Instant Pot Pot Roast

You are probably used to a pot roast taking all day, simmering away in a slow cooker or in the oven. But thanks to the Instant Pot, pot roast can be done in a fraction of the time—and, dare we say it, it may be even better than any other version we've ever tried.

This Instant Pot pot roast recipe results in a melt-in-your-mouth roast with tender potatoes and carrots. All of it is cooked in a deep and flavorful gravy, and it makes wonderful leftovers if you want dinner for another night.

Learn how to make Instant Pot pot roast, and find your new way to make this classic comfort food.

Ingredients for Instant Pot Pot Roast

The classic pot roast recipe ingredients are all here—plus a few secret flavor ingredients:

• Boneless chuck roast: This is an inexpensive cut of meat, but the pressure cooker does wonders to it, turning it extra tender in a short amount of time. You could also use a top or bottom round roast or a blade roast.
• Salt and pepper: To season the roast and the gravy.
• Beef broth: The bulk of the gravy liquid.
• Red wine: Optional, but it adds a nice tang to the gravy. If you choose not to use it, you could use apple cider or more broth.
• Worcestershire sauce: Instant umami flavor and deeply satisfying flavor.
• Grape jelly: You'll know this trick if you've ever eaten grape jelly meatballs. This spread adds a subtle sweetness and a hint of fruity flavor that marries beautifully with all the rich flavors of this dish.
• Ketchup: Tomato richness without tomato sauce, plus a hint of sweetness. You could also use barbecue sauce.
• Vegetable oil: To coat the Instant Pot liner for cooking the vegetables and meat.
• Yellow onions, potatoes, and carrots: The classic pot roast vegetable trio.
• Rosemary and thyme: Adds freshness and a woody flavor to the vegetables and gravy.
  

How To Make Instant Pot Pot Roast

This Instant Pot pot roast is cooked in just one pan (the pressure cooker) to reduce clean-up. It also does require some hands-on cooking time, but a lot of it is hands-off while the roast and vegetables cook.

Here's a brief outline of the process with the full recipe and step-by-step photos further below:

• Step 1. Trim the chuck roast (if desired), and cut into 1-pound pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
• Step 2. Combine the ingredients for the gravy—broth, wine, Worcestershire sauce, grape jelly, and ketchup—in a bowl. Set aside.
• Step 3. Turn the Instant Pot on to the Sauté function, and add oil to heat.
• Step 4. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add the potatoes and carrots, and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the Instant Pot and hold in a bowl. Add the rosemary and thyme, and cover with aluminum foil.
• Step 5. Sear the beef in the Instant Pot until all sides are brown. Remove from the pan.
• Step 6. Add the sauce to the Instant Pot, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Hit Cancel to turn off the Sauté function.
• Step 7. Add the roast back to the gravy in the pressure cooker.
• Step 8. Cook on HIGH pressure for 60 minutes. Release the pressure, then remove the lid.
• Step 9. Remove the meat from the Instant Pot. Leave the gravy. Let the meat rest several minutes. Then slice.
• Step 10. Add the vegetables back to the pressure cooker, and cook on HIGH for 5 to 10 minutes until desired degree of doneness. Release pressure, and unlock lid. Serve with beef immediately.

How Long Do You Cook Pot Roast in the Instant Pot?

This recipe for Instant Pot pot roast will cook in about an hour. The beef chuck roast is cut into smaller one-pound pieces to reduce cooking time in the pressure cooker. You can reduce the time further by cutting smaller pieces.

Tips for the Best Pot Roast in the Instant Pot

Cooking pot roast in an Instant Pot couldn't be much easier, but a few tips will help you guarantee a perfect dinner every time:

• Don't cook the veggies with the roast. They will be far too mushy after an hour of high pressure cooking.
• If you want to skip the step of cooking the potatoes and carrots again after the roast, you can cook the vegetables separate in a skillet or Dutch oven until tender, and just combine at the end to serve. This will dirty up another pan, sure, but it's fairly simple.
• You can skip the searing step for the chuck roast if you want. The roast will still turn out perfectly tender in the end. But searing adds loads of flavor to the gravy by producing those "brown bits" you'll scrape up.
• We cut the big beef roast into 3 pieces to reduce the cook time to just about an hour. You can reduce it even more by cutting the roast into smaller pieces. Two-inch pieces will cook in about 30 minutes.
• Don't rush the pressure release. A natural release will produce the best results and further help tenderize the beef.

What To Serve With Pot Roast

You don't need much more with a pot roast because you have meat and a trio of vegetables. But we'd round out the plate with a delicious roll (to sop up any leftover gravy) and a side salad or roasted green beans, a little something green for some color.

How To Store and Reheat Instant Pot Pot Roast

Move any leftover pot roast and vegetables to an airtight container. Store in the fridge up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven. Add a splash of beef broth if most of the gravy is gone.

You can also freeze the roast and gravy up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, and reheat in the oven. Again, add beef broth if there isn't much gravy to keep the beef moist during reheating. (You can freeze the vegetables, but they will be decidedly more mushy after thawing. It's better to separate the vegetables and then cook fresh ones when reheating the frozen pot roast.)

Can You Make This Pot Road Ahead?

Absolutely, you can make Instant Pot pot roast in advance. Store the dish together in an airtight container up to 2 days. Reheat in the oven for the best flavor. (The vegetables may be a bit softer than when served fresh, but still very delicious.)

More Instant Pot Dinner Favorites

People who have a a pressure cooker know there's not much it can't do. Try these Instant Pot recipes next:

• Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
• Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast
• Instant Pot Grits
• Instant Pot White Chick Chili
• Instant Pot Baked Ziti