This recipe for Instant Pot chuck roast is quick and easy to prepare, and is sure to become your new favorite one-pot dinner. Cooking chuck roast in an Instant Pot gives you fall-apart tender beef and tasty vegetables in a fraction of the time a traditional slow-cooked pot roast would take to cook.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Chuck roast cooked right is a tasty dish and no mistake. However, it can be tricky to cook it right if you are not sure what you are doing. One of the easiest and most fool-proof ways to cook it I have found is this recipe for Instant Pot chuck roast recipe.
Cooking a chuck roast in an Instant Pot (or another electric pressure cooker) is such a great option because you get that delicious melt-in-the-mouth slow-cooked style beef roast made in a fraction of the time it would normally take to cook. Plus, the vegetables are cooked in with the meat, and you can make gravy too, making this the ultimate one-pot dinner.
p.s. If you have more time on your hands, chuck roast is perfect for making a traditional pot roast in a slow cooker, check out my slow cooker pot roast recipe.
Scroll down for the printable card for this Instant Pot braised beef recipe, or read on for all the details.
What do you need?
Equipment
This recipe uses an Instant Pot, but you can use any brand of electric pressure cooker or multicooker with a pressure cook function.
Key ingredients
All ingredients and quantities are given in the recipe card below.
Chuck roast
This cut of meat is normally on the cheaper side, and considered to be tough compared to many other cuts of beef. However, it is the best cut to use for any slow cooker recipe or a pressure cooker pot roast because the fat and connective tissue in the beef melts during cooking, making the meat succulent and fall-apart tender when it is done. You can use another tough cut of beef like brisket or blade roast. If you have a leaner cut of beef like a strip loin roast, a tenderloin, or a prime rib roast then try this air fryer roast beef recipe, they would be wasted in a pressure cooker.
>> Related post: The Best Cuts of Meat for Pot Roast
Beef broth
The recipe below uses beef broth as a nice rich cooking liquid for this roast. You could substitute beef stock or another type of stock or broth, but the flavor won’t be as rich and beefy, so choose beef broth if you can.
Herbs
I like traditional thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves for this roast recipe. You can use fresh or dried thyme and rosemary (finely chop fresh rosemary before use), though dried bay leaves are recommended.
Vegetables
This recipe uses carrots, potatoes, and green beans, but feel free to use any combination of veggies that you like to have with roasted beef. Try parsnips or pumpkin.
Cornstarch
Cornstarch (aka cornflour in UK, Australia, and New Zealand) is used to thicken the gravy once the meat and vegetables have finished cooking. You can skip it if you don’t have any or are short on time, but a nice thick gravy really makes this dish if you ask me.
How to cook a chuck roast in an Instant Pot
This recipe is very simple to prepare, but there are a few key steps you need to get right to make this tasty dinner just right.
- Season the beef well and sear on all sides. Searing the beef seals in the juices, and helps the beef to develop a rich flavor. This step is so key to getting a tasty dark brown roast, so please don’t skip it. It is easy to do in the Instant Pot as we can use the “Saute” function to brown the meat in the same pot that we will cook the roast in, saving on dishes!
- Deglaze the inner pot. Remove the beef, add the broth and deglaze the pot. “Deglaze” is basically a fancy way of saying “scrub off the brown bits stuck to the pot”. Use a silicone spatula or a wooden spoon. These brown burnt-looking bits are full of tasty beefy flavor, and so we want them in the cooking liquid (as a bonus, this makes the pot easier to clean at the end).
- Pressure cook on HIGH for 60 minutes. Add the beef back to the inner pot along with the herbs, then set it to pressure cook on high for 60 minutes. This might seem like a long time, but for chuck roast, we want the beef to cook for long enough that the tough bits melt, making the beef soft and tender. If you were using a slow cooker or Dutch oven to cook this recipe you would be looking at 4 hours or longer, so just 60 minutes is actually very quick for ‘slow-cooked’ style chuck roast.
- Add the vegetables and pressure cook again. After the beef has cooked for 60 minutes, release the pressure (10 minutes natural release, the quick release), add the vegetables and pressure cook for another 3 minutes. Adding the vegetables in at the end means they will retain their texture, anf be fork-tender instead of mushy, since they do not need to cook for anywhere near as long as a chuck roast.
