This Instant Pot Pot Roast With Vegetables is the best pot roast I have ever made! Thanks to the Instant Pot, it cooks up in a fraction of the time while giving you incredibly tender meat along with carrots and potatoes in a rich, super flavorful gravy.
Pot roast is a classic dinner that takes several hours to cook on the stove, in the oven, or in a slow cooker. Worth it? Absolutely. But with an Instant Pot pressure cooker, you can cut down on the time it takes and still end up with a super flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth pot roast that’ll knock your socks off!
Although pot roast is a wonderful dinner any night of the week, it will always be Sunday dinner to me. Growing up, my mom only made pot roast on Sunday because it took such a long time to make. The house smelled so good all day while it was cooking. Then we would all gather at the table to eat together. Oh, happy days!
If you love comfort food, this pot roast has it all – meat, potatoes, carrots, and (the best part!) gravy. Plus, it’s really easy to make, most of the time is hands-off, and you cook it all in one pot (less dishes – yay!). It’s a total winner!
I have made pot roast on the stove, in the oven, and in the slow cooker, and let me tell you that this pot roast made in the Instant Pot is, hands down, the best pot roast ever – the most tender and the most flavorful! Plus, it only takes about two hours!
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED:
- Boneless chuck roast
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Olive oil
- Beef broth (I use water and Better Than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base)
- Carrots
- Potatoes (see note below)
- Cornstarch
- Water
I recommend using a waxier potato like red or Yukon gold, as they hold up much better. Starchier potatoes like russets tend to get a bit mushy and will more easily fall apart and lose their shape.
HERE’S A QUICK LOOK AT HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT POT ROAST:
TIPS AND TIDBITS:
- Don’t be afraid to aggressively season the meat! That’s a big piece of meat you’ve got there, and it needs flavor. Plus you’ll also be flavoring lots of carrots and potatoes as well. Use it all!
- Don’t skip the step of browning the meat before cooking. It adds color, flavor, and texture to your pot roast.
- For the cooking liquid, I prefer to use Better Than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base (#notsponsored) and water because I think it has so much more flavor than most canned or boxed beef broth. However, use your favorite (homemade would be super awesome!).
- You can use pre-cut baby carrots to cut down on prep time.
- I recommend using regular white, red, or Yukon gold potatoes rather than russet potatoes in this recipe. They hold up better when pressure cooking. Plus, the skins are nice and thin, so you can leave them on if you want (I usually do). Those little baby potatoes would be great here, too, either left whole or halved depending on their size.
- I don’t make a super-thick gravy for my pot roast, but if you would like a thicker gravy, just add more of the cornstarch slurry.
This recipe makes enough for six servings, but if you’re a small household like ours (it’s just the two of us most days), don’t let that hold you back from making this. The leftovers are fabulous! We like to change it up a bit and make hot open-faced pot roast sandwiches with gravy with the vegetables on the side. Sooo delicious!!
Of course, if you wanted to make not quite as much, you could use a smaller chuck roast and less carrots and potatoes (reduce the amount of seasoning accordingly). I would keep the broth at 3 cups (more gravy!), but don’t do less than 2. Cook the roast in the broth for 15 minutes per pound, and then follow the rest of the recipe as instructed.
I hope you try this recipe for Instant Pot Pot Roast and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
Instant Pot Pot Roast With Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 3-pound boneless chuck roast
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, or vegetable oil
- 3 cups beef broth , I use 3 cups water plus 3 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base
- 2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 pounds Yukon gold or red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces, peeled if desired
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
Instructions
- Combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bowl. Season the chuck roast on all sides with all of the seasoning mixture.
- Using the Instant Pot SAUTE function at its highest heat setting, heat the olive oil until the Instant Pot reads HOT. Add the chuck roast and sear on both sides until very nicely browned, about 4 minutes per side.
- Remove the roast from the Instant Pot to a plate.
- Add the beef broth to the Instant Pot. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Return the roast to the Instant Pot. Put the lid on, make sure the steam release valve is set to SEALING, and cook on HIGH pressure for 45 minutes. Note: It will take the Instant Pot about 10 minutes to come to pressure before the cooking time begins to count down. When the cooking time has finished, immediately and carefully quick-release the pressure.
