Instant Pot Pot Roast

The Instant Pot is by far the best way to cook Pot Roast when you are short on time, but still want to enjoy this classic comfort food. This Instant Pot Pot Roast recipe is largely hands-off cooking which makes this a breeze to put together. It’s a hearty and delicious dinner that also happens to be Paleo and Whole30 friendly!

Quick Pot Roast Recipe

An Instant Pot was practically made to cook a recipe like Pot Roast! A Pot Roast is a tough cut of meat that is traditionally cooked slowly in the oven until all of the tough parts of the meat have “melted down” resulting in a super tender and savory roast. When made in the oven, a pot roast can take anywhere from three to four hours, plus any additional prep time. But an Instant Pot Pot Roast cooks in just 50 minutes!

Of course, this method also has prep, plus the time it takes the Instant Pot to come up to pressure, and the 15-minute natural release. Even with all of that, it’s still so much quicker to cook a pot roast in the IP.

And, it’s just so darn tender and flavorful when cooked in the Instant Pot! This recipe makes for a rich, tender, and hearty Pot Roast, with perfectly cooked carrots, potatoes, and gravy.

Ingredients Needed for Instant Pot Pot Roast

• Chuck Roast
• Dijon Mustard
• Spices: Dried Parsely + Garlic Powder + Onion Powder + Celery Seed
• Beef Broth
• Oil
• Small Potatoes (potatoes that are about 2 inches, or potatoes diced to a similar size)
• Carrots
• Tapioca Starch (this is to thicken the gravy)
• Coconut Aminos
• Fresh Thyme + Parsley

How to Customize It

This recipe makes for a complete meal with meat, starch (potatoes), and veggies (carrots) plus that super delicious gravy. You can definitely swap in other veggies that you have on hand, but you will have to play around with the cooking time in the Instant Pot.

You can also play around with the spices added to this dish, though we are quite partial to the deep flavor and nuance that our blend of flavors gives to this pot roast.

What is the Best Cut of Meat for Pot Roast?

We think a chuck roast works best for pot roast, but you can swap in other tougher cuts of beef that with withstand the long cooking time. Other cuts that will work are:

• Brisket
• Rump Roast
• Bottom Round Roast
• Shoulder Steak

Do you have to sear the meat when making a pot roast?

This is not an essential step in making a pot roast, but it does give this dish a ton of flavor. Searing the chuck roast “caramelizes” the meat, contributing a rich umami flavor to the dish. If you absolutely must skip this step, you might want to consider increasing the amount of coconut aminos added to the dish to compensate for the loss of flavor.

Can you overcook a pot roast?

In a few words, yes! You can also undercook it, too. Overcooking the meat would result in a very dry tasting pot roast. Undercooking it would result in a tough piece of meat. Unfortunately, this isn’t much you can do if you overcook it, other than making sure to serve it with a lot of gravy. If you undercook it, simply return the meat to the instant pot and cook it for longer, starting with 5 added minutes of time for each pound of meat you are using.

Why do you add the potatoes and carrots separately?

The carrots and potatoes are cooked after the pot roast is finished. This is simply because if you cooked the veggies with the pot roast they would turn to mush. But adding them in separately you can ensure they are properly cooked! You’ll also notice that they are left in larger pieces, and that is for the same reason!

Does the size of the meat matter?

Absolutely. If your cut of meat is either smaller or bigger than the suggested 2-3 pound chuck roast, you may need to adjust the cooking time. Generally speaking, we have found that 20 minutes per pound of beef works well for Instant Pot Pot Roast, plus a 15 minutes natural release.

Ways to Use up Leftover Pot Roast

Leftover pot roast, like many other types of braised meat, can easily be turned into a new dinner on another evening. Leftover shredded meat can be used in:

• soup
• a one-pan rice meal
• savory tacos
• fried rice

Watch the video here:

If you like this Instant Pot Recipe, check out these others:

• Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Brisket
• How to Cook Frozen Chicken Breasts in the Instant Pot
• Instant Pot Balsamic Chicken
• Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs

Instant Pot Pot Roast

5 from 10 votes

The Instant Pot is by far the best way to cook Pot Roast when you are short on time, but still want to enjoy this classic comfort food. This Instant Pot Pot Roast recipe is largely hands-off cooking which makes this a breeze to put together. It's a hearty and delicious dinner that also happens to be Paleo and Whole30 friendly!

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

  

• 2-3 pounds chuck roast cut into 4 pieces (see note for other options)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons oil
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon celery seed
• 1-1/2 cups beef broth
• 16 ounces small potatoes about 2” inches in size, halved
• 4 carrots peeled and sliced into 4 pieces
• 2 tablespoon tapioca starch
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
• Fresh thyme and parsley for garnish

Instructions

• Season the chuck roast generously with salt and pepper, and let it sit for 15 minutes.
• Press saute and add the oil to the Instant Pot liner. Once hot, sear the chuck roast, about 2-3 minutes per side. Shut off saute. Push beef to the side of the pot.
• Add in mustard, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, celery seed and beef broth. Stir it together and scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
• Switch the valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure for 50 minutes, with a 15-minute natural pressure release. Switch the valve to venting to release any remaining pressure after the 15 minutes.
• Open the lid and transfer the meat to a plate, cover and set aside to rest.
• Add in the potatoes and carrots and close the lid. Seat the valve to sealing. Cook on high-pressure for 2 minutes. Switch the valve to venting and release all pressure.
• Open the lid and press the saute function.
• Whisk together tapioca starch and coconut aminos in a small bowl to create a slurry. Add in 2 tablespoons of the slurry, and cook until the mixture is boiling. Add in more slurry if needed to get your desired thickness of gravy.
• Shut off the saute function.
• Slice or shred the pot roast. Serve hot with carrots, potatoes and gravy. Garnish with fresh thyme and parsley, if desired.

Notes

We think a chuck roast works best for pot roast, but you can swap in other tougher cuts of beef that with withstand the long cooking time. Other cuts that will work are:

• Brisket
• Rump Roast
• Bottom Round Roast
• Shoulder Steak

If your roast is larger than the 2-3 pounds indicated, you can adjust the cooking time. We have found that jut about 20 minutes per pound of meat works with the above-indicated method.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 recipeCalories: 683kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 60gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 240mgSodium: 600mgFiber: 5gSugar: 5g

Keyword: Instant Pot Pot Roast

Course: Dinner

Method: Instant Pot

Author: Lexi's Clean Kitchen

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