink, or even red cooking wine.
Broth – Beef broth or stock work interchangeably here.
Worcestershire Sauce
Vegetables – Carrots & potatoes are the classic pairing that we use in this recipe.
Spices – Rosemary, oregano, thyme, and garlic powder are combined to make a very basic spice rub.

Making The Roast

Making a roast isn’t hard, especially when you decide to let your pressure cooker do all the heavy lifting!

Start by choosing and then prepping the meat.

What Cut Of Beef Should I Use?

Pressure cooking is a great method for traditionally tougher cuts of meat to transform them in to a fork tender delicacy.

We almost always tend to opt for a chuck roast when pot roast’s on the menu, but ultimately the kind of beef you use should depend on how you want to serve/enjoy it.

Chuck Roast – a chuck roast will end up oh-so tender, and quite literally ready to fall apart- this also makes it easy to shred
Brisket – a brisket’s connective tissue will break down during the process making it very tender, but still able to be sliceable for serving
Round Roast (Bottom or Top) – a leaner cut of beef that will become tender and easily sliceable for serving

While we still recommend the chuck roast, choose whichever option fits your needs when making this Instant Pot roast with potatoes & carrots!

Trim the roast of any obvious fat. You can’t get it all, and I’m not suggesting you do. Shop for a well marbled roast, and it will make your life easier.

However, remove any obvious pockets even if it means cutting the roast into chunks. The more fat pockets removed, the less greasy it will be in the end.

If you have to cut your roast into sections to get to the fat pockets, that’s ok too! Remember, it’s all getting chunked/shredded in the end.

Also, 2-3 chunks of roast may be much easier to handle in the pot when searing.

Rub the roast down with salt, pepper, and spice blend- then you’re ready to begin.

Do I Really Need To Sear The Meat?

Yes! Trust me when I tell you not to skip this step.

While searing the meat may seem like a trivial thing that can be skipped to save time, it serves an important purpose.

Searing the meat locks in the juices, and trust me- you want them kept in the meat instead of in the pot. Seared beef will be tender AND juicy in all the right ways when this roast is ready.

Nobody has ever written home about or shared the recipe for a dry roast.

Don’t forget to deglaze the liner when the meat’s done searing! Use a sturdy wooden spoon, and scrape/stir up any stuck on browned bits as the added liquids loosen them up.

It may seem trivial, but those browned bits are actually flavor nuggets and not getting them unstuck will 100% result in a BURN notice from your machine.

Once you’ve got the sauce mixed up, place the seared roast in the center of the pot and layer the carrots and potatoes on top. The meat should be submerged with as much of the vegetables resting on top of it as possible.

Close the lid, set the vent valve to the sealed position, and let it cook on HIGH pressure for 35 minutes.

Quick Release Or Natural Release – Which Should I Use?

When the pot beeps the roast is done cooking, meaning that the meat’s cooked through. However, that doesn’t mean it’s time to open the vent valve.

There’s a very good reason for NOT performing a quick release, and instead waiting patiently for 10 minutes for the pot to naturally realease some of the pent up pressure.

When you quick release, the pressure in the pot drops rapidly and this can actually cause the fibers in your roast to compress and squeeze together, forcing out the juices within.

When your meat seizes and expels all the delicious juices, you’re left with a very tough, very sad, dry end result. The exact opposite of what a great pot roast should be.

10 minutes isn’t that long to wait anyway when the end result is a tender, juicy roast you can write home about anyway.

At this point it’s safe to release the rest of the pent up steam, but use that sturdy wooden spoon handle so you aren’t anywhere near the super heated steam that’s ready to escape.

Remove your roast and veggies from the pot. Transfer them to serving dishes. Tent the veggies to keep them warm while you shred your beef.

I highly suggest serving them with a hunk of crusty bread. It’s a rustic touch, but really completes this kind of meat & potatoes meal.

How To Make A Gravy From The Juices

While you can absolutely serve the meat & vegetables as is and forget about the juices- you could also choose to turn them into gravy. And in my opinion, gravy makes everything better!

To turn those juices into a gravy, hit that SAUTE button again but this time adjust it to the low setting.

