Get absolutely delicious, fall-apart tender pot roast on your table in an hour! It's easy with an Instant pot pressure cooker!
This is the best pot roast recipe because it's so fast and easy you can make it for a weekday dinner. You don't have to wait for Sunday dinner to make this wonderful recipe. Make Instant pot pot roast anytime you need to meal prep or feed a crowd. With an Instant pot pressure cooker, you can quickly cook pot roast with just a few minutes of prep time.
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Carbs in pot roast - 3 grams per serving
Diet
This instant pot pot roast recipe is low-carb, keto (substitute carrots and potatoes with non-starchy vegetables), gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free.
Skip root vegetables if you are on a strict keto diet. Otherwise, including carrots and potatoes brings the total carb count to under 15 grams per serving.
Ingredients
Beef chuck roast is pressure cooked with herbs and spices, broth, onions, potatoes and carrots to make a flavorful gravy.
boneless beef chuck roast
Pot roast cuts of meat come from either the shoulder (aka "chuck") or the hind leg (aka "round").
Realistically, a 3 pound pot roast feeds 4 people well. However, if you want to serve 6 adults, you will need a larger roast or people will walk away wanting more.
olive oil
Use it to sear the beef on the bottom of the pot and to sauté onions.
seasonings
For flavorful pot roast, don't skimp on the seasonings. We used salt, pepper, garlic powder or fresh garlic, paprika, fresh rosemary and fresh thyme.
Worcestershire sauce
This is the secret sauce for savory gravy.
beef stock
Beef stock (salt added) is used as a braising liquid and base for the gravy.
cornstarch
Use a cornstarch mixture to thicken the gravy.
See recipe card for quantities.
Optional ingredients
- wild mushrooms
- baby carrots
- baby potatoes
- tomato paste
- onion powder
- red wine
- soy sauce
- balsamic vinegar
- tomato sauce
Instructions
Pressure cooking beef chuck roast helps to tenderize the meat in a relatively short amount of time.
Step 1: Season chuck roast
Step 2: Rub seasonings into chuck roast
Step 3: Heat oil
Step 4: Sauté onions
Step 5: Sear meat on both sides, then return onions to the pot.
Step 6: Add herbs, Worcestershire sauce and beef broth
Step 7: Top with veggies
Step 8: Pressure cook 45 minutes
After cooking the pot roast, allow the steam to vent by natural release.
Instant pot pot roast gravy
After removing the meat and vegetables from the pot, use the remaining, absolutely delicious, cooking liquid to make gravy.
There is no need to use a separate pot to cook roux. This recipe uses cornstarch slurry, added directly to the flavorful broth in the Instant pot, to thicken the gravy.
Step 1: Transfer meat and veggies to a serving platter.
Step 2: Set the Instant pot to "Soup/Broth".
Step 3: Add cornstarch slurry.
Step 4: Simmer until thickened.
Substitutions
Different cuts of beef go by different names. You can use a boneless chuck roast, chuck arm roast, 7-bone chuck roast (the bone is shaped like a "7"), chuck tender roast, blade chuck roast, shoulder roast, bottom round or rump roast, tri-tip roast, or top round roast.
How to Serve
Serve pot roast by shredding the meat into bite-sized pieces. You can use two forks or a fork and a pair of tongs to shred the meat. It is also fine to rest the meat and slice it on a cutting board. Then arrange the meat on a serving platter and pour some of the gravy over the meat to keep it moist.
Traditionally pot roast is served with mashed potatoes, but for carb counters try it with low carb side dishes, like roasted cauliflower.
Equipment
The only special equipment you'll need is an Instant pot. Using an Instant pot to make pressure cooker pot roast saves so much time that this will soon become your favorite pot roast recipe.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Top tips
- Don't peel the potatoes and carrots! Leaving the skins on the vegetables prevents them from getting mushy during long cook times under high pressure.
- Pot roasts come in varying weights from 2 pounds to 5 pounds. Adjust the pressure cooking time accordingly. A 2-3 pound pot roast needs 45 minutes of cook time. A 5 pound roast needs 60 minutes. If you are using grass-fed, free-range beef, add 10 minutes of cook time.
- To speed up cook times, cut your roast into large chunks. The smaller pieces will cook faster.
Frequently asked questions
For a 3 pound chuck roast, this recipe suggests 45 minutes. That is enough time to shred the meat with a fork.
If after cooking the pot roast, it is still tough, all you need to do is to cook it longer in order to break down the connective tissues in the beef. You can speed up the process by cutting the roast into large chunks.
Cooking pot roast in a crock pot might yield more flavorful meat as it has time to absorb all the flavors with the slow cook method. However, the pressure cooking process saves time and produces a delicious pot roast with this amazing recipe.
