Mom’s Instant Pot Pot Roast

Mom’s Instant Pot Pot Roast with onion soup mix, potatoes and carrots is an easy recipe for beef chuck roast in the electric pressure cooker. This delicious beef roast is a family favorite and tastes just like Mom used to make!

I have several Instant Pot recipes with chuck roast on the blog, but this Instant Pot pot roast onion soup mix recipe tastes just like Mom used to make!

Mom’s best pot roast, a traditional pot roast dinner, was always cooked low and slow in the oven, but this tender, juicy beef roast is made in the electric pressure cooker.

The pressure cooker transforms a tough cut of meat into a melt-in-your-mouth tender roast in a fraction of the time with perfect results!

This Instant pot roast recipe with onion soup mix potatoes and carrots is easy and super simple. If you’re looking for a pot roast recipe without onion soup mix, try this Instant Pot pot roast recipe.

You may also like my Slow cooker pot roast with potatoes and carrots or this Crock-Pot chuck roast recipe with red wine!

Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients for this easy pressure cooker pot roast. If you don’t have what you need in your refrigerator, freezer or pantry, you should be able to find the ingredients in your local grocery store.

• Beef chuck roast — boneless beef chuck roast, about 3 pounds for best results
• Onion soup mix — I use Lipton’s dry onion soup mix, but any brand is fine
• Garlic powder — or fresh garlic if you have it
• Beef broth — I usually use low sodium beef broth
• Worcestershire sauce — adds extra flavor to the meat
• Baby potatoes — no need to peel them or cut them up
• Baby Carrots — or regular carrots if you want them firmer
• Celery — adds extra flavor
• Salt and black pepper, to taste — You may want to add these when serving or allow people to add salt and pepper if they choose.

Note — I personally think boneless chuck roasts are the best cut of meat for pot roasts. You can use a rump roast or bottom round roast, instead if you prefer.

How to Make Pot Roast with Onion Soup Mix in the Instant Pot

First, I like to cut the chuck roast into 3 large pieces. I do this whenever I make Instant Pot chuck roast, Instant Pot Mississippi roast and most Instant pot roasts. Cutting the meat shortens the cook time and makes it a lot easier to brown the meat.

Next, for maximum flavor, you can sear the roast on all sides. I usually do this step.

But, I did not sear the meat this time because I wanted this pot roast recipe to be as easy as possible. And, usually on busy weeknights, I want to get dinner on the table as soon as possible.

You really will get plenty of extra flavor from the dry onion soup and beef broth, but it’s up to you. So, just use your best judgement here.

Place the cut up chuck roast directly on the bottom of the pot. I used a 6 quart, and it fit easily. Then, sprinkle garlic powder and about half of the dry soup mix over the meat.

Next, add your beef broth and Worcestershire sauce around the sides of the meat. Then, place your baby potatoes, carrots and celery on top of the meat.

Layering the vegetables will keep them out of the liquid, and they won’t get too soggy when cooking. Now, sprinkle the remaining onion soup over the vegetables. We want to add flavor to every layer here.

Note — If you want firmer carrots, use about 4 or 5 regular carrots — peel them and cut them up into large chunks. Baby carrots get soft, but we like them that way.

Place the lid on the Instant Pot, and make sure the valve is on sealing position. Some models do this automatically. But, I like to remind y’all about this step because pressure cookers are all different!

Cooking Time

How long to cook a pot roast in the Instant Pot? The general rule is to cook chuck roast for 20 minutes per pound. It may seem like a long time, but a roast needs to be cooked long enough to break down the connective tissue until the meat is tender.

Since this roast is 3 pounds, we pressure cook the roast on high pressure for 60 minutes. The Instant Pot usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes to reach pressure.

After pressure cooking, allow a 15 to 20 minute natural pressure release. After the natural release, you can quick release the rest of the pressure by turning the pressure valve.

The total cook time is around 90 minutes or so, depending upon the make and model of your pressure cooker. So, while pressure cooking is faster than the oven or slow cooker, it’s not actually “instant”!

Note — If you are cooking a larger, thicker roast, around 5 pounds or so, you may want to add the vegetables into the pressure cooker after pressure cooking the meat, as they will get very soft when cooked so long.

Just cover the roast and allow it to rest while you cook the vegetables. You can cook them directly in the juices for 5 to 10 minutes.

Use a large fork or kitchen tongs to remove the meat and place roast on a large platter or plate. The roast should be tender and easy shreddable with a fork.

If not, remove the vegetables, place the meat back into the Instant Pot, and pressure cook the roast for another 10 to 15 minutes.

If you want thicker gravy, make a cornstarch slurry. Mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Use the saute setting, and boil the gravy.

When it boils, stir in the slurry, and allow to boil for a few minutes or until the juice thickens.

Place the shredded beef on a serving platter. Then, arrange the carrots, potatoes and celery around the meat. Pour the juices or gravy over the meat, and serve.

This is seriously, the BEST pot roast! The meat is fork tender and juicy with plenty of flavor. The veggies are perfectly cooked.

I’m telling you, Mom’s Instant Pot roast is truly amazing comfort food! Just one bite, and it will take you back!

Variations

For a creamier tender roast, add cream of onion, cream of celery, or cream of mushroom soup along with the dry soup mix. Just spread it on, don’t mix it in with the rest of the ingredients.

Feel free to drizzle a flavorful gravy mix on top of the roast and veggies as well.

You can also add whatever vegetables you’d like. Use chopped whole potatoes and carrots instead of baby potatoes and carrots, or you can use chopped onions without potatoes.

You can even make a roast without any vegetables at all, and serve the roast meat with instant veggies or over Instant pot mashed potatoes. There’s no single best way to enjoy a good pot roast!

How to Store and Reheat

Store leftover pot roast in the refrigerator in an airtight container. The flavors deepen and are actually better the next day! The pot roast will keep for 3 to 4 days.

If you need to store the roast for a longer period of time, you can freeze it in an airtight container or freezer safe bag to keep the favors perfect for next time.

Reheat individual portions of the roast and veggies in the microwave. For larger portions, you can reheat the pot roast and vegetables in the oven.

I hope you enjoy this delicious, easy Instant Pot pot roast recipe as much as we do! Even my picky eaters love this easy meal, and a one pot meal makes clean-up easy on Mom because there are fewer dishes to wash!

I don’t know about you, but I am all about easy meals with easy clean-up. And, this easy dinner is simple enough for busy weeknights and hearty enough for Sunday supper with the family.

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