Instant Pot Pot Roast

Instant Pot Pot Roast: Tender, juicy, flavorful, chuck roast, cooked to fall apart tender status along with carrots, potatoes, and a hearty savory gravy.

You can never go wrong with pot roast.  What’s even better than a warm classic pot roast? Instant pot pot roast. With very little prep work you can have a fork tender entree that will bring the family running to the table in a fraction of the time it takes to cook the same pot roast in a slow cooker.   

Instant pot pot roast is a great homey classic All -American meal.  It’s great for a Sunday family dinner or on a busy weeknight. With an instant pot pot roast recipe you can get it set up ahead of time and let your instant pot do all the work, but still have dinner on the table in about 2-3 hours instead of the 8-10 it takes to get a tender roast from a slow cooker. And did I mention you can do this from frozen?  With very little effort on your part you can get a yummy family meal pulled together everyone will enjoy.

How long should you cook a pot roast in a pressure cooker?

Personally, I believe people undercook and that is why it is usually tough. 70-90 minutes will produce a beautiful juicy meaty fall apart roast.   If you cook your roast, and when you stick a fork in it, you find that it is still a little tough, and not falling apart, then pop it back in for longer. 

Another big tip is you have to let it naturally release for at least 20 minutes. If you quick release the pressure you essentially create a vacuum which will suck the moisture right out of the meat. Not good. No one wants a chewy roast.

What roast is best for pot roast?

Pot roast are great for tougher cuts of meat. It’s cooked at a low temperature for a longer amount of time.  This lets the high amounts of collagen in the tougher cuts breakdown and eventually tenderize the meat. Hence if you don’t cook it long enough the roast will be tough.  

The cut that’s ideal for this process is Chuck.  It’s cut from the shoulder which doesn’t have a lot of fat marbling but it does have a lot of the collagen I’ve talked about.  A chuck roast makes for a succulent jam packed meaty flavor.

How do you cook a frozen pot roast in the instant pot?  

Forgot to defrost your meat? No problem.  That’s one of the many great things about an instant pot.  You can cook frozen meat in a pinch an no one’s the wiser. All you have to do is:

• Add a little extra cook time.
• When the time is up, check if it’s fork tender. I usually start at 70 minutes, and go up to 90 or even 110 minutes.
• If it’s not tender, pop the lid back on and add a bit more time. It won’t take long to get back up to pressure. 

It’s as simple as that.  

How do you cook a roast with potatoes and carrots?

First you have to ask yourself how cooked do you like your potatoes and carrots?

• If you like them super soft add them when you start cooking.  Side note: this is probably best done when the pot roast is baked in the oven or you risk the pressure from the instant pot breaking down the veggies to mush. I am usually a little lazy and just toss them in anyway, and we don’t mind the veggie mush. But if that is not your thing, try the second option. 
• If soft isn’t your texture of choice add them towards the end and add on about 10 more minutes of cook time. And again at least a few minutes of natural pressure release if your meat is still in. 

Some tips for the instant pot beef roast are:

• Use the natural release method for tender, moist, meat. 
• Add the veggies at the end so they don’t turn to much.  Cook for another 15 mins and you’ll have beautiful carrots and potatoes that carry the flavor of the roast throughout the whole plate.    
• Add time if the meat is not tender enough. The amount of time really depends on how much connective tissue is in the cut, and how defrosted the meat is.

Instant Pot Pot Roast

This Instant Pot pot roast recipe is fall-apart tender chuck roast and flavorful vegetables all in a delicious gravy.

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: instant pot, instant pot pot roast, instant pot roast, pot roast

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Pot to Pressure and Depressure: 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 93kcal

Ingredients

• 2.5 to 3 lbs. chuck roast
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups beef broth
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 tsps salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 Tbs worcestershire sauce
• 1 large onion quartered
• 1 lb. whole baby red potatoes about 10-12
• 6 to 8 large carrots cut in 2 inch pieces

Instructions

• Generously salt and pepper both side of the roast, set aside.
• Turn on the instant pot saute function and add the tablespoon of olive oil into the pot liner.
• When hot, put in the roast and brown on each side for 3-5 minutes.
• Pour in the 2 cups of beef broth. Add fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, seasonings, and the onion.
• Add the potatoes and the carrots in the pot around the roast
• Hit “cancel” to turn off the saute function.
• Put the lid on the pot and lock into place, set the valve to sealing.
• Pressure cook on high pressure for 80-90 minutes (longer if roast is frozen or large).
• At the end of cooking allow to natural release for 20 minutes, then quick release remaining pressure.
• Remove the stems from the herbs and discard.
• Test tenderness of the roast. Should be fork tender, if not, return the lid and pressure cook a little while longer.

OPTIONAL GRAVY:

• Remove the meat and vegetables to a serving dish and scoop out any remaining herbs etc.
• Whisk 1/2 cup of cold water with 3 tablespoons of flour together until smooth.
• Turn the pot to saute mode, on high. When the liquid starts to bubble, whisk in the flour mixture.
• Continue to cook until gravy is thickened.
• Taste, and season to your preference.

Notes

Recipe cooked in a 6-quart Instant Pot.

Nutrition

Calories: 93kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1115mg | Potassium: 442mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 0.7% | Vitamin C: 10.9% | Calcium: 2.2% | Iron: 5.5%

Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.

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