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Make this tender, flavorful Instant Pot Pot Roast with potatoes & carrots in under 2 hours! Quick and delicious comfort food perfect for Sunday dinners.
Quick and Delicious Sunday Comfort Food
Pot roast has always been a favorite Sunday dinner in our family. It’s the ultimate comfort food. Sometimes we serve it with creamy mashed potatoes on the side, other times we add carrots and potatoes right in with the roast (like with this recipe). Either way, it’s always a hit. The only problem? I’m notorious for forgetting to put the roast in the oven or slow cooker early enough. More often than I care to admit, I’ve walked in the door from church and thought, “NOO! I forgot the roast!” If you have been there too, this Instant Pot version is for you!
If you haven’t joined the Instant Pot crowd yet, now’s the time! It’s one of the most convenient tools in my kitchen. I love that I can sear the roast, sauté the onions, and pressure cook everything in the same pot. No pile of dirty pans and cleanup is a breeze. Best of all, it’s quick: from start to finish, you can have a tender, flavorful pot roast on the table in about two hours, a fraction of the usual time. The meat turns out perfectly juicy and shreds super easily. It’s every bit as good (maybe even better!) than most slow-cooker versions I’ve tried.
🩷Erica
Table of Contents
- Quick and Delicious Sunday Comfort Food
- Key Ingredients and Supplies for Instant Pot Chuck Roast
- What Cut of Beef is Best for Pot Roast?
- What Potatoes are Best?
- How to Make Pot Roast in the Instant Pot
- How Long Do I Cook a Pot Roast in an Instant Pot?
- Make it in the Crock Pot
- Instant Pot Roast Gravy
- Tips For Making the Best Pot Roast
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Roast Recipes
- Instant Pot Chuck Roast Recipe
- Pot Roast Side Dishes
Key Ingredients and Supplies for Instant Pot Chuck Roast
- Beef chuck roast: I usually do a beef chuck or a bottom round roast but any kind of roast will work. I will go into more detail on this below.
- Seasonings: For this recipe I usually keep it pretty simple with a little salt, beef broth, and some dry onion soup mix. Depending on my mood and if I want an added flavor boost, I will often add some fresh garlic, a splash of red cooking wine, a little Worcestershire sauce, or some fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme.
- Veggies: You don’t have to add vegetables to this recipe at all, but I feel like the veggies give it more of a rounded out, Sunday dinner feel. I always use onion, baby potatoes, and baby carrots or large pieces of carrot because they are all just so easy to throw in with the roast.
- Additional optional ingredients (for more flavor): For extra flavor, try adding thyme, onion pearls, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic cloves, celery stalks, fresh rosemary, or a splash of balsamic vinegar.
- Instant Pot (or pressure cooker): This recipe isn’t limited to the “Instant Pot” brand. It works with any pressure cooker. Just follow the steps below using your cooker’s settings for a tender, flavorful roast.
What Cut of Beef is Best for Pot Roast?
For this recipe, we use a boneless chuck roast, but there are several different cuts of meat you can use. Choose a well-marbled cut of beef for optimal tenderness and flavor. These cuts are ideal for slow cooking and will result in a melt-in-your-mouth pot roast. Here is a list of the best cuts of meat to use for pot roast:
- Chuck roast
- Ribeye or Eye of round roast
- Brisket
- Top sirloin petite roast
- Bottom round rump roast
- Top round roast
What Potatoes are Best?
A quick note about adding potatoes – using baby potatoes is totally the way to go. They are the perfect size and they don’t get mushy. Potatoes that are peeled and cut tend to get mushy in the Instant Pot when they cook for a longer amount of time. By keeping the skin on and not cutting them, the potatoes cook thoroughly while remaining firm. If you would rather use diced potatoes, go with a waxy potato like Yukon gold potatoes, or even red potatoes. Russets will get too soggy and are better for mashing.
How to Make Pot Roast in the Instant Pot
- Pat the roast dry with paper towels and rub generously with salt; set aside.
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté, add a little oil, and sear the roast for 4–5 minutes per side until browned.
- In a large zip-top bag, toss the vegetables with olive oil and onion soup mix until evenly coated. For very soft veggies, add them now. For crisp-tender veggies, wait to add them later.
- Pour in beef broth, lock the lid, and cook on High Pressure — about 60 minutes for a 3 lb roast or 80 minutes for a 5 lb roast (see below for more sizes). Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick-release.
- For crisp-tender vegetables, quick-release 20 minutes before cook time ends, add veggies, then cook the remaining time. Allow a 10 minute natural release before venting.
- Remove the roast, shred, and serve with vegetables. For gravy, strain broth if desired, set pot to Sauté, whisk in a cornstarch slurry, and simmer 2-3 minutes until thickened.
