Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon

Beef Bourguignon (Beef Burgundy)

Beef Bourguignon is also known as Beef Burgundy, boeuf bourguignon, and bœuf à la Bourguignonne.

It’s a popular and beloved French beef stew. For deliciously good reasons. In fact, Julia Child’s beef bourguignon is one of her most famous dishes.

Beef Bourguignon is often made with beef braised in red burgundy wine and beef stock. Cooked with bacon, onions, pearl onions, garlic, mushrooms, carrots, and herbs.

Traditionally, this heartwarming beef burgundy stew is made low and slow on the stovetop, then finished in the oven.

So, we challenged ourselves to craft a Beef Bourguignon Instant Pot recipe that cuts short cooking time, yet yields a deeply complex and flavorful stew that’s gratifying to eat.

How to Make Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon

Ingredients for Beef Bourguignon Instant Pot Recipe

Best Cut of Beef for Bourguignon

Chuck Roast: Chuck roast is one of the most suitable cuts to cook in Instant Pot or pressure cooker. For best results, use a well-marbled chuck roast for this Instant Pot beef bourguignon.

• Other Common Names: Top Blade Pot Roast, Shoulder Roast, Beef Blade Roast, Braising Steak (in UK).

Best Wine for Beef Bourguignon

Generally, Beef Bourguignon is made with red Burgundy wine. Which is Pinot Noir red wine made from Pinot Noir grapes in the Burgundy region of eastern France.

• Substitute: If you couldn’t find Pinot Noir, you can substitute it with Merlot. 

For reference, we experimented with our beef bourguignon Instant Pot recipe with this well-rated and affordable 2020 JP. Chenet Reserve Pinot Noir. 

Pearl Onions

Pearl onions are sweeter and milder than regular onions. Though it may be harder to find in some areas. 

• Substitute: If you can’t find any pearl onions, substitute it with another small onion.

How to Peel Pearl Onions: The easiest way to peel off the pearl onions’ skins is to first cut off the tips of the onions. Boil them for 1 to 2 minutes. Put the pearl onions in cold water until cool to the touch, then remove the outer layer by hand.

Other Beef Bourguignon Ingredients

Unsalted Chicken Stock or Beef Stock: We’re using unsalted chicken stock instead of unsalted beef stock mainly because store-bought chicken stock usually tastes closer to the real stock and a lot better than most store-bought beef stock. But if you have homemade beef stock or high quality store-bought beef stock, use it instead of unsalted chicken stock.

• Substituting with Salted Stock: Keep in mind that the sodium level can vary a lot between different brands. Always taste and adjust accordingly.

Regular Soy Sauce and Fish Sauce: If you’ve been following our recipes for the past few years, you might have noticed they’re our secret weapons. They’re umami-filled. So a few spoons will enrich the flavors. Don’t worry! Fish sauce won’t make your beef bourguignon tastes fishy. Give them a shot! 

• Fish Sauce: Red boat 40N fish sauce is thus far our favorite from our blind taste-tests. As an alternative, Three Crabs Brand Fish Sauce is also a solid choice.
• Soy Sauce: Lee Kum Kee Soy Sauce is one of our favorite soy sauce for daily cooking. 

Optional Mashed Potatoes: If you’re planning to make this Instant Pot beef bourguignon the day before or want to make a bigger batch of mashed potatoes, skip the PIP Mashed Potatoes and make our Michelin Star inspired Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes separately.

Tools for Beef Bourguignon Instant Pot Recipe

• Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
• Wooden Spoon
• Pyrex Measuring Cups

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. 

*Note: We’ll be using the rendered bacon oil to brown our chuck roast in the next step.

Brown Chuck Roast Steak

Pat dry the 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 the beef for 5 to 8 minutes before flipping over, then brown the other side for another 5 to 8 minutes.

Then, set aside the beautifully browned chuck steaks in a large container. 

Sauté Mushrooms & Cut Meat

If there’s no oil left in the Instant Pot, add 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil or unsalted butter to the Instant Pot.

Add sliced cremini mushrooms in Instant Pot, then stir to evenly coat mushrooms with oil. 

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.

Again 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, then 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 sliced onions in Instant Pot, then sauté for another 3 minutes.

Add minced garlic cloves, 1 tbsp (15g) tomato paste, 1.5 tsp (2g) dried thyme, and 2 – 3 bay leaves in Instant Pot, then sauté for roughly 1 minute.

Deglaze Instant Pot

Pour 1 cup (250ml) Red Wine (Merlot or Pinot Noir) in Instant Pot. Then, completely deglaze the bottom of the pot by scrubbing the flavorful brown bits with a wooden spoon.

Pressure Cook Vegetables

Add 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce, 1 tbsp (15ml) fish sauce, ¾ cup (188ml) unsalted chicken or beef stock, carrot chunks, and bacon bits in Instant Pot. Mix well.

Close lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing position.

Pressure Cooking Time: 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 the Instant Pot.

Pressure Cook Beef Bourguignon

Place cubed beef and all its meat juice in Instant Pot. Make sure all the beef are partially submerged in the cooking liquid.

For Optional Pot-in-Pot Mashed Potatoes: Layer a stainless-steel bowl filled with halved russet potatoes on the beef.

Close lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing position.

Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon Cooking Time: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 30 minutes, then Natural Release for 10 minutes.

• If Skipping Pot-in-Pot Mashed Potatoes: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 32 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 Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon and Add Vegetables

Discard the bay leaves and set aside the beef. 

Bring the beef bourguignon gravy back to a simmer using the “Saute” function.

Mix 2 tablespoons – 3 tablespoons (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 Beef Bourguignon gravy one-third at a time until desired thickness.

Add back previously set aside beef and vegetables in Instant Pot. Mix well.

Taste and season beef bourguignon in Instant Pot with salt and ground black pepper if necessary.

Optional – Make Mashed Potatoes

Mash the pressure cooked potatoes with a potato masher.

Mix 100ml – 150ml whole milk and 1 – 2 tablespoons (14g – 28g) unsalted butter into mashed potatoes.

Then, season mashed potatoes to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon

If you like, garnish your Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon with some Italian parsley and sprigs of thyme.

Pamper your family and friends with this deliciously flavorful Beef Bourguignon with mashed potatoes.

What to Serve with Beef Bourguignon

Beef Bourguignon is a delicious treat for weekends, hosting guests, special occasions, or holidays. You can craft a French three course meal with this beef bourguignon Instant Pot recipe as the star of the show!

Here are some tasty starters, side dishes, and desserts to serve with Beef Bourguignon:

Start your French dining at home experience with Instant Pot French Onion Soup, Toasted Garlic Butter Shrimp, artisan cheeses + charcuterie, or Instant Pot Mushroom Soup.

Complement your Beef Bourguignon with side dishes like Instant Pot Baked Potatoes, Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto, Instant Pot Roasted Potatoes, Crusty No-Knead Bread, pommes frites, salads, Buttery Sweet Candied Carrots, potato gratin, Instant Pot Polenta, buttered egg noodles, or rice.

Wrap up your meal with dessert, and enjoy your choice of Instant Pot New York Cheesecake #17, Instant Pot Crème Brulee, Instant Pot Crème Caramel, or Instant Pot Chocolate Lava Cake.

Enjoy Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon!

Other Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipes

• Instant Pot Beef Stew
• Instant Pot Chinese Beef Stew
• Instant Pot Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew)
• Instant Pot Guinness Stew