Easy Instant Pot recipe: Curried Beef & Sweet Potato Stew is a comforting, nutritious one-bowl dinner, easily made in 10 minutes prep time.
It’s my first instant pot recipe!
I’ve had my instant pot (affiliate link) for about six months or so and have been playing around with it ever since. I’m not sure if everyone feels this way or not, but I think there is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to cooking with an instant pot. I was super freaked out by it when I took it out of the box. I don’t even know why, but it seems a little complicated! Have no fear though, there are plenty of recipes out there.
So I just started using it. And started with the basics: rice, beans, hard boiled eggs, etc. Then I branched out to recipes, following them exactly as instructed. Then I started playing around and now I feel pretty confident in knowing what will work and what won’t! I love being able to cook rice and grains without paying attention, frozen meat for a quick dinner, AND turning tougher cuts of meat into tender, delectable stews without spending hours to do so.
But my absolute favorite reason to cook in the instant pot is that much like a slow cooker, I love that you can just throw a bunch of ingredients into a pot together, press a button, and return to a complete meal that tastes like it’s been cooking for hours. I’ve gotten a lot of questions about the difference between a slow cooker and instant pot, and while they have similarities, the instant pot is a multi-use cooker, which means it is pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, sauté, AND yogurt maker. If you already have a slow cooker, it’s a little harder to justify another appliance, but if you cook a lot of grains and beans and want to be able to cook things FAST, it’s totally worth it. (And that’s coming from a person who doesn’t even have a place to store the instant pot.)
Tougher cuts of meat like beef stew meat are great in the instant pot, because in less than an hour or cooking, you’ve got tender meat that practically shreds itself. Traditional pot roast flavors are great, but I also love adding a little asian twist to beef and this one turned out perfectly! It’s warming, comforting, and satisfying. It’s got protein, good carbs, veggies, it’s a dinner that doesn’t need a side dish. (Don’t you love when that happens?!) This curried beef & sweet potato stew is everything you want in a winter meal.
And all it requires is a quick chop of some veggies, and a quick mix of the curry sauce. Dump everything in the instant pot, and press a button!
Instant Pot Curried Beef & Sweet Potato Stew
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Stew
- Method: Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. beef stew meat (1″ chunks)
- 1 lb. sweet potatoes
- 1/2 onion (white or red)
- 1 red pepper
- 3 Tbsp. red curry paste
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 3/4 cup canned coconut milk
- salt and pepper
- 2 cups frozen peas
- rice for serving
Instructions
- Prepare veggies: peel and cube sweet potatoes; slice onion in half moon shapes; slice pepper in large chunks.
- In a small bowl, whisk together curry sauce: curry paste, honey, coconut milk.
- Combine all ingredients in instant pot and season with salt and pepper.
- Cover and lock lid. Select meat setting (or manual 35 minutes high pressure).
- Once cooking is complete, release pressure by using natural release function.
- Stir in peas, and serve stew over rice.
Notes
- Let the peas sit in the stew for a few minutes so they aren’t cold!
Lindsay
strange question … but when using the instapot, how do you make sure that the veggies don’t get all mushy and overcooked? I mean the meat and the veggies can’t possibly take the same amount of time to cook … can they?
Emily
That’s a great question! They will get mushy, in a recipe like this, it works because they basically turn into the base of the stew. It’s also why I don’t add the peas until the end. In other recipes that I’ve tried they have been ok, a little mushier than I would normally prefer (specifically thinking carrots in an traditional beef stew). They held their shape, but definitely soft. I have also seen recipes that cook meat, then you add veggies later which I’ll definitely try! But that does take some of the convenience factor out.
sarah k @ the pajama chef
this looks delicious! i don’t have an instant pot because of the space issue. maybe one day… i just don’t like a lot of clutter and question whether the convenience factor would be worth it if it was sitting on my counter and needed to be washed.
Emily
I TOTALLY hear you. And I don’t have space for it – I’m too embarrassed to even tell you where it is! EEK. I wasn’t going to get it either…but then my cousin who cooks a TON and hates appliances told me how great it was, so I had to try it out for myself!
Mercedes
I feel like the only person that has not jumped on the Instant Pot bandwagon yet and I’m so torn about it! If I hadn’t just purchased a nice, new slow cooker last year, I would probably have been on board already. Do I need one???
Emily
It’s so tough! The great thing about the instant pot is it’s speed, so if the slow cooker works for you…I would say wait. I mean, I love it, but it’s hard to justify both appliances.
Vince
This seems like such a perfect option for the season. I’m always looking for comforting recipes, especially at the end of the day. The short prep time is a bonus too.
Emily
Short prep is always important! 🙂