This Instant Pot Beef Stew with Gnocchi recipe is easy, hearty and delicious with tender pieces of beef and gnocchi and plenty of veggies in a rich gravy sauce that is perfectly paired with a hunk of warm crusty bread for dunking!

Ah, Instant Pot Beef Stew. Can you think of anything more comforting and warming than beef stew on a cold winter night? My mouth is watering as we speak.

We may not get snow here in the desert, but it does get awfully chilly on winter nights and nothing warms the soul like a hot bowl of stew and some warm crusty bread for sopping up that rich gravy sauce.

This Instant Pot Beef Stew has been my go-to comfort food meal lately. It is SO good! And easy. And the meat comes out so tender and juicy in under 2 hours in the Instant Pot. Yes, under 2 hours from start to finish. It’s simply unbelievable!

Bonus points if you prep the ingredients for this recipe ahead of time so all you will have to do when you are ready to make dinner is sauté the meat and veggies and then throw everything else in and let the Instant Pot do the rest. Easy peasy!

This recipe is also great for feeding a crowd. The Instant Pot does most of the work for you and everything is cooked right in the same pot so you are left with more time to socialize with company – and less dishes to clean up after dinner. Win-win!

How to cook beef stew in the Instant Pot

Cooking Instant Pot Beef Stew couldn’t be easier.

First, season the beef on all sides with salt and pepper and sear in batches (either in the Instant Pot or in a separate sauté pan) in butter and olive oil. Set the seared beef aside.

(Note: If searing the beef in the Instant Pot, make sure to scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan when adding the liquid to the pot to avoid the ingredients burning on the bottom of the pan).

Then add the onions, celery and Italian seasoning to the pot (or sauté pan) and cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes.  Add in garlic and stir to combine.

Stir in tomato paste and Better Than Bullion (if using), pour in the wine, beef stock and Worcestershire sauce, scraping up all the delicious browned bits on the bottom of the pot.

Add back in the seared beef, canned diced tomatoes and chopped carrots and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Secure the lid and press the “Stew/Meat” setting and let the pressure cooker go to work.

Allow the pressure cooker to naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes. While this is happening, cook the gnocchi to package instructions.

Release the remaining pressure, add in the cooked gnocchi, frozen peas and corn starch slurry and simmer using the “Sauté” setting for 5 minutes until the peas are warmed through and the sauce has thickened.

Serve with a hunk of warmed crusty bread or a side salad and enjoy!

How long does it take to cook beef stew in the Instant Pot?

This recipe comes together in about an hour and a half from start to finish. 

The amount of time that it takes for the Instant Pot to pressurize varies, but should be anywhere from 10-15 minutes.

Once the Instant Pot pressurizes, the pressure cook time is 35 minutes with a 10-minute natural release.

I always cook the gnocchi while the Instant Pot is naturally releasing the pressure and then I add it in with the frozen peas and the corn starch slurry and simmer the stew for another 5 minutes until the peas are warmed through and the sauce has thickened.

That’s it! So simple and so quick! 

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Instant Pot Beef Stew with Gnocchi

A quick and easy beef stew recipe made in the Instant Pot with tender beef, veggies and gnocchi in a rich and hearty gravy sauce.

Course Main Course, Main Dish, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword beef stew, comfort food, soup, stew

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Author Lauren

Ingredients

• 1.5-2 lbs. beef stew meat, or beef chuck roast (approximately 1"-2" cubes)
• Salt and pepper, to taste (~1-2tsp. each)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup yellow onion, diced (~1 small onion)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3-4 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon – beef flavor (optional, but recommended)
• 1/2 cup red wine (or Concord Grape Juice -if not using wine)
• 3/4 cup low sodium beef broth
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 5-6 large carrots, cut into large pieces, or about 2 cups of whole baby carrots
• (1) 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes (undrained)
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 package Gnocchi (cook according to package instructions)
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 1/4 cup water

Instructions

1. 
   
   

   Season the meat with salt and pepper. Turn the Instant Pot to “Sauté” and add 1T butter
   and 1T olive oil. Add in stew meat and sauté in batches until browned on all
   sides. (This step is optional, but recommended for the most flavor). Remove
   stew meat and set aside. (You can also sauté the meat in a separate pan, if
   preferred).

   (Note: If searing the beef in the Instant Pot, make sure to scrape up all the browned
   bits on the bottom of the pan when adding the liquid to the pot to avoid the
   ingredients burning on the bottom of the pan).
   
   
   
   
   
   

2. 
   
   

   Add remaining 1T of butter, 1T of olive oil, Italian seasoning, celery, and onions
   and sauté until onions and celery are softened, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in
   garlic.

   
   
   
   
   
   
   

3. 
   
   

   Stir in tomato paste and Better Than Bouillon (if using). Stir in red wine, scraping up
   any browned bites on the bottom of the pan, and reduce slightly, about 1-2
   minutes. Add in beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and can of tomatoes with
   juices, stir to combine.

   
   
   
   
   
   
   

4. 
   
   

   Return meat to the Instant Pot and add carrots. Season with salt and pepper to taste, if
   needed. Stir ingredients to combine.

   
   
   
   
   
   
   

5. 
   
   

   Secure the lid and turn Instant Pot to “Stew/Meat” setting, pressure cook for 35 minutes. Allow the pressure cooker to do a natural release for 10 minutes.

   
   
   
   
   
   
   

6. 
   
   

   While the pressure cooking is naturally releasing, cook the gnocchi to package
   instructions.

   
   
   
   
   
   
   

7. 
   
   

   Release the remaining pressure and carefully remove the lid. Add in the cooked gnocchi,
   frozen peas and corn starch slurry and simmer using the “Sauté” setting for 5
   minutes until the peas are warmed through and the sauce has thickened.

   
   
   
   
   
   
   

8. 
   
   

   Serve with warmed crusty bread on the side.

   Enjoy!

   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Recipe Notes

This recipe can be made with potatoes instead of gnocchi if preferred. If using potatoes instead of gnocchi, add 1 lb. of halved or quartered (if large) Yukon gold potatoes when adding the carrots to the Instant Pot