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August 10, 2020

Instant Pot 4-Ingredient Pot Roast and Brown Gravy

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Instant Pot 4-Ingredient Pot Roast and Brown Gravy with Mashed Potatoes—make a tender pot roast, brown gravy and mashed potatoes together in the Instant Pot or slow cooker! An easy pot roast recipe.

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SLOW COOKER instructions are listed in the recipe card below.

Instant Pot 4-Ingredient Pot Roast and Brown Gravy

If you’re a meat and potatoes type of person this recipe is for you! Greg, of course, loved this dinner and Skyler and Reagan was happily eating it too. I loved the potatoes and gravy the most because I love all the carbs and I commented that I needed a bit of corn on the cob to go with the meal.

I decided to cut the roast into thick 2-3 inch slices across the grain before cooking. This served 2 purposes. It cut down on the amount of cooking time needed. Remember pressure cooking time is determined by the size and not the quantity of food. In other words, the pressure cooking time is the amount of time the food requires to be cooked all the way to the center. And, two, because I cut thick slices of the beef across the grain it came out incredibly tender and easy to shred.

Can I make the ranch dressing mix and brown gravy mix from scratch?

Yes you can! If you follow the recipes below you can use that in place of the packets. You won’t need ALL of the recipe below just 3 Tbsp of the ranch dressing mix and about 4 Tbsp of the gravy mix.

Ranch Dressing Mix Recipe

  • 1/3 cup dry buttermilk powder
  • 3 Tbsp parsley flakes
  • 2 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp dried minced onion
  • 2 tsp dried dill weed
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper

Run all the ingredients through a blender or food processor. Pulse about 10 times until all the granules are the same consistency. Store in an airtight container.

Gravy Mix Recipe

  • 3 Tbsp beef bouillon granules
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 cup flour

Run all the ingredients through a blender or food processor. Pulse about 10 times until all the granules are the same consistency. Store in an airtight container.

What if I don’t want the potatoes?

You don’t have to make the potatoes. Pressure cook the roast for 60 minutes with a full natural pressure release.

What Equipment Do I Need?

Ideally for this recipe you’ll have an Instant Pot* of course but a steamer basket* comes in handy too. This will keep the potatoes and the roast separate. But if you don’t have a steamer basket you can set the potatoes on a trivet or just add them straight into the pot and use a slotted spoon to fish them out.

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More Instant Pot Roast Recipes…

Instant Pot Grandma’s Sunday Roast

Instant Pot Mom’s Pot Roast

Instant Pot 5-Ingredient Pot Roast Dinner (From Frozen)

Instant Pot Dill Pickle Roast

Instant Pot Mississippi Roast (No Packets)

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4 Ingredient Roast with Mashed Potatoes


★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews

  • Author: 365 Days of Slow and Pressure Cooking
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 60 minutes (plus full natural pressure release)
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
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Description

Make a tender pot roast, brown gravy and mashed potatoes together in the Instant Pot or slow cooker! An easy pot roast recipe.


Ingredients

Scale

For the roast:

  • 2–3 pound rump roast or chuck roast
  • 3 Tbsp dry ranch dressing mix
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 (.87 oz) brown gravy packet

For the potatoes (optional):

  • 2 pounds Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup milk or cream
  • 1/4 cup butter

Instructions

For the Instant Pot Version:

  1. Cut excess fat off of roast. Then slice the roast into 2 inch slices across the grain. Coat the slices in the ranch dressing mix. Place the roast into the Instant Pot and pour in the beef broth. 
  2. Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 50 minutes if making potatoes with the roast. At the end of 50 minutes perform a quick release and add in a steamer basket full of cubed potatoes on top of the roast. Cover the pot and set the manual/pressure cook button to 10 more minutes. At the end of the 10 minutes let the pot sit for a full natural pressure release up to 20-30 minutes. Then move the valve to venting and remove the lid.
  3. Carefully remove the steamer basket and pour the potatoes into a large bowl. Mash the potatoes and add in butter and cream and salt and pepper to taste. 
  4. Turn Instant Pot to the saute setting. Remove the pieces of meat and shred. Make the gravy by slowly whisking the gravy mix into the Instant Pot. If needed, add in a cornstarch slurry to thicken the gravy. Serve gravy over mashed potatoes and roast. 

For the Slow Cooker Version:

  1. Cut excess fat off of roast. Then slice the roast into 2 inch slices across the grain. Coat the slices in the ranch dressing mix and brown gravy mix. Place the roast into the slow cooker and pour in the beef broth. 
  2. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours then add in the potatoes and cook for another 2-3 hours, or until potatoes are tender. (Alternately you can add whole or halved potatoes in at the beginning of the cooking time).
  3. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Mash the potatoes and add in butter and cream and salt and pepper to taste. 
  4. Remove the pieces of meat and shred. If needed, add in a cornstarch slurry to thicken the gravy. Serve gravy over mashed potatoes and roast. 

