This Simple Homemade One-Pot Beef Stew (Kid-Friendly) is the perfect comforting dish. Made with beef broth, beef, and veggies, this hearty meal can be made in no time in your Instant Pot!
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Table of Contents
Easy Beef Stew Recipe
This easy beef stew recipe uses wholesome ingredients such as high-quality beef, carrots, potatoes, green beans, and nutritious beef broth. It includes all food groups (carbohydrates, protein, and veggies) for a complete meal for babies (see recipe notes), toddlers, and the whole family!
Reasons to Love this Simple Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe
- Iron-rich meal for babies and toddlers.
- It uses wholesome and nutritious ingredients.
- Quick, minimum preparation one-pot meal.
- Cook once, eat twice type of meal. It tastes even better the next day and reheats beautifully!
- Beef stew is the ultimate comfort food for sick days. When my kids are sick, I love making beef stew and this instant pot chicken noodle soup (my son’s favorite)!
- This recipe is adapted from a classic beef stew recipe. It skips the ingredients that aren’t kid-friendly, such as red wine and Worcestershire sauce, yet it is very tasty (you won’t miss these ingredients)!
Ingredients to Make this Simple Homemade Beef Stew Recipe
- High-quality beef stew meat: You can also use beef chuck roast or marbled meat for the best tender, melt-in-your-mouth meal. If using beef chuck roast, purchase extra, as you must trim some of the fat and discard it before cutting the meat into smaller pieces.
- Beef cooking broth: I love using a high-quality broth with no artificial flavors or preservatives.
- Baby potatoes: You can also use regular potatoes. Peel and cut them into 4-6 pieces each.
- Carrots: I like using regular orange carrots in this recipe.
- Green Beans: To add more veggies to the dish, and a different texture than the potatoes and carrots.
- Onions: White or yellow onions will work in this recipe.
- Garlic: I love adding freshly minced garlic to beef recipes for flavor.
- Tomato paste: Try to find a brand with only tomatoes as ingredients or tomato and salt. It adds a rich tomato flavor and wonderful color to the dish.
- Coconut aminos: I like using coconut aminos rather than soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce due to their lower salt content and minimal ingredients. They add a delicious, salty, and slightly sweet “umami” flavor to the dish.
- Salt, pepper: When cooking for babies younger than 12 months old, skip the salt, use unsalted beef broth, skip the coconut aminos (due to high salt content) and cook the beef stew following the same steps. Once ready, remove the portion for the baby and season for the rest of the family.
- Corn starch: Used to thicken the sauce. It should be added at the end if desired.
- Fresh Parsley: Optional to garnish.
- Olive oil: Used to sauté the onions and garlic.
- Bay leaves: Optional for added flavor!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here is how to make beef stew in your Instant Pot in only 35 minutes! Once you start making this recipe, you will never want to go back to the conventional stove-top method.
Prepping:
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic.
- Wash and chop the parsley (if using).
- Wash, peel, and chop the carrots into 1-inch pieces.
- Wash, peel, and chop the potatoes into 1-inch pieces. If using baby potatoes, you can leave the peel on.
- Wash, cut off the stem ends, and chop the green beans in half.
- Cut the stew beef into 1-inch pieces, season with salt and pepper, and let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before adding it to the pan.
Cooking:
- Set the instant pot to “sauté” and heat 1 tbsp olive oil.
- Split the beef into two parts to avoid overcrowding the pan. Add the first batch to the hot olive oil, and sear on both sides for about 5 minutes.
- Remove the beef, set aside, and repeat the process with the second batch of beef.
- Add the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil and sauté the chopped onions and minced garlic until fragrant.
- Add all the ingredients (except the parsley and cornstarch) and mix well.
- Add the caramelized beef back to the instant pot and give it a good stir.
- Put the lid on and set the instant pot valve to “seal”.
- Set the instant pot to “stew-meat” and cook for about 35 minutes.
- When the timer beeps, let the pressure release naturally all the way down, or wait 10 minutes and do the quick release method, by carefully turning the valve to the open position, releasing the remaining pressure.
- Add about 1 cup of the stew liquid to a small bowl and whisk the cornstarch. Add the cornstarch slurry back to the instant pot and mix until the stew has thickened.
- Adjust salt and pepper, add fresh parsley and remove bay leaves (if using) before serving.