In a small bowl, whisk one tablespoon of cornstarch with a tablespoon of water together until evenly combined. Pour this mixture into the juices in the pot, then stir to combine.

Whisk in 1/4 – 1/2 cup of water, stirring again until evenly combined and then allow the mixture to come to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. It will thicken as it cooks.

You can pour this into a gravy boat or ladle it over the plates to serve. The gravy will continue to thicken as it cools.

TIPS & TRICKS

Prefer not to cook with alcohol? Sub extra beef broth in the same amount as the wine called for.
Other root vegetables such as rutabaga, parsnips, and/or turnips could also be used or included.
Make sure to deglaze the liner when you add the liquids by using a sturdy spoon to scrape up any and all stuck on browned bits from the bottom of the pot. The liquids will easily loosen them, and this simple step will prevent the dreaded BURN notice.

Other Easy Roast Recipes To Try

This Instant Pot roast with carrots & potatoes will literally melt in your mouth. Pair it with a loaf of crusty bread for an easy meal the whole family will fall in love with!

Looking for other easy roast recipes? Give these a try:

Slow Cooker Dill Pickle Pot Roast
Copycat Cracker Barrel Roast Beef
Pot Roast with Mushroom Gravy

If you’ve tried this INSTANT POT POT ROAST with CARROTS & POTATOES, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!

4-5 lb chuck roast trimmed of fat
3 tbsp olive oil divided
1 cup diced white onion
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 cups beef bone broth
1 1//2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups baby carrots
2 lbs little potatoes
1 1/2 tsp rosemary
1 1/2 tsp crushed, dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Using a sharp knife, or kitchen shears, trim as much fat/fatty deposits from your roast. Place the prepped meat on a clean cutting board, and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
To a small mixing bowl add the rosemary, oregano, thyme, and garlic powder. Stir together to evenly combine.
Liberally season both sides of the roast with salt & pepper. Then pour the seasoning mix out over it, rubbing & pressing it in to all sides to evenly coat.
Press the 'SAUTE' button and adjust it to the more setting. When the pot says 'hot' add the oil to the liner.
Add the prepared roast to the pot, and allow it to sear- about 2-3 minutes. Carefully flip the roast using sturdy tongs, and let the other side sear another 2-3 minutes. Remove the roast to a waiting plate. Set aside.
Hit the 'CANCEL' button. Then press the 'SAUTE' button again, this time leaving it on the normal setting.
Add the onions and garlic to the pot, and let them cook for 2-3 minutes- just until tender.
Add the tomato paste, wine, broth, and Worcestershire sauce to the pot. Stir the mixture together with a sturdy spoon, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot as you do.
Return the roast to the pot, and then add the potatoes and carrots on top. Do not stir, and it's ok if only the meat is submerged- this is what you want.
Add the lid to the pot, turning to close, and set the vent valve to the sealed position. Pressure cook on HIGH for 35 minutes. Once done- allow the pot to naturally release for 10 full minutes. Carefully open the vent valve, and allow the rest of the trapped steam to completely release. Press CANCEL to turn off the pot.
Carefully scoop out the vegetables and transfer them to a serving dish/platter. Loosely cover the dish with foil to keep the veggies warm, but prevent them from continuing to cook. Set aside.
Carefully remove the beef to a waiting platter. Let is rest for 5-10 minutes, undisturbed.
Using two forks, or meat claws, pull the beef apart into bite sized chunks/pieces.
Serve the shredded beef roast with the vegetables and enjoy!

Why is my roast tough in the instant pot?

What if my pot roast is tough? If after cooking the pot roast, it is still tough, all you need to do is cook it longer. If the beef is still tough, it just needs more time for the braise to do it's magic and break down the connective tissues in the beef.

Does beef get more tender the longer you cook it in instant pot?

A while back I asked myself, "Does pressure cooking tenderize meat"? and this is what I found out. The pressure will in fact make your meat super tender, almost as if you slow cooked it for the better part of a day.

How long do you slow cook a beef roast in an instant pot?

Add in the roast, place the lid on the instant pot with the vent open. Select slow cook, and set to high heat for 4 – 5 hours. Depending how thick your roast is, you may need an additional time. Chuck roasts should be ok for 4 hours.