This Instant Pot pot roast recipe is impossibly good! Our recipe guarantees tender, melt-in-your-mouth chuck roast and a rich, savory gravy.
I’ve fallen hard for this pot roast, and I think you will, too. I use my 6-quart Instant Pot, but any electric pressure cooker works here.
The beef in this pot roast ends up unbelievably tender! I love shredding it and serving it over mashed potatoes, which I make with potatoes cooked in the Instant Pot with the beef.
Key Ingredients
- Chuck Roast: You want to use a tougher cut of meat like chuck roast, rump roast, or brisket. I use beef chuck roast for this recipe. It’s a cut taken from the shoulder area of the cow with lots if connective tissue that breaks down as it cooks in the pressure cooker. It turns out fall-apart tender! We also use chuck roast for beef stew, beef birria (hello, birria tacos) and shredded beef.
- Beef Broth and Bouillon: I use good-quality beef broth and add more flavor with beef bouillon cubes or mix, which makes the gravy extra rich and beefy.
- Vinegar: I always add a little apple cider vinegar to the pot before pressure cooking (and do the same when making bone broth in a pressure cooker, too). It adds some acidity, balancing the rich flavor of the beef. It also helps break down the connective tissues, hopefully making the beef even more luxuriously tender. Balsamic vinegar is a good substitute.
- Herbs and Spices: We pack in lots of flavor with onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, fresh garlic, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, and a bay leaf.
- Veggies: We keep things classic with onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes. The onions melt into the gravy, which I love. I use baby potatoes, which you can serve whole or mash before serving. Since the potatoes cook with the beef juices, they taste amazing.
- Cornstarch Slurry and Cream: These are optional, but I love using them to thicken and finish the gravy to serve over our tender beef.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Our Favorite Instant Pot Pot Roast
Tip 1: Start by using the sauté function. For extra flavor and some color on the outside of the beef, sear your seasoned beef roast on all sides until golden brown, then transfer it to a plate. There will be some rendered beef fat left from searing, which you’ll use to cook the vegetables (hello flavor!).
Tip 2: Scrape all the browned, stuck bits at the bottom of the cooker. After browning the beef and sautéing the veggies, there will be lots of little browned bits stuck to the bottom. They will add LOTS of flavor to the braising liquid, so it’s important to add your beef broth, bouillon, and apple cider vinegar, then use a wooden spoon to scrape everything off the bottom of the pot.
Tip 3: Cook the beef based on its weight. The cooking time depends on the size of your roast. Cook it for 20 minutes for every pound of beef on high pressure. So, for a 3-pound chuck roast, that means you’ll cook it for 60 minutes (1 hour). After cooking, use the quick-release to vent the pressure.
Tip 4: Make the optional gravy. You’ll remove the beef, veggies, and herbs from the pot and use the sauté function to simmer the liquid until it reduces a bit. Then, you’ll whisk in a simple mixture of cornstarch and water, along with a splash of cream.
The carrots, onion, and celery turn out pretty soft, so I don’t usually serve them (they already gave lots of flavor to the pot roast). That said, you can blend some of them back into the gravy at the end. Tips for this are below!
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Easiest Bone Broth
- Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken
- Ultimate Pulled Pork – slow cooker recipe, but Instant Pot instructions provided
- Instant Pot Eggs
- Homemade Applesauce
The Best Instant Pot Pot Roast
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This easy Instant Pot pot roast creates incredibly tender, flavorful beef. It’s perfect for the whole family. I use my Instant Pot, but this recipe works with any pressure cooker.
