On the saute setting of the Instant Pot melt the butter and brown ⅓ of the stew meat at a time. Place the browned meat in a bowl as you continue to brown the remaining stew meat.
Once all the stew meat has been browned add the onion and celery to the empty Instant Pot and saute for 2 minutes.
Next add the minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Saute for another minute or two.
Return the stew meat to the pressure cooker and add potatoes and carrots.
Add the fresh or dried thyme, the fresh or dried rosemary and the bay leaves to the Instant Pot.
Add the 6 cups of beef broth to the Instant Pot.
Secure the Instant Pot lid making sure the valve is set to the sealing position.
Press the manual button and set the timer for 35 minutes to pressure cook.
Once the timer has gone off allow the steam to naturally release for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes carefully remove the lid from the Instant Pot.
With a fork check to see if the potatoes and carrots are fork tender. If the potatoes and carrots are not fork tender at this point you can replace the lid and continue to pressure cook the beef stew for 5 more minutes. (see notes).
Mix the cool water with the cornstarch until lump free. Pour it into the Instant Pot and stir to combine. Turn the sauté setting on and bring the beef stew to a boil to thicken.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Video
Recipe Expert Tips
To save time dice, slice and cut the onion, celery, and carrots the night before.
Only brown a few pieces of stew meat at a time to prevent the stew meat from steaming instead of browning. In other words, do not brown all the stew meat at once. I browned the amount I used in three batches.
Instant Pot recommended cooking times for beef stew meat is 20 minutes per pound of meat. Cooking time will vary depending on the amount of stew meat you have used and how large you have cut the potatoes and carrots.
How long for the Instant Pot to reach full pressure and start cooking will depend on how full the Instant Pot is. This Instant Pot Beef Stew recipe took about 20 minutes to reach full pressure and start to pressure cook.