- Rest the beef. Resting the beef is key to getting a really moist roast. It allows the juices to reabsorb into the meat before you serve it. Also, it gives you time to make the gravy.
- Make the gravy. Many people serve a pot roast with the liquid juices from the cooking pan as a sauce. However, you will find that smothering this roast in a nice thick salty gravy is a much tastier way to serve it. It is easy to make in the Instant Pot, since all you need to do is whip up a quick cornstarch slurry (equal parts cornstarch and cold water, ½tablespoon per cup of liquid), switch the Instant Pot to “Saute”, and simmer and stir while you add the cornstarch and let it thicken. Full details are in the recipe card below.
How long to pressure cook chuck roast
To adapt this recipe for a different size of chuck roast, use the times in the table below as a guide.
| Size of roast | Time |
|---|---|
| 2-3lb/ 1-1.5kg | 55-60 minutes |
| 3-4lb/ 1.5-2kg | 60-65 minutes |
| 4-5lb/ 2-2.5kg | 65-75 minutes |
| 5-6 lb/ 2.5-3kg | 75-85 minutes |
Storing and reheating
If you have leftover chuck roast or vegetables, store them in an air tight container in the refrigerator, and use within 3 days. To reheat the chuck roast, transfer to a microwave safe container and heat in the microwave on high for 2-3 minutes until it is heated through. You may need to stir it and heat again, depending on how much you have to reheat.
Store any leftover gravy in the same way, and either serve it over any leftover chuck roast, or with tomorrow night’s dinner (whatever that may be). It is great with mashed potato, sausages, potato fries, steak, meatballs, and so so much more.
Warm it up in a small saucepan or transfer to a microwave-safe container and heat on high for 1-2 minutes until hot.
Instant Pot Chuck Roast (with vegetables)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 lbs / 1.4 kg beef roast ([Note 1])
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper (finely ground )
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 bay leaves (optional)
Vegetables [Note 2]
- 1 small red onion (cut into 1-inch wedges)
- 3 large carrots (cut into 1-inch chunks)
- 1 lb / 450 g fingerling potatoes (halved)
- 1 lb / 450 g green beans (trimmed)
For the Gravy
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch ([Note 3])
- 2 tablespoons cold water
Directions
- Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot inner cooking pot and select the "Sauté" function. Adjust the power to high (by pressing "More").
- When the oil is hot add the beef roast and sprinkle the salt and pepper over it to season. Sear the roast on all sides, approximately 3-4 minutes per side. Remove roast from Instant Pot and transfer to a plate. Set aside.
- Add the beef broth, then deglaze the inner pot by gently scraping the bottom with a rubber spatula to release any brown bits. Add the tomato paste, herbs, and garlic powder, and stir to combine. Press the Cancel button to end the Sauté program.
- Place the beef roast in the Instant Pot. Add the lid and lock it into place with the vent set to "Sealing". Select the "Pressure Cook" or "Manual" function and adjust to "High". Set the cooking time to 60 minutes.
- While the beef is cooking prepare the vegetables.
- When cook time has finished, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes before doing a quick release on any remaining pressure. Add onion, carrots, potatoes, and green beans on top of the roast.
- Put the lid back on and lock into place with the vent set to "Sealing". Press the "Pressure cook"/ "Manual" button (check it is still set to "High"), and set to pressure cook for 3 minutes.
- When cooking time is has finished, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes before doing a quick release on any remaining pressure.
- Carefully remove the lid and transfer roast and vegetables to a serving plate and cover with foil while you make the gravy
- Make a slurry with the cornstarch mixed with a little cold water. Switch the Instant Pot to "Saute", and slowly add the cornstarch slurry to the liquid in the Instant Pot. Allow it to simmer, stirring frequently for around 5 minutes until the gravy has thickened to your liking.
- Serve chuck roast and vegetables smothered in the gravy. Enjoy!
Notes
- Chuck roast is best for this recipe, but you can use brisket or blade roast.
- Prep the vegetables after the roast starts cooking.
- Cornstarch is also known as cornflour in the UK, Australia and NZ. Note: this is not the same as corn flour in the US.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and provided for informational purposes only.