Prepare to be amazed by this truly sensational Instant Pot Beef Tips and Gravy recipe! Imagine succulent, fall-apart tender sirloin or budget-friendly stew meat, expertly cooked in your pressure cooker and enveloped in a rich, savory mushroom gravy. This dish is packed with an incredible depth of flavor that your entire family will absolutely adore. While we’ve also crafted a delightful Crockpot beef tips version, the Instant Pot method slashes cooking time significantly, making it ideal for busy evenings without compromising on taste or texture.

The first time I created this recipe for Instant Pot beef tips and mushroom gravy, I was genuinely astonished by how incredibly delicious it turned out! It’s one of those dishes that is almost impossible to fully describe; you simply have to experience it for yourself. Rest assured, like all my Instant Pot recipes, this one is designed to be both straightforward to prepare and utterly satisfying.

Mastering Instant Pot Beef Tips and Gravy

My culinary philosophy centers around creating delicious, hearty, and often inexpensive meals that don’t require hours in the kitchen. This recipe perfectly embodies that spirit. You can opt for readily available stew meat, which is usually more economical, or use a finer cut like sirloin, depending on what you have on hand or prefer. Regardless of your choice, this dish is guaranteed to become a staple in your recipe rotation. The consistent positive feedback it receives speaks volumes!

This versatile recipe isn’t limited to just the Instant Pot. It can be prepared with equal success in a Crockpot Express or even as an easy Ninja Foodi recipe. Essentially, any brand of pressure cooker equipped with a high-pressure function will yield fantastic results. Pressure cooking is a game-changer for tenderizing beef and infusing flavors deeply in a fraction of the time compared to traditional methods.

Getting Started with Your Pressure Cooker

If you’re relatively new to the world of pressure cooking, you’ve come to the right place! We offer a wealth of simple, one-pot meal recipes designed to build your confidence. To ensure a smooth cooking experience, here are a few fundamental tips to keep in mind:

• Make sure to Bookmark our Instant Pot recipes page. We consistently add exciting new recipes each week to keep your meal plans fresh!
• For quick reference, print this handy Instant Pot cooking times cheat sheet. It’s an invaluable tool for understanding how long various ingredients, such as meats, vegetables, and beans, typically take to cook under pressure.
• For optimal searing and reduced sticking, I highly recommend investing in a non-stick inner pot for your Instant Pot.
• Even with a non-stick pot, it’s good practice to understand how to deglaze a pressure cooker after sautéing. This technique helps prevent the dreaded “Burn” notice and ensures all those flavorful browned bits contribute to your sauce. However, a non-stick liner significantly minimizes these issues.

For your reference, I primarily use a 6-quart Instant Pot model for developing and testing all my recipes, finding it the perfect size for most family meals.

Adapting the Recipe for Ninja Foodi

If you’re using a Ninja Foodi, you’ll utilize the pressure cook function for this recipe. There’s no need for the air crisp function in this instance. When preparing, simply add all your ingredients as directed below, then secure the pressure cooking lid (the non-attached one) and ensure the steam release valve is sealed. The Ninja Foodi works wonderfully to achieve the same tender results and rich gravy as a traditional Instant Pot.

This particular recipe was born out of a happy accident, as many of the best recipes often are! I hadn’t initially planned on creating a new pressure cooker beef recipe on that specific day. However, I found myself with some meat that needed cooking and mushrooms that were nearing their expiration date. It was one of those “what can I quickly make with these ingredients?” moments that many home cooks can relate to. Once the dish was finished and I tasted the incredible results, I knew I had to share it with everyone. It truly highlights the versatility of cooking steak in the Instant Pot.

As I’ve mentioned previously, we often purchase beef in bulk from a local organic farmer, which keeps our large freezer well-stocked with various cuts. This practice has given me the wonderful opportunity to experiment with different types of beef beyond just regular steaks. Cuts like chuck roast, stew meat, and various other roasts have become exciting challenges in the kitchen, broadening my cooking repertoire considerably.

While ground beef is a frequent item on our menu due to its ease of use, we prepare other beef cuts less often. When we do, it’s typically either to utilize cuts that are approaching their best-by date or to satisfy a specific craving from my husband.

You can see the beef pieces in the image above. For even greater tenderness and quicker cooking, I sometimes slice them into slightly smaller, more uniform pieces. However, as prepared here, they still yielded fantastic results. Beef stew meat is another excellent and cost-effective option, readily available at most grocery stores. An added benefit of stew meat is that it often comes pre-cubed, significantly reducing your prep time.

On that particular day, sirloin steak was the star, and I couldn’t afford to wait another day to use it before it spoiled. I’ll be honest: whenever I embark on a new Instant Pot beef recipe, I almost always dice the meat into bite-sized pieces before cooking. This method makes the meat easier to eat and, in my experience, contributes to the most tender outcome possible.

Essential Ingredients for Perfect Beef Tips

Crafting these succulent beef tips and rich gravy requires a selection of quality ingredients. Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll need and why each component is important:

1. Beef: You’ll need 2 pounds of either sirloin steak or beef stew meat. Stew meat is often pre-cubed, making it an even simpler choice for preparation. Cut sirloin into small, bite-sized pieces for maximum tenderness.
2. Gravy Mix: A gravy packet, specifically a 1.6 oz dry mix, is key for both thickening and enhancing the flavor of the sauce. We used this brand, but you could also explore a homemade gravy recipe for a more from-scratch approach.
3. Mushrooms: One package of baby bella mushrooms is my preferred choice. Their firmer texture holds up well during pressure cooking, unlike more delicate button mushrooms that can sometimes disintegrate. Slice them in half.
4. Onion: A small onion, either diced or sliced, adds a foundational layer of savory flavor. Yellow onions are my usual go-to, but white onions work just as well.
5. Olive Oil: Two tablespoons of olive oil (or avocado oil) are used for sautéing the beef, helping to create a delicious sear and prevent sticking.
6. Beef Broth: Two-thirds of a cup of beef broth is essential for the liquid in the pressure cooker. It provides a much deeper, richer flavor base than water alone.
7. Seasoning: A half teaspoon of salt, a quarter teaspoon of pepper, and one teaspoon of garlic salt are vital for seasoning the meat directly, enhancing its natural flavors. Adjust to your taste preferences.
8. Worcestershire Sauce: One tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce is a secret weapon, adding a bold, umami-rich depth to the gravy that truly elevates the dish.

