Instant Pot Beef Stew – A One Pot Meal

As a working Mum of three, I can’t sing the praises of the Instant Pot enough. It’s such an easy way to create delicious meals that would otherwise take hours in the oven. Not only that, but as everything is prepared and cooked in one pot, there’s far less washing up to do too. In the colder months, you can’t beat a warming casserole and this Instant Pot Beef Stew has become a firm favourite in our house.

What you need

Your one and only piece of equipment in order to make this really quick and easy beef stew is an Instant Pot. I have the Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus 10-in-1 and I honestly think it’s the best piece of cooking equipment I have in my kitchen at the moment.

The pressure cook setting on the Instant Pot allows you to make tasty meals far quicker than in the oven. This can help you to cut costs on electricity as you’ll be using one appliance and using it for a shorter time. With the cost of living increasing, little things like this can make a big difference to your energy bills.

Ingredients for Instant Pot Beef Stew

Here are the ingredients for a delicious, warming, Instant Pot beef stew:

• 700g Lean Diced Beef
• 2 medium onions
• 5 large carrots
• 150g mushroom
• 500g baby potatoes
• 4 crushed garlic cloves (or equivalent in garlic powder)
• 1 litre beef stock
• 400g tin tomatoes
• 1tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 4tbsp cornflour
• 1tbsp honey
• Cooking oil
• Pinch salt & pepper to taste

How to store it

This recipe makes four good-sized portions, but we always end up with some left over which my husband will often take to work and have for his lunch the next day. In my opinion, it always tastes better the next day. Perhaps it’s because all of the flavours have had longer to soak into the meat and vegetables.

Once cooked, I always leave the beef stew in the instant pot after I’ve turned it off so that it can cool down a little, this meal is extremely hot when it’s first cooked! Then, I dish it up and put it into food containers with the lid on loosely to allow it to cool for a while. Airtight containers are a must-have in order to keep your leftovers fresh and tasty.

Once it’s cooled, close the lid to seal it and place it into the fridge. It’ll be good for a couple of days.

Can you freeze Instant Pot Beef Stew?

You can freeze this stew. Allow it to cool completely before freezing and store in the freezer for up to six months.

Tips for the Best Beef Stew in an Instant Pot

• Use tender beef
• Make sure you brown the beef fully in order to enhance the flavour
• Don’t wash out your pot before adding your onions, deglaze the pot to add extra flavour
• Add red wine if you like to add to the flavour. Red wine gives me migraines so I didn’t do this.
• Add extra vegetables to make this as nutritious as possible for all the family.
• Use seasonal vegetables to cut the cost.
• Chop the vegetables into chunky pieces so that they don’t turn to mush.
• Layer your vegetables and don’t stir to avoid burn warnings – see the recipe card below for more details.

What to serve with Instant Pot Beef Stew

As the stew is packed with vegetables and already has potatoes mixed in, you probably don’t want a heavy side dish such as mashed potato.

I serve this with warm, crusty bread with lashings of butter. It tastes absolutely delicious when dipped into the stew and the butter starts to melt.

Can you add other vegetables to Instant Pot Beef Stew?

You can add any vegetables to this Instant Pot Beef Stew. Chunky vegetables usually work better as they are less likely to fall apart in the pressure cooker.

You could also add a couple of tablespoons of tomato puree or extra beef cubes if you want to really ramp up the flavours.

Can I make this in the slow cooker?

Yes, if you want to make this flavourful beef stew in the slow cooker then you absolutely can do. Perhaps you have a long day at work and you want your meal to be ready and waiting for you when you get home.

Place all of your ingredients into your slow cooker and cook on high for 5 hours or on low for up to 8 hours. You can then mix in a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch or cornstarch slurry to thicken it up.

Can I make this in the oven?

If you don’t have access to an Instant Pot, then you can definitely cook this in the oven. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Parboil your potatoes. Put all of your ingredients into a casserole dish and cook for 3-4 hours.