Easy Instant Pot stew meat recipe you’ll love. Full of tender meat, potatoes, carrots and thick gravy it’s a low fat one pot tasty meal.

Cooking tender Instant Pot stew meat has never been easier. NO more tending to the stove or waiting all day for it to be perfect, this is an easy Instant Pot recipe for dinner.
Instant Pot Stew Meat
You can find this bite size cut at any local grocery store. It may not be seen as the most desirable, but cooked right it can be fork tender and delicious.
We have a lot of it in our freezer since we buy bulk meat online, and from local farmers every year.
Let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then PRINT this —–> Instant Pot cooking times cheat sheet that will help you understand how long meat, vegetables and beans take to cook in your pressure cooker.
- This is a great InstaPot cookbook and set of wooden utensils are great to grab too.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot.
- You should still deglaze pressure cooker after sautéing but it won’t have as many issues with this better liner.
For reference, this is the pressure cooker I have and use for all recipe creations.

Instant Pot Beef Stew
You really can make a batch of pressure cooker stew with any type of protein. The best method is to use fresh or defrosted meat. If you have a forgetful moment though you can still make our frozen stew meat Instant Pot recipe.
I mean, you can even make Instant Pot chicken stew, or use that pork loin in a new way and make this pork stew Instant Pot recipe too.
BUT since we are focusing on cheap recipes lately, we will use beef stew meat as our focus today.

Instant Pot Stew
Here are a few questions you might have before you get going any further:
It’s quite easy really. The best method in my opinion is to pressure cook the meat until it’s reached perfection, then add the vegetables. Add a few more minutes so they get tender but not mushy.
This will automatically set to the normal setting for 35 minutes. I rarely ever use this button. Instead I’d rather gage the cook time myself using high pressure with a natural release.
Sauteeing the meat and onions with a bit of olive oil at first is a good step, but not a must. If you take the extra few minutes to do this though it will trap the juices a bit better inside and add some outer texture as well.
I add onions to just about everything, but they could be omitted.

Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe
Let’s talk potatoes shall we? Since we live in the “potato state” russets are super cheap and I always have some in my pantry. I do like red as well. They maintain their texture better for a longer period of cook time.
Depending on the recipe and what I have on hand I swap between the two. For dishes such as our Instant Pot potato corn chowder I use red for added texture.
The larger the pieces are the firmer they will be when done, but will still be soft. I don’t like mine to fall apart so this is how big I usually slice mine.

There is a wide variety of stews out there and by golly, use what you wish to get the best results for your tastebuds.
Stew Meat in Instant Pot
This is what was used for this batch of stew in the Instant Pot.
- Cubed meat
- stew meat or cut chuck roast works great
- Carrots and potatoes
- Worcestershire sauce
- Beef broth
- Olive oil
- Onion soup mix packet
- Salt and pepper
- Thyme and oregano
- Bay leaf could be an optional add in
If you’d like to add 1/2 broth and 1/2 red wine for your total 32 ounces of needed liquid you could do that too.

Here’s a quick step by step but there’s also a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Instant Pot Frozen Stew Meat
Time needed: 22 minutes.
Instant Pot Stew Meat
- Saute
Set pot to saute and add oil. Rub salt and pepper on your meat pieces and add into the pot. (you could add 1 c. sliced onions too)
Brown the meat so pieces are no longer pink.
Turn off pot and turn it to cancel. Scrape brown bits stuck on bottom off to deglaze. - Add ingredients
Pour 32 oz. beef broth + plus all other ingredients EXCEPT potatoes and carrots into pot. Stir. Turn steam valve and lid to closed positions.
- Cook
Set to high pressure for 18 minutes. Allow pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes. Add potatoes and carrots, stir to combine.
Cover and seal vent again, set to high pressure for 4 minutes.
Do a quick release. - Thicken
If you want to thicken broth you can set pot to saute again. In small bowl add 2 tbsp cornstarch with some of your hot liquid. Whisk together and pour into pot.
Stir, allow it to bubble and thicken broth. Will continue to thicken as it sits. Serve.
You will now have tender beef and vegetables in a thick broth to enjoy! You can try our slow cooker stew too and see which you prefer.

Instant Pot Stew Meat Recipes
We have several other meals you can use this protein in too like:
- Instant Pot beef stroganoff is comfort food in a bowl.
- I have made a pot full of pressure cooker pot pie soup as well.
- If you prefer rice over noodles, give our Instant Pot stew casserole a whirl.
- You could use it to make this butter beef dish as well if you wanted.
Want to see a few of my favorite things that I am totally obsessed with?? Take a peek and see how many you might already have…twinsies!
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Instant Pot Stew Meat
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs stew meat
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt + more salt and pepper to season when done
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 32 oz beef broth
- 4 medium potatoes cut into bite size pieces, or 2 cans white potatoes cut in half
- 2 c carrots
- 2 cans fire roasted tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1.5 tsp oregano
- 1 packet onion soup mix
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 c water
Instructions
- Set pot to saute and add oil. Rub salt and pepper on your meat pieces and add into the pot. (you could add 1 c. sliced onions too)
- Brown outsides of meat so they're no longer pink.
- Pour 32 oz. beef broth into pot + all other ingredients EXCEPT potatoes and carrots. Stir together. Close lid and seal vent.
- Set to high pressure for 18 minutes.
- Allow pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes.
- Add potatoes and carrots, stir to combine.
- Cover and seal vent again, set to high pressure for 4 minutes.
- Do a quick release.
- If you want to thicken broth you can set pot to saute again. In small bowl add 2 tbsp cornstarch with some of your hot liquid. Whisk together and pour into pot. Stir, allow it to bubble and thicken broth.
- Taste, adjust salt and pepper. Will continue to thicken as it sits. Serve.
Bobbie
Friday 16th of July 2021
I am making this today. Just a quick question. How much Worcestershire sauce do you add? It was mentioned above, but not in the ingredient amounts. I’ll rate your recipe after I try it, but it sure sounds great so far.
Nicole Stiffler
Friday 8th of January 2021
YUM
The Typical Mom
Saturday 9th of January 2021
Glad you enjoyed it