Instant Pot Shredded Beef

Last Updated on April 30, 2025

Looking for a quick, easy recipe you can make in no time? This instant pot shredded beef recipe will impress you with how many recipes you can make out of it!

Most of my favorite meals have always involved beef in one way or including my favorite Instant Pot Beef Stew. Whether for tacos, nachos, enchiladas, hashes, or more, meat, or rather shredded beef, is a major part of any meal’s success. I recently decided to make my own nachos at home, and naturally, I had to make shredded beef as well. 

I used an pressure cooker because I’ve been hearing a lot about how much they save time, and indeed, I mastered an instant pot shredded beef recipe in just a single try! From requiring very minimal ingredients to the hassle-free experience itself, making shredded beef was a breeze. It’s nowhere near as tiring as prepping meat like steak or chicken! 

Let me share the details with you!

Instant Pot Shredded Beef: The Simple Recipe

With our time becoming tighter than ever, sometimes a shortcut recipe is all we need! Some recipes make healthy food seem like a chore to make, but this recipe is about to make you believe otherwise. You can eat a healthy meal full of protein and keep your schedule as is!

Recipe Notes:

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition: 183 calories, 9.2g fat, 0.9g carbohydrates, 0.1g fiber, 22.7g protein

1. Prep Your Instant Pot  

You want to start by adding water to the instant pot and line its bottom with the peeled and sliced onions. Then, add the cubed beef/chuck roast on top of it, followed by the seasonings (salt and pepper).

Tip: Some recipes also add avocado oil (2 teaspoons) to the instant pot and set it to saute, and once it’s hot, they add the beef and season it normally. That also works! Others also use beef broth for the flavor and juiciness it adds. In all cases, this step should take approximately 2-3 minutes on each side of the meat until it becomes slightly brown.

2. Set the Instant Pot’s Pressure

Next, you place the lid on the instant pot and seal the pressure valve. You then click “manual” and cook on high pressure for approximately 50 minutes of cooking time. 

3. Time Is Up!

When the 50 minutes have passed, you’ll find your instant pot beeping. When you hear it doing so, let the pressure release naturally. Once the natural release is concluded, remove the lid from the instant pot. 

That’s it! You’re done. Now it’s just time to carefully shred the meat with two forks, then go ahead and serve it if you want to. If you’re going to use it for another purpose, just add herbs, lime juice, olive oil, or other as you see fit.

The Slow Cooker Recipe Version

If you want to use a slow cooker instead of a pressure cooker or don’t have a pressure cooker yet, you’ll just need to add all the ingredients to the slow cooker at once and mix them well. Then, place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for approximately 6-8 hours or until you notice that the beef roast easily shreds. 

Can the Seasonings Be Changed? 

Absolutely! This is just my version of the recipe and the way my family likes it. However, feel free to add the seasonings you prefer and according to what you plan to do with the cut of beef.

For instance, this instant pot shredded beef recipe is the one I use when I’m planning to cook nachos or tacos. Some people use it but add lime juice, oregano, and cilantro, for example, as a taco seasoning. 

If you’re using it for beef enchiladas, you can add parsley, balsamic vinegar, or other seasonings. On the other hand, if it’s for breakfast hash, rosemary would be a nice addition. 

And if you’re serving it all alone or with tortilla chips, barbecue sauce or sour cream would be awesome! I also know a lot of people who add minced cloves garlic or a teaspoon garlic powder, bay leaves, apple cider vinegar, and a teaspoon onion powder or chili powder. The sky’s the limit, really.

What Are Some Ideas for Serving Shredded Beef?

There are numerous ideas for serving shredded beef! My personal favorites are as follows:

• Tacos: With some cilantro and lime juice, you’ll be getting the tastiest taco meat you’ve ever eaten!
• Hashes: I’m not really a fan of hashes unless they’re served with sweet potatoes! Try this out.
• With a side: Some roasted veggies with shredded beef make for a very healthy, fulfilling meal. 
• Beef Enchiladas: The best of the best! Check out my paleo enchilada recipe.

Take note of these for some meal planning.

Quick and Easy!

Once try out this instant pot shredded beef recipe, you’ll love it for how it makes meal planning so easy. It’s super multipurpose and can be used for so many different recipes from tacos to nachos! Not to mention, there’s a high degree of flexibility, allowing you to tailor the recipe to your liking.

While I pressure cook my beef, some people use a stand mixer while others use a slow cooker. I haven’t tried them myself, but there have been many success stories, so use what makes the most sense for you! 

Instant Pot Shredded Beef

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: instant pot shredded beef

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 274 kcal

Author: Kelly Bejelly

Cook up shredded beef in a fraction of time with your Instant Pot!

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Ingredients

• 2 lbs chuck roast cut into cubes
• 1 medium onion peeled and sliced
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Add all water to the instant pot and line the bottom with the onions.
2. Add the cubed beef on top. Then add the seasonings.
3. Place the lid on the instant pot with the pressure valve sealed.
4. Hit “Manual” and cook on high pressure for 50 minutes. When the time is up and the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally.
5. Once the pressure is released, remove the lid from the instant pot.
6. Carefully shred the meat with two forks and serve.

Nutrition Facts

Instant Pot Shredded Beef

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 274 Calories from Fat 153

% Daily Value*

Fat 17g26%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 9g

Cholesterol 94mg31%

Sodium 378mg16%

Carbohydrates 1g0%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 28g56%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.