One Pot Easy Beef Stew is an ultimate comfort food dinner. Cooking the Stew in an Instant Pot gives you all the flavors of the low and slow cooking, but at the fraction of the time. Simple ingredients, simple instructions and 10 minutes of your time is all that’s needed to make this delicious beef stew dinner.
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Among our other BEEF favorites are PERFECTLY SIMPLE POT ROAST, BEEF STROGANOFF, andBEEF WITH CARAMELIZED ONION AND MUSHROOM.
I shared a picture of thisBeef Stew and mashed potatoes from a Sunday lunch at my sister’s a while ago and got so, so many messages asking for the recipe of this beef stew, that it only made sense that I share it here on the blog.
My sister is known for all things comfort food and if you’re at her house you’re likely to have the best mashed potatoes of your life (both mine and her favorite thing ever) and some sort of tenderly delicious meat.
Make ahead Beef Stew
She made this beef stew in the oven by prepping everything (by everything I mean, cutting the meat in chunks, tossing with spices and loading the baking pan) in the evening on Saturday, and then just popping it in the oven before she left to church on Sunday.
When we came from church (3 hours later) the meat was pretty much done. By the time we cooked the mashed potatoes and made the salad, it was perfectly juicy, tender and all ready to be served.
Comfort Food
Whether you make this Beef Stew in the oven or like I did – in the Pressure Cooker, you can do the prep work ahead of time (a day ahead) and cook it before you need to serve it, OR you can cook it all the way until it is soft and tender, then cool and refrigerate to be reheated and served later. Either way, this Beef Stew is the kind of comfort food you definitely need this upcoming fall and winter season.
Here’s why you shouldn’t brown the meat for One-Pot Beef Stew
For years, every time I made a beef stew recipe I would brown the beef chunks first, then add them with the rest of ingredients and cook. Everything out there tells you that you will get a lot better flavor if you do this step. BUT! Eating my sister’s beef stew I noticed no difference whatsoever in her stew and mine, so I say you’re totally ok to skip the typical browning step, at least in this recipe.
Servings: 6
Ingredients for the Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Best choice of beef for this recipe is beef chuck, but good quality stew meat is also good. Stew meat tends to be less tender than beef chuck, but it will also work.
- Beef broth is a good substitute for water in this beef stew recipe.
How to make this Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Combine all ingredients in the Instant Pot pressure cooker and stir to distribute the ingredients. Close with the lid and set the steam valve to “seal”. Set the pressure cooker to “Manual” on “High” and cook for 45 minutes.
Wonder what to serve the Pressure Cooker Beef Stew with, I got you!
- Instant Pot Mashed Potato Recipe
- Homemade Pasta Recipe
- Polenta
One-Pot Easy Beef Stew Recipe
5 from 16 votes
One Pot Easy Beef Stew is an ultimate comfort food dinner. Cooking the Stew in an Instant Pot gives you all the flavors of the low and slow cooking, but at the fraction of the time. Simple ingredients, simple instructions and 10 minutes of your time is all that's needed to make this delicious beef stew dinner.
Author: Marina | Let the Baking Begin
Course: Main Course, Main Entree
Cuisine: American, Russian
Keyword: beef stew, one-pot
Calories: 443 kcal
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 5
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbsbeef chuckfat trimmed, meat cut into 1.5 to 2 inch cubes
- 1 carrotshredded
- 1 oniondiced
- 2tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2tspkosher salt
- 1tsp black pepper
- 1tspgarlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper(optional)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1tsp onion powder
Liquids for Beef Stew
- 8oz tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup water (or broth/stock/red wine)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
How to make One Pot Easy Beef Stew (Instant Pot Method)
Combine all ingredients except for the liquids in the insert of an Instant Pot and mix.Pour the liquid and stir again.
How long to cook One Pot Easy Beef Stew
Cover with the lid and turn to seal. Turn the steam valve to "SEALING".
Press "Pressure Cook" OR "Manual" on "High Pressure", then increase time to 45 minutes.
Once 45 minutes has elapsed and the timer beeps, turn the pressure cooker off and allow the pressure to naturally release (about 10-15 minutes). Then throw a kitchen towel over the steam valve and release the rest of the pressure by turning the steam valve to "venting".
How to Make One pot Easy Beef Stew (Oven Method)
Combine all ingredients in a 9inx12in baking dish or a dutch oven, cover with foil/lid and cook for about 2.5-3 hours at 350F. To check for doneness, pierce with a fork, the meat should be soft and separate easy.
How to Make One pot Easy Beef Stew (Stovetop Method)
For the stove top you have two options, either one works well.
Option 1 - For stovetop you can can either add all ingredient to the pot, cover with lid and simmer for about 3 hours or until the beef is fork tender.
Option 2 - Caramelize onions in a dutch oven with a couple tablespoons oil, add carrots and sautee a coupe minutes more. Add beef, seasoning, water and tomato paste, stir, cover with lid and cook for 3 hours or until fork tender.
How to make Crock Pot Easy Beef Stew
Combine all ingredients but the water and tomato sauce and stir. Add the water and the tomato sauce and stir again. Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on High for 3-4 hours or until the beef is fork tender. Try not to open the lid while cooking, to prevent heat from escaping, as this will increase the cooking time.
Recipe Notes
How to speed up the cooking time:
- Cut the beef chunks into smaller (1-inch pieces) pieces and set the cooking time to 30 minutes instead of 45. Then follow through with the rest of the directions.
Nutrition Facts
One-Pot Easy Beef Stew Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 443Calories from Fat 234
% Daily Value*
Fat 26g40%
Saturated Fat 11g69%
Cholesterol 156mg52%
Sodium 1362mg59%
Potassium 981mg28%
Carbohydrates 8g3%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 44g88%
Vitamin A 2400IU48%
Vitamin C 5.5mg7%
Calcium 54mg5%
Iron 5.4mg30%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Here’s the original picture of this recipe that I shared on Instagram Stories a while ago, many will recognize it since I shared this recipe back then, too.
