Published: Sep 13, 2019 · Modified: May 18, 2020 by Veronika's Kitchen * This post may contain affiliate links

Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe

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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, and many more!

What meat to use for Pot Roast

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.

Dry Rub for Pot Roast

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.

Here is what we need to make the dry rub:

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 Pot Roast in Pressure Cooker

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 Pot Roast in Pressure Cooker

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 for Pot Roast

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 Pot Roast

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!

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.