How long does this beef stew take to cook in the Instant Pot?

In total, about 50 minutes. Thankfully, the majority of that time is all hands off! You’ll add all your ingredients to the Instant Pot and then set it to cook – it will take about 10 minutes or so to pressurize, 35 minutes to cook, and then 10 mins to de-pressurize. And voila!

How do you thicken this beef stew?

In this recipe, you’ll cook tapioca pearls right in the stew which will thicken the gravy. However, if you don’t have those on hand, there are other options as well for thickening the stew. You could toss the beef in 1/3 cup flour, shake off excess, and add to the Instant Pot as normal. If you do this and you have a newer Instant Pot, you will likely need additional liquid (I’ll often do a second can of tomato juice) to avoid the burn warning on the Instant Pot. Or lastly, you could make a slurry of 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 1/4 cup water and add that slurry to everything in the Instant Pot after it’s cooked to thicken things up.

Can I add potatoes to this stew?

Absolutely! Just throw some cubed potatoes in with everything else and you should be good to go. This is also delicious ladled on top of some creamy, buttery mashed potatoes .

How can I freeze beef stew?

You could freeze this stew before or after it cooks. If you’ve cooked the recipe and want to freeze leftovers, just store it in a freezer-safe container or sealed bad with as little air as possible. It should keep for up to 6 months! Alternatively, if you want to freeze this before cooking to pop into the Instant Pot sometime in the future, you can follow the instructions in the recipe card below for how to make this a freezer meal.

What can I serve with beef stew?

This stew is all you need on its own (meat, potatoes, veggies, done!), but there are some extras you could have to make it really sing. Most importantly, please serve this with lots of hot, crusty, buttery bread to mop up that gravy. Then on the side, a simple green salad to feel like total domestic royalty. To finish, a glass of delicious, rich red wine that pairs just too perfectly with it all.

Life Changing Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe

Name: Life Changing Instant Pot Beef Stew
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 lbs. beef, chuck roast, fat trimmed, cut into 1-2-inch chunks; 1 medium onion, sliced thinly; 2 stalks celery, sliced diagonally in thick pieces; 6 carrots, sliced diagonally in thick pieces; 2 tablespoons small tapioca (affiliate link)- see notes; 1/2 cup tomato juice; 2 teaspoons salt; 1 tablespoon sugar

Description

Beef Stew made in an Instant Pot! 6 ingredients, 45 minutes, SO EASY. The perfect, comforting meal for all those chilly fall and winter days.

Ingredients

Units Scale

2 lbs. beef, chuck roast, fat trimmed, cut into 1-2-inch chunks
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
2 stalks celery, sliced diagonally in thick pieces
6 carrots, sliced diagonally in thick pieces
2 tablespoons small tapioca (affiliate link)- see notes
1/2 cup tomato juice
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Instant Pot Instructions: Place everything in the Instant Pot. Select the stew/meat setting (about 35 minutes, high pressure). After it’s done, let everything mellow out for about 10 minutes before releasing the steam. Technically at this point, it’s done. But I recommend finishing with a quick browning session in the oven (see notes below).

Traditional Oven Instructions: Preheat oven to 320 degrees. Place all ingredients in a baking dish – it can be glass or ceramic (we use a round casserole dish – something between 8×8 and 9×13). Cover with foil and bake for 3-4 hours. If the gravy dries out, you can add a little water to the gravy to loosen it up before serving. See notes below for additional modifications/instructions.

Slow Cooker Instructions: Place everything in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4 hours until tender and cooked through. Technically at this point, it’s done. But I recommend finishing with a quick browning session in the oven (see notes below).

Finishing in the Oven: Whether you make this in the oven or in the Instant Pot, I recommend finishing by giving it about 10-20 minutes in a hot oven (400-ish degrees), uncovered, before serving. It gets the meat nice and caramelized on top and helps the gravy thicken up.

Equipment

Casserole Pan

Buy Now →

Instant Pot, 6 Qt

Buy Now →

Serving Spoon

Buy Now →

The equipment section may contain affiliate links to products we know and love.

Notes

Alternatives to Tapioca Pearls for thickening:

Just leave em out. Your gravy may be a little less thick, but it will still be delicious.
Toss the beef in 1/3 cup flour, shake off excess and add to the Instant Pot as normal. If you do this and you have a newer Instant Pot, you will likely need additional liquid (I’ll often do a second can of tomato juice) to avoid the burn warning on the Instant Pot.
Make a slurry of 2 tablespoons corn starch and 1/4 cup water. Add the slurry to everything in the Instant Pot after it’s cooked.

As written, this is more like a traditional saucy beef stew. If you want it to be more like a soup, just add a second can of tomato juice and an extra pinch of salt and sugar. The biggest challenge people have when baking this in the oven is that the sauce/gravy dries out. I would suggest adding a little bit of water (1/4 cup or so) before baking, and then periodically throughout baking as needed. The browned gravy will be really delicious, and a little water mixed in will easily bring it back to life. Another comment we often get is that the tapioca can sometimes still be visible in very small specks, which is okay. It’s so small and it should be extremely soft after cooking in the Instant Pot, so it’s never interfered with my love of this beef stew. It just looks like part of the gravy. But if that bothers you, just try one of our other tapioca-less methods listed above.

Freezer Meal Version

Freeze Together:
2 lbs. beef chuck, fat trimmed, cut in small-ish pieces
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
6 stalks celery, sliced diagonally
6 carrots, sliced diagonally
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cans tomato juice (about 1 cup)
Instant Pot Instructions: High pressure 30 mins + 10 mins natural release
Slow Cooker Instructions: High setting 6 hours (thaw ingredients first)
Final Step: After cooking, add a cornstarch slurry to the stew (2-3 tbsp cornstarch + 1-2 tbsp water). Transfer to a baking dish and broil for 5-10 minutes to get everything browned and thickened, or let it rest in the pot until thickened.
Check out our full freezer meal posts with all recipes and instructions here!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Category: Dinner
Cuisine: American

Keywords: instant pot beef stew, beef stew recipe, easy beef stew