If you want a pot roast to rival your grandma’s (sorry grandma), give this Instant Pot Pot Roast a whirl! Tender, juicy, and flavorful! Plus, find out what cut of meat is the best below.
If I had to pick a number one most requested recipe since I started this blogging journey, it would be for the classic Sunday Pot Roast. Not even kidding. But I reeeeeaaaallly dragged my feet on it. To say I got burned out on pot roast as a kid is an understatement. Anyone else’s family have that every. single. Sunday?
But my love for you all prevailed and with the help of a friend and my little sis, have we ever delivered the goods!
My ability to keep things simple is nada, so I decided to make this classic pot roast recipe a bit more exciting by testing it on the 3 most common cuts of pot roast beef: sirloin roast, chuck roast, and rump roast. All this so I could answer the question:
What is the best cut of beef for making a pot roast?
Now I know every one of you is probably thinking chuck roast, but read on for my fascinating results . . . Other people find this fascinating, right? Where my peeps at?
FYI: The toothpicks in these images were put there so I wouldn’t forget which cut of beef was which. Unfortunately, it’s not some secret cooking method that I’m holding back from telling you.
Here were my results:
Chuck Roast (meat on the left in picture)
Pros: Unmatched in tenderness. So flavorful and fell apart into delicious pieces simply with the touch of a fork.
Cons: So fatty! I trimmed some of the fat away from the outside, but after it was cooked there was still so much fat throughout. This results in wonderfully flavorful, tender meat, but by the time I had removed the fat from the meat, I didn’t have a whole lot of meat left. I also don’t love how greasy it leaves the broth, but that can be remedied with a good fat separator.
Rump Roast (meat in the middle of picture)
Pros: Juicy, tender, and flavorful with MUCH less fat to discard. In the end, I had quite a bit more meat from a 2 pound piece of rump roast compared to the chuck because there was more meat than fat.
Cons: Ever so slightly less tender than the chuck roast, but in a blind tasting, my husband wasn’t able to tell which was which (meat snob that he is). More expensive than a chuck.
Sirloin Roast (meat on the right in picture)
Pros: It wasn’t fall apart tender, but sliced with ease. It was very flavorful and had a tender, juicy chew that most closely resembled the classic Sunday Pot Roast of my childhood.
Cons: The tenderness of the meat varied throughout the 2 pound chunk. The pieces near fat globs were a lot more tender than the other pieces (which is understandable). It dried out quickly even while sitting on the cutting board. I suggest slicing it and putting it back in the meat juices so it stays moist. It was quite dry the next day when I reheated it, but storing it in the juices may solve that as well.
So which one is the winner? I was honestly surprised how delicious they all were and I wasn’t sad about any of them. For me, the winner was hands down the rump roast.
A rump roast is definitely not the roast your friendly butcher might suggest to you. However, my grandma, roast maker extraordinaire, always used a rump roast. The only reason I remember that is because she would giggle every time she said the word rump, haha! I’m carrying on the tradition and will be buying rump roasts whenever I see them at a killer price.
The chuck roast was a very close second and will be your best bet for being tender and fall apart every single time. Rump roast tends to be a bit like chicken breast. 90% of the time it is everything you want it to be, then there’s the 10% where all of a sudden it’s chewy and tough and you’re apologizing to your in-laws that you wanted to so badly impress.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST POT ROAST
QUALITY OF MEAT
It took me a couple of years to admit this really mattered, but the quality of meat and your outcome most definitely depends on where you buy your meat. For my town, I buy it from Smith’s Marketplace (bonus: they’ll prep all of my meat for me!). I don’t have a Costco near me, but from what I hear, it’s pretty unanimous that their meat rocks the house.
CUT IT DOWN
Take your large roast and cut it down into about 2 pound chunks. I actually have the butcher do this for me right at the store so it’s ready to go when I am. The taste and texture of the meat is so much better with this simple step. You get more surface area for seasoning and searing which equals flavor. Do it! Or have your favorite, patient butcher do it. He knows me well.
SEASON LIBERALLY!
If you learn only one thing on this here blog, let it be this. Meat LOVES seasoning. Load it up!
