Instant Pot French Onion Pot Roast recipe makes tender pot roast with minimal prep. This easy recipe takes the flavors of French onion soup and combines them with the heartiness of pot roast!
Instant Pot French Onion Pot Roast is tender pot roast smothered with onions and rich beef gravy. This easy recipe takes the flavors of French onion soup and combines them with the heartiness of pot roast for a tasty recipe that’s sure to please.
Reader Review
“I tried this and it turned out phenomenal! I will make this again and again! 10/10” – Josephine
How to make Instant Pot French onion pot roast
Step 1: Place the chuck roast pieces in the Instant Pot inner pot.
Step 2: Sprinkle the salt and steak seasoning over the meat.
Step 3: Pour in 1 and 1/4 cups of the beef broth.
Step 4: Add the garlic on top of the meat.
Step 5: Place the sliced onions on top of the garlic.
Step 6: Add the Better Than Beef Bouillon and the bay leaf.
Step 7: Close and lock the lid. Be sure that the pressure release valve is set to sealing. Press manual high pressure and adjust the time to 60 minutes.
Step 8: When the cooking time has finished, let the pressure release naturally for 25 minutes. Unlock and remove the lid.
Step 9: Remove the meat and shred it. Remove the bay leaf.
Step 10: Mix together the remaining 1/4 cup beef broth and 2 tablespoons cornstarch.
Step 11: Press sauté. Stir in the cornstarch mixture, and cook, stirring regularly, for about 2 minutes, or until thickened.
Step 12: Serve the gravy over the shredded meat.
How to make this a freezer meal
- Season the meat with salt and steak seasoning.
- Place the meat in a freezer-safe container.
- Add the garlic, onion, bay leaf, and Better Than Beef Bouillon to the container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- To use, thaw in the refrigerator. Add the contents of the freezer container to the Instant Pot inner pot.
- Pour in the 1 and 1/4 cups beef broth and continue with the recipe as-written.
Serving suggestions
The meat and gravy go well with sides that can absorb some of the tasty gravy like mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles.
I recommend serving the pot roast with sauteed green beans or a green salad to round out the meal.
Storage
Store any leftover French onion pot roast in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The pot roast will keep for up to 4 days when properly stored in the fridge.
Instant Pot French Onion Pot Roast
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast cut into 10 chunks
- 3 tablespoons steak seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 large white or yellow onions sliced
- 1 ½ cups reduced-sodium beef broth divided
- 1 tablespoon Better Than Beef Bouillon
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Place the chuck roast pieces in the Instant Pot inner pot.
- Sprinkle the steak seasoning and salt over the meat.
- Pour in 1 and 1/4 cups of the beef broth.
- Add the garlic on top of the meat.
- Place the sliced onions on top of the garlic.
- Add the Better Than Beef Bouillon and the bay leaf.
- Close and lock the lid. Be sure that the pressure release valve is set to sealing.
- Press manual high pressure and adjust the time to 60 minutes.
- When the cooking time has finished, let the pressure release naturally for 25 minutes.
- Unlock and remove the lid.
- Remove the meat and shred it.
- Remove the bay leaf.
- Mix together the remaining 1/4 cup beef broth and 2 tablespoons cornstarch.
- Press sauté.
- Stir in the cornstarch mixture, and cook, stirring regularly, for about 2 minutes, or until thickened.
- Serve the gravy over the shredded meat.
Notes
- Chuck roast: Arm roast or rump roast also work well.
- Kosher salt: If your steak seasoning has a lot of salt in it, you can omit the kosher salt.
- Steak seasoning: I like Montreal steak seasoning.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional values were calculated using a third-party tool and are provided as an estimation only.
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Did You Make This?
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Really good recipe! Family loved it!
Thank you!
My meat was still hard after the hr and 25…recommended turning instant pot to 1 hr and 30-40. I just sautéed meat woth gravy mix till desired. But seasoned well and delicious
Hi! I’m surprised that the meat was still tough after 85 minutes of cooking. I’ve never had that happen with this recipe. Did you put the meat in whole?
This was my favorite ever pot roast. I got a lot of compliments from our family!! It was on the salty side so I will tweak it next time… Cause there WILL be a next time!!
Thank you so much! If it was too salty, you can try using no salt broth next time and then season with salt at the end if need be.
I made this to take to a friend’s house for dinner and it was a huge hit! I didn’t want to buy beef bouillon for 1 recipe, so I used a can of cream of mushroom instead. It tasted great and the meat just FELL apart when it was done. 10/10!
Thanks! I’m so glad that it was a hit!
Would this work with a boneless inside blade roast? Would you still cut it up?
I think that it would work with a thicker cut of blade roast that’s meant for braising or slow cooking. I would because the timing for the recipe is set based on the size of the pieces of meat.
Can this be doubled?
Hi! It will depend on the size of your pressure cooker. I think it might be too much for a 6 quart, but if you have an 8 quart or larger, it should be fine!
Let me start out by saying that I am NOT a fan of pot roast, I never have been and was convinced I never would be. But my husband loves it, so I found this recipe and figured I’d give it a try. This is the BEST pot roast I have ever eaten. So much so that I actually added it into our monthly meal rotation. I was skeptical of cooking a chuck roast in the instant pot but it was so tender and not even remotely dry. Plus the gravy is to die for, especially for our onion loving family. Thank you so much for this recipe!
P.S. If I had to add one small negative, I would say that I followed the instructions to the letter but the gravy did not thicken as much as I would have liked, and I cooked it a lot longer than 2 minutes and still didn’t thicken. So the next time I make it I’m going to try adding a little more cornstarch!
Thank you! I’m so glad that you liked it!
I tried this and it turned out phenomenal! I will make this again and again! 10/10
Thank you!
To make the gravy, what’s a good substitute for cornstarch? Could I use flour instead?
You could use ap flour, potato starch, or arrowroot powder to thicken the gravy. If you use ap flour, you’ll need about 3 tablespoons of flour for every tablespoon of cornstarch, so you’ll also need additional broth to make the slurry.
What would be the time for this for a crock pot?
It should be approximately 8-10 hours on low.
Fantastic recipe! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you!
Very good recipe! Made the mistake of not using low sodium beef broth, but ended up okay. Easy and wonderful way to combine onion and beef flavors.
Thank you!
Hello, I’m making this for the first time and I’m wanting to put the baby Dutch potatoes into the instant pot along with the other ingredients. Do you think the roast will still turn out fine?
Hi! Baby potatoes will probably be overcooked with the cooking time. I have a beef tip and potato recipe. For that recipe, I cut the beef into small chunks and cook it for 25 minutes with 15 minutes npr. If you wanted to try adding potatoes, I would try doing something similar. I hope that helps!
Hi! Curious if I’m okay to use a frozen roast or if it’s best to use a thawed one? Thanks!!
Hi! I haven’t tried using a frozen roast in this recipe to say for certain.
Question do I take the meat out when adding the cornstarch mixture?
Yes, in step 11, you’ll remove the meat to shred it.
So delicious! I served it with mashed potatoes and green beans. Smashed it!
So glad you liked it!
Does meat go on a trivet, or directly into the pot?
Hi! It goes directly into the pot.
This recipe was delicious! Very easy to make too. Will be using again in the future.
Thank you so much!
Made this yesterday for dinner! It was a hit! The meat was so tender it fell apart as I was pulling it out to shred. I didn’t have the patience to let the pressure release for 25 minutes so only did 15 and it was fine. After the gravy thickened up to my liking I just put the meat back in with it. Served of rice!
Thank you! I’m so glad that you liked it!