Beef Stew

Name: Beef Stew
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1.5 lb beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces (chuck roast works beautifully); 0.5 tsp kosher salt; 0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 2 lb russet or Yukon potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces; 8 medium medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces; 1 medium yellow onion, diced; 2 clove garlic cloves, minced; 4 cup low-sodium beef broth; 0.25 cup Worcestershire sauce; 3 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped; 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves; 2 bay leaves; 3 tbsp cornstarch

Rich Instant Pot Beef Stew with Fall Vegetables

Chunks of beef turn melt-tender under pressure while potatoes and carrots soak up every bit of the savory broth. The secret is browning the meat first — those caramelized bits on the bottom become the foundation for incredible depth of flavor.

AmericanDinnerComfort FoodMeal PrepBudget FriendlyOne PotInstant PotBeefWinter

Prep15 min

Cook35 min

Total50 min

Servings6

Difficultyeasy

Ingredients

2 tbspolive oil
1½ lbbeef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces (chuck roast works beautifully)
½ tspkosher salt
½ tspfreshly ground black pepper
2 lbrusset or Yukon potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
8 mediummedium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 mediumyellow onion, diced
2 clovegarlic cloves, minced
4 cuplow-sodium beef broth
¼ cupWorcestershire sauce
3 tbsptomato paste
1 tspfresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tspfresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
3 tbspcornstarch

Instructions

Pour the olive oil into your Instant Pot and press the SAUTE button. While the oil heats, season the beef pieces generously with salt and pepper. Once the oil shimmers, brown the meat in batches — don't crowd the pot. You want deep caramelization on all sides, which takes about 6-8 minutes total.
Pour in 1 cup of the beef broth and scrape up those beautiful browned bits with a wooden spoon — this is pure flavor gold. Stir in the remaining broth along with the tomato paste until everything combines smoothly. Press CANCEL to stop the saute function.
Add the potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves to the pot. Give everything a thorough stir so the vegetables nestle into the liquid — some pieces will peek above the surface, which is perfectly fine.
Secure the lid and make sure the valve is set to SEALED. Press MANUAL (or PRESSURE COOK) and set the timer for 35 minutes on HIGH pressure. The pot will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure before the actual cooking begins.
⏱ 35 min
Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes — this gentle decompression keeps the meat incredibly tender. After 15 minutes, carefully turn the valve to VENTING to release any remaining pressure.
⏱ 15 min
Remove the bay leaves and ladle out 1 cup of the cooking liquid into a small bowl. Whisk the cornstarch into this liquid until completely smooth with no lumps. Pour the mixture back into the pot and stir gently — the stew will thicken beautifully within a minute or two.