This is the best Pot Roast recipe I’ve tried! The meat is so tender and falling apart, you’ll want another helping! Made with flavorful dry rub, then seared, and cooked with potatoes and carrots in Instant Pot, this will be your new favorite Sunday dinner meal!
Pot Roast is a classic comfort food. I think we all grew up with memories of our moms or grandmas making this dish on weekends or holidays. It’s a perfectly tender roast cooked for a few hours in a pot with carrots and potatoes, and served with delicious gravy.
Previously, I was always hesitant to make this dish myself, just because it takes too long to cook. However, when I got my Pressure Cooker, I found out that you can make this classic dish in just a fraction of the time, without compromising on flavor!
There are many classic recipes you can make in less time, like Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup, Instant Pot Turkey Chili, Instant Pot Chicken Wings, Instant Pot Boneless Short Ribs, Instant Pot Beef Stew, and many more!
What meat to use?
The most popular cut of meat for this recipe is Beef Chuck Roast. It has beautiful marbling, which makes the braised beef juicy and tender. This type of meat comes from the front shoulder. In different stores you might find it under different names, like shoulder roast, blade roast, or chuck eye, but they all come from the same area.
How to make Dry Rub?
This dry rub makes the whole meal so special, bringing out delicious sweet, smoky, and spicy flavors.
For this recipe, I use the same dry rub as for my Instant Pot Pulled Pork but in different proportions.
Ingredients:
- Smoked paprika
- Salt
- Cayenne
- Onion flakes
- Garlic powder
Mix all the Dry Rub ingredient together (Photos 1-6).
Add the seasoning to the beef roast and mix well, until evenly coated (Photos 7-10).
How to make it
Set your Pressure Cooker to “Sauté” function.
Add olive oil and let it preheat.
When the oil is hot, place the meat in the pot and let it sear for about 4-5 minutes on each side, until it gets a golden/brown crust. Then remove the meat from the pot (Photos 11-13).
Now, we can add chopped onion and sauté it for about 5 minutes, or until it gets golden in color. Then add garlic and cook for another minute (Photos 14-17).
Add beef broth and deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping off the burnt bits. Then add tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix everything, cook for another minute, then turn off the “sauté” function.
Put the roast back in the pot, place baby potatoes and carrots on top. Cover with the lid and make sure your venting knob is turned to “sealing” (Photos 18-23).
Cook on manual high pressure for 40 minutes. When done, do a quick pressure release.
How long to cook
The cooking time depends on the amount of meat you are using and its size. In this recipe, I use a 3-4 pounds beef roast. I like to cut it in 4 pieces, to reduce the cooking time.
I found that 40 minutes of cooking time is perfect for this recipe. After that, we can quickly release the pressure.
Because I cook the meat together with potatoes and carrots, shorter cooking time helps the vegetables to get evenly cooked without being too mushy.
How to make gravy
After the meat and vegetables are done, quickly release the pressure. Take the meat and veggies out. You can put them on a serving plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
Turn on the “Sauté” function again and let the liquid get to boil. Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes. Then mix cornstarch (or tapioca flour) with water and add it to the pot. Stir and cook another 5 minutes, until the gravy gets thicker to the desired consistency.
How to serve
While the gravy is cooking, take two forks and shred the meat.
I like to serve it on a large serving plate with meat on one side and vegetables on the other side. Pour some gravy over the dish before serving.
Tips for Best Results
- If your Beef Roast is more than 3-4 pounds, just cut it in 6 pieces instead of 4. This way each piece will be small enough to cook and get tender.
- Don’t skip the searing part. That char will provide the most flavor!
- Because we cook vegetables with the roast, they will be soft (but not mushy). If you don’t like soft carrots, use large carrots instead of baby carrots, so they will better keep their texture.
Did you make this recipe?!? I’d love to know how it turned out! leave a comment and a rating below👇 thank you!
Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients for Dry Rub:
- ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
- ½ tablespoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon onion flakes
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Ingredients for Instant Pot Pot Roast:
- 3-4 pounds beef roast cut in 4 pieces
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 pound baby potatoes
- 1 pound baby carrots or 4 medium carrots
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or tapioca flour
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, mix dry rub ingredients together (1/2 tbsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp onion flakes, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp cayenne) and set aside.
- Rinse the chunk of meat, pat dry, and cut in four equal pieces. Add dry rub ingredients and rub it into the meat, coating evenly.
- Set the Pressure Cooker to “Sauté” function.
- Add 3 tbsp olive oil and let it preheat.
- When the oil is hot, place the meat in the Pressure Cooker and let it sear for about 4-5 minutes on each side, until it gets a golden/brown crust. Then remove the meat from the pot.
