What should I look for in chuck roast?

Choose a boneless chuck roast with visible fat deposits․ Fat in a chuck roast makes the pot roast moist and tender․ Choose a fresh chuck roast for cooking in a pressure cooker․ You can brown a fresh chuck roast before pressure-cooking it․ For chuck roasts over 3 pounds‚ add 10 minutes per pound to the recipe’s initial pressure-cooking time․

Can I cook a frozen chuck roast?

Yes‚ you can cook a frozen 3-pound chuck roast․ It won't have the browned taste of unfrozen meat․ Use a pressure cooker and cook for 90 minutes․ Refer to product directions for instructions on how to cook other vegetables in the pressure cooker․ To cook larger roasts‚ add 10 minutes to the pressure-cooking time for every pound․

Can I make pot roast ahead?

Yes‚ pot roast can be made in advance and eaten as leftovers․ Some people like the flavor of pot roast eaten 2 or 3 days after cooking․ Options for eating leftovers include serving the whole pot roast and gravy or portioning out individual servings of pot roast for ease․ When reheating leftovers‚ you may need to add broth or water to thin the gravy․

Why are my vegetables mushy?

Vegetables soften completely in one full pressure cooking cycle with the roast․ Carrots and baby potatoes can be pressure-cooked for 5 minutes on their own․ Placed on top of the roast after one pressure release‚ carrots and baby potatoes will soften completely․ Follow the cutting instructions for carrots and baby potatoes to prevent them from softening too quickly․

How do I reheat pot roast?

Reheat pot roast and drippings in a covered pan over medium heat․ Add broth or water to the pan as needed․ Gravy often thickens when chilled․ Broth or water added to the pot roast and drippings can make gravy easier to serve․ Stir often to reheat pot roast and vegetables․ Other methods of reheating pot roast include using an Instant Pot sauté setting or microwave if you don't have a stovetop․

Instant Pot Pot Roast with Tender Chuck Roast and Savory Gravy

By Emma CollinsOct 3, 2026

Prep

25 min

Cook

65 min

Total

125 min

Servings

Level

Easy

Jump to recipe

Choose a boneless chuck roast with marbling to add fat for extra tenderness․ This recipe for Instant Pot pot roast with baby potatoes and carrots in a pan gravy makes a hearty meal for the family․ Serve as a Sunday main course․

Instant Pot Pot Roast with Tender Chuck Roast and Savory Gravy

Salt and pepper are seasoned into the roast before browning in olive oil․ Other ingredients in the sauce mixture are onion‚ garlic‚ tomato paste‚ Worcestershire sauce‚ low-sodium broth‚ and thyme․ Low-sodium broth is used both to pressurize the pressure cooker and to make gravy․ Fresh carrots and baby potatoes are cooked in the pressure cooker after the roast has finished cooking to keep them from overcooking and to add bulk to the meal․

After browning‚ beef should release from the pot and flavor the liquid in the pot․ To avoid the pot-burning alert‚ deglaze until the bottom of the pot is clean․ Follow both natural-release methods to thoroughly cook the beef․ Do not add vegetables to the pressure cooker during the first hour of cooking‚ as they will overcook․

Serve roast and vegetables with gravy and other side dishes made of dense bread or dinner rolls․ Use leftover roast and vegetables with gravy․ Reheat leftover dishes with gravy on the stovetop‚ covered‚ and add broth or water if needed to prevent the gravy from thickening․

Why you'll love this recipe

Visible fat streaks in boneless chuck roast make the shredded beef cooked in a pressure cooker without other ingredients more juicy and tender․
Uncooked onions‚ garlic‚ tomato paste‚ and fresh thyme offer flavorful gravy ingredients that are easy to find and add a beefy taste to gravy․
Adding diced carrots and uncut baby potatoes to the pot after the beef roast helps keep them from becoming soft and makes them useful additions to the beef dish․
Low-sodium beef broth is used in the pressure cooker and gravy․ This lets you adjust the salt when serving roast and vegetables with other juices․
Browning and deglazing the seasoned beef gives the gravy beef flavor and can be served with the beef roast․ Serving fewer dishes saves dishwashing time․
The optional cornstarch slurry gives the cook a choice between light pan juices and slightly thicker gravy․

Instructions

Cut the beef chuck roast in half.

Sprinkle the salt and pepper on all sides of the beef.

Heat the olive oil in the Instant Pot using the sauté setting until hot.

Place the seasoned beef in the pot and brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Do not move the beef until ready to turn it; once seared, it should release easily from the pot.

Transfer the browned beef to a clean plate.

With the Instant Pot still on sauté mode, add the onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, stirring often and scraping up browned bits, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and press Cancel to turn off the Instant Pot.

Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and beef broth. Stir well and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.

