Description
This Instant Pot Beef Stew is a hearty and comforting meal packed with tender beef, flavorful vegetables, and a rich, savory broth. Perfect for a cozy dinner, it features browned stew meat cooked under high pressure with carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, pearl onions, and aromatic herbs to deliver deep, robust flavors in less time than traditional methods.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Seasoning
- 1 lb beef stew meat, cubed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp butter
Broth and Flavorings
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- ½ Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried thyme
Vegetables
- 14 oz bag frozen pearl onions
- 8 oz mushrooms, washed and quartered
- 1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced into one-inch sections
- 0.75 lb potatoes, washed and chopped into one-inch cubes (peeled if desired)
Instructions
- Season and coat the meat: Place the stew meat in a bowl and season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the flour and stir to coat the meat evenly.
- Brown the meat: Turn on the Instant Pot sauté function and melt the butter until sizzling. Add the flour-coated stew meat and brown on all sides without stirring too often to develop a crispy exterior. Avoid burning the flour coating on the pot bottom.
- Add liquids and seasonings: Pour the beef broth into the pot and stir to dissolve browned bits from the bottom. Then add Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, tomato paste, rosemary, and thyme. Stir to combine.
- Prepare and add vegetables: Wash and quarter mushrooms, peel and slice carrots, wash and cube potatoes as desired. Add the pearl onions, mushrooms, carrots, and potatoes into the Instant Pot. Stir everything together well.
- Pressure cook the stew: Close the lid, seal the steam valve, and select the “meat/stew” button or manually set to 35 minutes on high pressure. After cooking, allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Finish and serve: Once the pressure is fully released, open the steam valve and carefully remove the lid. Stir the stew, taste, and adjust salt if necessary. Serve hot, ideally with crusty bread.
Notes
- Use Better Than Bouillon or a good-quality beef broth. Adjust salt after cooking based on broth saltiness.
- Frozen pearl onions add sweetness and convenience; substitute with chopped yellow onion sautéed with meat if preferred.
- Do not stir the meat frequently while browning to ensure a good crust.
- Natural pressure release keeps the meat tender and the broth flavorful.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
