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!

Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe - an easy goof-proof method of cooking pot roast in the pressure cooker

Oh hello, meal of my dreams!

One pot, a big hunk of beef, and tasty delicious veggies. Just add dark chocolate to the end of the meal, and I am ALL SET!

If you meal prep in bulk for the week, have a big family, and/or just really love beef, you’ll adore this goof-proof approach to pot roast.

PLUS! The method I have outlined here ensures your meat turns out incredibly tender and your vegetables are cooked to perfection (they don’t turn out mushy!).

One of the difficulties we run into when pressure cooking a meal is meat and vegetables require different pressure cook times for optimal deliciousness.

For me, meat requires as long as it takes to make it nice and shredded or fall-off-the-bone tender. This can take 1 to 3 hours (yes, even in the Instant Pot!) depending on the size/amount of meat.

Vegetables on the other hand? The majority of vegetables require very little time in the pressure cooker…we’re talking 2 to 15 minutes depending on how hearty the vegetable is.

I’m balancing this dichotomy by running the pressure cooker twice (don’t panic). Once to sufficiently make the meat nice and tender (35 minutes on high, 1 hour natural release) and the second time to cook the vegetables to perfect doneness (15 minutes on high, quick release).

We’ll get into all of that below!

How to Make Pot Roast in the Instant Pot:

Cut the roast into several large chunks – I chop a 3-lb roast into eight to ten large chunks. You want them to be about the same size. Sprinkle the beef with garlic powder, paprika, sea salt, and pepper. You want all sides of the beef to be seasoned.

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

Place the chunks of beef on the hot surface and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on two sides to give the meat a good sear.

Stir the onions and garlic into the instant pot and add the beef broth and liquid aminos.

Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and press the Manual button (or Pressure Cook or Manual Pressure) and set the time for 35 minutes. Be sure the pressure cooker is set to the High default setting and leave the steam release valve closed. After the pressure cooker runs its course, allow it to naturally release (and go into the keep warm setting) for at least 1 hour (I like to do 2!).

Open the lid on the Instant Pot and transfer the beef to a cutting board. Place the potatoes and carrots in the Instant Pot and close the lid. Pressure cook on High for 15 minutes, then open the steam valve to do a quick release.

After all of the steam has released, open the lid. Transfer the vegetables to a serving dish, along with the beef. Note: if you’d like, you can use two forks to shred the meat. Or, you can serve the meat in chunks. I like to shred it, then put it back in the juices for 20 minutes or so before serving.

Another note! If you’d like, you can shred the beef then put it back in the Instant Pot with the raw vegetables to allow it to go the additional 15 minutes. This will only make the beef more flavorful and tender! I would recommend going this route, but it isn’t mandatory.

What Type of Beef to Use for Pot Roast:

The good news is, any beef roast will work! Because you’re pressure cooking the beef for a good amount of time, any roast will turn out tender.

For a leaner meal, go with a sirloin roast. You can also use chuck roast. If you’re like me and you love fatty meat, use a tri tip roast or ribeye roast. The fattier the cut, the more flavorful and tender the meat will be.

So there you have it, folks! Deliciously tender meat and amazing vegetables! I hope you love this method as much as I do!

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