For this recipe, use tougher cuts of beef, such as chuck, brisket, or round. In the pressure cooker, these become melt-in-your-mouth tender. I love adding baby potatoes. They become very soft, so I mash them to serve with the pot roast. We also add carrots, celery, and garlic for extra flavor. Since they get soft during cooking, we consider them flavor additions rather than side dishes. If you’d like to serve this with carrots, I highly recommend these roasted carrots.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
3 pounds beef chuck, brisket, or round
Salt
1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large onion
5 medium carrots (12 ounces)
4 celery stalks
5 to 6 garlic cloves
1 ½ tablespoons high-heat cooking oil
3 cups beef broth, try homemade beef broth
1 to 2 bouillon cubes or use bouillon mix, optional
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4 rosemary sprigs
4 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
12 ounces baby potatoes, optional
2 tablespoons cornstarch, optional for gravy
2 tablespoons cream, optional for gravy
Directions
- Cook Your Pot Roast
1Season the beef: Pat the beef dry with a paper towel. Generously sprinkle it all over with salt (I use 2 to 3 teaspoons). Let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
2Make the spice blend: In a small bowl, stir the onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper together.
3Prepare the veggies: Peel and cut the onion into large chunks. Peel and slice the carrots and celery into thick, long sticks. Smash the garlic cloves with the flat side of a knife and peel away the skins.
4Brown the beef: Rub the spice mixture all over the beef. Add the oil to your Instant Pot and set it to Sauté on high heat. Once the oil is hot, carefully brown the beef on all sides, about 4 minutes per side, until a deep golden crust forms. Transfer the browned beef to a plate, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.
5Sauté the veggies: Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic cloves to the pot. Cook until they soften and get lightly browned in spots, about 6 minutes. Remove them to the same plate as the beef.
6Make the cooking liquid: Add the beef broth, bouillon, and vinegar. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. This adds a ton of flavor and helps prevent the Instant Pot’s “Burn” notice.
7Pressure cook: Turn the Sauté function off. Return the browned beef and vegetables to the pot. Add the rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, and potatoes (if using). It’s okay if the liquid doesn’t fully cover all of the ingredients. Secure the lid and set the Instant Pot to cook at Manual High Pressure for 60 minutes. Note: Adjust the time based on your roast’s weight, cooking for 20 minutes for every pound.
8Release the pressure: When the cooking time is up, allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes before you use the quick-release method to vent the remaining pressure. Be careful to keep your hands and face away from the venting steam.
9To finish: Remove the beef and shred it to your desired size on a cutting board. Serve with the cooked potatoes (whole or mashed). The carrots and celery will be very soft, but you can serve them or blend them into the gravy.
- Optional Quick Gravy
1Reduce the liquid: Remove the vegetables and herbs from the cooking liquid. Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté (high heat) and boil the liquid until it reduces by about a quarter.
2Thicken the gravy: Whisk the cornstarch and ¼ cup of water in a small bowl. Slowly whisk this mixture into the simmering liquid, stirring constantly until it thickens. Turn off the heat.
3Finish and serve: Season the gravy to taste with salt and pepper. If you want a richer texture, add a splash of cream. Optionally, blend in some of the veggies. For an even richer, thicker gravy, add the gravy and about ½ cup of the soft cooked veggies (carrots, onions, and celery) to a blender. Blend until smooth. Be sure to vent the steam from the blender by leaving the small inset out and covering the top with a kitchen towel.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Keep leftover pot roast in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating on the stove or in the microwave.
- Our pressure cooker: We have the 6-quart Instant Pot.
- Cooking time: When cooking a pot roast in an Instant Pot, allow 20 minutes for every pound of meat. For example, cook a 2-pound pot roast at high pressure for 40 minutes and a 3-pound pot roast for 60 minutes.
- Frozen beef: I highly recommend thawing your beef for this recipe, since you cannot sear the frozen beef. If you must use frozen beef, assume 30 minutes per pound.
- What to do if your pot roast is tough: Your pot roast should be incredibly tender and fall apart easily with a fork. If it’s still tough, you will need to cook it longer. The pressure cooking process breaks down tough meat, making it tender. Put the lid back on, seal the pressure cooker, and cook at high pressure for another 10 to 20 minutes.
- The provided nutrition facts are estimates. Sodium content will vary based on the ingredients you use.
I made this recipe today, 28th December 2025. I was thinking of my grandma and the delicious pot roasts she used to make in the 1980s on cold Scottish winter days.
