Instant Pot Braised Beef cooked with fragrant spices cooks in a fraction of the time in the pressure cooker. Perfect for everything from rice bowls and tacos to enchiladas and pictured here with a quick cabbage slaw.
Instant Pot Braised Beef
I nearly licked my plate clean, it was that good! Spiced with just the right amount of chipotle, cinnamon, and cumin, this Instant Pot Braised Beef has a balanced and delicious flavor. Using an Instant Pot cuts the time needed to coax the chuck roast into a buttery, moist texture by more than a third. After braising, the tender meat easily shreds, making it ideal for a variety of dishes. For more Instant Pot recipes, try Instant Pot Garlicky Cuban Pork, Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage, Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Bowls.
This beef is family friendly, we all love it! Leftovers can be refrigerated up to 4 days of frozen up to 6 months.
What kind of beef is used for braising?
The best kind of beef to use for braising is chuck roast, beef shank, or brisket. You want big cuts of meat that will get more tender the longer they cook in the liquid. The other good thing about these cuts is that they are less expensive and not too lean.
How do you braise in an Instant Pot?
Braising meat in the Instant Pot is quite easy. Most of the cooking time is hands- off, so you’ll have time to prep the rest of dinner while the meat cooks.
- Brown the chuck roast in the Instant Pot on the SAUTE function and then remove it to a plate.
- Sauté onions and garlic and add spices. Turn off the heat and then add all of the remaining ingredients.
- Return the beef to the pot and set it to cook on high for 60 minutes.
- Let the Instant Pot do a natural release for ten minutes and then release the valve.
- Take the meat out of the pot and then strain the cooking liquid over a bowl. Discard the solids and pour the strained liquid back into the pot.
- Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE and let the liquid boil for about ten minutes until it reduces by half.
How to Serve Braised Beef
This Instant Pot braised beef is perfect in tacos or rice and veggie bowls. You can also make an enchilada casserole, rolling the meat in corn tortillas and then baking with enchilada sauce.
Need another serving idea? Top baked sweet potatoes with this beef, steamed broccoli, and shredded cheese for a twist on loaded baked potatoes. Don’t forget to drizzle on some of the sauce!
More Instant Pot Recipes You’ll Love:
- Carne Guisada (Latin Beef Stew)
- Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Bows with Cilantro Lime Quinoa
- Beef and Mushroom Ragu with Spaghetti Squash
- Instant Pot Garlicky Cuban Pork
Instant Pot Braised Spiced Beef
Ingredients
- 1 3-pound chuck roast, cut into 4 pieces
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 bay leaves
- 14- ounce can diced tomatoes, drained, (discard liquid or reserve for another use)
- 3 chipotle peppers in adobo (from 1 can), finely chopped, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Season the beef pieces with the salt and pepper.
- Set instant pot multi cooker to SAUTÉ (normal heat) function. Spray inner pot with cooking spray.
- Add beef, in two batches, and brown—about 3 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Add onions and garlic to the pot; cook stirring for 2 minutes. Stir in oregano, cumin, and bay leaves; cook for 1 minute more.
- Turn off heat and add the remaining ingredients.
- Return the beef and any accumulated juices back to the pot.
- Close the lid and set the pressure release valve to SEALING. Pressure cook (on HIGH) for 60 minutes.
- Allow pressure to release naturally (let the pot sit without disturbing) for 10 minutes, then turn the pressure release valve to the VENTING position to release the remaining steam.
- Open the lid and remove the meat to a large shallow dish. Set aside.
- Skim as much fat as possible from the surface of the cooking liquid then strain over a bowl, pressing the solids to extract all of the juices.
- Return the strained liquid to the pot. (Discard the solids.)
- Set the cooker to SAUTÉ function and allow the liquid to boil until reduced by half (about 1 1/2 cups), about 10 minutes.
- While the liquid reduces, use two forks to pull the meat into shreds. Adjust salt, to taste.
- Serve moistened with sauce.
Made this recipe for the 2nd time tonight and both times it’s delicious! I didn’t add chilis, cinnamon or bay leaf, and the flavor is still wonderful. We also use a little extra broth and then just use an immersion blender at the end to blend up the sauce and it’s super tasty.
