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I’ve recently been experimenting with my new favorite kitchen appliance: the Instant Pot. What is it? An electric, programable, pressure-cooker. Think pressure cooker meets slow cooker.
Why Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker?
I must confess, while I’ve known about the Instant Pot for a really long time and even had one for several months before trying it out. I put off using it because I had my tried-and-true cooking methods and pressure cookers seemed kind of old-fashioned.
Now that I’ve been using this thing often (aka: daily) for several weeks, I’m kicking myself for not trying it much sooner, as it drastically shortens the cooking time of almost any food and creates better (and faster) results than a slow cooker.
Don’t Have One?
No worries… I didn’t for a long time and this recipe can work perfectly well without one (though check this link if you want to try one, because they are often on sale for up to 50% off!).
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can adapt this pot roast recipe by following the instructions for a beef roast on your regular pressure cooker or cook in a slow-cooker on low for 6-8 hours.
Garlic Herb Pot Roast Recipe
One of my favorite go-to recipes for the Instant Pot is this garlic herb pot roast. It is a variation of the basic slow-cooker pot roast recipe I’ve made for years, but in a pressure cooker/Instant Pot it cooks in about 45 minutes instead of 8 hours. I’ve found that the flavors also intensify in a pressure cooker and the meat gets more tender, so less seasoning is needed.
Garlic Herb Pot Roast Recipe
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb chuck roast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 TBSP Italian seasoning
- 2 TBSP coconut oil (or butter)
- 1 medium onion
- ¼ cup red wine (optional)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 6 large carrots (peeled)
Instructions
- Cut beef into 2-inch cubes.
- Place the meat on a plate, sprinkle evenly with spices, and set aside.
- Turn the Instant Pot on "Saute" setting and melt the butter or coconut oil in the pot.
- Thinly slice the onions and add to the melted butter.
- Saute for 4-5 minutes until tender and slightly browned.
- Deglaze the pan with the red wine, if using.
- Add the roast pieces in a single layer on top of the onions.
- Pour the broth over the roast.
- Put the lid on the Instant pot, lock, and seal.
- Press cancel to stop the Saute setting and then press the "Manual" button and set the time to 40 minutes, making sure the valve is set to seal.
- While the roast is cooking, chop the carrots into 1-inch pieces.
- When the roast is finished, release the pressure by pushing the "cancel" button and then carefully turning the valve to "venting" until the pressure is released.
- When pressure releases, remove lid and quickly add the chopped carrots. Quickly replace lid and use the manual setting to program a 10-minute additional cook time.
- When cooking has finished. Press cancel and either quick release the pressure or allow it to release naturally.
Optional Gravy:
- To create a gravy for this roast, remove the meat and vegetables from the pressure cooker and set aside in a covered container.
- Turn on the "Saute" setting, add the chopped mushrooms, extra wine, butter and thyme and let the liquid reduce for about ten minutes while meat rests.
- When cooking is finished, you can also whisk in ½ cup sour cream if desired for a creamy gravy.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- You can also add 1 pound of chopped potatoes or sweet potatoes at the same cooking stage as the carrots, if desired. We prefer to serve this over white rice.
- Nutrition info does not include optional gravy
Nutrition
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Do you use a pressure cooker or Instant Pot? What is your favorite pot roast recipe to make in it?
I have a 5 lb. Buffalo Prime Rib Roast. Could I do something with this in my Instant Pot?
Thank you!
Flo
This was my husbands favorite meal I have ever made! It was the first recipe we cooked with our new instant pot too!
I did sear my roast prior to adding the wine and broth, which I think helped. I also added some fresh garden rosemary and extra pepper. I used mini potatoes and baby carrots and cooked them for 10 minutes and did a quick release and everything came out perfectly!
DELICIOUS! THANK YOU FOR THE RECIPE. I just got my instant pot and this is the first recipe I’ve tried in it! I only made 1/2 the recipe because well, I only had 2 lbs of roast beef. Man it was amazingly good. So simple. YUM. Thanks!
Made this up two nights ago and it was delicious. Meat is tender and flavorful! I did use extra garlic but everything else was the same regarding ingredients. Reminded me of my great aunt’s recipe.
I went to the gym while it cooked so it released pressure naturally and then was kept warm for about an hour before I put in the carrots and potatoes. Because of concern for mushy veggies I kept them in large chunks and 10 minutes was perfect!
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Brit, did you heat the pot from its warming mode when you added the veggies and cooked them for 10 minutes, or did you bring it up to pressure again? Sounds as though you left the meat in the pot. If you didn’t pressure cook it all, what setting did you use to cook the potatoes and carrots? (I’m sloooowly learning about my Instant Pot.)
I made this recipe and followed the instructions to the letter. I had reservations at first, because every other Pot Roast recipe I read always had you sear the entire roast, this one one directed you to cube the meat, no searing at all.
