Cooking Pot Roast In Instant Pot

This Instant Pot Pot Roast recipe is an easy, comforting dinner that comes together so quickly in the pressure cooker! With tender veggies (not mushy!), a fall apart tender roast and seasoned gravy. With step by step VIDEO

instant pot pot roast in pressure cooker with potatoes and carrots

September is one of the best months of the year, and not just because it's my birthday month. It means that things like this Instant Pot Pot Roast are back on the table.

Comfort foods, especially those that are healthy and nourish our bodies, are my favorite kinds of meals!

This Potato Soup, this Rigatoni Pasta Bake, and so many of these Easy Crockpot Meals are popping up on our table again and again (and no one's mad about it).

When the weather starts cooling off, there is just nothing like a cozy meal to gather around with the family — especially if it's cooking in the Instant Pot, hands off!

This Instant Pot Roast comes out perfectly cooked and has the best gravy (just check out the reviews below!), plus no mushy vegetables to speak of!

instant pot pot roast overhead on large white platter with potatoes and carrots on one side on a grey background

You can even throw the roast in completely frozen if you've got a little extra time to let it cook (and it turns out just as great as these Frozen Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot and this Instant Pot Whole Chicken you can cook from frozen as well!)

Why we love this Instant Pot Pot Roast!

This Instant Pot Pot Roast is so tender it falls apart when you try to take it out. It has such great flavor, that you can even skip the searing if you want (I'll be honest, I am often to lazy to sear my meat first!).

One thing it is missing? Mushy vegetables.

Vegetables in the Instant Pot cook very quickly, often just a few minutes or less, so it's better to leave them out while the roast cooks, and add them later at the end.

I know that this is an extra step and you might be wondering if it's worth it.

Trust me on this one.

This way, you will have a perfectly juicy and tender pot roast, and perfectly cooked but still totally appetizing veggies.

You know I'm not into any extra unnecessary steps (or dishes, or ingredients!), but the potatoes and carrots will cook in just a few minutes and if you buy them pre-washed, you don't even need to chop them.

close up image of instant pot pot roast with potatoes and carrots on white platter

How to make Instant Pot Pot Roast:

Season and sear: Cut your roast beef into roughly 1 pound pieces and coat them with the seasoning blend. Meanwhile, turn your Instant Pot to saute, and brown each piece in oil on every side. You can skip this step, but I find it does add a lot of flavor and helps to keep the juices in the meat.
Deglaze the pot with the sauce: Once the roast is browned, remove it from the Instant Pot, and add the gravy ingredients (still on saute). Scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot with a wooden spoon to remove any bits that might be stuck on the bottom.
Add the roast and pressure cook until tender: If your roast is cut into 1 lb chunks, it shouldn't matter how large it was to begin with — they will all cook in about the same amount of time. I cook mine for 60-65 minutes. Depending on the type of roast you have and how you like your meat cooked, you may want to add additional time
Let the pressure release and add the vegetables: at this point you have the option to remove the roast if it is cooked and tender, and shred it while the vegetables cook. I usually leave mine in with the vegetables and everything is done at once.
Once everything is cooked, let the pressure release again and serve: Letting the pressure release naturally, completely (turning it off and not opening the valve until the pin goes down on its own) is the best way to ensure moist and juicy pot roast. Once the pressure is released, open it up and thicken the gravy on saute if desired.

What is the best cut of meat for pot roast?

You don't have to spend big money on a great cut of meat to make a pot roast — the Instant Pot tenderizes an inexpensive roast in an hour or less! This is one time where you can save a little and still have an amazing meal.
With that being said, chuck roast (as it will be called in the United States) or blade roast (as it is called in Canada) is the most common choice for pot roast.
It is not an expensive cut, but it has great marbling which leads to very tender meat.
You can use other varieties, but one that is labelled "pot roast" in Canada will be your best bet!

How long do you cook a roast in the pressure cooker?

The big question!

The short answer? About 1 hour.

The long answer:

How long a roast will need to be pressure cooked depends mostly on how large the roast or the pieces are that you cut it into.

I prefer to cut my roasts into chunks that are approximately 1 lb in size (so if you have a 3lb roast, you'll cut it into 3 pieces). However, the cook time also depends on the thickness of the pieces, so there has to be some wiggle room.