Food safety
- Keep meat refrigerated
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- After cooking, either serve immediately or store in the fridge
- See more guidelines at USDA.gov
Instant pot pot roast with gravy (recipe card)
- Total Time: 1.75-2 hours
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
Get absolutely delicious, fall-apart tender pot roast on your table in an hour! It's easy with an Instant pot pressure cooker!
Ingredients
- 3 pound chuck roast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, quartered and peeled
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
For the gravy
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
Garnish with fresh herbs - I used a handful of fresh chives, chopped
Optional - Add veggies
- 1 pound potatoes, fingerling or baby red
- 4 large carrots, unpeeled, chopped into 2 inch pieces
- 4 ounces mushrooms
Instructions
To make pot roast
- Press SAUTE on the Instant pot.
- In a small bowl stir together salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Rub and coat the roast all over with seasoning.
- When the Instant pot reads HOT, add oil.
- Sauté onion for 3 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside.
- Use tongs to place roast in the pot. Sear for 3 minutes. Use tongs to flip roast and sear on the other side for 3 minutes.
- Return onion to pot.
- Add thyme and rosemary. Tuck onion, thyme and rosemary into the sides of the pot.
- Add Worcestershire sauce and broth.
- If you want to add vegetables, place mushrooms, carrots and potatoes in the pot. Just arrange them over the roast.
- Cover Instant pot and lock lid. Set the vent to the SEALED position. Press CANCEL to stop SAUTE mode. Press PRESSURE COOK. Set time for 45 minutes for a smaller 3-4 pound roast or 60 minutes for a larger 5-6 pound roast. Press START.
- When the cooking time is over, allow 10-15 minutes for natural release, which de-pressurizes the pot. When time is up, RELEASE the vent. Allow steam to vent until the float valve drops before removing the lid.
- Transfer veggies to a bowl.
- Transfer pot roast to a serving platter.
- Use two forks to separate the meat into bite-sized chunks.
- Arrange vegetables on the serving platter with the meat.
To make pot roast gravy
- Press SOUP on the Instant pot. Bring the broth to a boil.
- In a small bowl whisk together the cornstarch and water to make a slurry.
- Whisk in slurry. Boil for 1 minute.
- Strain gravy in a sieve over a bowl.
- Pour gravy over roast and vegetables. Pour extra gravy into a gravy boat.
Garnish with fresh herbs. Use remaining sprigs of rosemary and thyme, or use chopped chives, or parsley.
Notes
- A 3 pound pot roast realistically serves 4 adults as a meal in itself.
- A serving of pot roast with gravy is under 5 grams of carbs.
- Total carbs per serving with carrots, mushrooms and potatoes is 13 grams of carbs.
- Add 1 gram of carbs, per serving, if you add mushrooms to the recipe
- Add 2 grams of carbs, per serving, if you add carrots
- Add 6 grams of carbs, per serving, if you add potatoes
- Use unpeeled large carrots for this recipe, they can stand up to the pressure and cook time.
- If you want to use peeled baby carrots, then cook them separately and add them to the serving platter.
- If you want to start with a roast straight from the freezer, add 30 minutes of cook time and skip the searing process.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Instant pot
- Cuisine: American
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Cindy says
Omg this is the most moist juicy ever! Thanks for the recipe. Highly recommend!
Sachi says
Yay, I'm so happy that you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your comment Cindy!
Mandy Applegate says
This instant pot roast was so easy and tasted so good - the gravy was delicious too!
Sachi says
Thank you Mandy, so good to hear!
Alex Bala says
Great recipe for a belly warming meal. It came out tender and delicious. Thanks!
Sachi says
Thank you for your comment Alex, I'm so glad that you enjoyed the pot roast!
Sherry says
Your Instant Pot Pot Roast with gravy tastes amazing!! With your step by step instructions, I had an awesome meal on the table for my family in a couple of hours. Thank you for a great recipe!
Sachi says
Thanks Sherry, I'm so happy that you've enjoyed this recipe! and thank you for your comment!
Donna says
So much flavor, and perfectly cooked meat, the ultimate comfort food meal! Love that it was made in the instant pot as well, setting and forgetting is my kind of cooking these days.
Claire says
The best type of comfort food!! And it was so great to make it so quickly!
The kids loved this with mashed potatoes
Sachi says
Thanks for the comment! I'm so glad you've enjoyed the recipe!
Rupali says
This turned out to be a perfect winter meal for us in Australia. I love that I could have it with steamed vegetables, and my family could eat their favorite roast potatoes with it. I am definitely making this again.