How Long Do I Cook a Pot Roast in an Instant Pot?
Cooking time depends on the size and thickness of your roast, but a good rule of thumb is 20–25 minutes per pound on high pressure. Here is a quick guide:
- 2-pound roast: 45–50 minutes
- 3-pound roast: about 70 minutes
- 4-pound roast: 80–100 minutes
- 5-pound roast: 90 minutes to 2 hours
Always let the pressure release naturally (meaning wait to open the lid until it naturally unlocks instead of switching the venting tab to quickly release steam) for the most tender results. Don’t forget that times can vary slightly based on the shape of the meat and your Instant Pot model.
Make it in the Crock Pot
Due to convenience and saving time, I am hooked on whipping up a pot roast quickly in the Instant Pot. However, sometimes I like to take it slow and just let it cook all day. If this is the way you want to go, we have a great Crock Pot Roast recipe too – see our Slow Cooker Roast Beef and Vegetables Recipe. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you will definitely want to give the slow cooker version a try!
Instant Pot Roast Gravy
Making gravy in the Instant Pot is a breeze. The easiest method is to remove the pot roast and vegetables when they are done cooking, then switch the cook setting to “sauté”. If there aren’t enough beef drippings to make a gravy, add some beef broth. Combine a little cold water and a couple tablespoons cornstarch in a liquid measuring cup or small bowl to form a cornstarch slurry. When the drippings and broth start to simmer, whisk in the cornstarch mixture a little at a time until it becomes a gravy consistency. Simmer about three minutes, adding more beef broth to thin if needed. Add salt, black pepper, and a little garlic powder to taste.
Tips For Making the Best Pot Roast
- No Instant Pot? No Problem: Pot roasts can be made using many different cooking methods. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can try our recipes for making pot roast in the slow cooker or in the oven.
- Sear the Meat: Before pressure cooking, sear the meat on all sides in the Instant Pot using the saute function. This step adds a rich caramelized flavor to the roast and helps to lock in the juices.
- Easy Freezing: If you have leftovers, roast can easily be shredded and frozen to eat at a later date. Just remove any vegetables (potatoes and carrots don’t freeze well) and place leftover pot roast in a Ziplock bag or a freezer-safe, airtight container to freeze. When ready to reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat or add to your favorite shredded beef recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
A general guideline for Instant Pot Pot Roast is to pressure cook for 20-25 minutes per pound of meat. Here’s a quick reference:
2-pound roast: 45–50 minutes
3-pound roast: about 70 minutes
4-pound roast: 80–100 minutes
5-pound roast: 90 minutes to 2 hours
First, set the Instant Pot to sauté and add olive oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the pot roast to the Instant pot and sear for 4-5 minutes on each side.
It probably wasn’t cooked long enough. It is always ok to put the meat back in the Instant Pot and continue cooking. You can cook for 20 minutes at a time until it reaches your desired tenderness.
Yes, but skip the sear and add extra time. Usually 30-40 minutes more than a thawed roast of the same size.
Read Next: 27 BEST Instant Pot Recipes
More Roast Recipes
Have you tried this Instant Pot Pot Roast? I’d love to hear what you think! Drop a comment below and let me know how you liked it. And don’t forget to take a pic and tag us on Instagram @favoritefamilyrecipes! 📸🍴
Instant Pot Chuck Roast
Video
Ingredients
- 3-5 pounds beef chuck roast
- 1 teaspoon salt, (or to taste)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups beef broth, *can use gluten-free beef broth
- 1 packet dry onion soup mix, *can use gluten-free onion soup mix
- 1 onion, white or yellow, quartered
- 1 pound baby potatoes, (see notes above)
- 1 cup cut carrots, (baby carrots work too)
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
Instructions
- Pat roast dry using paper towels. Generously rub roast with salt and set aside.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of oil to Instant Pot and set to "Sauté". When oil becomes hot and shimmery, add pot roast and sear for 4-5 minutes on each side.
- In a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, add vegetables, 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, and onion soup mix. Shake until vegetables become evenly coated with mix. For Soft Vegetables: Add the veggies at this point. They will become very soft after cooking for such a long time in the instant pot. They will mash very easily.For Crisp-Tender Vegetables: Wait to add vegetables until instructed below.
- Add beef broth and place lid on Instant pot with steam valve closed.
- Switch Instant Pot setting to "manual" and set for 60 minutes for a 3 pound roast and 80 minutes for a 5 pound roast on "high" pressure (see more sizes and times above). Do a natural release for at least 10 minutes, then quick release by turning the tab to vent.For Crisp-Tender Vegetables: Do a quick release 20 minutes before the cook time is over. Remove lid and add vegetables. Set time for the remaining 20 minutes, do a natural release for at least 10 minutes, then quick release by turning the tab to vent.
