Cooking A Roast In The Instant Pot

Learn how to make deliciously juicy tender Instant Pot Pot Roast (Pressure Cooker Pot Roast). Your family will love the deliciously flavorful pot roast and potatoes with the rich umami gravy!!

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Many of you mentioned you really enjoyed our previous Instant Pot Test Kitchen Experiments: 1-minute Pressure Cooker Pork Chops & Perfect Instant Pot Eggs – ( thank you!! 🙂 ), and asked what's the Best Instant Pot Pot Roast cooking time. So, we knew it was time for another little pressure cooking experiment!

Instant Pot Pot Roast Experiment

In our Instant Pot Pot Roast experiment, we pressure cooked 3 nearly identical chuck roast steak at High Pressure for 20 mins , 45 mins , and 75 mins with an Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker.

instant pot chuck roast experiment #AmyJacky #InstantPot #PressureCooker #beef

Out of the 3 results, we enjoyed the 45-Minutes Instant Pot Pot Roast the most.

It was overall the most well-balanced in terms of Meat Texture, Meat Juice, Meat Flavors, and Sauce. It was definitely the most delicious one!

So, we developed this easy pot roast instant pot recipe based on this cooking time.

You can read more about the pot roast experiment here: The Best Pot Roast Cooking Time Experiment.

instant pot roast ingredients #AmyJacky #InstantPot #PressureCooker #beef

Tips for Instant Pot Pot Roast

1. Can I use other beef cuts to cook this pot roast recipe?

Chuck roast is one of the most suitable cuts for pressure cooking. For optimal result, choose one that is well marbled!! This is very critical.

2. Why are we browning the chuck steak as a whole?

Retain More Moisture: Browning the chuck steak as a whole retains more moisture due to less surface area.
Brown Faster & Better:Since maillard reaction excels in a dry and high heat environment, the chuck steak will brown faster and better compared to cubed stew.
Richer & Flavorful: The caramelized flavors from browning results in a richer & more flavorful dish.

3. Don't skip the Browning Step (Step 1)

Browning the chuck roast will greatly enhance the flavor of the final pot roast. So, don't skip this step! Look at this beauty.

browned chuck roast in Instant Pot #AmyJacky #InstantPot #PressureCooker #beef

4. Taste!

Remember to taste Taste TASTE as you cook! Taste & season at every step will greatly enhance the flavors of the dish and improve your cooking skills too.

5. Small Cooking Tip: Rub the Herbs

Rub the herbs between your fingers as you add them into the food to "activate" the flavors.

Time to cook Umami Pot Roast in Instant Pot!

Servings 4 - 6

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Brown Chuck Roast: Heat up Instant Pot using Sauté More function. Wait until it says HOT (~8 mins).

Pat dry the chuck roast steak with a paper towel, then generously season one side of the roast with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Drizzle the inner pot with 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil, and ensure to coat the oil over the whole bottom of the pot. Then, place the seasoned side of the roast in Instant Pot. Season the other side with more salt + black pepper.

Let it brown for 10 minutes per side (don't need to constantly flip the roast) to develop some awesome deep flavors. Set browned roast aside.
Sauté Onion & Garlic: Add in sliced onions and saute until softened. Add in a pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper to season. Add in garlic and saute for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add in mushroom and saute for 2 mins. Then season with another pinch of kosher salt.
Deglaze Instant Pot: Pour in a dash of red wine or balsamic vinegar, then deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
Pressure Cook Pot Roast: Add 1 cup (250ml) of chicken stock, 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce, 1 tbsp (15 ml) fish sauce, 1 pinch of dried rosemary, 1 pinch of thyme, and 2 bay leaves in Instant Pot. Taste the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired.

Place the chuck roast and all its meat juice in Instant Pot.

With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position. Pressure cook at High Pressure for 45 minutes + Full Natural Release (25 minutes). Open the lid carefully.
Pressure Cook Vegetables: Set aside the chuck roast, and cover it with aluminum foil. Let it rest as you pressure cook the vegetables.

Submerge the quartered potatoes into the yummy gravy, then stack the chopped carrots on top of the potatoes. With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position. Pressure cook at High Pressure for 4 minutes + Quick Release. Open the lid carefully.
Make Gravy & Serve: Taste the gravy again, then adjust the seasoning if necessary. Mix 1 ½ tbsp (12g) cornstarch with 2 tbsp (30ml) water, then mix it into the gravy one third at a time until desired thickness.

Slice the roast against the grain. High five your family. Serve pot roast and potatoes with the gravy. Immediately enjoy this umami filled dish you've just created!

*Rate the Recipe: If you've tried the recipe, don't forget to Rate the Recipe in the Comments Section. Thank you!

Step-by-Step Guide: Instant Pot Pot Roast

Prepare Ingredients for cooking pot roast in Instant Pot:

instant pot pot roast ingredients #AmyJacky #InstantPot #PressureCooker #beef #recipe

Tons of umami ingredients in this pot roast recipe complement very well with chuck roast.