I followed the receipt to the T. The smell was great, but the meat (I got chuck) never got tender/juicy that it was not eatable. Plus there was not enough liquid that it got burnt at the bottom, and turned out pretty bad. I love her other recipes, which I use often, so I had a high hope; I was very disappointed.
Can I double the recipe in an Instapot? How much cooking time should I add?
When I cook in crock pot, ok to add all ingredients at once? No need to cut roast, correct?
Made this in the crockpot, 8 hours on low as was suggested in other comments. Turned out perfect—was fall-apart tender and so flavorful!
Really yummy way to cook an undesirable roast!
I had to alter the recipe because I didn’t have the adobo peppers/sauce so added smoked paprika, ground mustard, aged balsamic vinegar and chilli garlic sauce. It was soooo yummy and tender. Thank you!!!
Is Top Sirloin too lean for this recipe? I’ve made it before using chuck but I picked up some sirloin today.
Can I use brisket for this recipe? This recipe is amazing with chuck roast and is rotated frequently. I’m just craving this recipe but I only have brisket
Sure!
Where does the can of diced tomatoes come in?
Step 5: “add the remaining ingredients.” 🙂
Absolutely delicious! The entire family loved it. I served it over rice and with the slaw, which was a perfect accompaniment to the spicy beef. I followed the recipe exactly except no bay leaves as I was out. I was able to feed our family and freeze half for another meal.
Can I use cubed stew meat in this recipe? What adjustments would you make?
This was delicious and tender. It is spicy so if you don’t like that, cut out a chipotle. I didn’t have a cinnamon stick so I just put in a few shakes of the powdered cinnamon. My teenage son ate like 1lb of the meat on mashed potatoes and raved about it. I put some on cauliflower rice. Thanks for another recipe to add to the rotation!
This was delicious! I don’t have an instapot so I used my slow cooker. Mine runs hot, so 6 hours on low was perfect!
This was delicious!!! My family really enjoyed the beef. We made tacos with it and my husband said they were much better than ground beef tacos!!!
Thanks Gina!!!
Awesome!
This was fantastic! I followed the recipe exactly and didn’t change a thing. The spiciness was just right for my kids. We served this in corn tortillas, both soft and crunchy, with cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and cilantro. Will make this on a regular basis most definitely.
Tried this on the stove like suggested in the comments (low and doubled cooking time which would be two hours…) after two hours the meat was super tough still. Did another hour. It’s still tough. Smells great but disappointed the suggested cooking time was off. Still cooking but probably won’t be eating until 9/10pm at this point 🙁
Instant pot is better for tough cuts of meat but also sounds like your beef might not be chuck? You need a fatty cut of beef, if it’s too lean it will never get tender.
Can you show me step 10? I don’t get it.
I used stew meat, worked great. Also used the shredded meat in soft tacos with lettuce, salsa and avocado, one of our family favs.
Delish! I will make it again!
Little too spicy for my taste.
Has anyone had issues with the 1hr cooking time? I pulled the meat out after 1 hr and it was so tough there was no shredding to be done. I used an eye of round roast, but now that I look at the pictures it is significantly thicker than what I see above. I think next time I should get a pot roast cut. Also, this is only my 2nd time using the Instant Pot, so I hope I did it correctly. Regardless of my fails, my kitchen smells incredible and I put the meat back in for another hour and half. Hoping this will do the trick.
I think an eye of round is the wrong cut of beef. It doesn’t have enough fat in it to be tender after such a short cook time and probably won’t shred.
AMAZING!! I chose to not strain the tomatoes and onions out and it added tons of flavor to the meal! I served it over jasmine rice with roasted thyme carrots. Its amazing how tender the meat gets in just about an hour!
Outstanding!
Wow! Amazing, so tender and flavorful. Definitely on the make again!
Any chance you’d share modifications for cooking in a slow cooker??
Lower in the comments she mentions to brown meat first and then cook about 8 hours in crock pot. ( I was looking too!)
this was amazing! and i served, as suggested, over Sweet Potatos…Holy Smokes! DELISH!!
How would I adapt this recipe for a crockpot, please?
So good & easy to make! I used 2 of the adobo peppers because i was scared it might be too spicy for my boys but next time, i’ll try with 3 cz i didn’t taste any spice with just 2 peppers.
This is the ideal recipe: easy prep and complex flavors. I meal prepped it with yellow rice and beans and sautéed peppers and it was fantastic. Thank you so much Gina!
