Instant Pot Lamb Stew
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Instant Pot lamb stew is a fantastic one pot dinner recipe! And because it’s so quick and easy to make, this Irish stew is equally great for a weeknight meal or a St. Patrick’s Day celebration!
The whole house smells amazing while this dinner is pressure cooking. My kids were basically drooling, waiting for it to finish cooking. (Of course, I gave them something to do). It’s just an all around wonderful cold weather meal.
Why This Recipe Will Become a Favorite
Normally, stew recipes need to simmer slowly on the stovetop or in a crock pot for a few hours to create super tender lamb shoulder. No more!
It takes just an hour to make this Instant Pot stew recipe. The whole meal comes together quickly, but it tastes like it’s been simmering all day.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
My family loved this recipe! Perfect recipe to make a snowy winter evening feel warm and cozy.
–Patty
Pressure cookers make the ultimate one-pot meal. Using an Instant Pot allows you to both sear or brown and then cook the meat, making it so unbelievably tender that you can practically cut it into pieces with a spoon.
Let’s not forget about perfectly cooked veggies. The potatoes, carrots, and peas are soft and tender, but not mush. I like my vegetables with some life in them! Honestly, nobody like mushy veggies.
Happy Kitchen Secrets
Here are my important mom-tested cooking tips for making this stew recipe! I test all of my recipes countless times, to save you from a failed attempt.
- Don’t skip searing the lamb. The crust that forms on the outside locks in all of the meat’s juices, keeping every bite tender.
- Do your best to cut the vegetables similar in size. You don’t need to be perfectly accurate—we’re just trying to ensure that they all cook evenly.
- If your stew seems too thin, keep in mind that it will thicken a bit as it cools.
- If you plan to use frozen veggies, stir them in at the end of the cook time.
If you’re a fan of cold weather comfort food, be sure to check out my roundup of easy winter meals! Or, if you’re looking for a different meal idea for St. Patrick’s Day, I also have a recipe for Instant Pot corned beef and cabbage!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Lamb shoulder, cut into bite sized pieces. Lamb shoulder becomes incredibly tender in an Instant Pot! If you prefer a shortcut, you can get lamb stew meat from a local butcher.
*If you don’t like lamb, you can make our Dutch oven beef stew recipe, or consider making a Guinness beef stew!
- Produce: Feel free to substitute baby reds for the baby yellow potatoes. You can use full size potatoes, but to be sure they cook all the way through, you’ll need to cut them into smaller, almost bite-sized pieces.
As for the carrots, you can use full-sized (cut into coins or bite-sized pieces) or baby carrots, and white or yellow onions work. I rarely see fresh peas in the grocery store, so I almost always use frozen peas.
- Guinness is a stout beer, unmistakably Irish, with a rich and deep flavor. The ale is optional, but the Irish stew tastes much better with it! Don’t worry, it’s safe to cook with beer in your Instant Pot!
You can substitute stout with another dark beer, use or red wine. To avoid using alcohol, skip the ale and substitute with additional beef broth.
- Arrowroot powder is my thickener of choice. If you want, you can substitute with an equal amount of cornstarch.
How to Make Instant Pot Lamb Stew
This is just a summary of the steps. See the recipe card for full instructions! ⬇️
Jump to Recipe
- Prepare the lamb. Use a few paper towels to pat the pieces of lamb dry. Then, toss them with arrowroot powder seasoned with salt and pepper.
- Sear the meat. Set your Instant Pot to sauté mode and let it heat up, then add the oil. In batches, add the meat to the Instant Pot, and allow it to sear for about 2 minutes per side. As you finish searing the lamb with a nice crust, set the pieces aside on a plate.
- Sauté the onions. Add the onions to the hot oil, and sauté them for a few minutes.
- Deglaze the pot with the Guinness (or beef broth). Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the inner pot.
- Add and pressure cook remaining ingredients. Pour in the broth and add the carrots, potatoes, and seasonings. Place the lid on your Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. Allow for a natural pressure release.
- Finish and Serve. When the pressure is released, the lid on your Instant Pot will unlock. Remove the lid and stir in the frozen peas. Allow them to warm up with the hot stew for a few minutes.
- Ladle the Irish stew into bowls, sprinkle with fresh thyme, and season with a little salt and pepper.
Want a Thicker Stew?
Optionally, you can thicken the broth by making a slurry. Whisk 1/4 cup arrowroot powder with about 1/4 cup of cold water in a small dish, then stir that into the stew. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode and allow the stew to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Storing and Freezing Leftovers
Storing leftovers: Let the stew cool to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container or zip top bag. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheat leftover lamb stew in a saucepan on the stove, over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until it’s warmed through.
Freezing leftovers: This stew freezes beautifully! Allow it to cool completely, then transfer it to a zip top freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Squeeze all the air out of the bag, then store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost by setting the bag on a plate in the refrigerator overnight.
Instant Pot Lamb Stew Recipe FAQs
Almost all newer models of pressure cookers have a slow cooker setting. Or, with a couple of extra steps, you can cook this meal in an actual slow cooker/crockpot. For the best flavor, sear the pieces of lamb shoulder in some oil in a large pot on the stove.
After removing the pieces of lamb and placing them on a plate, sauté the onions in the same pot. Pour in the ale to deglaze the pot. Next, transfer that mixture, the stew meat, all the veggies except for the peas, and seasonings to your crockpot.