Notes

If you are not making potatoes with the roast then pressure cook for 60 minutes with a full natural pressure release.

I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. Use the 8 quart with no changes. For 3 quart pot leave out potatoes.

  • Category: Beef
  • Method: Instant Pot

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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

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17 Comments Filed Under: 5 ingredients or less, 6 or More Hours, All Recipes, Beef, Instant Pot, Potatoes

Recommendations

Comments

  1. Jessica says

    February 16, 2023 at 6:49 pm

    I’ve never tried pot roast in the IP before but forgot to put it in the slow cooker this morning. I think I prefer it this way! Great flavor and perfectly done!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 20, 2023 at 2:36 pm

      yay!! glad you tried it. It is fast and easy!

      Reply
  2. Sandra says

    August 27, 2022 at 4:50 pm

    This roast and potatoes recipe for the instant
    pot was great! It’s simple and easy! I’m so glad I got this recipe! Definitely will make again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 27, 2022 at 7:42 pm

      Thanks Sandra! I appreciate the 5 stars.

      Reply
  3. Diane Carver says

    August 9, 2022 at 8:10 pm

    Hi Karen, thanks for the ecook book offer but I already have it. But I really did want a hard copy. Sorry I missed out on that one. I love your IP recipes.

    Reply
  4. DIANA says

    January 2, 2022 at 8:14 pm

    Made this today. I love gravy so I used an entire box of bone broth and whisked in some flour at the end before adding in the gravy packet. I used the baby potatoes so I didn’t have to chop up russet potatoes. I always share with my neighbor, what comes out of my IP!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 4, 2022 at 4:52 pm

      What a nice neighbor! I’m sure they appreciated it! Thanks for the 5 stars.

      Reply
  5. Becca says

    December 26, 2021 at 5:06 pm

    Did you use Betterthan Boullion to make your broth or regular beef broth?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      December 27, 2021 at 7:34 pm

      Better than Bouillon!

      Reply
  6. Robert Prehall says

    March 12, 2021 at 12:17 pm

    I was shopping for a nice pot roast yesterday… $4.99 a lb for chuck… thought no, that’s too much… then I noticed “country style boneless beef ribs $2.27 a lb… they looked so nice, some fat, but not too much, pieces about 1 1/2 inches wide, 1 inch thick… thought to myself, these look like they could certainly be substituted for chuck… I’ll try it. Pot roast is one of my favorite meals… hey I’m an old-fashioned, raised in Minnesota, type guy… what can I say. My pot roast is so very, very simple half a sweet onion, sliced, 5 cloves of minced garlic, about 2 tbs of Kitchen Bouquet and 2 tbls of Knorr beef bullion powder. I normally use Idahoan instant mashed as a side and cook whatever veggie appeals at the moment (and is in season) on the side as opposed to in the pot.
    Saute the onions and garlic in the pot on saute for 3 to 5 mins, pour in about a pint of water, add the KB and the bullion powder and about a tbls of Johnny’s seasoning salt. Cook for about 65 mins, then do a quick release. A little trick I use for the gravy… place a spatter guard screen over a medium bowl, pour the cooking liquid thru the guard, all the onion and garlic flavor is in the liquid, but all the pieces remain on the guard, so easy to discard., then simply thicken as usual, for the smoothest, silkiest gravy ever.
    The “roast” was as good as any I’ve ever made, not the pretty, center of the table appearance, but very tender and fall apart done. Wife said it was the best she’s ever had.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      March 13, 2021 at 11:42 am

      Your wife is lucky! Sounds amazing!

      Reply
  7. Carolyn Wright says

    September 20, 2020 at 4:23 pm

    This was sooo good! I also put a package of baby carrots on top of the potatoes and kept the times the same. Picked out the carrots and put them in a bowl, then mashed the potatoes. A one pot meal. Loved it! Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 21, 2020 at 1:31 pm

      Great idea! 🥕

      Reply
  8. Tanya Buzzerd says

    August 10, 2020 at 5:23 pm

    what do you do if your roast is frozen??

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 11, 2020 at 1:28 pm

      You can throw it in frozen but it will take a while longer to get done. I would add 30 extra minutes.

      Reply
  9. Mary Holley says

    August 10, 2020 at 3:34 pm

    Are the nutritional values given for just the meat, alone, or does it include the potatoes – like, is it for the whole meal?

    Thank you.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 11, 2020 at 1:29 pm

      It’s also for the potatoes and gravy

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Karen. I know that dinner time can be less than relaxing. Busy schedules and cranky kids and a hundred other things can lead to weariness when it comes to putting dinner on the table. I can help! I make homemade, family-friendly slow cooker and Instant Pot dinners and share the recipes with you.

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