This easy Instant Pot Vegetable Beef Soup is full of tender beef, creamy gold potatoes, a variety of vegetables and lots of herbs and spices for a super hearty and comforting meal.
This is another recipe where the Instant Pot really gets to shine. The pressure cooker goes to work to break down and tenderize the beef making it super tender and succulent which helps soak up the flavors of the rest of the soup perfectly.
My mom always made the best vegetable beef stew growing up so of course I got a little help from her on this recipe. The only difference is that this version uses the Instant Pot which makes things a little easier, but the same great taste!
Ingredients for Instant Pot Vegetable Beef Soup
- Beef stew meat - Make sure to grab big chunks of beef stew meat. Stay away from those small cuts of beef. We want big hearty beef chunks.
- Yukon gold potatoes - I love the taste of yukon gold potatoes, but russet potatoes will certainly work as well.
- Carrots - I like to use fresh carrots in most of my soups but if you choose to get frozen just make sure you add it at the end with the rest of the frozen vegetables.
- Frozen peas & corn - Save these veggies for the very end of the cooking process.
- Onion & Garlic
- Diced tomatoes - I like to use the basic, garlic and oregano diced tomatoes for this recipe.
- Tomato Paste - To help thicken the soup and add extra flavor.
- Beef Stock - Beef stock has slightly more flavor and richness than beef broth, but you can certainly use beef broth as well.
- Corn Starch - A corn starch slurry is added at the end of the cook time to thicken the soup.
- Herbs & Spices - A mix of flavorful herbs and spices to season this hearty soup!
Step-By-Step Instructions
Full instructions are included in the recipe card below, but here’s a quick overview:
Step One: Prep all of your ingredients ahead of time. Chop your potatoes, carrots, onion and mince your garlic.
Step Two: Turn on the saute function on your instant pot. Heat olive oil in the inner pot and add beef stew meat. Season meat with salt and pepper to taste. Sear beef for 2 minutes on both sides. Be sure not to crowd your pot and brown your beef stew meat in two separate batches, if needed. Remove meat from the instant pot. Add chopped onions and carrots and a little more olive oil if needed. Saute for 2 minutes then add minced garlic. Saute for an additional 30 seconds.
Step Three: Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes, herbs and spices. Stir well, scraping up any brown bits that may be stuck on the bottom of the instant pot. Next add seared meat, potatoes and beef stock *Do not add frozen corn or frozen peas just yet.* Stir well, scraping up any more brown bits that may be stuck at the bottom.
Step Four: Close the instant pot lid, turn the vent knob to sealing and pressure cook according to recipe. Allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes then quick release the remaining pressure.
Step Five: Remove the top and stir in frozen vegetables and cornstarch slurry. Turn the instant pot back to saute mode and let soup simmer with the top off for 4-5 minutes to cook frozen vegetables and allow slurry to thicken the soup. Turn off saute mode, allow the soup to rest and enjoy!
Variations & Recipe Tips!
- I like using Yukon gold potatoes for this recipe because they have a creamy, buttery taste and the skin is very thin so you don’t have to worry about peeling them. But you can certainly use russet or red potatoes if you prefer.Â
- Don’t skip searing your beef in the beginning. Searing the meat first caramelizes the outside and adds extra depth of flavor to the entire dish. It also helps shorten the cook time of the soup since the meat gets a head start in the beginning. Just be sure not to over crowd your pot. Sear the beef in 2 stages if necessary. If you crowd the pot by cooking all the beef at once, it will steam instead of searing. Although I will admit I have been guilty of doing this, especially when I'm in a rush, you really miss out on the great caramelized flavor you get from actually searing the beef.
- One thing I love about vegetable beef soup is that it’s extremely versatile. I like a mixture of potatoes, carrots, corn, peas and tomatoes in my soup. But you can certainly switch things up depending on your own preference. My mom loves adding okra and extra corn to her beef stew.
- If you prefer more of a beef stew recipe versus soup just use less beef stock and thicken your soup either with a cornstarch slurry or you can smash a few of the potatoes with a fork and add them back into the soup to thicken.
Storage Tips
Leftover vegetable beef soup stores really well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Or you can freeze the soup in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Just make sure to allow your soup to cool down before placing it in the fridge or freezer.
I like using these Stasher bags to freeze my soups. To thaw, just place the soup bag in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat in a pot on the stove.
More Soup and Chili Recipes!
Instant Pot Vegetable Beef Soup Video Tutorial
Instant Pot Vegetable Beef Soup
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds beef stew meat
- 4 Yukon gold potatoes cut in ½ inch chunks
- 3 carrots peeled and sliced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 3 ½ cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon water
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep all of your ingredients. Peel and slice your carrots, wash and chop your potatoes, chop one small onion or ½ of a medium onion and mince your garlic cloves. I also like to measure out all of my seasoning at this point and season the beef stew meat with salt and pepper.
- Turn on the saute function on your instant pot. Heat olive oil in the inner pot and add beef stew meat. Sear for 2 minutes on both sides. Season the opposite side with salt and pepper to taste (Sear beef in 2 batches in order to get a nice caramelized brown color). Remove beef meat once browned on both sides and set aside on a plate.Â
- Add chopped onions and carrots to the instant pot. Add a little more olive oil if necessary. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add minced garlic and saute an additional 30 seconds. Once veggies have softened a bit, add salt, italian seasoning, lemon pepper and oregano. Stir and allow seasoning to cook with veggies for a minute.
- Next stir in tomato paste and diced tomatoes. Turn off saute mode.Â
- Now add the potatoes, browned beef stew meat and beef stock. Gently stir to combine with the rest of the ingredients. *(Do NOT add the frozen peas or corn at this point).
- Place the Instant pot lid on top and secure. Turn the vent knob to sealing. Pressure cook on high pressure for 20 minutes (will take about 10 minutes for the instant pot to reach full pressure). After the 20 minute cook time allow the instant pot to do a natural pressure release for 10 minutes then quick release the remaining pressure.
- Remove the lid and stir in frozen peas and frozen corn. Make a quick cornstarch slurry by mixing 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water. Add slurry to the soup and stir. Turn the instant pot back to saute mode and allow soup to simmer for 3-5 minutes. This will help the cornstarch slurry to activate and help warm up the frozen veggies.
- Turn the instant pot off or turn on the Warm setting mode. Serve with your favorite cornbread and enjoy!
Hank Young says
This recipe is exactly what I was looking for. Have tried it several times and it always comes out perfect. Better than any soup I get in a restaurant and a lot healthier. Tastes like it slow cooked all day, but it's only 20 min cook time! Simple and easy.