Yours was the first recipe I came across and I made a shopping list and went to get my supplies. I have never made pot roast before and neither am I an amazing chef, so I really appreciated the easy to follow format and details for getting this right!
I had a 2lb piece of beef and cooked at pressure for 40 mins. When I took the beef out I was absolutely blown away by how GOOD it was. Falling apart, tender and juicy, very flavoursome and I know I could eat this every day for the rest of my life 😀
Thank you for publishing this recipe and sharing a secret to outstanding pot roast – my daughter asked me if it was as good as my grandma’s – I had to be honest and say that “mine” is now even better than the one my grandma used to make (hers was made in a big pot, no electric pressure cookers in her day)
Thank you again, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Caroline, who has never left a recipe review comment EVER – couldn’t leave without telling you how good it was 😉
Thank you so much for your kind words, Caz! We are so happy you found us and that you enjoyed the recipe so much.
I finally broke down and bought an Instantpot on Black Friday (I use a stove top pressure cooker) I am making this roast right now and it smells amazing in the house and I’m sure the taste is going to be spot on. I used red wine instead of vinegar added mushrooms and didn’t use rosemary because I’m not a fan. My mouth is watering at the smell! Thank you for the recipe!
You are so welcome! The smell is one of our favorite things about making this recipe. You are going to love it 🙂
SO SO good! My husband loves this type of comfort food, and he was delighted with the outcome. We followed the recipe exactly, using bison chuck roast (we often sub bison for beef due to taste and texture preference). I had stopped trying with my Instant Pot, having had no success over the years, but this recipe may have changed my mind, thank you!
10/10 this was so delicious!! I will definitely be making again.
Yay! So glad you loved it 🙂
We made this roast for Dinner tonight and it was fork tender and delicious. The aromatics while cooking and when taking the lid off the Instant Pot piqued our appetites.
This was disappointing. The cooking time for 3 lb of meat was right for the meat but the potatoes and carrots became mush. Unedible. Also way too much liquid. I cut back to 2 cups of stock and it still looked like soup. Probably should recommend foil-packing the veggies and placing them on top of the meat instead of adding them to the pot. Also, the rosemary overwhelmed the other flavors.
Carrots and potatoes only need 7 minutes on high pressure. Of course they were mush after I take the roast out to rest 20 minutes i cook the veggies
Hi Larry, We address the veggies becoming soft above. We add them primarily for flavor and recommend that if you do not want soft carrots for serving to roast some in the oven. Also, for the potatoes, I like mashing them (as pictured above), which gets around them being soft.
Delicious! Thank you for the recipe!!
Well, I made it and the meat was tough. Probably will just use the crockpot next time.
Michael, I’ve been cooking beef ribs for 3 years in instant pot, in used yo wait 15 minutes then release pressure… They were tender always but not fall apart.then one time I dozed off for 90 minutes with them on warm… They were SO tender! So that’s what I do now. When it try this recipe tomorrow that’s what i’m gonna do that and see what happens🙂🙋♂️
This recipe looks good but it seems like a long time to leave the veggies in when pressure cooking. Don’t they turn mushy?
Doug, is take out the roast then cook veggies for 7 minutes.
Hi Doug, we address this above. Yes, the veggies do become very soft, but we still add them for the flavor they add to the gravy.
This isn’t a review yet though this recipe sounds amazing. I am going to use this recipe for a 4.2 lb chuck roast. Do I follow the quantity of all the ingredients as written in the recipe for a 3 lb roast, or do I increase the amount of everything proportionately? I know to adjust the cooking time to 84 minutes. TIA!
I’d keep everything, but the cooking time the same.
Can you give me times to make this recipe using a top round roast. The chuck is way to fatty for me. I prefer using a roast that isn’t so fatty. The taste is just as good (when I used the oven), but is it 20 min per pound of meat regardless of what the roast is?? Thank you!
It should be pretty close, just keep in mind that a leaner cut will not be as tender in the end.