To be on the safe side, you can always allow for a little extra time pressure cooking the meat — I opt for about 1 hour pressure cooking on high for smaller pieces. If your roast is frozen, or it is in one large piece, you will want to add a significant amount of time to ensure that your meat is fall apart tender.

Can I use a frozen roast?

Absolutely!

Increase the cook time to 90-100 minutes for a 3 lb roast, and 100-110 minutes for a 4 lb roast, and 120 minutes for anything larger than 4 pounds.

You won't sear a frozen roast, but you can sprinkle the seasoning on and add the liquids as the recipe calls for below.

Tips for making the best Instant Pot Pot Roast:

Like I mentioned before, please do not add the veggies for the first cook time. You do not want your veggies cooking an extra 60+ minutes under high pressure! 3 minutes and they are perfectly tender and fluffy.
You can skip searing the meat if you need to cut out some prep time, but it does add significant flavor to the dish overall. If you don't sear, you'll find that your juices (and therefore gravy if you thicken it) will be more "beefy" and you will taste less of the other flavors.
If you need to save some time, cut the roast into 2-3″ chunks and pressure cook for 40-50 minutes, or save even more time by using pre-cut stewing beef.
All of my Instant Pot recipes are tested in a 6 quart Instant Pot — I know the 8 quart models require 1.5 cups of liquid to pressure cook, so you may want to increase the broth slightly if using a larger model.

Looking for more Instant Pot dinner recipes?

Instant Pot Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin & Potatoes
Juicy Instant Pot Chicken Breast
Creamy Italian Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
Easy Instant Pot Baked Ziti Recipe

2 teaspoons seasoning salt (I use Lawry's)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 lb beef chuck roast cut into 1lb chunks
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup low sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ lb Creamer potatoes (or baby potatoes) whole
3 large carrots peeled and cut into thick slices
OPTIONAL: corn starch to thicken juices

In a small bowl, combine seasoning salt, garlic, parsley, onion powder and pepper. Sprinkle over roast to season.
Turn Instant Pot to saute. When it reads hot, add the oil and sear roast on all sides. To do this, place the roast in the pot and do not move for 2-3 minutes. When you flip it, it should release from the pan easily. You may need to add extra oil to brown all of the pieces and cook them in 2 batches. When browned, removed the meat from the Instant Pot.
To the Instant Pot add broth, tomato paste, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce — if there are brown bits stuck to the bottom from the meat, give them a scrape with a wooden spoon and they should release easily — this will help to prevent a burn message. Stir to combine.
Add the meat back into the pot. Put the lid on and turn the valve to sealing. Select Manual or Pressure Cook and set the cook time for 65 minutes on high pressure, depending how large your pieces are.
When the cook time is over, turn the Instant Pot off and let the pressure release naturally (this should take 10-15 minutes) before turning the valve to venting and opening the lid.
Add the potatoes and carrots (optional: if your roast is tender at this point, you can remove it, place it on a plate and cover with foil to rest), put the lid back on, turn the valve to sealing and select Manual or Pressure Cook for 3 minutes.
When the cook time is over, let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before moving the valve to venting, releasing remaining pressure and opening the lid.
Remove beef from the Instant Pot and slice or pull as desired. Serve with potatoes and carrots.
OPTIONAL: If desired, combine equal parts corn starch and water, stir into the remaining juices and turn the Instant Pot to saute. Whisk continuously until juices are thickened. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning as desired, adding a tablespoon of honey if you want to add a little sweetness.

* All of my recipes are tested in a Smart Bluetooth 6 quart Instant Pot — please take into consideration your model and its requirements before making the recipe.

**I know that some have found their meat is not tender after 55-65 minutes and have had to add more time. This will vary depending on your model of pressure cooker, the size and type of your roast, if it is partially frozen, if you sear the meat first, how you like your meat cooked, among other things. My roast is fork-tender at 65 minutes, but you may cook yours up to 90 minutes depending on the things listed above.

Keywords instant pot beef roast, instant pot roast, instant pot roast beef, pressure cooker pot roast, pressure cooker roast

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My name is Ashley Fehr and I love creating easy meals my family loves. I also like to do things my way, which means improvising and breaking the rules when necessary. Here you will find creative twists on old favorites and some of my favorite family recipes, passed down from generations!