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Instant Pot Pot Roast with perfectly tender beef, carrots, and potatoes. This easy one-pot meal turns out absolutely outstanding with amazing beef and perfectly cooked (not mushy!) vegetables!

Pot Roast with vegetables on a platter, ready to serve.

This Instant Pot Pot Roast recipe is beautifully seasoned, incredibly simple, and seriously versatile. With tender chunks of beef and rich, juicy vegetables, this mouthwatering winter warmer is low on effort and high on the flavor front!

Now I’m all about a succulent pot roast, but I don’t love waiting for hours for it to cook. So I came up with a solution – an instant pot pot roast!

If you’re new to the concept, an Instant Pot is a magical pressure cooker that (among other things!) cooks slow-roasted dishes in record time.

And it’s super simple to use, too! For this recipe, you’ll simply roast your beef, set it to one side, cook the vegetables in the same pot, and let things simmer!

The tender beef just falls apart and melts in the mouth. Plus, the carrots and potatoes absorb all of that wonderfully savory goodness from the meat. It’s a rich, filling, good-for-the-soul kind of meal.

If you prefer cooking in the crock pot, make my Slow Cooker Pot Roast recipe!

So light the fire, put on some fluffy socks, and indulge in this glorious pot roast. I know I will!

Ingredients for Instant Pot Pot Roast

Here are the simple ingredients needed to make this Instant Pot pot roast. Don’t be afraid to customize, though! You can’t go too far wrong here!

Avocado Oil: To sauté our beef. I love avocado oil for its subtle flavor, and the high smoke point makes it suitable for high-temperature cooking.

I don’t recommend using olive oil because it burns at a relatively low temperature.

Beef: The best cut of meat for pot roast is a lean sirloin roast or chuck roast. However, any roast cut will do. The fattier the meat, the more flavorful it’ll be!

Garlic Powder: Using powder in addition to fresh minced garlic ensures we get a proper dose of savory deliciousness here.

The powder adheres wonderfully to the beef, penetrating the meat and imparting flavor to every bite.

Paprika: Brings warmth and a gentle spice to this pot roast.

Sea Salt and Black Pepper: The time-honored dynamic duo of flavor. Salt and pepper improve every recipe, and this Instant Pot pot roast is no different!

Yellow Onion: Caramelizes beautifully during the cook, adding subtle sweetness to our dish.

Garlic: Mince your garlic so it disappears into the broth and infuses everything with flavor.

Beef Broth: Pressure cooking everything in broth ensures every bite remains moist and juicy. I also find it really adds to the depth and richness of the pot roast.

You can use water or a lighter broth (like chicken or vegetable) if you like, but your dish will taste a lot less meaty.

Liquid Aminos: Substitute Worcestershire sauce if you prefer! Both will give us that savory umami depth we’re looking for.

Carrots: Choose chunky carrots that’ll hold together during a pressure cook.

Potatoes: I use baby Gold potatoes and leave them unpeeled. If you opt for a larger variety, chop them into halves or quarters.

Chop the pieces to be of a similar size to your carrot chunks to help everything cook evenly. Feel free to use russet potatoes or red potatoes as a substitute.

Recipe Customizations

Try a tri-tip or a ribeye roast if you want richer, more flavorful meat. The extra fat breaks down into stunning moisture during the pressure cook.
Serve your meat in chunks, or grab a couple of forks to shred it. It should be so tender that it falls apart with little effort!
Want more vegetables? Try adding parsnips, turnips, or rutabaga. They’re classic pot roast vegetables that’ll hold up well without falling apart.
Add 1/2 cup of red wine to this easy recipe for extra flavor.
Mix 2 tablespoons of tomato paste with the beef broth for a little acidic tang.
Season the meat with your favorite dry rub for beef or seasoning blend.

Tips for a Fantastic Instant Pot Pot Roast

Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release and lose pressure for at least an hour after it finishes cooking. This allows the muscle fibers to continue to break down and tenderize. It tastes even better if you have time to leave it for two hours!
If your meat isn’t as tender as you’d like when you pull it, simply cook it for a bit longer in the Instant Pot. Pressure cooking isn’t an exact science, and different cuts of meat will naturally have slightly different cook times.

To prevent mushy vegetables, chop the veggies into very large chunks.

Instant Pot Pot Roast - an easy method for cooking pot roast that turns out deliciously. Platter of shredded beef with carrots and potatoes

Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

The beef is perfectly tender and simply melts in your mouth.

Every bite of potato and carrot is deliciously infused with the broth and the drippings from the beef. So, this is a rich, hearty, umami-loaded dish that warms my very soul!

The flavors are simple, but so immersive. There’s a gentle spice from the black pepper and paprika, with a tantalizing sweet-savory depth from the garlic and onion.

So much of that flavor is captured in the cooking liquid. I love grabbing a hunk of crusty bread and mopping up every drop!

How to Make Instant Pot Pot Roast:

Cut your beef into large chunks, and coat with garlic powder, paprika, sea salt, and pepper on all sides.

Large chunks of beef seasoned with paprika, salt and garlic powder

Add your avocado oil to the Instant Pot and hit the Sauté button. Allow the oil to heat up for a few minutes.

Sear the chunks of beef on the hot surface for 3 to 4 minutes on two sides, until nicely seared.

Seared chuck roast in an instant pot to make pot roast.

Add the garlic, onions, beef broth, and liquid aminos.

Chunks of browned beef and sliced onions are arranged in a black pot, ready to be cooked together for a savory Instant Pot Pot Roast.

Secure the lid on the Instant Pot, and press the Manual button. This could be called ‘Pressure Cook’ or ‘Manual Pressure’, depending on your machine.

Most machines default to high pressure (which is what you want). Verify that is the case for your pressure cooker.

Set the timer for 35 minutes, and let it run its full coarse. The total pressure cooking time is about 50 to 55 minutes because the machine needs time to pressurize.

Once it’s finished, allow it go through the full natural release process (about 45 minutes to one hour).

Open the lid, remove the beef, and set aside.

Chunks of beef and chopped onions simmer in a rich, brown broth inside a black Instant Pot Pot Roast slow cooker or pressure cooker.

Add the potatoes and carrots, seal, and pressure cook on high for 15 minutes before opening the steam valve for a quick release.

Electric pressure cooker pot filled with cooked carrots, potatoes, and onions in a rich brown Instant Pot Pot Roast broth.

Transfer the vegetables to a serving dish along with the beef, and serve with any additional side dishes.

Store leftover pot roast in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Shredded beef, gold potatoes, and chunks of carrots on a white platter with a serving fork. Ready to serve.

The electric pressure cooker yields tender beef, rich gravy, and an amazing meal – the best results in a fraction of the time!

You may notice the cook time in my recipe is higher than most pressure cooker pot roast recipes. This is by design in order to produce the most flavorful, tender results.

Hearty, warming, and wonderfully simple, this is one pot roast you can whip up any day of the week. Enjoy it on constant rotation for meal prep, or whip it up for Sunday dinner.

Let me know in the comments if you decide to give it a try!

Can’t get enough of my instant pot pot roast? Here are five more stunningly simple Instant Pot recipes.

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