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5 from 13 votes

Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon

How to make Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon (Beef Burgundy). Aromatic, deeply-flavored, red wine braised French beef stew. Tender juicy beef bursting with rich depths of savory-umami-sweet-beefy flavors. Pair with pot-in-pot mashed potatoes to enjoy a satisfying gourmet meal that excite your tastebuds!
Servings 6 - 8
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 - 4 pounds (1763g) chuck steak or blade steak , 1.5 inches thick
  • 6 slices (320g) thick-cut smoked bacon , roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil or unsalted butter
  • 12 (350g) cremini mushrooms , thinly sliced
  • ¾ pound (340g) pearl onions , peeled (can substitute with 1 small onion)
  • 2 (214g) small onions , thinly sliced
  • 6 cloves (30g) garlic , crushed and minced
  • 1 tablespoon (15g) tomato paste
  • teaspoons (2g) dried thyme
  • 2 - 3 (0.5g) bay leaves
  • 1 cup (250ml) red wine (Pinot Noir or Merlot)
  • 3 (280g) medium carrots , cut into 1½ inch (4cm) chunks
  • Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Stock Mixture

Optional PIP Mashed Potatoes

  • 3 - 4 (750g) russet potatoes , halved
  • 100 ml - 150 ml whole milk
  • 1 - 2 tablespoons (14g - 28g) unsalted butter

Thickener

Garnish

Instructions

  • Render Bacon in Instant Pot: Before you turn on the heat, layer 6 slices of thick-cut bacon in Instant Pot. Heat up Instant Pot using “Sauté More” function. Flip bacon slices occasionally. Once Instant Pot says “HOT” on the screen (roughly 12 minutes), the bacon should be done. If they're not done, brown them for a few more minutes. Place rendered bacon on a paper towel to absorb the excess fat.
    Amy + Jacky's Notes: We're using Instant Pot's "preheating" heat to render and crisp the bacon in Instant Pot. Then, we'll be using the rendered bacon oil to brown our chuck roast in the next step.
  • Brown Chuck Roast Steak: Pat dry chuck roast, then season one side of the beef generously with salt and ground black pepper. Carefully place the seasoned side of chuck steak in Instant Pot. Generously season the other side with salt and ground black pepper. Brown one side of beef for 5 to 8 minutes before flipping over, then brown the other side for another 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside the beautifully browned chuck steaks in a large container.
    Amy + Jacky's Tips: If you have 4 pieces of chuck steaks, brown two steaks in Instant Pot at a time.
  • Sauté Mushrooms & Cut Meat: If there's no oil left in Instant Pot, add 1 tbsp olive oil or unsalted butter to the Instant Pot. Add in sliced cremini mushrooms, then stir to evenly coat mushrooms with oil.
    Amy + Jacky's Tips: Mushrooms will begin to release their moisture. Let the moisture evaporate and stir occasionally until mushrooms are slightly crisp and browned. This step will take roughly 7 to 12 minutes, and it'll greatly enhance the gravy's flavors!
    While the mushrooms are sauteing, roughly chop bacon into bite size and cut the chuck roast into 1.5" thick cubes.
  • Sauté Onions: Push mushrooms to one corner of the Instant Pot.
    If there's no oil left, add 1 tbsp (15ml) of olive oil to the empty side of the Instant Pot. Add pearl onions to the empty side of the Instant Pot and let them brown for 1 to 2 minutes. Don't touch them too much because you'll want some color on the pearl onions before adding sliced onions.
    Add in sliced onions, then sauté for another 3 minutes.
    Add in minced garlic cloves, 1 tbsp (15g) tomato paste, 1.5 tsp (2g) dried thyme, and 2 - 3 bay leaves, then sauté for roughly 1 minute.
  • Deglaze Instant Pot: Pour 1 cup (250ml) red wine into Instant Pot. Then, completely deglaze the bottom of the pot by scrubbing the flavorful brown bits with a wooden spoon.
  • Pressure Cook Vegetables: Add in 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce, 1 tbsp (15ml) fish sauce, ¾ cup (188ml) unsalted chicken or beef stock, carrot chunks, and bacon bits. Mix well.
    Close lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing position. Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 4 minutes, then Quick Release. Open the lid carefully.
    Remove and set aside half of the cooked carrots, mushrooms, and pearl onions from Instant Pot.
  • Pressure Cook Beef Bourguignon: Place cubed beef and all its meat juice in Instant Pot. Make sure all the beef is partially submerged in the cooking liquid.
    For Optional Mashed Potatoes: Layer a stainless-steel bowl filled with halved russet potatoes on the beef.
    Close lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing position. Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 30 minutes, then Natural Release for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, release the remaining pressure by turning the Venting Knob to Venting position. Remove the lid carefully.
    Then, set aside the stainless steel bowl of potatoes.
  • Thicken Beef Bourguignon and Add Vegetables: Discard the bay leaves and set aside the beef.
    Bring the gravy back to a simmer using the “Saute” function.
    Mix 2 tbsp - 3 tbsp (16g - 24g) all-purpose flour with ¼ cup (63ml) cold tap water. Make sure to mix it really well! When the gravy is simmering, mix the flour mixture into the gravy one-third at a time until desired thickness.
    Add back the set aside beef and vegetables in Instant Pot. Mix well. Taste and season beef bourguignon with salt and ground black pepper if necessary.
  • Optional - Make Mashed Potatoes: Drain and transfer potatoes to a big mixing bowl. Mash potatoes with a potato masher. Mix 100ml - 150ml whole milk and 1 tbsp - 2 tbsp (14g - 28g) unsalted butter into mashed potatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • Serve: Garnish beef bourguignon with Italian parsley and sprigs of thyme. Pamper your guests with this deliciously flavorful Beef Bourguignon with mashed potatoes. Enjoy~

Notes

1) Unsalted Chicken Stock or Beef Stock: If you're substituting with salted stock, keep in mind that the sodium level can vary a lot between different brands. Always taste and adjust accordingly.
2) Regular Soy Sauce and Fish Sauce: They’re our secret weapons that'll enrich the dish's flavors. Don’t worry! Fish sauce won’t make your beef bourguignon tastes fishy. Give them a shot!
3) Preparation Tip: Prep the ingredients during Step 1 to Step 3 to save time.
4) Why brown the chuck steak as a whole before cutting it up?
  • Retain More Moisture: Browning the whole chuck steak retains more moisture because there’s less surface area.
  • Save Time - Brown Faster & Better: Since the maillard reaction excels in a dry and high heat environment, the chuck steak will brown faster and better compared to cubed stew.
  • Richer & More Flavorful: The caramelized flavors from browning are one of the secrets to a rich and flavorful beef bourguignon.
5) Why remove half of the carrots, mushrooms, and pearl onions from Instant Pot? We purposely perfectly cooked all the vegetables, then separate them into two batches. One batch stays in the pot to enhance flavors and acts as a natural thickener. While we remove and add back the other batch at the end to enhance the gravy's body and mouthfeel.
6) Adjust Pressure Cooking Time If Skipping Pot-in-Pot Mashed Potatoes: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 32 minutes, then Natural Release for 10 minutes.
7) Make Ahead Beef Bourguignon: The beef and gravy will have an even greater depth of flavor and richness the next day.
Rate Amy + Jacky's Recipe: If you've tried our recipe, rate the recipe in the Comments section. Thank you!
Author: Amy + Jacky
Calories: 612kcal

Nutrition

Calories: 612kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 154mg | Sodium: 714mg | Potassium: 1169mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 5929IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 5mg