Delicious and tender Instant Pot roast with carrots and onions is full of flavor and perfect for busy nights. Check out this step-by-step on cooking a roast in the Instant Pot in just over an hour.
Pot roast has to be one of our family’s favorite meals. It is one of the easiest dishes to make, yet feels like you’ve been hard at work all day in the kitchen. It is hearty, filling, and especially perfect for those chilly fall and winter days.
Pot roast can be prepared in many different ways, but ever since I got an Instant Pot, it is my favorite way to prepare this dish.
It’s fast, simple, and, best of all, the meat is fall apart tender. We love to serve ours alongside a few of our favorite side dishes — a steaming hot bowl of garlic mashed potatoes and a little homemade sauerkraut.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy recipe and simple ingredients – As long as you have the roast on hand, everything else is probably already in your pantry. Plus, this comes together so quickly and is mostly hands-off time.
Perfect hearty meal to easily prep for Sunday dinner – Instant Pot’s have a warm setting, so once it is done cooking, you can keep the roast warm as long as you need until you are ready to eat. No rushing around to get everything ready in time to eat.
A comfort food classic – Who doesn’t love a nostalgic comfort food? This classic pot roast recipe will remind you of simpler days at grandma and grandpa’s house. It’s something the whole family will love.
Ingredients
Roast – Everyone has an opinion on the best cut of meat to use for a tender pot roast. We like to use chuck roasts, but a rump roast would work just fine, too.
Butter – I recommend using good-quality grass-fed butter. You could also use a neutral oil, such as olive oil, if you are diary free. If you’d like to make your own butter like we do using raw milk, check out my tutorial on how to make raw milk butter in a blender.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Cook a Roast in the Instant Pot
Step 1: Press the sauté function button on your Instant Pot. Allow it to get really hot. This will take a few minutes. Meanwhile, peel your onions and cut them in half, and chop the carrots into large chunks. Add two tablespoons of butter into the Instant Pot.
Step 2: Place the onions and carrots into the hot butter. Allow them to cook until they have a nice browned color on them.
Step 3: Once all the veggies have been browned a little, set them aside in a separate bowl.
Step 4: Give your roast a little rinse in cold water and pat dry. Sprinkle it with 1/2 teaspoon salt, the garlic powder, and black pepper. Sear the roast on one side, then remove from the Instant Pot.
Step 5: Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the Instant Pot, and then add the meat back. Give it a few minutes on all sides, to get some nice browned color on it.
Step 6: Once the meat is seared, add the veggies back on top and around it. Add in two cups of filtered water. Sprinkle on the remaining half teaspoon salt.
Step 7: Set the Instant Pot to high pressure, and allow it to cook for 60 minutes. Make sure that you have the little knob at the top set to sealing, as opposed to venting.
Step 8: Allow the meat to rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving. Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving (optional). Enjoy!
Tips
- While it is not required, searing meat helps it to keep all the flavor inside during the duration of the cooking process.
- To make the roast ahead of time, follow the instructions above, but allow the Instant Pot to naturally release and automatically go to warm. It can slow cook and the warm setting for several hours. When you are finally ready to eat, the pressure will already be released. The Instant Pot will slowly let it out, as it sits on the warm setting.
- You could also add baby potatoes or red potatoes if you have room in your Instant Pot.
- If you have leftover pot roast, store in an airtight container in the fridge. This also can freeze really well in a freezer-safe bag.
Recipe FAQs
For a beef roast, we follow the 20 minutes per pound rule when it comes to cook time.
If you are ending up with a tough roast, it is likely that it needed longer to cook to really become tender. We’ve never had an issue cooking for an hour in the Instant Pot for a 3 pound roast. To ensure the cook time is long enough, make sure you properly thaw out a frozen roast before cooking.
Yes! The Instant Pot works by creating steam, so liquid is required for this. You can simply use water or you can use beef broth for more flavor. You could also add a little bit of Worcestershire sauce or red wine for an extra flavor boost.
Find More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Whole Chicken
- How to Make Yogurt in the Instant Pot
- Homemade Bone Broth in the Instant Pot
- Homemade Applesauce in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
How to Cook a Roast in the Instant Pot
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2.5 – 3 lb roast
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 5 or 6 whole carrots- cut in large chunks
- 2 medium onions- peeled and cut in half
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Several grindings of fresh black pepper
- 2 cups water or beef broth
- Fresh parsley, optional
Instructions
- Press the sauté button on your Instant Pot. Allow it to get really hot. This will take a few minutes. Meanwhile, peel your onions and cut them in half, and chop the carrots into large chunks.
- Add two tablespoons of butter into the Instant Pot, and place the onions and carrots into the hot butter. Allow them to cook until the have a nice browned color on them. Once all the veggies have been browned a little, set them aside in a separate bowl.
- Give your roast a little rinse in cold water and pat dry. Sprinkle it with 1/2 teaspoon salt, the garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Sear the roast on one side. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the Instant Pot, and then add the meat. Give it a few minutes on all sides, to get some nice browned color on it.
- Once the meat is seared, add the veggies back on top and around it. Add in two cups of filtered water. Sprinkle on the remaining half teaspoon salt.
- Set the Instant Pot to high pressure, and allow it to cook for 60 minutes. Make sure that you have the little knob at the top set to sealing, as opposed to venting.
- When the 60 minutes is up, fast release the pressure by flipping the nob from sealed to venting. Allow the meat to rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving. This helps keep the juices in the meat.
- Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving (optional). Enjoy!
Notes
- While it is not required, searing meat helps it to keep all the flavor inside during the duration of the cooking process.
- To make the roast ahead of time, follow the instructions above, but allow the Instant Pot to naturally release and automatically go to warm. It can slow cook and the warm setting for several hours. When you are finally ready to eat, the pressure will already be released. The Instant Pot will slowly let it out, as it sits on the warm setting.
- You could also add baby potatoes or red potatoes if you have room in your Instant Pot.
- If you have leftover pot roast, store in an airtight container in the fridge. This also can freeze really well in a freezer-safe bag.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi, any recommendations for using a crock pot or Dutch oven? Thanks! Cassie
You can use it in a crockpot on low for 6-8 hours.
I’ve made this twice and each time the meal is quite soupy and the vegetables mushy. What am I doing wrong?? 😭
That’s interesting. I’ve not had that problem. You could try adding the vegetables a bit later or reduce the liquid slightly.
I’ve just started cooking beef again after not eating it for years. Could I use beef brisket in place of chuck roast?
Thank you so much for this recipe and video! I replaced my Crock Pot with an Instant Pot last year after all my friends were going ga-ga for it on Facebook. I liked its smaller footprint, easier cleaning, the stainless steel insert, and the variety of functions in just one appliance. I was intimidated by the pressure cooking functions though and attempted to only use the slow cooker function at first and ruined 2 roasts with it. It’s basically just been a bone broth maker since then. I decided to take a chance with your recipe and video tutorial and it was AMAZING. Delicious, the roast fell off the bone, and it was perfect. Thank you so much!
I want to add potatoes with the roast and carrots. Any idea if I should just cut the potatoes in half or leave them whole?
This is such a great instant pot recipe! Such a huge hit at my house!