Don’t know where i went wrong, but after one hour in the instant pot, my 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) beef was no where near done. We ate the veggies, which were lovely btw. i will be eating the beef tomorrow, once i get my mojo back.
Hi Glenn, Is it possible the setting was not accurate? Some pressure cookers have a low and high. This recipe assumes high.
I made this roast last night and it was so good. I will be making it again! Thank you.
I haven’t had a pot roast since my grandpa passed away about 20 years ago and I have never made it for my own family. I got a roast as part of an organic beef box and came across your recipe to try my hand at it. The only thing i changed was that I used a dry white wine instead of ACV. It was so good and the potatoes and carrots took me right back to my childhood. I actually cried because of the memories it brought up. My husband is not a fan of roasts or crockpot meals (the main reason for not making one in our 28 years of marriage) but he loved it and actually took seconds! Saving this one for the next beef box roast! Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for sharing your touching story and we are thrilled that you love the recipe 🙂
I put in 2 lbs for 40 minutes, let it release on its own for 10 minutes and completed everything to a T but it was not at ALL pull apart. Still needed a knife to cut through it. I put it back in for 30 minutes and it came back out okay.
Hi Taylor, Was your beef left out of the fridge for a bit before cooking?
I love this recipe! The only thing I did differently was to cook the meat half the time, then put the sauteed veggies back in for the rest of the time. I don’t want mushy carrots and potaties! Then before I put roux in to thicken, I added mushrooms and sauteed a bit until they were just done. I took this to work and was a hero!
I’m going to make this for dinner tonight and I am going to do the same thing because I do not like my veggies mushy either.
Best pot roast recipe ever! I’ve made this so many times and my brother PAID ME to make this again, after I made it a week earlier for Christmas. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a tender, delicious comfort meal that’s easy to make in the instant pot!
That is incredible! We are thrilled you and your family love it 🙂
Wow!! What a wonderful recipe! The roast was perfect. Super tender with lots of flavor. I ended up blending the liquid with the onions, celery, garlic, and some carrots. I used that as a gravy and it was so flavorful. Next time I will probably reduce the fresh thyme and rosemary. Definitely will make again! Thank you so much!!!!
Yay! We are so glad that you loved the recipe 🙂
Super tasty, relatively easy for the very gourmet taste that you get at the end. I followed the steps, I omitted the carrots as I didn’t have any. Added dried thyme (didn’t have fresh) and my own steak seasoning. My family loved it too- definitely one to cook again!
I made this today, unbelievably delicious and fork tender! Made 700~ grams 40 minutes and 10 minutes natural release.
We are so happy you enjoyed it!
I made the Easy Pot Roast last night and followed your recipe to the tee. Everyone said it was the best roast they had ever had! They called me the Queen of the Kitchen! It truly was delicious. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Wow, how wonderful! So happy you found us and thanks for coming back!
I recently had the pleasure of trying out this recipe at home, and I must say, it exceeded my expectations!
Wonderful! 🙂
Oh my gosh thank you so much💝
I have not tried this recipe, in fact I just bought my Instant Pot and haven’t even taken it out of the box yet. After spending several hours yesterday “learning about cooking with this new appliance” and looking for recipes (I don’t use them, just instict), I was so confused by the contradictory information ℹ was almost decided to take it back. Luckily a last ditch effort brought me to you and your exemplary and thorough explanation of every minute detail, including mentioning (if you are new) has not only given me the confidence, but now I am excited to get to know my new best friend(s)… The instant pot and you 💕. I won’t be trying this recipe for a few days while I get familiar, but as mentioned earlier, AM SO EXCITED, I can hardly wait!
Interm, a question, and an old pro tip… Have you used IP to make stock with chicken feet? Rather than cornstarch or flour for gravey, just take those spent veggies including a couple of carrots and blend them into the juice with an immersion blender or such. It will be just the right thickness, more flavourful and completely waste free 😊.
