If there’s one meal that never fails to feel comforting, it’s a classic pot roast — and this Instant Pot chuck roast with easy gravy is one I come back to again and again. The Instant Pot gives you that slow-cooked, Sunday-dinner feel in a fraction of the time, and the savory gravy brings everything together in the best way.
My goal with this recipe is to help you enjoy a satisfying, comforting meal that feels both nourishing and effortless — perfectly suited for busy weeknights or relaxed weekend dinners. Using the Instant Pot means we get that rich, slow-cooked flavor in a fraction of the time, and the unique cocoa and chipotle gravy adds a depth of flavor that makes this classic a standout.
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Why you’ll Love this recipe
- Minimal, easy to source ingredients and quick preparation. Making dinner shouldn’t be so complicated, and is super unnecessary! Especially when you’re craving something comforting.
- Quicker cook time than typical pot roasts. The Instant Pot helps speed up the time from prep to dinner on the table, without sacrificing flavor or tenderness.
- Hearty, satisfying but still plenty healthy! Beef is a great source of protein, iron, zinc and the B vitamins.
Ingredients to make Chuck Roast Instant Pot
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast; either 1 large piece or 2 smaller pieces. Feel free to also use a round roast (top or bottom) or a sirloin tip roast. Chuck roast and top round are my favorite cuts for tender pot roast.
- 1 medium onion, cut into quarters.
- 2.5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. This interesting ingredient gives the roast a deep and rich flavor profile and makes for amazing gravy.
- 1.5 cups dry red wine or beef broth.
- 1/ 2 cup crushed tomatoes, low sodium preferred.
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic.
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced.
- 1 tablespoon canned Chipotle pepper, in the adobo sauce, roughly chopped.
- ¼ cup flour (not pictured) and salt and pepper.
How to make Instant Pot Pot roast
Begin by removing the chuck roast from the fridge and allowing to come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Generously coat both sides with kosher salt and black pepper.
Then turn the Instant Pot on to the sauté mode, and warm 1-2 tablespoons of oil in the cooking pot. Sear both sides of the chuck roast until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes each side.
While the meat is searing, in a medium bowl whisk together the cocoa powder, red wine or beef broth, rosemary, garlic, chipotle and tomatoes.
When the meat is browned, remove from the pot and set aside, then press cancel on the Instant Pot. Add the removable trivet to the pot, then add the pot roast and onions, and pour the sauce mixture over the meat and onions.
Cover and lock the pot, and select Manual High Pressure and set the timer to 60-75 minutes depending if you’re using 2 small pieces or 1 large piece of chuck roast.
As you can see, I used 2 pieces of chuck roast, which were roughly 1.5 lbs. each, and I found the perfect cooking time was 60 minutes with a quick pressure release, but if you are using one single thick 3 lb. cut of meat, adjust cooking time by adding 15 minutes.
When complete, use a Quick release to release pressure from the Instant Pot, then remove the roast and set aside.
How to Make An Easy Instant Pot Gravy
Making the gravy when your pot roast is done is really simple and doesn’t require another pan. Simply remove the meat from the pot and press cancel, then strain the liquid and reserve at least 2 cups.
Set the pot back to sauté and add the reserved pan juices and quickly whisk in ¼ cup of flour, corn starch or arrowroot starch. Whisk until the gravy thickens, and if it appears too runny, add in more flour to create a thicker gravy, or for a thinner sauce, add more pan juices or even a bit of water, wine or beef broth. Finish by adding in salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
Instant Pot Chuck Roast Recipe Tips
- You can use either 1 3lb piece of boneless chuck roast, or 2 smaller pieces that will get you to 3 lbs. I personally found the 2 smaller cuts of meat cooked up better overall, making for a more tender pot roast. But if your grocer only has 1 big piece of roast, you can either cut it in half width wise, or add 15 minutes to the cooking time so that it gets nice and tender.
- Do not skip the browning of the meat! The heat will immediately sear the outside of the meat and prevent the meat juices from leaking. The searing also creates the Maillard reaction, where amino acids and sugars break down large molecules and produce a more intense flavor in the dish overall.
- Sub out beef broth for wine if you don’t wish to crack open a bottle.