- Remove roast from Instant Pot, shred, and serve with vegetables.
- Use a strainer to remove any left over pieces of onion and bits from the broth in the pot (optional). Set instant pot to “saute” setting. Whisk together water and corn starch in a small bowl making a slurry. Once broth is at a simmer, whisk in corn starch mixture and bring to a boil. Boil for 2-3 minutes as the gravy thickens. Pour over the pot roast or serve on the side.
Equipment
- Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Pot Roast Side Dishes
Because this pot roast includes potatoes and carrots, you have a full meal in just one pot! You can even serve it all on one big serving platter. You can never go wrong with a simple green salad, but if you are looking to add more side dishes, here are some great ideas:
Homemade Dinner Rolls
Sweet Sauteed Asparagus
Homemade Mashed Potatoes
Nuts about Berries Salad
Cheesy Cauliflower
Honey Glazed Carrots
I just got an instant pot and have been playing. Can I skip the searing part? Thanks for this recipe, can’t wait to try it.
Hi Lisa- Yes, you can skip the searing part but the searing helps lock in those juices better. You may find that your roast just comes out a little on the dry side if you don’t sear. Hope this helps!
Tried this with my Lux 6 quart and here is what I learned! I prefer to use the meat/stew setting for fall apart meat. I cut my chuck into 2 large pieces and browned separately to avoid overcrowding in the pot. I removed the meat and then used the broth to deglaze the bottom, put the meat back in and set on Meat/Stew on high for 50 mins. My roast was 2.5 lbs. After 50 mins, I QR’ed and opened the lid. There was alot of liquid so I used a soup spoon to remove most of the fat and about 1/3 of the liquid. (Depending on how fatty your roast is, you may have more or less fat, I hate greasy meat!). Once I reduced the liquid, I placed my trivet on top of the meat and liquid and added my vegetables (prepared as described in the recipe) on top of the meat on the trivet. I put the lid back on and set Meat/Stew on high for 15 mins. After the timer went off, I did a QR again and removed the lid. The smell…divine! The meat was fall apart tender and the big were soft but not mushy. I separated the meat into one bowl and the veg into another while I thickened the gravy in the IP. Once meat and veg were removed I turned the IP on Saute (high) and added a slurry of 2 tbsp. Cornstarch and 2 tbsp of water to the drippings, stirring constantly with a whisk until optimal gravy thickness was reached. Off went the pot, onto the plate the food went (with ample gravy) and into our stomach it went. Rave reviews from my hubs and I. Make sure you season the outside of the meat very thoroughly with salt/pepper before browning. That’s where you get your flavor!
Cannot wait to try this recipe. Also, depending on the size of the roast (as the size of my roast is small) is it okay if i keep it for 45-50 mins?
Yes, you can definitely reduce the time if the roast is smaller. If you read through these comments you will be able to see some adjustments others have made when making the roast. Hope this helps!
It is cool. I cannot wait to try this out for my friends and husband to taste. It really awesome though. My mouth is watering now. I will be back with reviews.
I prepared a 3.5 lb rump roast just as directed. Rubbed with kosher salt then seared it. I used whole, unpeeled, red, medium sized potatoes and whole carrots cut in half. Set on manual in my IP for 70 minutes; NR for 10 minutes then QR. I used a flour and water slurry to thicken the gravy. The roast was mostly medium to medium-well but was super tender and sliced nicely along the grain. This meal was so delicious!! My husband said it was the best meal he’d had in a long time (he does most of the cooking)????
I won’t change anything the next time I make it!
Ps…I took pictures if you’re interested.
YES! Please share! You can share them on Instagram using #favfamilyrecipes or #favoritefamilyrecipes or you can email them to us at favfmailyrecipes [at] gmail [dot] come. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your comment! Thanks for sharing your preparation steps 😀
Thank you for the recipe. 1st time Instant Pot user and decided to start with this recipe. Cooked it for 60 minutes because the roast was a little under 3 pounds, used whole small unpeeled yukon gold potatoes and baby carrots and everything turned out almost perfect, the only problem was getting the roast out of the pan, had to resort to a slotted spoon, that meat was so tender it was just falling apart! This was one drop dead delicious meal right down to the gravy.
So glad you liked this meal and that it was a success for you!
Cooked a 2.5 lb. roast tonight using this recipe to a t. The only change I made was to use just one onion since my husband isn’t crazy about onions. This was wonderful. I cooked the roast for 72 minutes.
This was fantastic. I was hesitant because all the comments mentioned mushy/dried veggies. I cut my 2.4 roast into 4 big chunks, seared it. Covered with stock and onion mix, then put the onions, potatoes and carrots on top. Cooked in the instapot on meat/stew setting for 50 mins. Natural release for 7 mins then quick release. It was perfect. Meat was cooked to perfection and the carrots/potatoes were cooked yet firm. Highly recommend!
