If you’ve been using your Instant Pot for a while now, you probably already know how ingenious they are. If you’re new to the pressure cooker game, trust us when we tell you that, for time-saving alone, they’re worth the counter space. But just wait until you taste this tender, warmly-spiced pot roast. Dinner just hit the fast lane.–Meg Dow
Why Our Testers Loved This
There are plenty of great reasons our recipe testers devoured this Instant Pot shredded beef. They loved the quick cooking time, tender beef, and the versatility of the shredded meat, which they tried on tacos, rice bowls, and chimichangas.
Chiyo U. joined in with her comment, “What I really liked about this Instant Pot chuck roast was that the beefy flavor was deep, front and center, with the aromatics in the background.”
What You’ll Need to Make This
- Chuck roast–Look for a well-marbled chuck roast that is trimmed of excess fat. The marbling of fat and connective tissue is key to achieving tender, shreddable meat.
- Chipotle–The chipotle in adobo lends some mild heat to the shredded chuck roast. If you are sensitive to spice, only add 1 tablespoon when cooking.
- Beef broth–This adds extra flavor to the finished dish, and I highly recommend using it, but you can substitute water if necessary.
How to Make This Recipe
- Pat the cubes of chuck roast dry with paper towel.
- Working in batches, sauté the beef until browned. Transfer the browned meat to a bowl.
- Combine the browned meat and remaining ingredients in the Instant Pot.
- Seal the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 60 minutes. Release the pressure manually.
- Transfer the meat to a bowl. Use two forks to shred the meat before serving.
Common Questions
A beef chuck roast is a cut of meat and a pot roast is a style of preparation. Any cut of meat that comes from the chuck, or the shoulder part, is a chuck roast.
A pot roast doesn’t have to be chuck; it can be any cut of meat prepared by slowly braising it (in a pot, get it?) with a bit of liquid until it’s juicy and tender. Although quite frankly, some of us believe that a well-marbled chuck roast does, indeed, make the most magnificent pot roast.
If left on, the silver skin can make your roast tough and prevent the seasoning from penetrating, so you want to take the time to properly remove it. To do that, use a sharp knife and slip it under the skin to create a tab or flap that you can grab. Holding that tab, pull gently on it while using your knife to cut away the silver skin.
Our testers loved this tender beef piled atop burrito bowls or mashed potatoes, stuffed into buns, or tucked inside tortillas to make tacos or burritos. Serve with an easy classic coleslaw, rice, fiery salsa, or any of your favorite taco fixings.
Yes. You can use a stand-alone pressure cooker or a different brand of multicooker for this recipe.
Helpful Tips
- If your beef doesn’t shred easily after cooking, return the Instant Pot to high pressure, and cook for 15 minutes more.
- If you have a lot of liquid in the Instant Pot after cooking the roast, remove the meat and use the simmer function to let the liquid reduce. Drizzle the sauce over the meat after shredding to keep it moist.
- Leftover shredded beef can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
- To reheat, place the shredded beef and juices in a baking dish and cook, covered, in a 325°F oven until warmed through.
- This recipe is suitable for gluten-free and dairy-free diets.
More Great Chuck Roast Recipes
Write a Review
If you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, consider leaving a review, a star rating, and your best photo in the comments below. I love hearing from you.–David
Instant Pot Chuck Roast
Equipment
- Instant Pot or pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless chuck roast, silver skin removed and cut into 3-inch (8-cm) cubes
- 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
- 1/2 cup white onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chipotle chili in adobo, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup store-bought or homemade beef broth
Instructions
- Pat the chuck roast dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture.
- Set the Instant Pot or pressure cooker to sauté mode. Working in 3 or 4 batches, add the oil and some of the meat to the Instant Pot. Sear until browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat to a bowl and finish browning the remaining meat.
- Return all of the browned meat to the Instant Pot or pressure cooker insert. Stir in the onion, garlic, salt, pepper, garlic salt, cumin, onion powder, chipotle, and broth.
- Secure the lid and turn the valve to the sealing position. Cook over high pressure for 60 minutes. Release the pressure manually by carefully moving the valve to venting.
☞ TESTER TIP: If there is more liquid in the pot after cooking than you’d like in your meal, remove the meat with a slotted spoon, turn the sauté or simmer function on and let the liquid reduce until you achieve your desired consistency.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat to a serving bowl and use two forks to shred the meat. Drizzle with extra liquid from the Instant Pot before serving.
Notes
-
- Extra cooking time–If your beef does not shred easily after cooking, return the Instant Pot to high pressure, and cook for 15 minutes more.
-
- Storage–Leftover shredded beef can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
-
- Reheating–To reheat, place the shredded beef and juices in a baking dish and cook, covered, in a 325°F oven until warmed through.
-
- Dietary–This recipe is suitable for gluten-free and dairy-free diets.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This Instant Pot shredded beef is a weeknight hit!
I was skeptical of the short ingredient list, the small amounts of seasonings called for, and only 1/2 cup of liquid, but this made a perfect batch of juicy meat that needed no adjustments.