- Add chopped onion and sauté it for about 5 minutes, or until it gets golden in color. Then add minced garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add 2 cups beef broth and deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping off the burnt bits. Then add 2 tbsp tomato paste, and 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce. Mix everything, cook for another minute, then turn off the “sauté” function off.
- Put the meat back in the pot, place 1 pound baby potatoes and 1 pound carrots on top. Cover with the lid and make sure your venting knob is turned to “sealing”.
- Cook on manual high pressure for 40 minutes. When done, do a quick pressure release.
- After the meat and vegetables are done, quickly release the pressure. Take the roast and veggies out. You can put then on a serving plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Turn on the “Sauté” function again and let the liquid get to boil. Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes. Then mix 2 tbsp cornstarch (or tapioca flour) with water and gradually add it to the pot. Stir and cook another 5 minutes, until the gravy gets thicker to the desired consistency.
- While the gravy is cooking, take two forks and shred the meat.
- I like to serve it on a large serving plate with meat on one side and vegetables on the other side. Pour some grave over the dish before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published in 2019, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, tips, and FAQs in Feb of 2020.
Made it for dinner tonight, it came out great, wow, it has so much flavor. I did add some sweet onions and cherry tomatoes that we’re getting soft, I hate food waste. I wish I could share my photo, but can’t get it to work. Thanks, I’ll make it again.
Thank you so much, Marla! I’m so happy you liked it!
This looks fantastic I’m cooking this for dinner tonight it’s cooking as I’m texting it smells delicious I will definitely let you know how it was… Can’t wait I’m making green beans and jasmine rice to serve with it my family loves rice and gravy
I’m excited to try this recipe! I’m LOVING the favors!
I need to make this for 12 people though… and I’m new to the instant pot. Is there a way to make this in the Crock Pot? I imagine doubling the recipe it won’t work.
Hi Megan! Unfortunately, I never used a Crock Pot, so I don’t know how it works. Also the cooking time will be different.
Hi for the pressure release, it says quick pressure release. Then the next step talks about after the meat and veggies are done to release the pressure again. I’m confused. Are we supposed to do a quick release after 49 minutes or let it release naturally? Thank you and can’t wait to try this!
Hi Sarah, you just need to do a quick pressure release.
Easy and really good.
Next time I will add just a little more salt. Veggies were perfect.
Thank you, Melissa!
Here’s an additional comment. Still LOVE this recipe but I’ve been making it without the veggies and then when the meat is done and resting, I put the carrots and potatoes and cornstarch slurry in for 6 minutes and they come out perfectly!
I love this recipe! We make it often. I have a silly question – when you say to sear the meat on all sides, about how many times are you flipping it? After I cut it there are really like 6 sides to it that I could potentially sear, but I don’t want to be over-cooking it.
Ha-ha, good question! It really depends on the cuts, since they are cut unevenly. Usually, I sear all the sides that are wide and look red. If you don’t want to sear all 6 of them, I would do at least 4 to get a nice char that will add the most flavor to the dish and the sauce.
My husband accidentally picked up pre-sliced beef roast.., I have about 4 lbs in 8 steak-like pieces: should I cut down on the cook time if I have 4lbs cut into 8 pieces?
Hi Lisa. I think you can keep the same cooking time, the meat will be nice and tender.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I made this last night using my instant pot for the first time and it came out amazing! My fiancé noted that he wants this once a week. Thank you again
Thank you, Sherry! So glad you and your fiance liked it!
Hi! Can this be made in a slow cooker?
Hi Stacy! I never tried making it in a slow cooker, but I’m sure you can do it. Although, you will need to adjust the timing.
This recipe deserves TEN STARS!!! I’ve never been very good at baking a roast. Its either dry as a bone or tough as a rock, BUT not anymore. This recipe was amazingly delicious. I was a bit skeptical at the 40 minute pressure cook and I only did 30 minutes. The carrots (used regular) were a bit mushy, the potatoes were perfect (used redskin) and the meat was not fall apart tender but easily forked into chunks and easy to eat. The gravy, which I’m also awful at making, was also perfect!! Did I say I love this recipe? This will be used and shared with all my family and friends. Can’t wait to explore more of your recipes. Thanks so much for posting. “hearts”
Thank you, Melinda! I’m so happy you liked the recipe!
What if my 3.5 lb cut of meat is frozen? But I still want to make it tonight? Any suggestions?
Hi Belinda! I would suggest to defrost the meat first to get the best result. To get the most flavor, we need to cover the meat with dry rub first and sear on all sides, and you won’t be able to do that with frozen meat.
