The Best Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon ~ this epic beef stew cooks in just 30 minutes in the amazing Instant Pot.
*This Instant Pot beef Bourguignon is sponsored by the Certified Angus Beef® brand. It gives me such pleasure to team up a brand that I feel so passionately about, thanks for supporting both of us!
Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon talking points!
- Certified Angus Beef® brand beef is the best beef you can buy.
- The Instant Pot leaves every other cooking method in the dust.
- Beef Bourguignon is beef stew kicked up a whole lot of notches.
If you still don’t have an Instant Pot I’m sorry, but the rest of the class has to move on, we can’t wait for stragglers. This Instant Pot beef Bourguignon is just too good! (JK, you can do this on the stove top, it’ll just take a little longer.)
beef bourguignon in the Instant Pot
If you caught my MIDDLE EASTERN NACHOS post already know how I feel about Certified Angus Beef® brand, and if you caught my 30 MINUTE INSTANT POT LOBSTER RISOTTO you know how I feel about the Instant Pot. Put the two together and things are bound to get exciting. This beef bourguignon literally cooks in 30 minutes. And the meat is fork tender. In fact, you have to be extra careful with your fork, the meat has a tendency to fall apart even before it gets to your mouth.
Of course there’s a little prep work to be done ahead of pressing that 30 minute timer on your Instant Pot. You’ll need to chop your veggies and cut your meat into chunks. You’ll want carrots, onion, celery, and potatoes. If you’ve got mushrooms hanging around, throw them in, too. This part can be done ahead of time, though, so no worries.
choosing the right beef for beef stew
When you choose your meat, look for a nice bright color, and lots of marbling. Marbling is the veining of at that goes through the meat. As it cooks, that marbling translates to flavor and tenderness. I chose a nice big boneless top sirloin steak for my stew and I was thrilled with the results, but there are lots of other ways to go, just make sure it’s got the Certified Angus Beef® brand label. There’s a handy guide on their website that helps you choose the right cut for your recipe.
4 easy steps to making beef bourguignon in the Instant Pot
STEP 1 ~ I dredge the meat in flour, salt and pepper, and then brown it right in the pot. I do this in two stages because if you overcrowd the pan with meat it won’t brown. That browning is what contributes to the flavor of the Bourguignon later on, so take the time to get good color on your beef at this stage.
STEP 2 ~ After the meat is browned, I’ll deglaze the pan with a splash of cognac (the secret ingredient in bourguignon.) Then everything goes in the pot, along with the red wine, beef stock, and flavorings.
STEP 3 ~ Once everything is in the pot you can close and lock the lid. Now the magic happens. Set the controls to ‘Pressure Cook’ for 30 minutes.
STEP 4 ~ add the pearl onions in at the end, and stir in a slurry of flour and water to thicken the gravy. Now it’s ready to ladle into shallow bowls and serve with the rest of that wine.
does alcohol cook off in the Instant Pot?
- The alcohol that you use in an Instant Pot, pressure cooker, or slow cooker won’t cook off in the same way that it does on the stove top, since it’s sealed in and can’t evaporate into steam.
- A portion of the alcohol will be released in a concentrated form when you open the pressure release valve at the end of the cooking.
- Beef Bourguignon and other dishes like my ROSÉ RISOTTO that feature larger amounts of wine or alcohol should be reserved for adults.
more classic one pot dinners
- Easy Cassoulet
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken Thighs
- Sauerbraten (German pot roast)
- Instant Pot Irish Stew
- Dublin Coddle ~ a quick cooking Irish stew!
Notes:
- Be sure to cut your carrots and potatoes on the large size, they do get soft in the IP. Alternatively, you could cook everything except the potatoes and carrots for 20 minutes, then cancel, let the pressure reduce, add them, and pressure cook for an additional 10 minutes. This would result in a firmer texture for the vegetables.
The Best Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon
Ingredients
- 1 – 1 1/2 pounds Certified Angus Beef® brand stew meat, or boneless top sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup cognac
- 1 bunch thyme, tied in a bundle
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 pound new potatoes, halved
- 4 carrots, peeled and rough chopped
- handful of mushrooms, optional trimmed and quartered
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 cup red wine, Burgundy, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 heaping Tbsp tomato paste
- 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 – 1 tsp gravy browning such as Kitchen Bouquet, add this at the end, as necessary, if you prefer
- 1 cup frozen pearl onions
- 4 Tbsp flour mixed with an equal amount of water
garnish
Instructions
- Toss the beef with the flour, salt and pepper. Make sure all the meat is coated with the flour.
- Heat the olive oil in your Instant Pot, set to Sauté. When the screen reads ‘Hot’, add 1/2 the meat to the pot to brown. Let the meat get good color on all sides, (4-5 minutes) then remove and brown the remaining meat.
- Add all the meat back into the pot and add the cognac. Stir to combine and let the cognac bubble for a minute. I like to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Press ‘Cancel’ and then add the bundle of thyme, the onions, celery, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and garlic.
- Whisk together the wine, broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and gravy browning, and pour into the pot. Give everything a stir, then close and lock the lid. Put the vent to the seal position, and press ‘Pressure Cook’. Set the timer to 30 minutes.