- Add the carrots and potatoes to the Instant Pot. Press the vegetables down into the broth as best as you can (it's okay if they are not all covered). Put the lid on, make sure the steam release valve is set to SEALING, and cook on HIGH pressure for 5 minutes. Note: It will take the Instant Pot about 10 minutes to come to pressure before the cooking time begins to count down. When the cooking time has finished, turn off the Instant Pot and allow the pressure to naturally release for 20 minutes, then quick-release any remaining pressure.
- Remove the meat, carrots, and potatoes to a serving dish. Using two forks, shred the meat. Cover with foil and keep warm.
- Using the SAUTE function of the Instant Pot, bring the broth to a boil.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and cold water to make a slurry. While constantly stirring the broth, add the slurry. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes or until the gravy has thickened slightly. Note: I don't make a super-thick gravy. If you would like your gravy thicker, just add more cornstarch slurry.
- Serve the pot roast, carrots and potatoes with the gravy and ENJOY!
Notes
- If you would like to make a smaller roast, cook the roast in the broth for 15 minutes per pound, then proceed with the recipe. Be sure to adjust the amount of seasoning accordingly and reduce the amount of carrots and potatoes to what you would like to make. I would still use 3 cups of broth (but no less than 2).
- This recipe was tested using an 8-quart Instant Pot, and it will also work in a 6-quart Instant Pot. It will not fit in the 3-quart Instant Pot Mini.
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork Tacos
- Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs
- Easy Instant Pot Vanilla Yogurt
- Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
If you made this or any of my other recipes, take a photo and tag @nowcookthis on Instagram and hashtag it #nowcookthisrecipes.
This instant pot pot roast is all of the flavor of a full-day roast with less than half of the time! So delicious, easy and quick. Not to mention inexpensive! I had all of the essentials in my pantry and just had to buy the meat, potatoes and carrots. Will definitely be making this again this winter!
Hi, Jess! I’m so glad you enjoyed the pot roast! Thanks for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe!
This recipe was perfect! Thank you!
Thank you, Christina!
I used the 6 quart Insta pot, and I would recommend using less salt. Maybe 3/4 of a tablespoon. The rest of seasonings were great. I decrease the cooking time to 40 minutes and my roast was wonderful. Would decrease the cooking time of the carrots and potatoes to 1-2 minutes. They were a little mushy. I’ll definitely use this recipe again.
Hey, Jean! Yes, please make adjustments to suit your own tastes. So happy to hear that you will use the recipe again! Thanks so much for the feedback!
Just made this pot roast fro 1st time
It”s a keeper At 77 years instant pot new to me. It does a great job
Didn’t add potatoes but used parsnips calery carrots. Sub beer for water and used better than bullion, Fantastic
Hey, Gus! I’m so happy that you enjoyed the pot roast (the instant pot is relatively new to me, too, and I just love it, especially for dishes like this)! The parsnips and beer sound yummy…I think I might just have to try that. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
Can I do this with a frozen one? I never think far enough in advance to pull it out to thaw. Lol
Hey there, Brooke! I’ve never tried this recipe with a frozen chuck roast, but I don’t see why you couldn’t use one. I’ve had success with cooking frozen chicken in the Instant Pot, so why not a chuck roast? You could definitely try it, but just know that the result might be a little different. First of all, the spices likely won’t stick to the frozen meat, so you would just have to put them in the pot with the meat. Also, you won’t be able to sear the meat and get that nice brown color (which gives you flavor too). You may also need to cook it longer. I would suggest checking it after the recommended cooking time and, if it’s not tender yet, let it cook a little longer. If you decide to give it a try, please come back and let us know how it turned out!
This turned out awesome!! I added a little bit of basil, a little bit of Thyme and a tad bit of Seasoning Salt to the seasoning. And doubled the broth and the slurry mix.
Hi, Jodi! I’m so happy that you enjoyed the pot roast! Your additions to the seasoning sound delicious, and more gravy is always a good thing! Thank you for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe!
Best pot roast I’ve ever had! Stuck with the recipe and it was delicious! Thank you for sharing this! Great Christmas dinner!
Thank you so much, Ashley!!! I’m so happy that you enjoyed it!!
Oh myyyyy gosh!!! This was the best pot roast ever!!! I made almost a 4 lb roast, for 40 mins. The only thing I did differently, was I added a splash of red wine to the broth. My husband kept saying he can’t believe how tender the roast was!! And the vegetables were not mushy. So thank you, thank you!!!! Utterly fantastic!!
Thank you so much, Mary!! I’m so happy that you and your husband enjoyed the pot roast! Your addition of the red wine to the broth sounds delicious!