BROWN, BROWN, BROWN
I’m in the club of, “I know browning adds flavor, but I’m willing to sacrifice some flavor so I don’t smell like meat.” In this recipe however, I finally gave in to the fact that the flavor was 100% better when I sealed in those spices and achieved a pretty brown crust. However, I’ll admit, sometimes I sear 2-3 sides and then call it a day.
LET IT SIT AT ROOM TEMP BEFORE COOKING
I don’t consider this a deal breaker, but I do believe it helps guarantee a great end result. Let your meat sit at room temp for about an hour before you cook it. It will brown better and be more tender.
LET IT REST/NATURAL RELEASE
I know there is differing opinions about this, but I say a natural release is absolutely imperative to tender meat. A quick release sucks all the moisture out of your meat, while a natural release allows the liquids to cool and settle inside the meat. Compare it to a steak that you slice right after it comes off the grill (juices flow everywhere) vs one that you let rest for 10 minutes before cutting (more juices stay inside the steak). Plan for 2 1/2 – 3 hours for this recipe and the pressure cooker will be cooled down and ready to open. I even go one step further with the “resting” stage and let it sit on a cutting board while I make the gravy.
SERVE IT WITH MASHED POTATOES AND GRAVY
Okay, this tip is from my mom and is non-negotiable for her. I’ll happily eat mine with a cup of horseradish, but if you’re on my mom’s side, I love these No Prep Mashed Potatoes.
BONUS: GRAVY TIP
If you want a dynamite gravy that takes a little extra effort, use this gravy recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. If you want a super easy one that is still wonderfully flavorful, use the one I wrote below. My opinion is that a fat separator is a must to get rid of excess fat in the broth. I really hate greasy gravy, but I’ll leave that decision up to you! It’s definitely not a deal breaker.
BONUS: FREEZER TIP
I have yet to cook a roast from frozen, but I know a lot of people do. My directions for how I would cook a frozen roast are included in the recipe directions below.
That should cover everything I know, or want to know, about pot roast!
Whether you suffer from pot roast burn out like I did or you’re a Sunday Pot Roast die-hard, give this recipe a try and fall in love all over again!
Tools used to make Instant Pot Pot Roast
*This post contains affiliate links. Thank you!
Instant Pot Pot Roast
Moist, juicy, tender pot roast that will have your grandma asking you for your secrets! Instant Pot Pot Roast for the win!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Total Time: 2.5 hours
- Yield: 8 servings
- Category: Entree
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Roast
- 4 – 6 pound beef roast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into about 2 pound chunks (see notes about which cut to use: rump, chuck, or sirloin)
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 15 oz can beef broth
For the Gravy
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- big splash of Worcestershire sauce (a tablespoon or 2)
Instructions
- Place roast on a large piece of foil for easy clean up. Combine salt, basil, rosemary, onion powder, black pepper, oregano, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Press the seasonings into all sides of the roast. Depending on the size of roast you use, there may be seasonings leftover after all sides of the roast are coated. Store any seasonings that didn’t come in contact with the meat in a small jar or ziplock to season other meat and veggies.
- Select saute or brown on the pressure cooker and add oil. When oil is hot and rippling add the meat and brown each side, about 1-2 minutes each side. Turn the pressure cooker off.
- Remove beef from the pot and set on a plate. Pour beef broth into the pot and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom. Return beef to the pot.
- Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 90 minutes. When cooking is complete, use a natural release.
- Remove beef to a cutting board to rest. Pour drippings from the pot into a fat separator then pour it back into the pot, discarding the fat. If you don’t have a fat separator, you can skim the top of the liquid with a spoon to remove some of the fat, or just skip this step.
- Combine cornstarch and water in a small cup. Using the saute function, bring the drippings to a simmer and whisk vigorously as you pour in the cornstarch slurry.
- Continue stirring for 1-2 minutes as it thickens. Add a splash of Worcestershire sauce and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. If the gravy is too salty, you can adjust by mixing up more cornstarch slurry to dilute it.
- Slice, shred, or chunk the roast and serve with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy.
