This easy Instant Pot French Onion Pot Roast combines all of the flavors of French onion soup with roast beef, and is plated up with mashed potatoes for the perfect comforting meal!
This is one of those recipe ideas that, when it worked (and worked WELL) I had an extra skip in my step because I LOVE LOVE french onion anything! Funny enough, I’m still not a big fan of raw onion. My hubby, on the opposite end of the spectrum, is one of those that will happily chow down on raw onion with any meal. Me? I’d prefer no onion over raw onion. That being said, I DO love pickled onion and (of course) caramelized onion. French onion soup is essentially caramelized onion soup. A bucket-load of onions are chopped up, husband’s hands are swatted away, and they get cooked until totally broken down in to delicious perfection. Caramelizing onions usually takes a LONG time on the stove of stirring, walking away, adding more butter, and stirring some more. With the Instant Pot, we get to load the insert up and walk away!
Okay, now let’s talk pot roast. I also LOVE a good pot roast (especially a tender grass-fed one from ButcherBox). I like mine to be flaky and easy to eat with just a fork, which is why my Instant Pot recipe calls for a good 90 minutes under pressure. You’re welcome to cook it with less time if you prefer a less flaky finish.
Pot roast goodness meets french onion goodness in this hands-off meal! Just brown up your chosen (and seasoned) beef, toss in the (looks like overkill, but it’s not) onions, set it and forget it. I love this Instant Pot French Onion Pot Roast served over mashed potatoes, but it would also be delicious over some parsnip mash, rice, or even cauliflower mash!
If you don’t yet own an Instant Pot, you can check out the exact one I use HERE. You can also adapt this recipe to be made in the oven (use a dutch oven) or in a slow cooker.
Instant Pot French Onion Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 1, 5 pound beef chuck roast
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 4 medium yellow onions thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic skins removed
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 tablespoons ghee or other fat of choice
Instructions
- Cut the chuck roast into 4-5 equal pieces and season liberally with salt and pepper. Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode and add the ghee. Once ghee is melted, add the roast to the pot and sear 5-6 minutes per side, until browned, working in batches.
- Set the browned roast aside and add the broth to pot, scraping up the browned bits from the roast. Add the onions and garlic to the pot and set the beef on top.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, ensuring it is locked and the valve is sealed. Press the "manual" button and set to cook for 90 minutes.
- Once the timer goes off, allow the pressure to release naturally, for at least 15 minutes before releasing the pressure valve and removing the lid. Once the pressure has released, remove the beef from the pot and set it back to sauté mode again. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until broth has thickened and onions are fully cooked down.
- Shred the beef, serve over mashed potatoes, and top with the caramelized onions and gravy.
Recipe Notes
- Place ghee in a large pot and melt over medium-high heat. Season the whole chuck roast liberally with salt and pepper and sear 5-7 minutes per side.
- Add the broth, onions, and garlic to a slow cooker and place the roast on top. Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low, until meat shreds apart easily with a fork.
- Transfer onions and broth back to a stove top pot to reduce the broth and caramelize the onions over medium-high heat for 7-10 minutes, if desired.
Nutrition
Is it possible to add carrots and potatoes to the recipe, and if so does it change the cooking time?
That’s a great idea! No need to change the cooking time!
Is it one 5# roast or 1.5# roast? Thanks!!
Looks like it’s one 5lb roast
I finally made this recipe, it was DELICIOUS. My husband said it was his favorite pot roast ever.
Yay! So glad y’all liked it Sarah!
Do you put the onions and garlic in peeled and whole?
The onions should be sliced and the garlic should be peeled, the recipe has been updated to reflect this!
This sounds delicious. However I would like to verify something. In the text above the recipe, you mention using the insert when caramelizing onions. I wanted to make sure that this recipe does not use the insert and you are just putting the onions in the bottom of the pot, then the beef on top.
That is correct Jason! By insert we just meant the pot itself.
Hi, this sounds amazing and I have everything to make it tonight. I was just wondering, should I lower the cooking time on my IP if I’m only making 2 pounds of meat? Thanks!!!
Yes! I would start at 60 minutes. If you open the pot and the beef still isn’t shredding you can set it to cook a bit longer!
Cassy this looks and sounds amazing! I definitely want to try it. I’m wondering if you think the beef shoulder that I have on hand would work or do you highly recommend only using chuck roast? Thanks!
That should work just fine!