Instant Pot Beef Stew (Homemade Pressure Cooker) makes for a super comforting dish on a cold winter day. This warm and hearty one-pot meal is full of tender meat with carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes and celery.
Browning the meat: (feel free to skip to step 5 and add all the ingredients together instead). Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE, add cooking oil and brown the meat on all sides. Meat will not be cooked through. (Be sure not to crowd the pot - you may have to work in batches). Transfer browned meat onto a large plate.
Cover and seal the lid and set to 20 minutes with High Pressure on Manual mode. Allow the pressure cooker to release naturally for at least 15 minutes. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper if necessary (discard bay leaf and star anise if used). Serve hot with fresh parsley.
Make a slurry by whisking 3 tablespoons of cool water with 2-3 tablespoons cornstarch or flour (all purpose, gluten free, arrow root starch or 2 teaspoons xanthan gum for low carb). Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE and allow the stew to come to a boil and thicken up.