Honestly, I was not impressed! The meat tasted bland (even with all of the seasonings!) and the vegetables were very soft! I added potatoes to the carrots at the same time.
We did not eat the entire meal, so I put the rest in the fridge, thinking, “Maybe it will taste more flavorful tomorrow.” It did not. Still bland.
This was the fourth time I have used my new Instant Pot DUO-60 (which is amazing by the way!) and this meal to me definitely ranked at number 4!
I will opt to cook the meat in its entirety next time, no cubing!
If you substitute potatoes in a recipe you have to add more salt! Potatoes draw out the salt (that’s why if you oversalt a soup you can toss in half a potato to soak it up.) Just wanted to make sure you weren’t missing out on a good recipe!
I’ve only used my Instant Pot once, and for a similar roast which I cubed by mistake. My only disappointment was how long it took for the pot to get to pressure. If you want something done in 30 minutes, best start 15 minutes earlier to allow time for the pot to come to pressure. Did I do something wrong, is my pot not working properly, has anyone had the same experience? When I did the initial test run as outlined in the user manual, it took way more than the few minutes stated for the pot to come to pressure and the countdown timer to start…I wasn’t counting, but it sure felt like 15 minutes or more. Sigh. Guess I need to call customer service.
M.J.- I too just got my Instant Pot (Christmas gift.) I watched the videos and thought, “This is easy, no problem.”
So there I am, waiting for this Instant Pot to cook my meal. And waiting….and waiting.
I went back into my User Manual and on page 13, under 6. it states (in dark letters) “….the preheat cycle can range between 10 and 40 minutes.”
Between 10 and 40 minutes??? I did not factor this into my new cooking experience! I have now used my Instant Pot 4 times and it usually only takes the pot to get up to pressure about 10-12 minutes.
It’s like an oven M. J., it needs to preheat to get to the cooking time. Now that I know this, it makes using the pot much more friendly!
Hope this helps! I LOVE my Instant Pot!
Thanks, Mike, for saving me a call to customer service! I’ll just try some more recipes from various trusted website (nomnompaleo has some) until I find something that justifies all the raves. The cubed roast with potatoes and carrots (not Katie’s recipe) I used was a disappointment (mushy veggies). Like anything new, there’s a learning curve! But the wait for preheating was certainly…surprising.
I put the pot in the “sauté” setting while I’m seasoning and browning my meat (I brown in a separate pan b/c I like a better seer than what I get from my instant pot). But the pot is getting very hot while I prepare. Then I add the water and trivet and place browned roast on the trivet and put it in 45 minutes manual. It comes to pressure much quicker if you start with a hot instant pot. One more tip: I’ve always been told to let pressure naturally release for at least 10 minutes. Quick release in meat can make it tough. I haven’t experimented, though. I just always let the pressure naturally release. I made this tonight with one of our grass fed beef pot roasts. I didn’t cut it, I did it whole. I added 10 mins to the cooking time. It was fantastic!
Aha!! Preheat the pot to speed things up! Thanks for that tip.
As soon as you get the cooker out turn it in sauté. This will decrease time for heating up and get to pressure quicker. You can also use already hot liquids whice will also help. Just hit cancel when you are ready to set the cooker for actual time.
The pot coming to pressure takes any wear from 5-25 min depending on how much liquid you are adding, if you add frozen/cold items…etc. I usually add my liquid and turn the pot on to saute first to get the liquid and the pot warm. That usually cuts down the come to pressure time. But it is something you need to factor in just like preheating the oven when you use it.
I experienced the same time frame. It took a long time to get to the pressurized state. I thought I would whip out a four-hour meal in one hour, I was disappointed. The recipe was flavorful but it did take a long time.
Can I use a whole roast? I just bought an instant pot and I’m wondering if I don’t chop up the meat first if the time needs to be adjusted? I’m a bit nervous to use it for the first time, but excited! Thanks,
I made this last night for dinner. I used a 2 lb. buffalo chuck roast and a 1.5 lb. grass fed organic beef chuck.
I added a sweet potato instead of carrots.
The roast was FANTASTIC!!! My family is not a fan of roasts, usually because I can’t get them tender enough, but not a problem any more!!! I will say that the sweet potatoes turned into mashed potatoes in 10 minutes. Still tasty. Thank you Wellness Mama,
Keep those instant pot recipes coming!
So glad you liked it! I be the buffalo was delicious… great variation!
Jillian, Did you put the roast in whole or did you cube it? Also when you added sweet potatoes did you add all at same time as meat? AND were they diced or added whole also? I want to tweak this a little also. Thank you. The original sounds wonderful also.
Just bought ourselves a One Pot for Christmas & learning how fabulous it is!! Plus less washing up! Will try this recipe for sure!!
Thanks for sharing it!
Can this be made in a regular crock pot? If so, what setting and amount of cool time is recommended!? Sounds delish!!