Unsalted Chicken Stock – Different brands or even different boxes of the same brand of salted chicken stock can differ in levels of sodium, so we prefer to develop recipes using unsalted chicken stock for more control & consistency on the dish's flavor profile. Even better if you can make your own chicken stock!

Why aren't you using Beef Stock in Pot Roast? If you have high quality unsalted beef stock on hand – it'll be awesome to use for this recipe! 🙂

Our Secret Umami Ingredients:

Wait! Fish Sauce? Soy Sauce in Pot Roast?

If you've been following our recipes, you can probably smell our obsession for Umami.hehe~ Give it a try! 😉

Fish Sauce & Regular Soy Sauce (not low sodium soy sauce or sweet/dark soy sauce) are our flavor-boosting, umami-bombing, non-traditional twist to this Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe! They're not traditional ingredients in a classic pot roast. However, we love adding them because they add another layer of magical boost of savory-umami flavor complexity to the final dish. If you don't have fish sauce, simply substitute it with another tbsp of regular soy sauce.

Brown Chuck Roast

Heat up Instant Pot using "Sauté More" function. Wait until it says HOT (~8 mins) – make sure the Instant Pot is as hot as it can be to promote the maillard reaction and prevent excessive moisture loss.

Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Saute More #AmyJacky #InstantPot #PressureCooker

First, pat dry the chuck roast steak with a paper towel, then generously season one side of the roast with kosher salt and ground black pepper.

pat dry and season chuck roast steak #AmyJacky #InstantPot #PressureCooker #recipe #beef

Then, drizzle the inner pot with 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil, and ensure to coat the oil over the whole bottom of the pot.

Now, place the seasoned side of the chuck roast in Instant Pot, and season the other side of the roast with more kosher salt + ground black pepper.

*Pro Tip: Let the roast brown for 10 minutes per side (don't need to constantly flip the roast) to develop some awesome deep flavors.

brown chuck roast in Instant Pot #AmyJacky #InstantPot #PressureCooker #beef #recipes

Lastly, set the browned chuck roast steak aside.

Sauté Onion & Garlic

First, add sliced onions in Instant Pot, and saute until softened. You can add in a pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper here to season.

saute onions in Instant Pot #AmyJacky #InstantPot #PressureCooker #beef #recipes

Then, add in garlic and saute for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Lastly, add in mushrooms and saute for another 2 mins. Then season with another pinch of kosher salt.

saute mushrooms in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker #AmyJacky #InstantPot #PressureCooker #beef #recipes

Deglaze Instant Pot

Now, pour a dash of red wine or balsamic vinegar in Instant Pot, then deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.

Pressure Cook Pot Roast

First, add 1 cup (250ml) unsalted chicken stock, 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce, 1 tbsp (15ml) fish sauce, 1 pinch of dried rosemary, 1 pinch of thyme, and 2 bay leaves in Instant Pot.

add chicken stock in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker #AmyJacky #InstantPot #PressureCooker #beef #recipe

Then, taste the seasoning and add more kosher salt and ground black pepper if desired.

Now, place the chuck roast and all its meat juice in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.

With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position.

Pressure Cooking Method: Pressure cook at High Pressure for 45 minutes + Full Natural Release (25 minutes).

Open the lid carefully.

Pressure Cook Vegetables

Pot Roast in Instant Pot #AmyJacky #InstantPot #PressureCooker #beef #recipe

First, remove the chuck roast, then cover the chuck roast with aluminum foil and let it rest as you pressure cook the vegetables.

Then, submerge the quartered potatoes into the gravy and stack the chopped carrots on top of the potatoes.

instant pot pot roast and potatoes #AmyJacky #InstantPot #PressureCooker #beef #recipe

With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position.

Pressure Cooking Method: Pressure cook at High Pressure for 4 minutes + Quick Release.

Open the lid carefully.

Make Gravy & Serve Instant Pot Roast

Taste the sauce one last time and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Mix 1 ½ tbsp (12g) cornstarch with 2 tbsp (30ml) water, then mix it into the yummy pot roast gravy one third at a time until desired thickness.

instant pot pot roast with gravy #AmyJacky #InstantPot #PressureCooker #beef #recipe

Then, slice the pot roast against the grain. High five your family!

Serve this Easy Instant Pot Umami Pot Roast and Potatoes with Gravy, and enjoy this umami filled dish you've just cooked! 😀

Watch: Instant Pot Pot Roast Video

Can't see the cooking video? Watch it here.

Instant Pot Pot Roast | Pressure Cooker Pot Roast | Instapot Pot Roast | Pot Roast Recipe | Chuck Roast #instantpot #instapot #pressurecooker #instantpotrecipes #comfort #easy #beef #recipes

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