- Use a small Chipotle chili and just a bit of the adobo sauce if you just want a hint of heat, and a larger pepper if you want more intense heat. If you want to keep this family and kid friendly, I suggest going for a small pepper that when chopped up, will equal about 1 tablespoon of chili + adobo sauce.
- The ratios I have called for will produce a thicker gravy, but if you like a runnier gravy (some people do!), just either add more pan juices or less flour. The gravy will thicken after a few minutes of heating, so if you want thinner, add less flour, and wait a bit, then add accordingly.
Serving and storing Pot Roast Instant Pot
Of course there’s always the classic option of serving pot roast with potatoes and carrots, or mellow mashed potatoes. But I honestly love them with the earthy flavor of cauliflower mash, and while you can make your own, I am not too proud to admit I like the frozen kind from Alexia foods just as well.
This would also make for an excellent sandwich filling, served with crusty French bread, some of the gravy and a slice of cheese. And if you have leftovers the next day, it would make for a great salad topping. Yum!
Recipe FAQ’s
Not only can you save time by cooking foods quicker in the IP, it’s also incredibly effective at tenderizing even the toughest cuts of meat. The pressure cooker essentially heats up the liquid in the pot to extremely high temperatures, which produces a ton of steam, and it’s the steam that cooks the food. And that steam acts as a really good tenderizer of meat.
I personally would not cook vegetables with the pot roast, but you can certainly cook them afterwards! Adding vegetables to the Instant Pot (or slow cooker for that matter) tends to result in mushy vegetables. Instead, cook your pot roast and gravy, then when done, cook your desired vegetables in the Instant Pot.
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli
- Instant Pot General Tso’s Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo (with Dairy Free Alfredo Sauce)
- Korean Beef Tacos
- 10 Best Instant Pot Dinner Recipes
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Did you make this recipe?
If you gave this recipe a try, I’d love your feedback! Any tips or recipe additions you’d like to share, I’d love to hear it! Let’s connect down in the comments below.
Instant Pot Chuck Roast Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 lbs chuck roast either 2 smaller pieces or 1 large piece
- 1 medium onion cut into quarters
- 2.5 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1.5 cups dry red wine or beef broth
- ½ cup crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary minced
- 1 tablespoon canned Chipotle pepper in adobo sauce chopped
- ¼ cup flour
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
- Fresh parsley optional
Instructions
- Bring chuck roast to room temperature at least 30 minutes prior to cooking, and generously coat with salt and pepper.3 lbs chuck roast, Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
- When it’s time to cook, turn on Saute function on the Instant Pot and warm the oil in the inner pot.2 tablespoon olive oil
- Sear both sides of the chuck roast until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes each side, and remove from the pot. Select Cancel on the Instant Pot and add the removable trivet to the pot. Then add the meat and onions back into the pot.1 medium onion
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whisk together the cocoa powder, red wine or broth, rosemary, garlic, Chipotle and tomatoes.2.5 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, 1.5 cups dry red wine, 2 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, 1 tablespoon canned Chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, ½ cup crushed tomatoes
- Pour the sauce mixture over the meat, and cover and lock the pot.
- Select Manual High Pressure and set the time to 60 minutes if using 2 smaller pieces, or 75 minutes if using 1 large piece.
- When complete, use a Quick release to release pressure from the pot, then remove the roast and set aside.
To make the Gravy:
- Strain the cooking liquid out of the pot, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to release and stuck bits, and reserve at least 2 cups of liquid.
- Select Saute on the Instant Pot, and add the liquid back to the pot, and whisk in the flour. If you are aiming for a thicker sauce, go ahead and add the entire amount, but if you’d like a thinner gravy, start by adding about ⅛ cup of flour, and add to it in small amounts to get the desired consistency. Remember that the gravy will thicken as it heats up, so be patient by stirring in your amounts and checking the consistency before adding more flour.¼ cup flour
- Add in salt & pepper to taste.
- When desired consistency is reached, remove from the pot and set in a bowl.
- Shred up pot roast and place on a serving platter. Top with gravy and garnish with fresh parsley.Fresh parsley optional
Emily Bruno says
We dropped below freezing today – this is on the menu for tonight!
Lauren Grant | Zestful Kitchen says
oooh that cocoa gravy sounds amazing!! I’ll be making this recipe this winter!
Tawnie Kroll says
Putting this on the list of Instant Pot MUST MAKES!!!