Instant Pot Zippy Shepherd’s Pie–a flavorful beef stew topped with cheesy mashed potatoes. All made in your Instant Pot!

Instant Pot Zippy Shepherd’s Pie
I found a recipe for “zippy’s shepherd’s pie” on All Recipes and it sounded intriguing so I tried a version of it in the Instant Pot with the air fryer lid. It worked out wonderfully and I really loved this shepherd’s pie. The Instant Pot simplifies the recipe and you can make it from start to finish in one pot if you have an air fryer lid (if not you can still make it…see the notes/tips section below).
I did raise my eyebrow when I saw the curry powder in the original recipe. I wondered if it would taste like curry. However you only use half a teaspoon and you can’t taste it really at all. So even if you don’t like curry powder I would still add it in. You can not specifically taste it and it most definitely enhances the other ingredients.
If you have leftovers this recipe freezes nicely. It’s a warm and hearty meal that is perfect on a winter’s day! You’re going to love zippy shepherd’s pie!
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Lean ground beef–or ground turkey
- Diced onions–or 2 Tbsp dehydrated onions
- Minced garlic–or 2 tsp garlic powder
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
- Curry powder
- Worcestershire sauce
- Beef broth–or water and Better than Bouillon
- Red bell pepper–or green bell pepper
- Diced tomatoes–or fire roasted tomatoes
- Russet potatoes–or yellow or red potatoes
- Frozen mixed vegetables–mine had peas, carrots, corn and green beans
- Ketchup–or 1 Tbsp of tomato paste
- Cornstarch
- Milk
- Butter
- Cheddar cheese–I like using sharp cheddar and grate it off the block
Steps
Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Add in the onions. Brown for about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Stir in the garlic, kosher salt, pepper, curry powder and Worcestershire.

Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Dump in the bell peppers and the tomatoes. Don’t stir, this will prevent the burn error message.

Add the cubed potatoes into a steamer basket and place the basket into the pot on top of the meat mixture.

Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 4 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Remove the steamer basket and add the potatoes into a mixing bowl.

Stir the mixed vegetable and ketchup into the Instant Pot. Turn Instant Pot to saute setting to cook the vegetables.

In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Stir the mixture into the pot to thicken the mixture. Once thickened and vegetables are cooked turn off the Instant Pot.

Mash the potatoes. Stir the milk and butter into potatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. Spread the potatoes over the top of the beef mixture in the Instant Pot.

Sprinkle the cheese on top of the potatoes.

Place air fryer lid on top of Instant Pot and air fryer for 4 minutes at 400 degrees. Serve and enjoy!

Notes/Tips
- We served this as an all in one pot meal but you can add a side of bread and fruit or green salad if you’d like.
- To make this recipe gluten-free use gluten-free Worcestershire sauce.
- To make this recipe dairy free forego the cheese on top.
- You can use instant mashed potatoes in place of the real mashed potatoes if you’d like.
- I like using my silicone steamer basket* for making the potatoes in the Instant Pot.
- I used my Duo Crisp 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in an 8 quart pot.
- If you don’t have an air fryer lid then you can make the recipe as stated through step 6. Then add the thickened beef mixture into a 9×9 inch baking dish and spread the potatoes and cheese on top. Broil in your oven for 3-5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and speckled with brown. You can also just make the beef stew portion of the recipe and top it with mashed potatoes…it’s still so good!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with curry powder are Instant Pot Snow On The Mountain and Instant Pot Chicken Curry Broccoli Casserole.
- You might also like Shepherd’s Pie Casserole.

More Instant Pot Recipes with Mashed Potatoes…
Instant Pot Duck Dynasty Casserole
The most amazing mashed potato casserole with a crispy topping. You can make this ahead of time for family suppers. It will quickly become a favorite.
Instant Pot Fancy Potatoes
A 5-ingredient recipe for the tastiest whipped potatoes. A better version of mashed potatoes!
THE Casserole
Ground beef and vegetables in a creamy tomato sauce make the base of the casserole and then cheesy mashed potatoes are cooked on top. Surprisingly delicious! Use your Instant Pot to quickly get this recipe going!
A Christmas Story Meatloaf
Old fashioned meatloaf and mashed potatoes made at the same time in your Instant Pot!
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.


Instant Pot Zippy Shepherd’s Pie
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 29 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
A flavorful beef stew topped with cheesy mashed potatoes. All made in your Instant Pot!
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced onions
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp curry powder
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 pounds Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 (12 oz) bag frozen mixed vegetables
- 2 Tbsp ketchup
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch + 2 Tbsp water
- 6 Tbsp milk
- 1 1/2 Tbsp butter
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Add in the onions. Brown for about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Stir in the garlic, kosher salt, pepper, curry powder and Worcestershire.
- Pour in the broth and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking.
- Dump in the bell peppers and the tomatoes.
- Add the cubed potatoes into a steamer basket and place the basket into the pot on top of the meat mixture.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 4 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Remove the steamer basket and add the potatoes into a mixing bowl.
- Stir the mixed vegetable and ketchup into the Instant Pot. Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste. Turn Instant Pot to saute setting to cook the vegetables.
- In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Stir the mixture into the pot to thicken the mixture. Once thickened and vegetables are cooked turn off the Instant Pot.
- Mash the potatoes. Stir the milk and butter into potatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. Spread the potatoes over the top of the beef mixture in the Instant Pot.
- Sprinkle the cheese on top of the potatoes.
- Place air fryer lid on top of Instant Pot and air fryer for 4 minutes at 400 degrees.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Category: Beef
- Method: Instant Pot

*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.
Is the cooking time the same if I use instant mashed potatoes?
Hi, yes same cooking time. But don’t pressure cook them with the meat. Just cook them separately.
Can I cook this in the pressure cooker, put in a ceramic pie pan, top with potatoes, refrigerate, and reheat later? If so, what temp and time would you suggest?
Yes you can do that. I would heat at 350 for 30 minutes
Americans misname shepherd’s pie as the correct name for this recipe is cottage pie if it’s made with beef.
Shepherd’s pie is made with lamb (shepherds look after sheep, not cattle).
Hi Karen, I have made many of your recipes and loved them all. My question is that my wife’s mother made her shepherd’s pie with a topping of biscuits rather than potatoes. Could you give any advice on how to go about this in the Instant Pot?
Thanks
Do you have an air fryer lid? If so I would use that to bake the biscuits. If the biscuits are thick they’ll take a while to bake I’m assuming. You will want to use a lower temp and longer cooking time so they don’t burn on top.
Thank you, I’ve been trying to figure a way to do this for a few years. I’m not really adventurous in the kitchen but I can follow recipes. You really make it easy for people to make outstanding meals.
Thanks Roger!
Hi Roger ….. I cook biscuits (Pillsbury Country Biscuits) on my stews by simply placing them on top of the stew, when its all finished cooking in my Instant Pot, and remove the pot liner and place it into my preheated oven (375 degrees) for the time needed to cook the biscuits …. Delicious!!
★★★★★
Thanks Barbara, sounds delicious. I will try this next week.
Thanks Barbara!