Freezer Meal Instructions:
- Prepare beef according to step 1. Cover a sheet pan with non stick foil and place the meat on the pan making sure they don’t touch. Once frozen, place the meat in a freezer safe gallon size ziplock. Label the bag with the recipe, date, and contents.
- When ready to cook, continue with step 2.
- Cook at high pressure for 2 hours then proceed with the rest of the directions above.
Notes
- For meat that shreds or chunks easily, use a rump or chuck roast. Rump roast is leaner and sometimes not as tender. Chuck roast is fattier and quite tender. Sirloin roast is tender but best for slicing.
- The browning step is essential for maximum flavor and to really seal on the seasonings. However, the meat is still delicious and tender if you choose to skip this step.
- Leftover meat freezes well in a freezer safe ziplock bag for up to 3 months.
Keywords: instant pot, pressure cooker, pot roast
Recipe adapted from my wonderful friend Heather and my little sister’s in-laws/AKA Meat Chef Extraordinaires
Are you cooking all 6 lbs or 2 lbs?
Pat, I’m cooking all 6 pounds, I just cut them down into 2 pound chunks. Does that make sense?
This turned out fantastic! So nice to have a good recipe with regular herbs and spices and not a bunch of prepackaged seasonings! Hard to find recipes like that sometimes. This one is an absolute keeper, my family went nuts for it! Thanks for sharing this recipe 🙂
★★★★★
Stephanie, That’s so good to hear! This spice blend came from my little sister’s in laws, and I agree, it’s the best!
I just made this roast recipe and it turned out fantastic! Probably the best roast I have ever made. All The extra prep time is SO worth it!
Kylee, I got pretty much burned out on roast from having it every Sunday as a kid, but this recipe has made me a fan again. I’m so glad you loved it!
I was looking for instructions from frozen that you said were in the instructions. I cannot find it.
Willem, The instructions are within the actual recipe card, right below the regular recipe instructions
My daughter-in-law and I were discussing the benefits of Insta Pots this weekend. She was worried that a person would not be able to get that nice ‘crisp’ on the outer portion of roasts. Am I to understand you were able to retain that crisp with the searing?
Brynne, She’s right, that crisp won’t be there after it cooks. The reason I finally gave into searing it first was because it kept the rub seasonings on better which made the meat TONS more flavorful. I’ve never done it with this roast, but with shredded pork I love to throw it under the broiler for a few minutes to get some crispy, charred bits.
Thank you for the feedback. 😊
Is the cooking time longer if using a whole 5lb. Rump Roast that isn’t cut into cubes?
Mona, I always cut my roasts down a bit, so yes, I would imagine the cooking time would be a bit longer.
If the day ended right now (it’s 8:48AM), my day would have been made complete by finding this page of your blog! Not being a beef connoisseur (not even a big fan of it), I have been clueless as to how to make a decent roast. This is sad, as in December, hubby and I will be married for 45 years. Anyway, I have the IP and have enjoyed most all of the recipes I’ve made in it. When you first posted this article/results of your experiment, I jumped on board and bought a rump roast. I followed your instructions and the roast was highly praised by hubby and an 85-YO friend, who said she has never been able to make this good of a roast and that this might even be better than the roast her mother used to make (and it her opinion, WAS the best!) Well, hubby and I moved to a condo in June, and I’ve not yet located the box of recipes that I have yet to file. This is one recipe I needed to relocate–I came looking online today to see if I could find it in a pinch. After a few misses, I found you! Thank you so much for this WONDERFUL recipe/method!
★★★★★
Julie, comments like this make my whole world! I’m so thrilled to hear that you have finally mastered the ol’ pot roast! Your hubby is a lucky man 🙂
I would love to try this recipe I just found. How long should you cook a 3.5-4 lb roast?
Karrie, I would just cut it into 2 chunks and then cook it for the same time it says in the recipe. The size of the chunks is more important than the size of the entire roast in this case.
I didn’t have dried herbs, so used a large handful of fresh rosemary, savory, and tons of fresh garlic in the pot. This recipe was amazing. Love love it. Made enough to send my kids home with leftovers. That’s the best part!
★★★★★
Kathy, I’m so excited you liked it, being that your a pro chef and all:). Great ideas! Perfect way to use up an overflow of herbs too.