I made this tonight and it was Amazing!! For me the veggies were too soft but that is easily adjusted as a personal preference. The gravy and seasoning were “Spot on!” It is only my husband and I so I used about 1.5 lbs of chuck roast and the roast was fall apart tender. I also did the rub ahead (it was a timing thing) and wrapped in plastic wrap for about 30 minutes in the fridge. Definitely will make again. This is my new go too. Easy and delicious
Thank you, Stacey! I’m so happy you and your husband loved this recipe!
Hi Veronika, Like Stacey, it’s just me and my husband so the 1.5 lb. roast is the perfect size. But Stacey didn’t mention the timing for the roast. With the smaller roast, is the cook time still 40 mins.?
Came out excellent! First time using my Instant Pot. It was flashing food burn so we stopped it… but it came out perfect! Wasn’t able to make the gravy because of the burnt food in the pot but it was still excellent!
Hi Jackie! I’m glad you liked this recipe! Was is not enough liquid? 2 cups of broth should be plenty and it shouldn’t burn….
This recipe was perfect for the moose meat roasts we have in the freezer. We are finding moose meat cooks differently than beef and hadn’t found a roast recipe that turned out well. Thanks for this delicious one! We’ll be doing this many times!
Thank you, Nicole! I never tried moose meat before but it sounds so tasty! Glad you liked the recipe!
OMG OMG OMG!
Ya, this is a great recipe! I made beef noodles with leftovers. Egg noodles, gravy, roast and carrots. Heavenly!
It’s a great way to use leftover meat and gravy.
That’s a great idea to make this roast with egg noodles! Glad you enjoyed it!
We loved this recipe. It was easy to follow and delicious.
Thanks!
Thank you, Jane! I’m so glad you liked it!
This was fabulous!!
Yaay! So happy to hear that!
I used the baby carrots.I think it ruined the dish.
My husband absolutely loves this! I cooked it 10 minutes longer than stated. The coating makes this dish
Hi Veronika,
I’m planning on making this recipe for tomorrow and reviewed your directions and wanted to clarify one of the steps with you. When place the meat back after searing into the instant pot along with the potatoes and carrots and cook on manual high pressure for 40 minutes, doesn’t this makes the potatoes and carrots all mush?
Hi Raffi! Yes, the vegetables will be softer but I wouldn’t say mushy. If you don’t like soft carrots, use large carrots instead of baby carrots and just chop them in 3-4 pieces. 95% of all the feedback for this recipe was positive and people loved the vegetables. Let me know how it comes out!
This was tasty but my meat was tougher than I thought it would be. Followed the recipe to a T. Thoughts? Is there a reason we quick release? I heard that can make meat tough. Thanks for suggestions! 🙂
Hi Jessi! Not sure why it came out tough…. It’s one on my most popular recipes and everyone says the meat comes out tender and juicy. What cut of meat did you use? Quick release doesn’t really make the meat tough if you cook it long enough.
My meat was tender but I could not totally pull it apart with forks. I think it could have been cooked just a little bit longer. However, the family LOVED this dish. I don’t care for pot roast and even I liked the flavor. Thank you Veronika. Looking forward to trying some of your other recipes.
Jessi, typically with meat its best to natural release to keep it tender, however when you have veggies in with it, they need the quick release so they don’t turn to mush. i’ve tried this recipe w\o veggies and a natural release and it worked out very nice… tonight i’m trying it by quick release so now I’m curios …
I came across this on Instagram and it was great!! I am super slow prepping and gravy doesn’t always work for me, but the flavors were great and my need for healthy meals was met. Looking forward to trying another recipe soon!
Thank you, Cathy! So glad you liked it!
Hi Veronika! I’ve tried beef in the Instant Pot many times with various recipes and they’ve usually failed, making the meat tough and rubbery. It’s made me quite nervous to try new recipes for fear I’ll ruin and waste the beef. This looks delicious, and I am looking forward to trying this recipe next week after so many positive reviews. QUESTION though, I have a 2 lb pot roast rather than 3-4 lb; should I reduce the cooking time? By half? Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Kat! Thanks for your comment. So far, I didn’t have any feedback that the meat came out tough or rubbery… Because we cook it in liquid, it comes out juicy and tender.
If you have only 2 pounds of meat, i would cut it only in 3 pieces (instead of 4), but keep the cooking time the same.
Let me know if that helps! And would love to hear from you again!)
Came out great! Didn’t have the tight cut of beef but used what I had. Also didn’t have the tomato paste. The flavors were wonderful and it just fell apart but because the carrots and potatoes were at the top of the pot they weren’t mushy but were cooked completely. Loved it!
Yaay! Thank you, Jeanine! I’m so happy to hear that!
