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Instant Pot Beef Stew

Instant Pot Beef Stew – The perfect hearty stew for a cold night.  Tender beef simmered with celery, onions, carrots, potatoes and red wine.

I have been obsessed with using my Instant Pot lately, it just makes dinner so easy.  These Instant Pot Chicken Tacos are perfect for busy weeknights. You can cook a cut of meat that normally takes hours in just minutes and it comes out super tender and delicious. This Pulled Pork is the perfect example.  

Today I am showing you how stew meat that normally cooks for hours to get super tender is ready so much faster in the Instant Pot.  When I was growing up my mom used to make stew all of the time.  I have to say it wasn’t my favorite, but that was usually because of the vegetables she put in it.  Now I fill with my favorite and it is comforting, hearty, and exactly what I crave on a cold night. 

A plate of food with stew, with Beef and Onion

 

How To Make Beef Stew

  • Stew meat is great to use for stew, because it is already cut and ready to go.  You can also use a chuck roast and trip and cut into 1 inch chunks if you want.  
  • Coat the stew meat in flour and season with salt and pepper.  This helps to thicken the stew. 
  • Set your Instant Pot on the Saute setting and brown the meat.  You may need to do this in batches.  After the meat is browned, remove it from the pan and set aside. 
  • Next brown your onions, carrots and celery until they are soft.  
  • I like to deglaze the pan with the tomato paste and red wine.  Scrape up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. They have lots of great flavor.  
  • Add back in the meat and and all the other ingredients.  Mix until everything is well combined.
  • Seal your Instant Pot and set on high pressure for 35 minutes.  Let it naturally release for 15 minutes before quick releasing until it unlocks.
  • If you want to thicken your stew mix together water and cornstarch and immediately mix into the stew.  Set to Saute so the stew can come to a boil and thicken slightly. 
  • Serve immediately and enjoy a comforting and hearty meal!

A bowl of food with stew, with Beef and Dinner

Pressure cooker beef stew makes for the most tender beef, you won’t go back to making it on the stove top again.  I like beef stew with red wine, because I think it gives it a great depth to the flavor. If you don’t want to use red wine you can just use more beef broth, it will work just as well. In Instant Pot makes this such an easy beef stew to make.  Aside from sauteing the veggies and browning the mean, you just dump all the ingredients and let it go.  

What to Serve with Beef Stew

Just like with Wild Rice Soup, or pretty much any soup, I like bread with my stew.  Homemade Crescent Rolls are absolutely perfect with with.  But if you don’t want to take the time for the yeast to do its thing, you can go with something quicker.  This Easy Biscuit Recipe is great to make in just minutes. 

A bowl of food on a plate, with Stew and Beef

Can Beef Stew be Frozen

Yes, you can definitely freeze beef stew.  It is best to let it cool before putting in an air tight container in the freezer.  You can freeze in smaller portions to make reheating for lunch.  Or freeze in a large container and then reheat on the stove top for an easy dinner. 

How to Thicken Beef Stew

I find the best way to thicken beef stew is with cornstarch.  The stew meat is lightly coated in flour so whether you want to thicken the stew is completely up to you. Mix about 2 Tablespoons of water with 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch and then add to the stew right at the end.  Bring to a boil and it should thicken in just a couple minutes. 

A bowl of food on a plate, with Stew and Beef

Can Beef Stew be Reheated

Yes, beef stew is great reheated. You can microwave one bowl at a time or heat a large batch on the stove. 

Can Beef Stew be Made Ahead of Time

You can definitely make this stew ahead of time.  It is super easy to prep the veggies the day before and just throw it together the day you want to make it.  Chop the onions, celery, and carrots and store them together.  If you are using a chuck roast, you can chop all the meat and have that done ahead of time.  So when you want to cook it, you just pull everything out and saute and do the pressure cooking part.  Or you can do everything ahead of time and then just reheat when you want to serve it.  

A bowl of food on a plate, with Stew and Beef

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Yield: 8

Instant Pot Beef Stew

Instant Pot Beef Stew 3 square

Instant Pot Beef Stew - The perfect hearty stew for a cold night.  Tender beef simmered with celery, onions, carrots, potatoes and red wine.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Additional Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbls vegetable oil
  • 2-3 pounds stew meat (or chuck roast cut into 1 inch pieces)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound Russet potatoes, cubed
  • 1 cup red wine (or beef broth)
  • 1 Tbls tomato paste
  • 2 1/2 cups beef broth
  • 2 Tbls Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning

To Thicken (optional)

  • 2 Tbls water
  • 2 Tbls cornstarch

Instructions

  1. Set Instant Pot to sauté and add oil to the pot. When it is hot, add beef and brown for 3-4 minutes. Don't over crowd the pot, if you need to do this in batches, that is ok. Remove the browned meat from the pot and set aside.
  2. If necessary add additional oil to the pan. Add onions, carrots and celery and cook for 4-5 minutes until veggies are tender. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Mix in tomato paste and red wine. Scrape the bottom of the pan to get up all the brown bits.
  4. Add in the beef, beef broth, potatoes, Worcestershire sauce, bay leave and Italian seasoning. Mix until well combined.
  5. Seal the Instant Pot and cook under high pressure for 35 minutes. Naturally release for 15 minutes before quick releasing to finish.
  6. If you want to thicken the stew, set the Instant Pot to Sauté to bring the stew to a boil. Mix together water and cornstarch and stir into stew. Cook for 2-3 minutes until it thickens and serve.

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Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 650Total Fat 17gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 186mgSodium 775mgCarbohydrates 53gFiber 3gSugar 3gProtein 64g

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on dinnersdishesanddesserts.com should only be used as a general guideline.

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Erin S
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Valeria Iannone

Sunday 13th of November 2022

This was delicious! I made the recipe as is, but I added some chopped cabbage that needed to be used .

Leigh

Wednesday 4th of November 2020

Am I missing where it says when to add the flour and potatoes?? I’m in the middle of making this and realizing I have potatoes still staring at me.

Erin S

Wednesday 4th of November 2020

I am so sorry!! The potatoes get put in with the meat and the broth.

Jacquelyn Hastert

Tuesday 26th of March 2019

This stew looks like one hearty and comforting dinner. I love that it easily comes together in the instant pot!

Rose Mary George

Tuesday 26th of March 2019

WOW! This beef stew looks delicious!

Bee

Tuesday 26th of March 2019

It definitely looks out of this world! It looks so rich and full of flavor! Love this on a cold night!

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