The meat shredded easily, and the fat was easy to separate. I tasted the mixture while hot and liked it. However, I refrigerated it overnight as a meal prep for the following day.
We used the shredded chuck roast to make barbacoa rice bowls, along with black beans, avocado, and a quick pickled slaw made from red cabbage, onion, and jalapeno. One family member used it to make soft-shell tacos.
Everyone agreed this was a keeper. The chipotle added the right amount of heat. I think the light-handed approach to seasoning allowed a tremendous beefy taste to shine through but still be well seasoned. No one added extra salt or even hot sauce. I’ll definitely make it again.
This is a good, solid, flavorful recipe for pressure cooker chuck roast. I often make a similar dish on the stove and in the oven, which takes hours.
I was drawn to this because using the Instant Pot significantly cuts the cooking time significantly. The sautéing was the most time-consuming and labor-intensive part. It took about 15 to 20 minutes (so less than expected), and I did it in three batches.
The Instant Pot chuck roast recipe is excellent as written. I might substitute a slightly leaner cut of beef next time. That’s just my personal preference, but I prefer leaner meat; my husband and kids were perfectly happy with the results of the chuck roast.
The meat was seasoned very well. My favorite part of it might be the juices. After I skimmed the fat off, the juices were still delicious. Nice and warming for a cold day too!
We had it as tacos on the first day and chimichangas (grilled) the next. The meat is very versatile. It would also be good in a soup (caldo) or burritos.
What I really liked about this Instant Pot chuck roast was that the beefy flavor was deep, front and center, with the aromatics in the background. It’s just perfect for marrying it with other unique flavors like lime wedges, cilantro, and salsa verde. There was definitely a hint of chipotle in adobo in the juices, and I think another tablespoon would have been spot-on for my liking.
My Instant Pot and I are still getting acquainted, and this recipe gave me a chance to try the sauté function for the first time. Large chunks of beef browned beautifully (it took two batches), forming even crusts on the surfaces. Add the rest of the ingredients, close the lid, and leave it alone—a breeze.
This kept very well in the fridge, and it was enjoyed two ways—served with Spanish rice with pimento-filled olives on one day and in warm corn tortillas with avocado slices on another night.
True confession time—I have only eaten a barbacoa inspired chuck roast in a burrito bowl at the Chipotle Mexican Grill chain of restaurants. I hate to compare this recipe to a chain restaurant’s version, which to be fair—Chipotle’s is always tender and delicious.
This recipe really impressed me, the flavor was perfect (good depth of flavor with minimal seasoning and not too spicy to please most palates) and the meat was absolutely tender and moist, as if it had been marinated and slow roasted all day long.
I recommend this for your burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, served on its own over rice or couscous – it really is one of my favorite meats I have ever cooked in the Instant Pot.
I wouldn’t call this a knock-your-socks-off chuck roast, but it’s delicious, quite flavorful, and the recipe couldn’t be easier.
Being an Instant Pot novice, I wasn’t sure how the searing of the meat would go, and it was fine. By the end, there was quite the crust on the bottom of the pan, which I figured would come off in the pressure cooking and kick the flavor up a notch. I think it did, although some good brown bits were still on the bottom when all was said and done.
In any case, the beef turned out very tender and shreddable…in an hour.
I shredded the meat right in the pot, and that was challenging because it’s deeper than, say, my Dutch oven, and there was a lot of steam coming off it. But no big deal.
While the flavors were good, as I said, I did feel like it could have been more intense, and it seems like this is a recipe that allows for some personalization.
We served this Instant Pot chuck roast in corn tortillas with avocado. My wife suggested that some pickled red onions would go well, and I think that is a great idea.
This is a solid pressure cooker chuck roast recipe that is pretty easy to make. The flavor is good, but I’d make it a touch spicier (no real heat in the recipe) and add a bit of sugar to balance it out.
The recipe, as written, produces nice and tender meat that’s easy to shred without disintegrating into fine threads. It has a little more liquid than I’d like for tacos, but if served over rice, then it’s great.
I made tacos with it, so after removing the lid, I turned it back to low sauté. I let it cook down gently for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. This thickened it nicely, helped intensify the flavors, and made the salt level right. Tasty and makes a good amount.
Finally, I tried it in a breakfast quesadilla. I liked it all ways, but the tacos were my favorite.
The beef freezes well, which is good because this makes a fair amount.
This is the second time I’ve made this and it is truly a keeper! Served leftovers as quesadillas to my daughter and son-in-law and they both said they had to have the recipe! The second time I made it, I forgot to chop my roast in 3” pieces, but it was still fine, maybe messier to store the leftovers because a little harder to “see” the fat.
KimS, this is marvelous to hear! I can’t wait to see what you make next!
Instead of shredding can this roast be sliced? Thank you.
Diane, this recipe calls for the beef to be cut into cubes and seared before pressure cooking, which means you wouldn’t be able to slice it after cooking.