Easy Pot Roast (Instant Pot)

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Cozy and comforting, this easy pot roast recipe makes the perfect cold-weather dinner! It’s a snap to make in your Instant Pot, and your whole family will love it!

Whenever I have a chuck roast defrosted, paired with the fact that I pretty much always have root veggies laying around, it usually isn’t too hard to come up with the answer. Pot roast it is, but what kind? Mississippi pot roast? Nope, I’m going classic this time!

And I’ll be cooking with my BFF, my Instant Pot. I sure do love my slow cooker, but you have to plan an early start time to use a crock pot. If you don’t have time for that, this easy pot roast recipe is calling your name!

Why This Recipe is a Favorite

Pot roast is so cozy and comforting. Now you can make it even simpler by making it in the Instant Pot! First of all, it cooks up perfectly juicy and fork tender, every time.

This easy pot roast recipe is practically fool-proof! Not only that, but pressure cooking is so much faster than any other method.

If beef dinners are a favorite and you have a holiday meal to plan, consider making prime rib!

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Not all pot roast recipes include vegetables, but this recipe does. The nice thing is, you can adjust and adapt the ingredients to whatever your family likes, or what you have on hand.

• Boneless chuck roast: You can use a bone-in roast if you prefer, but honestly, I don’t like having to pick through the cooked meat to find all of the bones.
• Beef stock or broth: Of course, using beef stock will give you more of the beefy flavor you love. But, if you don’t have time to shop, you could certainly use vegetable stock.
• Red wine vinegar: An acid like vinegar helps to tenderize the meat as it cooks. Feel free to substitute with white, balsamic, or even apple cider vinegar.
• Herbs and spices: I use basic seasonings: onion powder, garlic powder, dried thyme, rosemary, sea salt, and black pepper.

How to Cook Pot Roast in the Instant Pot

Scroll down to the recipe card for the full step by step instructions! ⬇️

1. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode and add the oil. While you wait for the IP to heat up, sprinkle all sides of the chuck roast with the seasonings.

2. Sear the roast on all sides, then sauté the vegetables. Don’t skip this step because the crust holds in moisture, and the bits from searing impart flavor into the cooking liquid.

3. Remove the cooked vegetables and set them aside. This keeps them from overcooking and turning to mush.
4. Set the Instant Pot to cook for 80 minutes on the Meat/Stew mode, or High pressure.
5. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then you can quick release any remaining pressure.

Set the roast on a platter, spoon some of the cooking liquid over it, then lightly cover it with a piece of foil. This will keep it warm while you finish cooking the vegetables.

6. Add the vegetables to the Instant Pot. Cook them on High pressure for 5 minutes, then do a quick release of pressure.
7. Remove the veggies then make the gravy. Just whisk an arrowroot or cornstarch slurry and coconut aminos into the juices that are in the Instant Pot.

Storing Leftovers

After they cool down to room temperature, place any leftover meat and vegetables in an airtight container. Store it in the fridge for no more than 5 days.

The best way to reheat this meal is in a covered baking dish with 1/4 cup liquid (broth/stock or water). Reheat it in a 350°F. oven until the temperature of the meat reaches 165°F.

Sure, microwaving is quicker, but the meat will become very dry.

FAQs

Easy Pot Roast in the Instant Pot

Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

This easy pot roast is a snap to make in an Instant Pot. With fork-tender beef and root vegetables, it's a family-friendly comfort food meal!

4.49 from 31 votes

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Laura Miner

Equipment

• Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 3 pounds boneless chuck roast
• ▢ ½ teaspoons salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ 2 yellow onions
• ▢ 8 large carrots
• ▢ 4 medium red potatoes or Yukon Gold
• ▢ 2 cups beef stock or broth, divided
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic
• ▢ 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley optional, for garnish

Gravy

• ▢ 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
• ▢ 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
• ▢ 2 cups reserved liquid from Instant Pot

Video

Instructions

• Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil until it begins shimmering (this takes about 2 minutes).

  Meanwhile, pat the chuck roast dry and season it on all sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.

  Brown all sides of the roast in the hot oil for about 3 minutes per side, then remove it and set it aside.
• Quarter the potatoes (peel if desired), peel and chop the onions, and cut the carrots into 4 inch pieces. Add the onion and carrots to the IP and sauté them together for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove them and set them aside.
• Deglaze the pan with ½ cup beef stock, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits. Add the remaining stock, vinegar and garlic, then put the roast back in.
• Lock the lid onto the pressure cooker, close the pressure valve, and cook on Meat/Stew mode for 80 minutes. When the time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally.

  Remove the lid and transfer the roast to a plate. Spoon about ¼ cup of liquid from the Instant Pot over the meat. Cover the plate with foil and allow the beef to rest while the vegetables cook.
• Add the onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, rosemary and thyme to the Instant Pot and lock the cover in place. Close the pressure release valve.

  Manually set to cook on High pressure for 5 minutes, then perform a Quick Pressure Release (turn the vent knob to release the steam quickly).
• Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and set them aside, so only the drippings and broth are left in the pot. Make the gravy (see below).

To Make the Gravy

• Set Instant Pot to Sauté mode. In a small bowl, make a slurry by whisking 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder and 3 tablespoons of broth from the Instant Pot.
• Whisk the mixture into the broth in the Instant Pot, then stir in the coconut aminos. Continue to stir often until thickened slightly, about 3-4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
• When you’re ready to serve, use two forks to pull the pot roast apart into bite-sized pieces. Discard the fat cap and any tough fatty pieces. Serve the vegetables and pot roast with a good drizzle of gravy and fresh parsley for garnish.

Notes

• When the beef roast is finished cooking, be sure to allow the pressure to release naturally. A quick release of pressure will cause the juices in the meat to escape, resulting in the pot roast being dry.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 635kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 846mg | Potassium: 2076mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 16195IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 7mg

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Serving Suggestions

One of the reasons that classic pot roast is such a great meal is that it includes meat, vegetables, and potatoes with gravy! What more could you want?

Well, some people like to serve it with dinner rolls or bread. You could even serve it with a green side salad or some winter fruit salad.