Recipe Tips
- I really recommend adding the cornstarch to thicken this hearty beef stew. It gets very close to a German goulash soup.
- Make sure to use a wooden spoon to clear the bottom of the pot as the beef caramelization is what adds a lot of flavor to this dish.
- It is important to have the meat at room temperature to reach the tasty, browned bits on the bottom of the pan. If the beef is too cold, it will not reach the same caramelization.
- Suitable for babies 6+ months old (unsalted). Skip the salt, coconut aminos (due to high salt content) use unsalted stock and cook the recipe as per instructions, remove baby’s portion and season for the rest of the family.
Tools Needed
Serving Suggestions and Substitutions
- Serve this soup “as is” or with bread. My 4-year-old loves French baguette or other crusty bread with this hearty stew.
- I have also served this meal with mashed potatoes or rice.
Substitutions:
- You can replace the green beans with peas. If doing so, add the frozen peas after the soup is ready. Place the instant pot back into “sauté” and let the peas cook until soft.
- You may add other veggies if you like, celery and mushrooms work perfectly! These will need to be pressure-cooked.
Storage Instructions
This delicious beef stew can be stored in several different ways. Labeling the freezer bags or air-tight containers with the item and date is important.
Refrigerator: Store the beef stew in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can reheat it in the microwave or stovetop. This recipe tastes even better the next day!
Freezer: This delicious homemade beef stew can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator or use the defrost option in the microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sautéing the garlic and onions in olive oil, followed by the meat. If you let it caramelize and form a nice brown crust before adding the liquid, it will give you the very best flavor!
The secret to a tender beef stew is choosing the right cut of meat (stewing beef—chuck roast or other marbled meat) and cooking it in an instant pot (about 35 minutes), letting the pressure release naturally. Alternatively, use the slow cooker mode and cook for 4-6 hours.
Yes, definitely! To make this a crockpot beef stew, brown the beef in a large frying pan/skillet over medium heat and then transfer it to the slow cooker. Follow the same steps as using an instant pot and cook for 6-7 hours on low heat and 3-4 on high heat.
Meal Planning Bundle
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🥣Recipe
Simple Homemade One-Pot Beef Stew (Kid-Friendly)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs stew beef
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 lb potatoes
- 1 lb carrots
- 1 1/2 cups green beans
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp parsley optional
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 bay leaves optional
Instructions
Prepping
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic cloves.
- Wash and chop the parsley (if using).
- Wash, peel, and chop the carrots into 1-inch pieces.
- Wash, peel, and chop the potatoes into 1-inch pieces. If using baby potatoes, you can leave the peel on.
- Wash, cut off the stem ends and chop the green beans in half.
- Cut the stew beef into 1-inch pieces, season with salt and pepper, and let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before adding to the pan.
Cooking
- Set the instant pot to “sauté” and heat 1 tbsp olive oil.
- Split the beef in 2 parts to avoid overcrowding the pan. Add the first batch to the hot olive oil, and sear on both sides forabout 5 minutes.
- Remove the beef and set aside and repeat the process with the second batch of beef.
- Add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and sauté the chopped onions and minced garlic until fragrant.
- Add all the other ingredients (except the parsley and cornstarch), give a good mix.
- Add the caramelized beef back to the instant potand give it a good stir.
- Put the lid on and set the instant pot valve to “seal”.
- Set the instant pot to “stew-meat” and cook forabout 35 minutes.
- When the timer beeps, let the pressure release naturally all the way down, or wait 10 minutes and do the quick release method, by carefully turning the valve to the open position, releasing the remaining pressure.
- Add about 1 cup of the stew liquid to a small bowl and whisk the cornstarch. Add the cornstarch slurry back to the instant pot and mix until the stew has thickened.
- Adjust salt and pepper, add fresh parsley, and remove bay leaves (if using) before serving.
Notes
- I really recommend adding the corn starch to thicken this hearty beef stew. It gets very close to a German goulash soup.
- Make sure to use a wooden spoon to clear the bottom of the pot as the beef caramelization is what adds a lot of flavor to this dish.
- It is important to have the meat at room temperature to reach the tasty, browned bits on the bottom of the pan. If the beef is too cold, it will not reach the same caramelization.
- Suitable for babies 6+ months old (unsalted). Skip the salt, coconut aminos (due to high salt content) use unsalted stock and cook the recipe as per instructions, remove baby’s portion and season for the rest of the family.
Nutrition