I made this for dinner last night and my husband said, “This is one of the best dinners you’ve ever made.” I had to agree! This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Samantha, I love comments like this! If I can get a recipe approved from my husband, I know I’ve struck gold!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! Im always looking for new ways to use my instant pot. This one is definitely a keeper!
★★★★★
Thanks Jami! I’m so glad you liked it!
This pot roast is AMAZING and I highly suggest making it! The flavor is outstanding and even my 2-year old liked it. I particularly liked the flavor of the porcini mushrooms although I didn’t like their mouthfeel (is that a word?). They were kind of chewy while the rest of the meal was so melt-in-my-mouth yummy. Is it possible to just grind the mushrooms and use the powder as a spice then add sliced mushrooms with the carrots at the very end? Thank you!!
★★★★★
Oops just realized I combined 2 pot roast recipes and this one did not suggest adding porcini mushrooms. So yay! That’s probably the right call. 🙂
Kim, haha, I was so confused, I was about to go check the recipe wondering why I put mushrooms in the recipe. I like the idea of grinding mushrooms up and using them to flavor the broth though. That would be amazing.
Excellent roast! We used rump roast as you recommended, and it came out very tender and flavorable. The gravy was yummy!
★★★★★
Catherine, I’m so happy to hear that! I love the herby/spicy gravy!
I can not wait to try this. My Mom, God rest her soul, always used rump roasts! Great memories. Thank you!
Sharon, Thank you for sharing. I can’t make a rump roast without thinking of my grandma 🙂
I received for Christmas a small pressure cooker. Is this the same as an instant pot? Do you really cook a roast for 90 minutes? Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Karen, an Instant Pot is a brand of electric pressure cooker. There are several different brands like Cuisinart, Zavor, etc. Yes, I like the texture of the roast best at 90 minutes. It’s flavorful and falls apart. You’ll love it!
Hi
Can I cook it in a regular oven without a pressure cooker ?
Dani, absolutely, the spice rub is amazing!
Hello,
I came across your page by searching for which cut of meat is best for a pot roast; my husband grew up with brisket, made with lots of herbs and red wine, refrigerated in the cooking liquid overnight then sliced very thinly across the grain and the slices arranged back in shape in the liquid overnight again. I’ve generally used either round or chuck, whichever is on sale. We don’t like shredded meat, hence not interested in using chuck again, while round tends to be dry like cardboard. So…..I spotted what looked like a nice piece of rump roast and got it. Had I seen that the label also said “bottom round” I might not have gotten it……..and had I seen sirloin I would have gone in that direction…..
So all that aside, I am not a recipe cook (unless I’m baking), more of a method cook – so I cut my almost 3 lb rump roast in half, started with 2 large onions thinly sliced and a head of garlic, separated, peeled, hard ends removed, but otherwise I left the cloves whole. I had those sautéing in EVOO while I made some mirepoix in the food processor, with 2 stalks of celery with leaves and a
carrot, added that to the other aromatics, and then I put the herbs (I’m a big fan of herbs and cook a lot by aroma) into a large zip top bag, first grinding up my rosemary a bit in my mortar & pestle, and I put the cornstarch right in the bag with the seasonings. (That may turn into a problem if it’s stuck to the bottom of the pot – but apparently the secret to why Chinese restaurant meat is almost always so tender is that they put cornstarch on before cooking the meat, and it does something magical to help tenderize it. If necessary I can always scrape down the pot bottom with a big wood spatula, which I should have already done!)
So……. I put the meat in the zip bag, moved it around and smashed the herbs into it, then I took out all the vegs from the pan, added a bit more oil, and browned the meat on all sides. When that was done, I took the meat out and dumped the vegs back in along with about half a 1 lb bag of baby-cut carrots, put the meat on top, dumped on a bag of steam-in-bag tiny red potatoes, halved, a few slurps of worcestershire, a can of reduced sodium beef broth, and a healthy slurp (maybe 1/2 c?) of Pinot Noir. Since I have less than 3 lbs of meat total, I set the IP timer to 50 minutes, high pressure, and we’ll see how it goes!
