Instant Pot French Dip

Best French dip Instant Pot recipe with tender roast beef on a bun that’s out of this world. Use your pressure cooker or Ninja Foodi to try this for dinner with a few ingredients, great for sliders with au jus sauce.

This French dip sandwich is beyond amazing. We will show you how to cook tender roast beef with delicious dipping for lunch or dinner. Just one of our easy Instant Pot recipes here on The Typical Mom blog. (affiliate links present)

Frozen Instant Pot French Dip

I love when I find beef on sale, then I load up but you can actually make it with a frozen roast in Instant Pot too if you are forgetful! This has been a game changer, allowing us to eat together as a family more often which is our goal as parents.

If you don’t have an InstaPot you can still make it though. Any electric pressure cooker brand like Crockpot Express and/or Ninja Foodi works just as well. Just throw it all in and enjoy this one pot meal in the evening.

What is French dip made of?

You are going to want a few pounds of Beef brisket or a chuck roast could be used if that is what you have on hand. It doesn’t need to be a piece with a lot of fat. Most of the time there isn’t, it’s a rather lean cut.

Olive oil, melted butter or vegetable oil will be needed for the first step when you saute to brown the meat first. This will lock in the moisture to keep it as tender as possible.

You can find French’s Onion soup mix in a box with multiple packets inside. It is an easy way to add all the flavors you love with just dumping that in.

Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce could be used as an alternative to add a deeper salty flavor to the liquid you’re cooking in (and your au jus that will be served with it).

As for the necessary liquid I highly recommend Beef broth vs. water for more flavor. You could use half broth and half red wine if desired too.

And to add more flavor you can add a few Bay leaves with a pinch or two of Kosher salt and pepper to taste at the beginning and when served. You could whisk in some cornstarch to thicken a bit but that isn’t really necessary in my opinion.

We typically serve these on rolls or slices of French Bread with a slice of provolone cheese or Swiss. Dipped and eaten with warm au jus broth/sauce sometimes called a consommé.

Cooking Tips

When pressure cooking a thick piece of meat you need to remember that once the cooking time is complete it’s important to keep the valve sealed for a good 20 minutes so it can naturally release and lock in the juices. Quick release will suck some of the moisture out which is no good.

It is important to use enough liquid where the protein is fairly submerged. This will create very tender roast beef that will be fork tender when done. That is what you want for sure!! You don’t want to boil it by submerging it entirely but these machines depend on liquid to essentially steam it.

You want to break down all those connective tissues with pressure cooker roast beef, that is what makes it chewy and not as appetizing. Some cuts are tougher than others but really when pressure cooking it is hard to cook it too long. The biggest thing that will happen the longer it’s in there is instead of being able to slice, it will shred instead.

Do you need to brown meat before cooking French dip?

The first thing you usually want to do when cooking a large hunk of meat like this one is to sear the roast. This can be done on the saute function for less than 15 minutes, just to get some browning on the outside. Can be skipped but it is important to keep it nice and moist and add a bit of texture to the outside too.

You can choose to use your favorite cut of beef really, the sauce is what makes this delicious. I typically look to see what is on sale really. Of course some cuts are more expensive than others, more importantly this is for about 2 lbs. Just like our Instant Pot birria tacos the sauce and meat MUST be served together or it’s a no. 😉

Keep in mind that with time to pressurize, pressure cook and naturally release the steam you’ll need about 100 minutes for the process to complete. Quick compared to other methods of cooking but still takes time.

Shred beef in pot or on cutting board. It should be fall apart tender so you can do this with forks. If you used a much larger piece of protein you may need longer than 50 min. to get to this point.

Shredding should be very easy. If it is hard to pull apart then it hasn’t cooked long enough. For a 2 lb. beef brisket this timing should be perfect. You could slice it too against the grain but it will likely fall apart more than staying in tact.

It is totally up to you what you like included with your meat. Use your imagination. Many times it is served “plain” with just meat and cheese with au jus dipping sauce on the side. If you wanted it to be low carb just skip the bread all together and still delish.

Other easy Instant Pot one pot meals you’ll love

I use this one really often when I am just done at the end of the day but still want a homemade meal. You just need meat cut into large chunks, and a bottle of your favorite sauce. I mean even teriyaki works well.

Make a pot of rice with maybe some steamed vegetables on the side and dinner is served! Way cheaper than going out to eat, healthier, and family dinners are the best to get your kids (especially teens) talking. 😉

FAQ

What goes with French dip?

We usually serve it as is but a side salad is always a good and easy side dish. Some like it with a bowl of Instant Pot tomato basil soup too.