Hi Christina, Thank you for such a lovely comment! We are excited for you, too! We love your tips about the chicken feet and blending in the veggies. Great ideas!
This turned out well for my little 1-lb roast, though it was thicker than most and had to go back into the IP for an additional 6 minutes. I cooked potatoes separately, and the gravy was good!
Recipe is amazing! I used Better than bouillon for my beef broth. Did everything else as directed. Used the herbs from my garden and mixed baby potatoes with the rest. Thickened gravy with corn starch slurry and gravy was thick and perfect!
I made this for 12 person serving size and had to cook the roast for 2.5 hours but it turned out amazing and everyone loved it!
Never in my LIFE have I took the time to make a comment about a recipe I get online, but this right hereeeee is WORTH my time and comment. This recipe is perfection, a dinner party hit. I usually make it with my mom who does not need a recipe, but she was out of town and this looked delicious. I doubled it and my, oh my, this was beyond scrumptious. The meat came out perfectly and everyone was raving about the flavor and wanted the recipe. This roast will NOT disappoint.
Have you tried using beef stew meat instead of a whole roast? If so, how would you adjust the cooking time if needed. Thank you!
Delicious! Husband approved. I do laugh at any recipe titled “EASY” though. My idea of easy is ordering take-out. Of course ordering take-out is never as good as this!
I have never made a roast that didn’t come out dry. This was perfect and so good! I will be making this again. So tender and juicy and so much flavor. Thank you so much for this recipe!!!
That’s wonderful, Terri!
Great recipe. jo make gravy, instead of just using the cooking liquid I use everything but the meat and the herbs, and put it into a Vitamix or use a stick blender to make a fine puree. It has all the essences of the aromatics, plus you don’t have to fiddle around with adding starch. If the resulting gravy is too thick, it is easily thinned a bit with beef stock. One more thing I do for a bit of extra umami – I add about 3/4 cup of mixed dried mushrooms, rehydrated with beef stock, to the veggies for saute, reserving the mushroom water. I use the mushroom water/stock to add a little more liquid and flavor to the pot.
We made this recipe last night to celebrate the Winter Solstice. The only step I modified was browning our 2 lb chuck roast in a frying pan because I didn’t think it would fit in our instant pot (and it totally would have! I’ll be braver next time). We followed everything else to the letter, using Better Than Bouillon and 12 oz of baby yukon gold potatoes. It was incredible. My husband and I each grew up thinking we didn’t like pot roast, but this recipe proves that we just hadn’t eaten GOOD pot roast. We savored every bite, including the carrots! The potatoes soaked up the delicious juices. Since we’re a family of two, we had some leftovers. I reserved most of the liquid and will try gently re-heating the meat in a saucepan for dinner. I plan to roast some carrots and mash some potatoes with it.
We made the easy instant pot pot roast recipe today. Everything was great expect our meat was 4.55lbs and it cooked fully in 45min in the steamer on pressure high. It was tender, but to make very tender would be another 5min we think. We stopped the cooking process because we were afraid to overcook the carrots and potatoes that were cooked perfectly. We plan to make this recipe again. We would appreciate any advice. We are looking forward to making leftover meals. Thank you, Brenda and Ian
Next time, for a roast that big. Don’t add the veggies and cook everything else for 1 hour. Then pressure release, open up and ad the veggies. Then cook another 20 minutes. It will fall apart and be the most tender beef you ever had.
I’m no expert but as you were looking for advice and not received any yet, I’d suggest next time cut a big piece of meat like yours in half before putting in pot. it will need a bit less time and since you are shredding anyway, it won’t matter in the end. That way it should be ready when the veggies are.
I made this last night for the 1st time. It came out tasty. I did add a couple of additional things-had leftover mushrooms that needed to be used, popped those in. Added 2 tbsp of Gravy Master to the pan juices. Pretty good, next time I will cook a little less as the meat was a bit dry in spots. Thanks for an easy one pot meal.
Can I leave the IP on warm setting if the roast is done before we are ready to eat?
Yes, that should be fine.