I’m sure that overall it’ll be delicious; I generally use more-or-less this combination of ingredients, and all I did differently this time is the cornstarch and the rump roast, and I’ll use NPR (I’m usually too impatient for that, but I get your point abut NPR). I’ll let the meat sit a bit, and then hope I can slice it without it falling apart.
★★★★★
PJ, how did it turn out? I’ve never heard of the cornstarch idea, did it cause any problems? Thanks so much for all those details!
I love eye of round roast. Especially for company since it can be sliced and makes for a great presentation.
★★★★
Rachel, I’ll have to try this! Have you used eye of round with this recipe?
I am pretty new to using Instant Pot, do you use the trivet at the bottom while cooking the meat? Hubby loves Pot Roast so planning on trying this tomorrow with a sirloin roast I already have in the freezer. We have a local farmer we buy our beef and use a local processor/butcher. I like the idea of cutting down the roast in 2 lb chunks. I think I will ask him to do that for me in the future.
★★★★★
Donna, I don’t use a trivet in this recipe. I feel like the roast really sucks up all that good flavor without the trivet. I adore butchers that will do my meat prep for me!
Happy to find this as a change of pace from pot roasts with tomato sauce. Delish! I used 1 tsp of black pepper instead of 1 Tbsp–1 Tbsp just seemed like an awful lot. Even with the 1 tsp, it was still VERY peppery. Is it just me? I guess next time I will go down to 1/2 tsp or omit entirely?
Jennie, I’ll admit, I like a little heat and I like meat WELL seasoned. But I’m glad you could find a good amount for you! I agree, I much prefer this taste than the tomato sauce versions. I’m glad you could enjoy it!
Great IP recipe! I divided a 5# rump into 3 slices and rubbed with a little olive oil plus a generous amount of lawrys carne asada seasoning and let the beef come to room temperature (about an hour). They did not stick and browned fantastic! I delglazed with 2 cups chicken stock since that was all I had available. I followed all of your advice and instructions except different spices and broth. I served “aus jus” with my sauteed green beans and steamed baby yukon potatoes. My family rated it downright mouthwatering! Thank-you Marci!!
★★★★★
April, now that sounds amazing! I’ve never seen a carne asada Lawrys seasoning. I want to try this!
Can I put onions, carrots, potatoes and celery in with the roast and cook it like I would in a crockpot? This will be my first experience with my brand new Insta pot. Just wondering if the vegetables can stay in as long as the meat and not be too mushy.
I’m a very busy person with four different businesses that I run and I bought an Insta pot to hopefully cook larger amounts of food faster, so that I can have enough volume for my family and to have enough food leftover to take to a couple of elderly people in my life.
Thank you for your information, your writing is wonderful and I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read! Thank you for your contagious positivity!
Carol, I have before, they do go quite soft so I leave them cut up quite big if I do that. Even being soft, the flavor of carrots that get cooked in that juice is amazing! I’ve seen some recipes that say to add the veggies in to cook after you remove the meat, so you could always do that. The veggies could cook while the meat rests a bit on a cutting board. If I did that, I would cut them into large, bite size pieces and let them cook for 5 minutes with a quick pressure release.
Bless you, your comments came on a much needed day when my optimism needed a bit of a boost. You will love life with an Instant Pot!
5stars. Delicious. Followed recipe exactly except cut everything in half since I have a small 3 guart instant pot. Will definitely become a routine meal.
★★★★★
Debbie, I’m so glad you liked it! I hardly ever made roast before owning a pressure cooker 🙂
How can I cut this recipe down to a 3qt instant pot?
Megha, As long as the chunks of meat are similar in size as I state in the directions, just use the same cook time. It works great!
I cut the recipe in half for my 3 quart instant pot. Pressure cooked approximately 20 min per lb with natural release 10-20 min.
I’d like to make this tomorrow, with a side of mashed potatoes as you suggest, for a family of 4. Is there enough gravy to use both for the meat and for the mashed potatoes? If not, should I just add more broth to start and more corn starch at the end? Or would I be better off just buying gravy mix?
Luke, If you eat gravy, like I eat gravy, you’d probably want to add some extra broth. I prefer that to gravy mix. The gravy is quite flavorful from all the spices so extra broth will still be flavorful.