How to Cook Pot Roast in the Instant Pot

Today I’m going to teach you How to Cook Pot Roast in the Instant Pot! No more planning for hours ahead to enjoy a juicy, fork-tender pot roast. Pot Roast may become a weeknight tradition!

Remember those Sunday meals at your grandma’s home? The smell of pot roast, slow cooking for hours? If you have an Instant Pot, you can make this delicious Sunday meal any time of the week! Cooking a pot roast traditionally meant planning for hours ahead, so the meat could cook in either a slow cooker or in the oven at a low temperature. Low and slow is quickly becoming a thing of the past…

Why my Slow cooker is now taking a rest in the storage room

Don’t get me wrong, my beloved slow cooker still has its place, but I’m in love with the Instant Pot! The Instant Pot is able to achieve the same tender and juicy meats we all love in often less than half of cooking time of a slow cooker. The process of high heat along with high pressure creates a pot roast like grandma used to make in her old fashioned pressure cooker. Once you learn How to Cook Pot Roast in the Instant Pot, you’ll never go back.

5 reasons you want to learn How to Cook Pot Roast in the Instant Pot:

1-Time

Your time is valuable and I know dinner is a dilemma we all face. We want to provide our families with healthy and delicious meals, but we don’t have time to prepare. Often, I forget until 4-5:00 to think about what’s for dinner. In the past, all of the low and slow cooked meals my family loved were off limits unless I was super organized and remembered to get food into a slow cooker by noon at the latest. Instant Pot to the rescue. Learning How to Cook Pot Roast in the Instant Pot is money in the bank. I promise you will thank me later!

2-Flavor

This Instant Pot recipe is full of flavor in every bite. I season the meat with a simple seasoning mixture of salt and pepper. The real flavor makers are the Worcestershire sauce, Balsamic vinegar and fresh garlic and onions. These ingredients combined,  help make the dish more appealing in color and flavor. As I discussed in my Instant Pot Beef Stew recipe, Worcestershire is a sauce I keep in my kitchen at all times. It is filled with all kinds of goodies that add an extra boost of flavor to meats and sauces. Worcestershire is key when learning How to Cook Pot Roast in the Instant Pot!

3-No More dry roasts

Once you learn How to Cook Pot Roast in the Instant Pot, dry roasts will be a thing of the past. It is nearly impossible to dry a roast out using the Instant Pot! The combination of high pressure and heat locks the moisture inside of the meat, instead of letting it evaporate over hours. The high pressure also tenderizes the meat in a short period of time. The onion will also give off a bit of liquid, which contributes to the liquid left in the pot after the pressure cooking is finished.

4-Everybody’s going to love it

If you’re wondering how your neighbor is making great meals and why your kid wants to eat dinner at their house every night, they probably have an Instant Pot! Hahaha. Ok, maybe not, but just saying. Maybe they do. Now to lure your family back to the table for dinner, even when it’s not Sunday, surprise them by learning How to Cook Pot Roast in the Instant Pot and serve it on Wednesday night!

Wouldn’t that be a picture worthy post? Family reaction to a real meal mid-week! Seriously though, no matter the day of the week, everyone will love this dish. Pot Roast has always been a first Sunday of the month go-to meal for us.

In our church, we have a practice of fasting every first Sunday of the month.  We pray specifically for people in need and then donate a fast offering for the meals we have skipped to help meet other’s needs. By dinner time Sunday, everyone is HUNGRY! Hence the Pot Roast tradition. I usually serve it with homemade rolls, green salad, fresh fruit, corn and of course, a really yummy dessert!

5-So Simple

There is not a dinner dish that is more satisfying and simple than pot roast. Once you learn How to Cook Pot Roast in the Instant Pot you will almost feel a little guilty when everyone gushes over dinner! This recipe is broken into three simple steps:

1. Brown the meat.
2. Cook the meat.
3. Add the rest of the veggies – cook for a few more minutes.

Dinner is served! You can skip the step listed in the recipe for making the thickened gravy if you simply want to serve the roast with its natural juices. Oh, and for a second dinner, if  (that’s a big IF) you have any leftovers, the pot roast makes an amazing sandwich for dinner the next night on a french roll!

I often cook two roasts at once for this reason. If you cook two roasts, keep the same cooking time, just add additional veggies and broth.

Have I convinced you to cook your next roast in the Instant Pot?? I hope so! I’d love to know what variations you use for your family favorite pot roast! For basic Instant Pot information, check out this post- Instant Pot Now What? which also links to several  favorite ABK Instant Pot recipes.

How to Cook Pot Roast in the Instant Pot

4.93 from 14 votes

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Author: Si Foster

Cook Time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients 

• 1-2.5 to 3 lb Pot, Chuck or Shoulder Roast
• 2 tablespoons Olive oil
• sea salt and pepper, a generous amount
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
• 1 large onion, sweet, white or yellow, cut in to chunks, about 2 cups total
• 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup beef broth or water, I use beef broth but water works in a pinch
• 2.5 lbs red potatoes, washed and cut in half
• 1 lb bag of baby carrots, or 1 lb carrots, washed and cut into chunks
• 1 tub Knorr concentrated beef stock, or other brand flavor booster about 1-2 tablespoons

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Turn the Instant Pot to Saute mode.
• Generously season the roast with salt and pepper on both sides.
• Pour olive oil into heated pot.
• Place the roast into the heated Instant Pot and sear on both sides, about 2 minutes each side.
• Sprinkle the Worcestershire sauce and Balsamic vinegar on the top of the roast after browning.
• Add onions and garlic to the Instant Pot, let some of the onions go to the side of the roast and some resting on top.
• Pour 1/2 cup beef broth or water around the sides of the meat and turn the Saute mode OFF.
• Place the lid of the Instant Pot on and turn the dial to the sealing position. Make sure the rubber seal is in place inside of the lid.
• Turn the Instant Pot to the Meat or Manual setting for 45 minutes using the + button until the time displayed is 45 minutes. Press start. I like to place my IP on top of the stove on a cookie sheet so it will vent thru the venting hood on my range.
• While the meat is cooking, prepare the potatoes and carrots. Set aside.
• Mix one half cup beef broth or cold water in a cup with 2 tablespoons flour using whisk until smooth.
• When Instant Pot is done, the timer will sound. Leave the meat in the pot for another 30-45 minutes so the pressure in the pot is naturally released.
• After 30-45 minutes, most of the pressure should be naturally released. If pressure is remaining, let it vent naturally. It is best to allow a roast to naturally release steam for best results and most tender meat.
• When all of the pressure is released, remove the lid. The meat should be fork tender. If it is not, the manual setting may be used again for an additional 5-20 minutes. You can gauge how tender the meat is by pulling it apart. Again, it is always best to allow the pressure to naturally release and not manually be released from the pot.
• Add the potatoes and carrots to the Instant Pot.
• Turn the Instant Pot to Manual setting and adjust the time using the + or – button.
• Set to cook for 5 minutes. Make sure to set the dial on the lid to the sealing position again!
• When the timer goes off, carefully release the pressure using the venting position.
• When ready to eat, Remove the roast to a platter or bowl, Spoon the veggies around the roast.
• To make gravy, Turn the Instant Pot to the saute setting.
• Wait until the broth is bubbling, and add the flour and cold water mixture to the Instant Pot, whisking while adding. Add the Knorr concentrated stock and whisk. Cook for about one minute until gravy is thickened and bubbly, or simply serve the roast with the juices from the meat and veggies. Add salt and pepper to taste.