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 just 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 shred it into the pieces with a spoon.
Let’s not forget about perfectly cooked veggies. The vegetables are soft and tender, but not mush. I like my vegetables with some life in them! Honestly, nobody like mushy veggies.
If you’re a fan of cold weather comfort food, be sure to check out my roundup of easy winter meals!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Lamb Stew Meat or Lamb Shoulder cut into bite sized pieces. Lamb shoulder becomes wonderfully tender in stews and braises. I prefer to get it precut from my local butcher, because I’m always excited for a shortcut, but both ways work great.
*If you don’t like lamb, you can make this stew recipe using beef chuck roast.
Produce: Baby potatoes, onion, carrots, green peas (I use frozen), and fresh thyme. The root vegetables add earthy flavor and make the stew more hearty. The peas add a touch of bright, fresh sweetness.
Guinness. Stout beer is unmistakably Irish, rich and deep in flavor. This ingredient is optional, but it takes the Irish stew recipe to another level! Don’t worry, it’s safe to cook with beer in your Instant Pot! And if you have any leftover, try this Guinness beef stew!
*If you don’t have stout on hand, you can substitute with red wine.
*To avoid using alcohol, you can simply skip the ale and substitute with more broth.
Arrowroot powder is what I use to thicken the stew. If you want, you can substitute arrowroot with an equal amount of cornstarch.
How to Make Instant Pot Lamb Stew
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, don’t worry. There are instructions to make it in a crockpot further down in this post.
- Prepare the lamb. Use a few paper towels to pat the pieces of lamb dry. Then, toss them with arrowroot powder and a bit of 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 cook for about 2 minutes per side. When the pieces are brown and have a nice crust, set them aside on a plate.
- Sauté the onions. Add the onions to the hot oil, and sauté them for a few minutes.
- Deglaze the pot. Add the Guinness (if using). Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the inner pot.
- Add remaining ingredients, then pressure cook. 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 more arrowroot powder with about 1/4 cup of the broth 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 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Storing and Freezing Leftovers
Storing leftovers: Once the Lamb Stew has cooled to room temperature, transfer it to an airtight container or zip top bag and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Freezing leftovers: This stew freezes beautifully! Allow the stew to cool completely, then transfer it to a zip top freezer bag. Squeeze all the air out of the bag, then store in the freezer for 2-3 months. Defrost by setting the bag on a plate in the refrigerator overnight.
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. Just sear the pieces of lamb shoulder in some oil in a large pot on the stove.
Remove them and set them aside, then sauté the onions in that same pot. Deglaze the pot with ale then transfer all of that, the stew meat, and the vegetables and seasonings to your crockpot.
Cover and cook on High for 4-5 hours, or Low for 6-7 hours. Stir in the peas. Make a cornstarch slurry, then stir that into the cooked stew and allow it to thicken for 10-15 minutes. Season and serve!
If you make this recipe, please give it a star rating and leave a comment below to let me know how it went!
Instant Pot Irish Lamb Stew
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. lamb stew meat or lamb shoulder, cut into 1.5 inch cubes
- 6 ounces Guinness stout beer or omit and substitute more beef broth
- 32 ounces beef broth
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder or flour, plus optional 2 tablespoons for thickening the broth
- 1 lb. baby potatoes
- 1/2 medium onion
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3-4 medium carrots
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 12 ounces frozen peas optional
Instructions
- Brown the meat. Pat the pieces of lamb with a few paper towels to dry them. Sprinkle with arrowroot powder and a bit of salt and pepper.
- Turn the Instant Pot to sauté mode and heat the oil. In batches, add the meat to the Instant Pot, and let it cook for about 2 minutes per side. Set it aside on a plate.
- Cook in the Instant Pot. Add the onions to the Instant Pot, and saute for a few minutes until softened. Add the Guinness (if using) to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits off the bottom.
- Pour in the broth. Add the carrots, potatoes, lamb, and seasonings. Cover and turn to high pressure for 35 minutes. Allow for a natural pressure release.
- Finish and Serve. Once the pressure has completely released, open the lid. Stir in the green peas and allow them to cook with the stew for a few minutes.
- Optionally, you thicken the broth by making a slurry. Whisk more arrowroot powder with about 1/4 cup of the broth 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 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with fresh thyme, and season with a little salt and pepper.
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