This recipe is AHHMAZING! We love spicy food and this was a good bang for your buck recipe. Followed recipe except for half stick of cinnamon, rather than a whole one. Served over cauliflower rice from Traders. Delish!
Just saw previous posts, you said 8hrs on LOW. Sorry for the repeat question!
The flavors are delicious!! There was a lot of fat in the meat and broth. I strained it and defatted before reducing. Should I have trimmed the fat off of the meat before cooking?
OMG this was INCREDIBLE!! I just did a dash of cinnamon since I’m not a huge fan and two chipotle peppers but omg, wow.
I added the shredded meat back into the sauce, served over cilantro lime rice with shredded cheese, cilantro and onions. YUM!
The texture was amazing however I agree that the cinnamon was too overpowering (made it feel like a Greek dish) and took away from the balance of other flavors. The adobo was also too spicy. I’d definitely make this again and leave out the cinnamon and cut the adobo in half,
Meat just fell apart. I had 2 pound raw meat by the time I cut off as much fat as possible on the outside and in the “seams” of the meat. Loved the subtle cinnamon flavor in sauce, and I did get it some spicy with some generous addition of the chipotle in Adobo, but very good. I served over cauliflower rice and some steamed green beans. I want to try it in other ways as suggested. My next recipe is the Mexican pinto beans via the pressure cooker. Can serve that with this meat I think or on it’s own. Will be interested in what others do . I so rarely cook beef so was pleased how well this turned out.
This was fantastic!!! Only put half of the peppers cause my daughter doesn’t eat anything spicy, but we all absolutely loved it. Had 2 lbs piece of meat so only cut it in half but kept the same cooking time. One of my favourites from the site.
I can only find chuck roast with the bone in. Would that be okay? I imagine the meat would fall off of the bone during cooking.
Yes but cut the bone out prior to cooking, you need to cut the meat into 4 pieces anyway. 🙂
Thank you!
Sorry to say I did not care for this AT ALL. Waaayy to cinnamon-y. I think it probably would have been OK without the cinnamon.
This recipe was absolutely delicious! Everyone loved it.
Very tasty without the heat. Never thought it would take so long in the Instant Pot though. Very tender and very easy to pull apart. Next time I make it I will thicken the sauce.
Made this tonight and it was amazing!! The meat was so tender. YUM! We topped it over sweet potatoes but could think of so many delicious combos.
Made it as written and this is now my absolute favorite skinnytaste recipe! We used the meat to make street style enchiladas and put some over rice next day. My husband asked when we are having it again. Thanks Gina!
I have flat iron steaks and serloin tip steaks – do you think I could substitute one of these for the chuck roast?
Absolutely delicious. Made as is, do not skip the chipotle peppers they added a smokiness that was so addicting. I made the quick cabbage slaw, some beans and we made a tostada. This was a weekend meal because the meal took at least a total of 2 hrs but so worth it. Thank you Gina!
This was awesome! Great flavor, so tender. Will absolutely make this again!
Delicious and so simple!
How much time do you recommend cooking for if it is only 1.8lbs of meat? I did a shopping pick up order and it was less than I thought it would be. Thank you!
same time
I didn’t have any chipotle in adobo but I did have portions of your homemade enchilada sauce in the freezer so I added that in stead of the tomatoes or chipotles and OH MY did this turn out amazing!!! Gina you are brilliant 😉
This recipe was amazing! I loved it just how it was but my husband thought it was a little overly spicy (although my 7 year old was obsessed with it). This definitely made it in to the recipe book!
Any substitute suggestions for chipotle peppers in adobo? Thank you!
So good! I miss read the instructions and used three cans is chipotle peppers so it was pretty spicy. Luckily my family loved spicy so it worked out. I know better for next time!
The meat was so tender and the flavor amazing! I sever it with mashed potatoes for my family and brown rice for myself. Made the slaw and it was so good the whole family loved it!
LOVE this! I made it in the crock pot and I loved the flavor of cinnamon with the chipotle. We served this with sweet potatoes and green beans.
HOW LONG DID YOU COOK IT FOR ON WHAT TEMP
Hi Brittany, How did you make it in the crockpot? I’m curious how long I should cook it for! Thanks!
