Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe

This Instant Pot pot roast becomes melt-in-your mouth tender in a fraction of the time it would take if you were to cook it in the oven! 

Pot roast always reminds me of my grandma. She knew I loved it so when we went over there for dinner on Sunday, it was often on the menu. Grandma made the best pot roast! I still remember walking into her house after church and smelling the amazing scent of the pot roast that had been cooking in her oven while we were all at church. 

We’d have cookies, the grown-ups would have coffee, and then eventually it was time for that tender, flavorful pot roast, and steaming, creamy mashed potatoes.

If you love home-cooked pot roast, but don’t have time to cook it in your oven all day, or if it’s a warm day, this Instant Pot pot roast is the perfect solution.

How to make Instant Pot Pot Roast

Season and brown the beef. This pot roast really tastes just like you made in the oven. Start with a beef chuck roast, and season it liberally with salt and pepper. The Instant Pot has a fantastic sauté function that you can use to get a nice brown crust on your roast. This step gives it so much additional flavor, so try not to skip it! 

Sauté the vegetables. Remove the roast and set it on a plate while you sauté the onions and carrots briefly. Then comes the good part. 

Deglaze with red wine. This is a huge flavor boost for the pot roast! Use the red wine to help you scrape all the flavorful brown bits off of the bottom of the pot. This is also very important to avoid the “burn” warning that the Instant Pot sometimes likes to give. 

Add broth and seasoning. Once you’ve finished scraping all that goodness off the bottom of the pot, add the next layer of flavor: beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf. 

Pressure cook. Put the roast back in, seal up the Instant Pot, and let it work its magic! It will take 10 to 15 minutes to come to pressure, 60 minutes to cook, and then you’ll let the pressure naturally release for 15 minutes before digging in.

Total cook time is still around 2 hours when you add the browning step, but it’s much faster than cooking it in the oven and largely hands-off. If you need something quicker tonight, make sure to check out my 30 minute meals. 

Prepare the potatoes. The good news is, you’ll have plenty of time to make mashed potatoes to go with your roast. I love mashed potatoes with pot roast so I don’t cook the potatoes with the roast. Try my slow cooker mashed potatoes, mashed red potatoes, or if you have two pressure cookers, you can make Instant Pot mashed potatoes.

Make the gravy. When the roast is finished cooking, skim some of the fat off the top (if you want), and thicken up the juice using cornstarch to make a nice gravy.

make this pot roast recipe your own

• Alcohol free: If you want to skip the red wine, just add an extra half cup of beef broth. Use that to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pot.
• Substitute dried herbs. Don’t have fresh rosemary and/or thyme? Use ½ teaspoon crushed rosemary, and ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves. 
• Add potatoes. I like to do potatoes separately because I find that they get a little too mushy, and soak up a lot of the grease from the roast but it’s your kitchen, and your rules!
• Paleo/Whole30 compliant: Use broth instead of wine, Whole30 compliant Worcestershire sauce (you might have to make your own or you could also just skip this ingredient) and thicken with arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch.
• Season with onion soup mix for a boost of fun flavor! If you choose to do this, omit the herbs, bay leaf, and reduce the salt and pepper.
• Slow cooked: If an “all day” recipe fits into your schedule better, try my stovetop pot roast recipe or slow cooker Italian pot poast.

Reheating & Storage Tips

Refrigerate/Freeze: Store leftover pot roast in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for up to two months. If it’s frozen, thaw it overnight in the fridge if you’re able. 

Reheat: I like to reheat it slowly in a covered pan on the stove over medium-low heat. Reheating it in the microwave will make it tough. It’s delicious served cold, sliced thinly for sandwiches!