Will this be ok on the keep warm setting after cooking in the instant pot for 6ish hours or less? Or should I take it out and heat it up later?
Hi Megan! I never tried to keep it on the warm setting for so long…. I would think that the meat will be ok, but the veggies might be too mushy…. I probably would just refrigerate it and then reheat when needed.
This was my 1st dish with my new instant pot. Was perfect and very moist. My daughter just got her lower braces on and hasn’t been able to eat anything solid. She had a big helping of meat and was able to eat it. Super moist and super delicious…
Thank you, Rick, for sharing! The meat really comes out super tender and juicy, and just melts in your mouth!)
I tried it in the fall, it was excellent, going to make it again this weekend.
Yaay! Don’t forget to take a picture and tag me on Instagram @VeronikasKitchen !)
I made this today. Plan to take to our daughter, who is away at college. She had to work all weekend, and we are going to her to have dinner tonight. Thought my baby girl needed a good home cooked meal. I have taste tested everything and it is all delicious! And that gravy is amazing! BTW, I did not have the tomato paste. Used 2 TBSP tomato sauce. Worked great as a sub.
Thank you, Denise, for your review! I’m sure your daughter will appreciate homemade meal!)
Family member is allergic to tomatoes- can I just skip the tomatoe paste or what should I substitute?
Hi Claire! You can easily skip the tomato paste! I like to add it for additional flavor, but it’s not the main ingredient. Let me know how it came out!
Hi! It’s more a question then a comment. Won’t the veggies be mush? We love pot roast with potatoes and carrots. Every time we have those in the instant pot they come out too soft/ mush
Hi Valeska! The veggies come out soft, but I wouldn’t say mushy. The baby potatoes will be perfectly cooked inside, like if you would make a stew. For the carrots, they will be a bit soft, but I don’t mind it. It’s a bit similar to my Instant Pot Short Ribs recipe, and I have a lot of great comments from people!)
Would like to make this in my mini. Can I make the whole recipe or do I have to only make half?
Hi! Do you have a 3 Qt? The meat will definitely fit it, but I’m not sure about the vegetables…. You might just reduce the amount of potatoes and carrots… Let me know how it cane out!)
Oh I love how this roast looks like. So delicious! Rub sounds like a dream really. Flavors are amazing. I must save this recipe and make it for my family.
Pot roast never looked this good! Making in instant pot makes it so juicy and flavorful. Delicious!
Quintessential comfort food – made so much quicker and easier in the Instant Pot! I really do love using my pressure cooker, but I have to confess that I’ve actually never made beef pot roast in it – can you believe that?!? I mean, Instant Pots were basically MADE for beef pot roasts! Thank you for so clearly walking me through how to do it right, with great method photos and tips the whole way!
I love a good Instant Pot recipe! And I just want to dive right in to this pot roast, it looks amazing! Can’t wait to make it all fall long.
Pot Roast Sundays were my favorite day of the week growing up. Nothing beats that comforting smell of pot roast and warm bread. Thank goodness we no longer have to wait hours for it to cook up. The IP is truly wonderful! Your roast looks positively scrumptious!
I love a good pot roast and have, over the years, made it frequently in the oven and in the slow cooker. But, I’d never made it in the instant pot until last night when I made this recipe. It came out perfect – tender and delicious. Thanks so much for a great recipe! This one is a keeper!
Hi Rebecca! I’m so happy you liked the recipe! It is amazing how fast Instant Pot can cook the meat, while keeping all the flavors!)
Looks yummy Those carrots and potatoes definitely enhances the recipe.
Hi Gunjan! Yes, I love cooking potatoes and carrots together with the meat, they absorb all the flavors and stay moist!)
The spices in the dry rub must make this pot roast incredibly tasty! And it looks so tender! Perfect meal for the upcoming season.
Hi Nicoletta! Yes! The dry rub gives the meat so much more flavor! Plus, it gives more flavor to the gravy!)
Your pot roast looks stunning! The meat looks tender and the veggies look cooked perfect! This will be impressive to serve for my family.
Hi Denise! Thank you) The meat is really perfectly cooked as well as the vegetables) And I love that it’s all cooked in the same pot!)
Hmm yum! This is making me super hungry! I wish it’s dinner really soon. This Instant Pot roast recipe looks really deliicous.
Hi Dennis! Thank you! This pot roast really comes out so tender and juicy! I’m ready to eat it any time of the day)
Awww yeah. I can’t wait to make this. I recently started getting more into my Instant Pot, and I can tell a big difference in the food I make. That looks tasty.
Hi Ben! Oh yes, the Instant Pot can make wonders with the meat! The best part is it cook so much faster than in the oven or on the stove!)