My husband went crazy for this. I am not a fan of cumin or cinnamon, but without the au jus, it’s not very strong. But for the rest of the world that likes those spices, it was a huge home run. I’ve already been asked to make it again.
Excellent! Served with guacamole and a dab of sour cream on corn tortillas.
So good! Served with rice and veggies. Will definitely make again!
Can I do this recipe in a slow cooker or stove top?
I made this last night and the whole family enjoyed it. I served it with mashed potatoes and coleslaw I made with light Mayo, lime juice, cumin, garlic, cilantro, a minced chipotle pepper & avocado. Perfect creamy accompaniment. Thank you for this great recipe!
I made this recipe and it was good but I didn’t really taste the spices and definitely not the spice that people are mentioning. Curious if people used three cans of Adobe rather than three chiles from one can? Also wondering why the spices aren’t really present in mine. Maybe use more sauce when serving? Love skinny taste recipes!
Wonderful and easy to make! The smell alone when it’s cooking will make your mouth water. I made it exactly above minus the cinnamon stick (Couldn’t find it so added some ground cinnamon). It was fantastic. I thought it would be too spicy for the kids but they gobbled it up. 100% will make this again!
Is it just regular rice that’s pictured above under the beef?
Yes 🙂
There is not a cinnamon stick to be found at my grocery. What can I sub?
I made this exactly like the recipe, 10/10 I would make it again! The only thing I would change for me would be an extra cinnamon stick and one less chipotle pepper. But honestly this came out perfect the way it is!! Thanks, Gina!!!
Gina’s done it again! This recipe was AMAZING!!! The meat was so tender and flavorful and my partner and I devoured our meals–beyond satisfied! Warning to those who are sensitive to spice: this meal was pretty spicy. We love spice so it made the meal 10x better.
I’m in the market for an Instant Pot (almost ordered one today but I didn’t realize there were so many to choose from, i.e., size – 3qt, 6qt, 8qt, etc.). What size are you using? I know the size would determine the amount of meat I was able to cook, but I don’t want to “wish” it were bigger, nor do I want to “wish” I hadn’t gotten one so big. Can’t wait…this may very well be my first meal in an IP, because my husband LOVES braised beef on the stove/oven and this recipe sounds SO much easier. Thank you.
I have a 6 quart.
Oh my gosh I had a roast in my fridge threatening to go bad before I used it and I wanted to do something different than ‘roast’ it. Waking up this morning to this made my day. Thank you. It’s cooking right now. It will be great I’m sure.
Will this recipe work in a slow cooker? It sounds really delicious!!
I made this today and OMG! So delicious. The cinnamon stick is an essential ingredient IMO
Can I use a salt substitute instead of salt? I have to be on a salt free diet. Thank you.
Sure
Loved this recipe with chuck roast. I have a brisket today. I’m wondering if I can use it for this recipe. Any suggestions?
Sadly we don’t have cans of chipolte peppers in adobo where I live, is there a substitute that would work? Thanks!
maybe some dried chipotle spice? Also you can buy on amazon?
Loved this! This will go into our regular rotation now. Thanks!
Is there a way to make it so it won’t be spicy? I can’t handle any spice at all.
Reduce the chipotle, its not too spicy my daughter ate it.
Hi there! When do the Adobe and tomatoes get added? I don’t see that in the recipe…thank you got all of your wonderful recipes!
I think #5 with “add remaining ingredients.”
Can I use the crock pot instead ?
Under number 5; add remaining ingredients.
Made this as soon as you posted the recipe! Delicious! Tender and very favorable! Definitely making this time and time again!
If I don’t have a insta pot can I do it on stove top and for how long? Thank you ☺️
Sure, just double cook time on low heat.
What is the slaw you show pictured with this?
https://www.skinnytaste.com/quick-cabbage-slaw/
How did you make the veggie side in the picture? It looks like a great side!
https://www.skinnytaste.com/quick-cabbage-slaw/
Is this spicy? Just trying to decide if it’s worth making for my kids ha. Thanks!!
A bit of heat, not too much. Chipotle peppers are more barbeque-y, than hot, IMO. I would just use 1 instead of 3
Any chance I can make this in a crock pot if I grown the meat first?
8 hours low should work if you brown it first.
Can you share slow cooker instructions?
8 hours low should work if you brown it first.