In terms of equipment, a reliable pressure cooker is, of course, a must. As mentioned before, if you own an Instant Pot, I highly recommend acquiring a nonstick inner pot for hassle-free cooking and easy cleanup. A wooden spatula is also incredibly handy for sautéing and stirring without scratching your pot.

This dish is wonderfully versatile and pairs beautifully with various sides. I often serve it over a comforting bed of wide egg noodles, but creamy Instant Pot white rice or fluffy mashed potatoes would also be excellent choices. These side dishes are typically prepared separately, often in another electric pressure cooker to streamline the meal prep.

The Magic of Packaged Gravy Mix

You might wonder why I opt for a packaged gravy mix in this recipe. My primary goal is always to deliver delicious results with maximum ease and minimal fuss. A dry gravy mix packet is incredibly convenient – simply tear open, whisk with liquid, and pour it in. It not only contributes a tremendous amount of savory flavor to the dish but, more importantly, it provides a perfect, consistent thickness to the sauce. I once tried making this without a brown gravy packet, and while I attempted to salvage the texture with sour cream, the desired thickness and richness simply weren’t there. For a quick, flavorful, and perfectly textured gravy, the packaged mix is a reliable choice.

Does the Instant Pot Truly Tenderize Meat?

Absolutely! One of the most significant advantages of cooking with a pressure cooker, like the Instant Pot, is its unparalleled ability to tenderize meat, regardless of the cut. The high-pressure environment drastically reduces cooking times compared to slow cookers, ovens, or stovetops, while efficiently breaking down tough connective tissues. This means even traditionally chewy cuts can achieve a melt-in-your-mouth texture much faster. The final tenderness will always depend on the initial quality of the meat and its inherent connective tissue content, but a pressure cooker is a powerful tool for achieving superior results.

Understanding Sirloin Tips and Stew Meat

Let’s clarify the cuts of beef commonly used for “beef tips.” Sirloin tips are typically derived from the sirloin primal cut, which is found towards the rear of the cow. While the broader sirloin area can yield larger roasts or steaks, the “tips” are often smaller pieces, sometimes cut from the leaner parts. They are known for their beefy flavor and can be quite tender when cooked correctly.

Stew meat, on the other hand, is generally a more economical choice. It’s often cut from tougher parts of the cow, such as the chuck (from the shoulder) or round (from the hind leg), which are rich in connective tissue. These cuts are ideal for slow-cooking or pressure-cooking methods, as the extended cooking time and moisture help break down those tissues, resulting in wonderfully tender results. While I prefer sirloin for its inherent tenderness if it’s available, stew meat is an excellent and budget-friendly alternative that achieves fantastic tenderness in the Instant Pot.

What truly elevates this recipe, making it SO incredibly good, is the gravy. It. Is. Phenomenal! The flavor profile shares some similarities with my popular Instant Pot beef stroganoff, but this version offers a more abundant, robust, and richer flavor. While the stroganoff uses cream of mushroom soup for convenience, this beef tips gravy leans more towards a semi-homemade approach, allowing the deep beef and mushroom flavors to truly shine.

Keep in mind that the gravy will naturally thicken further as it cools and rests, so don’t worry if it seems a little thin immediately after cooking. This dish is incredibly versatile and can be served over a variety of comforting bases. Excellent choices include fluffy Instant Pot brown rice, classic white rice, tender egg noodles, or creamy pressure cooker mashed potatoes. Feel free to choose your favorite!

White vs. Baby Bella Mushrooms: A Flavor and Texture Comparison

While both white button mushrooms and baby bella mushrooms (also known as cremini) are varieties of Agaricus bisporus, they present distinct differences in appearance, flavor, and texture. White buttons are harvested at an earlier, more immature stage, giving them a milder flavor and a softer texture. Baby bellas, on the other hand, are allowed to mature a bit longer, resulting in a deeper, earthier flavor and a significantly firmer texture. Fully mature baby bellas eventually grow into what we know as portabella mushrooms. For this recipe, I specifically recommend baby bellas due to their firmer consistency. Their robust structure allows them to hold up well during the pressure cooking process, ensuring they don’t disintegrate into the gravy but rather retain their delightful bite.

Explore More Pressure Cooker Beef Recipes You’ll Love

If you’ve enjoyed this Instant Pot Beef Tips and Gravy, you’ll certainly want to explore some of our other fantastic pressure cooker beef creations. Our Instant Pot beef stew casserole is an incredibly hearty and satisfying meal, perfect for cooler weather. For a crowd-pleasing appetizer or easy dinner, try our pressure cooker shredded beef, which is absolutely perfect served on small rolls as sliders. If you’re a fan of Asian-inspired flavors, our Instant Pot beef and broccoli recipe, served with fluffy rice, is truly over the top. And don’t forget a classic and comforting Ninja Foodi stew recipe, another family favorite!