Place the beef back in the pot and add the fresh thyme sprigs or dried thyme.

Close the lid, move the steam release valve to Sealing, and cook on high pressure for 60 minutes.

Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure by moving the valve to Venting.

Open the Instant Pot and add the carrots and potatoes on top of the beef.

Close the lid and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes.

Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.

Remove the beef and vegetables, leaving the juices in the pot. Discard the thyme stems if using fresh thyme, then use two forks to shred the roast into chunks.

For optional thicker gravy, turn the Instant Pot to sauté mode. Stir the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl, pour into the liquid, and cook while stirring occasionally until the gravy thickens slightly.

Serve the pot roast with the gravy.

FAQ

Yes‚ you can use balsamic vinegar in the same amount as Worcestershire sauce․ Balsamic vinegar will provide a sour‚ savory flavor to the broth gravy․ It won't taste exactly the same as Worcestershire sauce because of other flavorings used in the sauce․ Add balsamic vinegar to tomato paste and broth․ Stir well to deglaze the pan before pressure cooking․

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Dinner Beef American One Pot Instant Pot

Instant Pot Pot Roast with Tender Chuck Roast and Savory Gravy

Name: Instant Pot Pot Roast with Tender Chuck Roast and Savory Gravy
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 65 min
Total time: 125 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 3 pound boneless beef chuck roast; 1 teaspoon Kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 large sweet yellow onion (coarsely chopped); 4 cloves garlic (minced); 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; 1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth; 4 sprigs fresh thyme (or use 1 teaspoon dried thyme); 1 teaspoon dried thyme (alternative to fresh thyme); 6 medium carrots (cut into 1-inch pieces); 1 1/2 pounds whole baby potatoes; 2 tablespoons cornstarch (optional, for thickening gravy); 2 tablespoons water (optional, for thickening gravy)

By Emma CollinsOct 3, 2026

Prep

25 min

Cook

65 min

Total

125 min

Servings

Level

Easy

Jump to recipe

Why you'll love this recipe

Visible fat streaks in boneless chuck roast make the shredded beef cooked in a pressure cooker without other ingredients more juicy and tender․
Uncooked onions‚ garlic‚ tomato paste‚ and fresh thyme offer flavorful gravy ingredients that are easy to find and add a beefy taste to gravy․
Adding diced carrots and uncut baby potatoes to the pot after the beef roast helps keep them from becoming soft and makes them useful additions to the beef dish․
Low-sodium beef broth is used in the pressure cooker and gravy․ This lets you adjust the salt when serving roast and vegetables with other juices․
Browning and deglazing the seasoned beef gives the gravy beef flavor and can be served with the beef roast․ Serving fewer dishes saves dishwashing time․
The optional cornstarch slurry gives the cook a choice between light pan juices and slightly thicker gravy․

Ingredients

Servings8

•3 pound boneless beef chuck roast
•1 teaspoon Kosher salt
•½ teaspoon black pepper
•1 tablespoon olive oil
•1 large sweet yellow onion (coarsely chopped)
•4 cloves garlic (minced)
•1 tablespoon tomato paste
•1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
•1 ½ cups low-sodium beef broth
•4 sprigs fresh thyme (or use 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
•1 teaspoon dried thyme (alternative to fresh thyme)
•6 medium carrots (cut into 1-inch pieces)
•1 ½ pounds whole baby potatoes
•2 tablespoons cornstarch (optional, for thickening gravy)
•2 tablespoons water (optional, for thickening gravy)

Instructions

1
Cut the beef chuck roast in half.
2
Sprinkle the salt and pepper on all sides of the beef.
3
Heat the olive oil in the Instant Pot using the sauté setting until hot.
4
Place the seasoned beef in the pot and brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Do not move the beef until ready to turn it; once seared, it should release easily from the pot.
5
Transfer the browned beef to a clean plate.
6
With the Instant Pot still on sauté mode, add the onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, stirring often and scraping up browned bits, about 4 minutes.
7
Stir in the garlic and press Cancel to turn off the Instant Pot.
8
Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and beef broth. Stir well and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
9
Place the beef back in the pot and add the fresh thyme sprigs or dried thyme.
10
Close the lid, move the steam release valve to Sealing, and cook on high pressure for 60 minutes.
11
Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure by moving the valve to Venting.
12
Open the Instant Pot and add the carrots and potatoes on top of the beef.
13
Close the lid and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes.
14
Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.
15
Remove the beef and vegetables, leaving the juices in the pot. Discard the thyme stems if using fresh thyme, then use two forks to shred the roast into chunks.
16
For optional thicker gravy, turn the Instant Pot to sauté mode. Stir the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl, pour into the liquid, and cook while stirring occasionally until the gravy thickens slightly.
17
Serve the pot roast with the gravy.