A super easy Instant Pot Beef Stew recipe with the most amazing Peruvian flavors! Super tender pull apart beef in a delicious green sauce served over rice. A dream come true!
A Peruvian Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe
This is basically an Instant Pot version and a beef version of the famous Peruvian Lamb Stew called “Seco de Cordero”.
It needed quite some adapting though. Mainly because the Instant Pot seals and none of the liquid evaporates. The original lamb stew calls for beer and wine for the sauce.
I did add both in my first recipe testing and OMG I almost got drunk just opening the lid of the pot. Ha! Just kidding. Um, maybe not…
None of the alcohol evaporates when cooking under pressure in a super sealed Instant Pot. So in case you were considering cooking anything at all that calls for alcohol to flavor things in your pressure cooker, either leave it out and replace by broth or massively reduce the amount of alcohol.
Another thing is that due to lack of water evaporation, the sauce of the instant pot beef stew is fairly liquid and not nice and thick once you finish cooking the meat to perfection.
No reason to worry though. A simple recipe hack and the sauce becomes mega delicious and creamy: adding a cornstarch or tapioca starch slurry.
Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe with a Peruvian twist
Most Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipes out there are tomato based. I have a hard time digesting tomato based sauces and stews so I’m always on the lookout for alternatives.
My Slow-Cooker Pot Roast for example is roasted red pepper based and a ton of recipes here are all based on cilantro/beef broth sauces.
This Beef Stew Recipe has a Peruvian twist on top of all. The cilantro water is typically Peruvian and ají amarillo is a Peruvian yellow chili that has a very distinct extraordinary flavor. It’s the number 1 ingredient in Peruvian cuisine.
You can find easily find ají amarillo paste on Amazon. There is different brands and I’m sure they’re all fine. The one I get the easiest here in Canada is this * one, so that’s the one I’ve always used since moving here and it’s great.
* that’s an affiliate link and I earn a small commission if you buy the product through the link at no extra cost to you.
Make your Instant Pot Beef Stew Paleo
I used cornstarch in my recipe to thicken the sauce you can easily prepare a starch slurry with tapioca starch though and make your Instant Pot Beef Stew Paleo.
Green Healthy Cooking is not a strictly paleo blog but I have a lot of Paleo Recipes on this site for my paleo readers. Love you all!
I served this stew over Instant Pot white rice but to keep the recipe paleo you can serve it either with sweet potatoes or fried plantains. The sweetness contrast the spiciness wonderfully! And that’s how easy it is to make this Instant Pot Beef Stew Paleo!
Instant Pot Beef Stew
Ingredients
- avocado oil
- 2 lbs stewing beef
- sea salt
- pepper
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1-3 Tbsp ají amarillo - (optional but HIGHLY recommended)
- 1/2 bunch cilantro
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1/2-1 tsp sea salt
- pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch - (or tapioca starch for paleo)
- 1 Tbsp cold water
- cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Pre Prep: Remove meat from fridge at least 30 minutes before starting to cook so it's not too cold.In the meantime, peel and chop onion, peel and crush garlic and prepare "cilantro water".
- Cilantro Water: Add 1/2 bunch of cilantro (stems and all) to a blender, add beef broth and salt and pepper to taste. Amounts will depend on saltiness of beef broth.
- Brown Beef: Preheat instant pot by pressing the "sauté" button and wait until it says "hot". Once hot, add a splash of avocado oil and then brown the meat in 4-5 batches. Do NOT add all the beef at once. The individual pieces should not touch each other while browning. If you add too much meat at once it will release too much liquid and boil instead of brown. Add more oil as needed in between batches. Remove the browned beef and set aside in a bowl.
- Deglaze: Once all the meat is browned, add some water to the pot and deglaze the bottom by scrubbing off all the burnt bits and pieces with a wooden spatula. Then remove the inner pot and rinse and dry before continuing.
- Sofrita: Add another splash of avocado oil to the pot (still on sauté setting) and fry onion, garlic and ají until they start browning.
- Pressure Cook: Add browned beef and cilantro water back into the instant pot, put on the lid and turn the vent to the sealing position. Press "cancel", then "manual", make sure "high pressure" is selected and set the timer for 35-40 minutes (depending on the size of the beef cubes).
- Natural Pressure Release: Meat should always be depressurized slowly. Let the instant pot release pressure naturally. This means, you should not turn the valve to the venting position but rather wait until the safety pin drops on its own. This will take 10-20 minutes (depending on each individual pressure cooker).
- Add peas: Once the safety pin dropped, open the pot, add 1 cup frozen peas and let them defrost in the hot sauce for about 2-3 minutes. Then remove all meat and peas with a slotted spoon leaving all the liquid in the pot and set aside.
- Cilantro Sauce/Gravy: Add 1 Tbsp starch and 1 Tbsp cold water to a small bowl and stir vigorously until all clumps are gone. Hit "sauté" again on the instant pot. Add starch slurry and whisk into the liquid. Continue stirring until the sauce comes to a boil and cook for about 1-2 minutes. The gravy will start to thicken fairly quickly.
- Serve: Serve the meat and peas over white rice and pour plenty of cilantro gravy over it. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro.