- When the machine beeps, press cancel and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then set the pressure valve to release, and wait for the pressure to come down. Open the lid and remove the thyme bundle. I like to set the Instant Pot to sauté at this point and add the pearl onions and flour slurry. Stir well as the stew thickens. Be sure to taste to adjust the salt and pepper, you will likely need more. You can also add more Worcestershire sauce at this point if you feel it needs it.
- Serve in shallow bowls with a sprinkle of fresh thyme.
Notes
Nutrition
This receipt sounds wonderful and I just got an Instant pot so planning to make this. On a personal note, I would never, ever use anything beef unless it is “Grass-fed”. Yes, I know, it’s a bit more expensive. But what are the medical expenses compared to non GMO grass fed beef? Does anyone really want to eat beef from a cow who has been injected with hormones rather than eating how they are supposed to which is natural. I am not a big meat eater, but when I do have any, I go grass fed all the way.
Thanks for the great point, Debra. I think it’s super important to be mindful of where all our food comes from, but most important when it comes to animals.
I wanted to thank you for posting this recipe. I made this tonight; the first time I have used my new insta pot! It was just amazing. My husband was very impressed. There were a few things I had to leave out as we are visiting at our cousins cabin and so I used and improvised with what I had on hand but I can only imagine if I’d had the several items that were missing how much more amazing it would have been!!! I’ll be making this again tomorrow as I still had so much meat left to sauté up! I believe Julia would be quite impressed with your recipes. Thank you again and I’d definitely give this 5 stars!!!
I’m so glad this worked out for you, and don’t you LOVE that instant pot??
I’m looking forward to using it “ALOT” time saving and yummy food. Thank you!
Quick question. What’s onion slurry? Do i add the regular onions and pesto
Onions in the beginning?
I’m not sure I understand your question Lili. There’s a slurry of flour and water that thickens this stew, that’s 4 Tbsp of flour mixed with 4 Tbsp of water. That gets stirred in at the end, to thicken the sauce. The frozen onions also go in at the end. Hope this clarifies!
What is “gravy browning”? Is it a product ? Does it refer to a step in the cooking? Please clarify.
Thanks,
Jane Lustgarten
Hey Jane, yes, gravy browning is a liquid that is added to gravies and sauces to give them a color boost, basically. Sometimes even when they taste fine, gravies can look a little grey, so this product helps with the eye appeal. Look for it with the gravy mixes, etc, in your supermarket, the most common brand here is Kitchen Bouquet, but there are many others. It usually comes in a small bottle.
There is another gravy browning, in powdered form. It is called Bisto and is originally from the UK but is available in Canada.
Thanks Jack!
So you say to let it release steam for 15 minutes after. Does that mean letting it naturally release for 15 minutes, then manually releasing the rest, or just letting it naturally release till it’s clear?
I just tried to clarify that in the recipe, thanks Justin ~ you wait 15 minutes, THEN release the pressure valve.
Awesome! The best dish i have made so far.
Was wondering why it was so spicy – i added 1 tbsp of pepper instead of 1 tsp 🙂
I will admit i was a little nervous about how many ingredients, your directions were spot on perfect.
Was still the best recipie ever!
Thank you.
Thanks Deanna, I’m especially glad to hear my directions were good, that’s the key to a recipe’s success!
Made the best recipie ever. I did mistake the black pepper, added too much. Got freaked out by numerous ingrediets. Pulled through, it was Awesome!
Going to follow EXACT directions next time.
Thank you 🙂
I used the Cuisinart pressure cooker and the dish turned out beautifully. It was a little soupy for my taste so next time I will probably reduce the broth and red wine to 3/4 cup each. The slurry worked fine when I turned off the cooker and started it back on simmer. The meat was tender and the large cut veggies kept their shape and texture. I am now going to use brandy for all my pan de-glazing; it adds color and richness and a wonderful aroma. My slow cooker stews always tasted flat even when I browned the meat in advance and my dear Dutch oven will probably be retired unless my kids or grandkids want to cook outdoors. Thanks!
You’re so welcome, I’m glad this worked so well for you. Brandy really does add a special flavor to so many dishes, and the alcohol mostly burns off, so I agree, it’s a secret weapon for sure.
Hi,
I don’t have Cognac, but I do have brandy. Would it change the flavor or should I just opt out of adding it?
Can I also just half this recipe for the 3 qt?
Thank you in advance! 🙂 it looks delicious
I think that would work just fine Jin.
Thank you!!
Sue, I just love your blog! So many of your recipes have become family favorites, which is why this post makes me so sad. I bought an Instant Pot, tried it a couple of times and couldn’t quite get the hang of it (pork loin roast that was waaay overcooked, whole chicken that looked anemic). After my final attempt to figure it out, a mushy pot of Minestrone, I sold it on Letgo. Literally two days later, you started posting the most incredible looking recipes… made in an Instant Pot! Now I kick myself for giving it up every time I read one of your IP posts! I get that pressure cooking is faster and can produce amazing results, but is there a way that fools like me who don’t have one can still make this (and maybe other) IP recipes?
I’m so sorry you gave yours away Tally, I really really love this machine and maybe you just had a couple of bad recipes to start with. You can cook this bourguignon on the stove or in the slow cooker, I have recipes for both on the blog, just search ‘beef bourguignon’. That being said, I highly recommend you give the IP another try, I really think it’s here to stay and lots of bloggers etc will be coming up with great recipes for it.