Instant Pot® Pot Roast with Cranberries and Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 (3 1/2) pound boneless beef chuck roast
• 1 pinch salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 large onion, cut into chunks
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water

Step 1

Set your Instant Pot to the sauté mode and adding a splash of olive oil. Season the roast generously with salt and pepper, then sear it in the hot oil until it’s nicely browned on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Once browned, take the roast out and set it aside.

Step 2

Toss the garlic into the pot and cook it just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the beef broth and give the bottom of the pot a good scrape to loosen up all those tasty browned bits. Stir in the cranberry sauce, balsamic vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Nestle the roast back into the pot and spoon some of the sauce over it. Scatter the onion and thyme around and on top of the roast.

Step 3

Seal the lid and set the Instant Pot to high pressure for an hour. It’ll take around 10 to 15 minutes to come up to pressure. When the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes before carefully finishing with a quick release.

Step 4

Carefully remove the roast and place it on a serving platter. Take out the onions and thyme sprigs from the pot. Switch the pot back to sauté mode. Mix together the cornstarch and water, then stir it into the cooking liquid. Let it simmer until the sauce thickens into a nice gravy, about 10 minutes. Serve the gravy alongside the roast and enjoy!