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Kat says
I want to try this recipe but I’m allergic to cilantro. Why can’t I substitute cilantro with? Parsley? TIA
Lorena Grater says
Basil is the best replacement when a lot of cilantro is called for in a recipe. It’s equally mild and soft. You can replace cilantro with parsley in recipes where it’s used as garnish on top at the end but not really when used for cooking.
Jaime says
could you give me your original recipe with wine and beer? I want to try it with alcohol free beer and alcohol free wine
Lorena Grater says
Of course. The cup of beef broth is the one you want to replace by half/half beer and white wine.
Maria says
Hola Lorena!
Thanks for the Peruvian IP recipes… I’m trying to incorporate one Peruvian dish a week and I love my IP so this is perfect. :) Quiero que mi hijita conozca nuestra riquisima comida! Question: can I use canola/olive/vegetable oil in lieu of avocado oil?
Gracias!
Lorena says
Hola Maria, te respondo en inglés para que los demás que lean el mensaje entiendan :) The reason I like avocado oil is because of it’s high smoke point. It is one of the healthier oils and it only burns at fairly high temperatures so it’s perfect for frying. Olive oil tends to have a very low smoke point and burn so it’s best used raw or for very low heat stir-frying or adding to stews/soups when they’re simmering for more flavor. In order not having to invest in a new oil I recommend you take all the oils you have in your pantry out and google each of their “smoke points” and choose the one with the highest smoke point for your stir-frying :) I hope this answer helps.
Wynn says
Actually, it USED to be considered that Olive Oils had very low smoke points, but the data for originally determining those facts had been flawed, so the Old science had been wrong about that, and was finally formally revised somewhat recently. Olive oil doesn’t have one of the highest smoke points, either, but it’s perfectly ok to use even Extra Virgin Olive Oil at much higher temperatures than previously had been thought to be appropriate for olive oils.
I can’t recall whether I’d read about the olive oil update in the Wall Street Journal or elsewhere, nor do I recall all the other pertinent updated details, but I’m sure an Olive growers’ association or some other Olive organization could point to where the updated science on the olive products has been published, if you’re interested in all the precise details. (As I recall, it’s actually performs better at nigher temps than some of the other popular frying oils!)
Like you, I mostly use Avocado oil for sautéing and frying also, but it’s nice to know olive oil can serve as and entirely adequate fall-back substitute when necessary with no worries about it!
Jill Vaughan says
Is the pepper cooked with the onion? It is in the ingredients list but not mentioned in the instructions…
Lorena says
Step 2 calls for adding beef broth, salt, and pepper to taste.
Catherine says
Great recipe – it was absolutely delicious. Thanks!
Kathrin says
Can I use lamb instead ?? Like the peruvian lamb stew for instant pot ? I LOVE the lamb stew recipe and would like to use the instant pot …
Lorena says
Yes!!! Absolutely!
H says
Hi,
The beef wasn’t tender.. could you think of what I’ve done wrong? Plus, can I skip the browning meat part? Making lots of smokes which I’m not comfortable with at a condo setting ..
Lorena says
Hi, I am so sorry it didn’t work out for you :( My meat was fall-apart tender. All I can think of why it didn’t turnout are the following things:
1. Your beef cubes were bigger than mine?
2. Your meat was fridge cold when it hit the hot instant pot? Hence all the smoke. There are instant pots that heat more than others but in general heavy smoke is always a result of way too cold meat hitting a hot pan. Bring the meat somewhat to room temp first by taking it out of the fridge 30-45 minutes before cooking.
3. If your cubes burnt they didn’t seal well, that’s what browning is for, to seal the sides of each cube and then have their liquid inside soften up the cube. If the searing process didn’t work all the liquid will be released during cooking and the beef will become dry and chewy instead of juicy fall apart.
Did this help?
H says
Absolutely – thanks a lot for taking time to reply. Really appreciate it. So I guess meat browning part is absolutely required for this recipe?
Kim says
Does it get tender after 40 min.?
Lorena says
Yes!!! Very! :)
Ana Syring says
Hola Lorena!
Love that you’re adapting Peruvian dishes for the Instant Pot, I’m Peruvian too! I will have to try this one and report back, thanks for sharing :)
Anahi S.
Lorena says
Hola Anahi! Ponle un poco de ají amarillo para que sepa aún más rico :)
Celeste S Smith says
Is the aji amarillo spicy in this dish??? I really want to order it but just wondering what else I would use it in.
Lorena says
Ají amarillo is spicy but it’s a really delicious kind of spice. Not only spicy but also aromatic. You can adjust to your liking. If you add a teaspoon to the whole pot it won’t be spicy at all, just delicious. My kids (5 and 7) can eat up to 2 teaspoons in the whole pot. My husband and I would rather add 1.5 tablespoons for our liking.
Jackie says
The aji Amarillo you can used for another Peruvian dish wish is ceviche de pato (duck) or pollo (chicken) if you dont like duck . My husband he is not Peruvian but he really loves the ceviche de pollo .
Lorena says
Yes, ají is used in a lot of Peruvian dishes :) I even add it to homemade mayonnaise. So delicious!
Flycat says
This turned out really great. Thanks for sharing!
Lorena says
I’m so happy you liked it :)