Instant Pot Beef Stew

Instant Pot beef stew became an instant (see what I did there?) classic when these automated pressure cookers took the market by storm. Pressure cookers have a remarkable affinity for soups and stews in general. The higher temperatures achieved by pressure cooking break down connective tissue quickly, giving you more flavor and richer broth than you’d get by simmering.

Fortuitously, stew beef is high in that kind of connective tissue, so if you’re making beef stew an Instant Pot is the way to go. Don’t get us wrong, we have plenty of other great instant pot recipes. But when it’s cold out and you want a really good stew in less time, you need to break out the pressure cooker.

Ingredients for Instant Pot Beef Stew

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• Beef stew meat: Stew beef is typically cut from tougher cuts, such as chuck, that become lush and tender after pressure cooking.
• Onion and garlic: The onion and fresh garlic provide a base of savory, pungent aromatic flavor that brings out the best in the stew’s other ingredients.
• Tomato paste: Tomato paste adds color and flavor to the stew without becoming a dominant flavor.
• Paprika: Paprika helps to color the stew’s broth and also adds an underappreciated sweet pepper flavor.
• Thyme: Thyme’s aromatic, slightly peppery flavor complements the stew’s other ingredients and seasonings.
• Red wine: Deglazing the pressure cooker with red wine adds to the stew’s flavor and helps dissolve the tasty, browned fond.
• Beef stock: Beef stock provides most of the stew’s broth and serves as a base for the other flavors.
• Worcestershire sauce: Worcestershire sauce’s unique balance of tart, savory and peppery flavors brings out the best in beef.
• Potatoes: Yukon Gold potatoes are a good all-round potato, one that can stand up to time in the pressure cooker.
• Carrots: Carrots are a traditional stew ingredient, for their earthy sweetness, bright color and ability to withstand long cooking.
• Celery: Celery brings a bright and distinctive flavor to the stew, and helps elevate the flavors of the other vegetables.
• Rosemary: Rosemary’s high-impact flavor plays nicely with the other ingredients, most notably the beef and garlic.
• Bay leaves: Bay leaves bring a subtly aromatic and savory note to the stew’s gravy.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch provides the stew with its thickening agent.
• Parsley: Minced parsley is an optional topping, but it adds to the dish’s visual appeal.

Directions

Step 1: Season and sear the beef

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Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the pepper over your stew beef. Select the saute setting on a 6-quart electric pressure cooker and adjust it for medium heat. Add the oil, and once the oil is hot, brown the beef in small batches until it’s well-seared. Set the seared beef aside.

Step 2: Add the aromatics

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Add the onion to the pressure cooker and cook it for three to four minutes or until it’s slightly soft. Add the garlic and tomato paste, and cook them for one minute longer. Add the paprika and thyme and the remaining salt and pepper. Cook and stir for one more minute or until the mixture is fragrant. Add the wine, stirring to loosen and dissolve the browned-on bits.

Step 3: Load the pressure cooker

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Return the beef to the pressure cooker. Stir in the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, potatoes, carrots and celery. Press cancel to stop the saute function. Place the rosemary sprigs and bay leaves on top of the other ingredients.

Step 4: Cook the stew

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Lock the lid of your pressure cooker and close its pressure-release valve. Adjust to pressure-cook on high for 30 minutes. When the cooking cycle ends, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then quick-release any remaining pressure.

Step 5: Thicken the stew

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In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and cold water to make a smooth slurry, then stir it into the pressure cooker. Select your cooker’s saute setting and adjust it for low heat. Stir constantly until the stew thickens, approximately one to two minutes. If desired, garnish your stew with fresh parsley before serving.

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Instant Pot Beef Stew Variations

• Swap the potatoes for a whole grain: This recipe offers a classic meat-and-potatoes profile, but the potatoes aren’t mandatory. You might prefer a whole grain, for instance, for an uptick in healthy fiber or just a change of pace. Larger grains such as farro (a form of wheat) work great in a beef stew. Beef-barley soup is a longtime favorite, so beef-barley stew is a logical evolution. Rice and brown rice also work well in stews. Smaller grains such as millet, quinoa or bulgur wheat don’t fare as well when cooked right into the stew, so cook those separately and serve the stew over them.
• Play with your vegetables: The recipe as written sticks to the tried-and-true, where vegetables are concerned, but you can switch things up as needed. Other root vegetables including rutabagas, parsnips and celeriac (also known as celery root) are all good options. So are other sturdy vegetables including green beans, kohlrabi and even peeled broccoli stems. Winter squash would be a good addition, peeled, diced and added to the cooker. Cut the squash into relatively large pieces to keep them from disintegrating under pressure cooking. Alternatively, you can lean into that by dicing it small and thinking of it as part of the stew’s thickener. Avoid the issue entirely by cooking the squash separately and adding it at the end.

How to Store Instant Pot Beef Stew

Any leftover beef stew should be transferred to food-safe storage containers with tight-fitting lids and refrigerated as soon as possible after the meal. It will cool more quickly in multiple shallow, flat containers than in one large one.

Can I make this beef stew Instant Pot recipe ahead of time?

You certainly can. Electric pressure cookers make meals such as this one relatively quick, but the time constraints of weeknight meals can still be an issue. You can easily make this recipe earlier in the day or even a day or two ahead of time. Soups and stews are among the many meals that taste better the next day. Cool the stew rapidly in the interest of food safety.

How long will my beef stew keep?

If you were quick to refrigerate it after the meal, it should last for three to four days in your fridge in tightly sealed containers. For longer-term storage, portion it into freezer bags or freezer-safe containers. Food remains safe indefinitely in the freezer, but eventually its flavor and quality deteriorate. The stew should last for three to six months, but it’s at its best during the first one to three months.

Instant Pot Beef Stew Tips

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What if I don’t have Yukon Gold potatoes?

Broadly speaking, potatoes fall into two types. Some, like the popular russets, are called “floury” potatoes. Others, such as red potatoes or fingerlings, are “waxy” potatoes. The difference is that floury potatoes are great for dry cooking methods such as frying or baking, and waxy potatoes are best for boiling and simmering. Yukon Golds are a versatile mid-range potato, just waxy enough to hold together well in your Instant Pot. Substitutes include white or yellow potatoes, red potatoes, new potatoes or fingerlings. They’ll all hold up nicely in this recipe.

What should I substitute something for the wine if I don’t want alcohol?

The red wine adds a nice flavor to the stew, but it’s not mandatory. You can skip it and use part of your beef broth to deglaze the pressure cooker if you wish. Alternatively, you could use a bit of tomato juice or vegetable cocktail, which would add different but compatible flavors to the stew. In either case, a dash or two of Angostura or other bitters can help replace the complexity you lose by avoiding the wine.

What’s the deal with frying the tomato paste?

You might be tempted to skip this step and just plop the tomato paste into the broth, but it does make a difference. Cooking your tomato paste in oil for a minute or two caramelizes it and deepens its flavor. It also eliminates the metallic taste some people detect in tomato paste. Cooking also deepens the color of the tomato paste, giving it a brown hue that contributes to the color of the gravy.