Thanks!!
So glad this turned out well for you– thanks for sharing how you did it with success 😀
I made this yesterday for Sunday dinner. Followed the recipe and cooked it for 70 minutes. Turned out perfect. Meat was fall apart tender and the potatoes were soft, but not mushy. There were no leftovers!
Made this tonight…the third recipe that I have made in my instant pot….the roast turned out AMAZING! Pulled right apart, I have NEVER gotten a roast to turn out like that!!! However, my veggies did turn out mushy….but they still tasted GREAT! So….I will do as another person mentioned and put the potatoes and carrots in half way through cooking time next time….other than that…superb! Thanks for the recipe!
I have had my Instant pot for over a year (wedding gift) and until yesterday, I have ignored it because it seemed too complicated. I came home from work late yesterday with a taste for pot roast and while googling conventional oven cooking times, I came accross your recipe. Your recipe made everything seem easy so I decided to try it–I am glad I did! I made a roast last night and I am so happy with the results! I can’t wait to try my instant pot for something else. ‘So glad you created this post!!
Thank you for such a nice compliment! So glad you enjoyed this recipe as much as we have 😀
I used a 2.25 lb roast and cooked it in the broth for 40 minutes with a 10 minute natural release. I then added quartered potatoes and large carrots cut into 3″ pieces, and cooked 15 minutes with a quick release. The meat was perfect but the veggies were too done. Next time, I will do 50 minutes for the meat and then only do 10 minutes after adding veggies.
Made this tonight… DELISH!!! Hubby loved it. Roast was 3lbs and cooked 70min. Used Himalayan garlic salt on the meat. Added Brussels Sprouts. Meat and potatoes were perfect. Veggies a little soft but that’s how I like them in pot roast. Plenty of juices left to pour on top, add some freshly ground pepper and you have a perfect hearty cold weather meal. We will def be making this again. Thanks! ????
So glad you liked it! Love the name btw 😉 -Erica
Last night, I used the Instant Pot to make spaghetti … tonight I’m braving your pot roast … super small just in case it doesn’t work … we’ll see … ????????
Update … I’ve made another (somewhat) meal … live and learn … I set it for 30 minutes … 25 might have been better … but I forgot the time … so once done … it continued for another 26 minutes … oops … meat could have been more tender … only used 1.25 lb … not a big waste if I screwed up … carrots a bit soft … that was user error ???? … spuds are great … maybe add a gravy packet next time … cut onion smaller … but I really can’t complain … only ONE pot again!!! … cheers ???? …
Just used this recipe as a basis for my first maiden run in my instant pot. I modified it a bit (I’m a fairly experienced cook). I settled on 45 mins with a 15 minute release and it turned out perfectly. Veggies are the perfect texture (still slightly firm) and the meat is fall apart tender. I made gravy out of the broth, of course.
Smashing success, thanks!
So glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing!
I also use garlic powder, onion powder and seasoned pepper along with the salt on the roast while prepping the Insta -Pot. I also added 2 Tbl of horseradish on each side of the roast before adding the vegetables. Makes a much tastier gravy also. Cooked at 60 min with 10 min natural release.
Oh I LOVE the idea of using horseradish! Thanks for sharing!
this turned out wonderful. had to improvise as i did not have onion soup mix. I added 2 tsp minced garlic, and a chopped onion to the pot after browning the meat. added beef broth as the cooking liquid.. cut larger potatoes in half and broke my large size carrots in half.
I wrote a positive review and now its nowhere to be seen..weird
Hi Stephany– we get such a high volume of comments, sometimes it takes us a couple days to reply and post all of them. Sorry! I promise, we read and post every one personally!
Oh my goodness! After reading the mixed reviews, I was hesitant to make this recipe; however, I’m SO glad I did! It turned out fantastic! My husband asked if I would make it every Sunday! Haha! My extremely picky six year old son loved it! I cooked it for 75 minutes due to the roast being 3.5lbs and it was unbelievably tender. The potatoes and carrots weren’t mushy at all; they were perfect! Thank you for sharing your recipe with us!
So glad you liked this recipe! We are glad you tried it too 🙂 Thanks for letting us know how it turned out for you!
I am new to Insta Pot Duo Plus. (Christmas gift) I am trying to follow the directions and when I hit Pressure Cook which is the Manual Button, It only lets me go to 4 minutes. What am I doing wrong…
If I have to wait until it heats up, do I attempt to set the cooking time then?
I am not familiar with the Duo Plus Instant Pot. If you think your Instant Pot is faulty, your best bet is probably contacting the manufacturer. Sorry I’m not much help here!