Instant Pot Osso Bucco
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Making Instant Pot Osso Bucco means the meat is ultra tender and the sauce is rich and delicious. Better yet, it’s ready to eat in about an hour. A classic Osso Buco recipe has never been so easy or fast!
Veal or Beef Osso Bucco
Osso Bucco is a fabulous classic Italian dish, known for its rich flavor. Traditionally, Italians make Osso Bucco with veal shanks, but beef Osso Buco is more popular in the United States.
The meat slowly braises for hours, until it’s fall apart tender. The marrow inside the bone becomes ultra creamy and delicious, creating a rich, deep-flavored sauce with tomatoes, herbs, vegetables, and wine.
Making this cozy comfort food dinner in an Instant Pot means almost all of the work is hands-off. It tastes like it’s been slowly braising all day, but it hasn’t!
That’s the beauty of cooking Instant Pot recipes, don’t you think?
👉 Don’t have an Instant Pot? Check out my Dutch Oven Osso Buco recipe!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Beef or Veal Shanks. Shanks are a cross cut portion from the leg of the animal.
- White Wine. Choose a drier, crisp white wine, like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. A dry red wine would be a suitable substitute.
- Beef Stock – Beef broth is a less expensive substitute for stock. For extra nutritional benefits, you can use bone broth.
- Canned Diced Tomatoes – An unseasoned variety is fine, or you can use Italian diced tomatoes.
- Olive Oil
- Produce: Carrots, onion, celery, and garlic.
- Herbs: Dried thyme, rosemary, and oregano.
👉 Money Saving Tip: Save the vegetable and herb scraps, to make Vegetable Stock in your Instant Pot!
How to Make Instant Pot Osso Bucco
- Prepare the beef shanks. Turn the Instant Pot to sauté mode and set it to High heat. Meanwhile, take a few paper towels and pat both sides of the osso bucco dry.
- Season both sides of the meat with salt and pepper. Add the oil to the inner pot, then sear the meat on each side for about 3-4 minutes.
👉 Optionally, tie a piece of kitchen twine around each piece of meat, following the circular width of the shank. This will help to keep the pieces together as it cooks, but it does not change the flavor or cooking time at all.
- Sauté the vegetables. Add the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic to the pot. Cook the vegetables for 4-5 minutes, stirring a couple of times during the process, until the veggies soften slightly.
- Deglaze the inner pot. Pour the wine into the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape all the brown bits from the bottom. Those brown bits are flavor city!!
- Assemble for cooking. Add the tomatoes, stock, and herbs to the Pot. Give everything a quick stir. Return the seared beef osso bucco to the Instant Pot, and nestle it into the liquid and vegetable mixture.
- Pressure cook the meal. Cover the pot with its lid, and make sure the venting seal is closed. Manually set the IP to cook on high pressure for 45 minutes. When the cook time ends, allow for a NPR (natural pressure release), which means simply waiting for the pressure to naturally dissipate over time. It usually takes 15-20 minutes.
After the pressure releases, carefully open the lid and remove the osso bucco from the Instant Pot.
Serve in bowls with the rich, chunky sauce ladled on top.
Tips for Success
- If your Instant Pot is smaller than 8 quarts, sear the beef in batches to prevent overcrowding.
- It’s okay if the meat isn’t fully covered by liquid. Also, the pieces of meat can overlap, if necessary.
- Avoid using the “Keep Warm” function for more than 30-40 minutes. It continues the cooking process (at a super low rate!). This can cause the meat to over cook.
Optional: Traditionally, this meal is served with a bit of zesty gremolata on top. Make a simple gremolata by combining 1 tablespoon lemon zest, 2 tablespoons minced parsley, 1 clove minced garlic, and 1 teaspoon oil together. Sprinkle a bit of gremolata over each serving.
Serving Suggestions
This is a very rich and hearty meal – perfect for cold weather months! Serve with cauliflower mash, spaghetti squash, mashed potatoes, risotto, crispy potatoes, or a side salad. As with most Italian dinners, a loaf of crusty bread with olive oil or butter is a favorite side as well.
Instant Pot Osso Bucco FAQ
Using a natural pressure release helps to keep the juices inside of the meat. At the very least, allow the pressure to release naturally (NPR) for at least 10-15 minutes, then turn or press the steam release valve.
Allow the leftovers to cool, then transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Other Cozy Instant Pot Dinners
Making this recipe? I’d love to hear about your experience! Please leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @cookathomemom.
Instant Pot Osso Bucco
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. osso bucco (veal or beef shanks) approximately 1.5 inches thick
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 2 medium carrots sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
- 1 stalk celery diced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. Substitute red wine if needed.
- 14 oz. diced tomatoes about 1.5 cups
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Gremolata, optional, for serving
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoons minced parsley
- 1 clove garlic
- olive oil
Video
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté Mode on High. Meanwhile, take a few paper towels and pat both sides of the meat dry. Season the meat on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Add the oil to the inner pot, then carefully set the meat in the inner pot. Allow the meat to brown on each side for about 3-4 minutes, then set it aside on a plate.Note: If you're using a 4 or 6 qt. Instant Pot, brown one piece of meat at a time to avoid overcrowding.
- Keeping the Instant Pot set to Sauté mode, add the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic. Saute the vegetables for 4-5 minutes, just until softened slightly.
- Add the wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape all the brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in the tomatoes, stock, herbs, and seasonings.
- Return the browned meat to the Instant Pot. Note: The meat does not need to be completely covered by liquid. The pieces of meat can overlap, if necessary.
- Cook the dish. Close the lid and turn to High Pressure for 45 minutes. Allow for a NPR (natural pressure release), which means simply waiting for the pressure to naturally dissipate over time. It usually takes 15-20 minutes. Carefully open the lid and remove the meat and rich broth for serving!
- Optional: Osso Buco is traditionally served with a bit of gremolata on top. Make a simple gremolata by combining 1 tablespoon lemon zest, 2 tablespoons minced parsley, 1 clove minced garlic, and 1 teaspoon oil together. Sprinkle each bowl with a bit of gremolata.
Notes
- If your Instant Pot is smaller than 8 quarts, sear the beef in batches to prevent overcrowding.
- The meat does not need to be completely covered by liquid. The pieces of meat can overlap, if necessary.