Once you’ve placed the lid on the slow cooker, cook on High for 4–5 hours or on Low for 6–7 hours. After the cook time ends, stir in the peas. Use a cornstarch slurry to thicken for 10-15 minutes. Season and serve!
Serving Suggestions
One of the benefits of this hearty meal is that it already includes a protein, starch, and vegetables. Honestly, it can be eaten as-is, without any sides! That being said, I usually serve it with thick slices of Irish soda bread or some drop biscuits to soak up the broth.
After you make this recipe, please give it a star rating below and comment to let me know how it went!
Instant Pot Lamb Stew
Equipment
- Rubber Tip Metal Tongs
Video
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. lamb shoulder cut into 1.5 inch cubes, or lamb stew meat
- 6 ounces Guinness stout beer or omit and substitute with beef broth
- 4 cups beef broth or beef stock
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch, plus 2 tablespoons cold water for thickening the stew
- 1 lb. baby potatoes baby yellow or red
- ½ cup diced onion yellow or white
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 medium carrots peeled and diced; about 1½ cups
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1½ cups frozen peas optional
Instructions
- Sear the lamb. Use paper toweling to pat the pieces of lamb dry. Place meat into a bowl with arrowroot powder and a bit of salt and pepper, and toss to coat.
- Turn the Instant Pot to sauté mode and heat the oil. Working in batches, arrange a single layer of meat into the hot oil. Sear for about 2 minutes per side, then set the seared lamb aside on a plate and sear the next batch.
- Add the diced onions to the hot oil and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until softened. Pour the beer (or broth) in to deglaze the bottom of the Instant Pot liner. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits off the bottom.
- Pour in the broth. Add the carrots, potatoes, lamb, and seasonings. Lock the lid on, close the steam release, and manually set the IP to cook at high pressure for 35 minutes. Allow a 15-minute natural pressure release before carefully opening the pressure valve to release any remaining steam.
- Finish and Serve. Once the pressure has completely released, unlock and remove the lid. Stir in the green peas and allow them to cook with the stew for a few minutes.
- Optionally, you can thicken the stew by making a slurry of 2 tablespoons cold water mixed with 2 tablespoons arrowroot. Stir the slurry into the stew, set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode and allow the stew to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with fresh thyme, and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
My husband and I love this lamb stew that we made Sunday afternoon. It was such a pleasure to open up the pot and stir up bowl full of gorgeous delicious stew. I will make this recipe again and again and again highly recommend recommended.
Thank you SO much for that feedback Lucy! We are so happy to hear it!
Mary westlake
The Irish Stew recipe is in my multi cooker now. We’re having supply problems in Australia like many other countries. Had to substitute fresh thyme with oregano. Hopefully, it will work. We’re counting down the 35 minutes!
Hi Dianne, I’m so excited for you! Please come back and let us know how you liked it. 🙂 -Laura
This recipe sounds yummy, as I will definitely be making it. If I only have chicken broth, can I use that? Or is it better to use water?
Hi Nina, great question! You can definitely use chicken broth. 🙂 -Laura
I fixed your recipe for a 90 year old Irishman who is a picky eater. He loved the stew and even drank the liquid from his soup bowl to finish it off . He never wants anything left for another meal so I take most things I’ve cooked home. He asked me to leave a bowl to eat during the week! Thanks for such a good recipe. Can you recommend a video as I had a bit of a time with the instapot. I know I need more experience. How long does a natural relief of steam take?
Hi Mary! I can’t thank you enough for sharing your experience making this recipe. It warms my heart to know he enjoyed the recipe this much! My Irish granddad was a big fan of stews like this, so it makes me incredibly happy to know your Irishman thoroughly enjoyed it!
To answer your question, a natural pressure release usually takes anywhere from 15-20ish minutes. It varies a bit, though. I will look into some video resources to help you get to know your Instant Pot a little better! 🙂 -Laura
Step 3 calls for adding green peas, which aren’t on the ingredient list. Quantity?
Hi Bill! It’s an optional ingredient, so you don’t need to add it. I normally add 12 oz. or 1 regular sized bag of frozen peas. 🙂 -Laura
I need some clarification of the recipe. Step 1 at the end says to set the browned meat aside. Step 2 browns the onions and then adds the broth, vegetables (except peas) and seasoning before cooking. Step 3 adds the peas. When do you put the meat back in? I assume before turning on the pressure cooker in step 2, but I could be wrong. The slow cooker instructions explicitly mention the meat in the cooker, combining with onion-beer mixture plus vegetables, so I think my assumption is correct…but I like to be sure.
Hi Cindy! You’re totally right. Thanks for catching that! I will update the recipe to reflect this. 🙂 -Laura
Yesterday, my husband and I made a double recipe (2 6qt IP’s) for the first time. Also, first time cooking with lamb! Your wonderful stew received RAVE reviews from our dinner guests and us!! Served it with a beautiful fall havest salad, crusty Grist sourdough bread and Dark Horse Cabernet Sauvignon. Homemade lemon meringue pie topped if off!!
Hi Nancy! That sounds like a feast! I’m absolutely thrilled you and your guests enjoyed the lamb stew. Thank you for sharing such a lovely review – you made my day! -Laura
My family loved this recipe! Perfect recipe to make a snowy winter evening feel warm and cozy.
Hi Patty! I’m thrilled to hear that. Thank you for sharing. 🙂 -Laura