Instant Pot Beef Tips and Gravy Recipe (Pressure Cooker Beef Tips)

Instant Pot Beef Tips, tender chunks of beef with rich brown gravy, ready for Sunday Dinner in about an hour thanks to pressure cooking.

Beef tips smothered with gravy. Doesn't that sound delicious? Here is a hearty comfort meal, perfect for serving on rice or potatoes when you need something to warm you up.

A bowl of beef tips and gravy on mashed potatoes — Instant Pot Beef Tips with Gravy

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What are beef tips?

The meaning of beef tips has changed over the years. They used to be the tip of the beef tenderloin, the part that is too thin to cut into steaks or use as a roast. As beef tips became popular, butchers started using the sirloin tip roast. Now, beef tips sold at the grocery store are a different cut of beef depending on what they have left over. They can be pieces of sirloin tips, chuck roast, round roast, or any tough cut that needs stewing. At my local store, it is usually pieces of chuck roast. In other words, for this recipe, you need bite-sized pieces of beef that are good for stewing. If your grocery store doesn't have beef tips, look for "stew meat" or "stew beef." They will also work in this recipe. When I have to cut the pieces myself, I prefer chuck roast or boneless short ribs, then bottom round roast.

Ingredients

Beef Tips
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Fine sea salt
Vegetable oil
Onion
Red wine (optional)
Worcestershire sauce
Soy sauce
Beef broth
Cornstarch
Sour Cream
Fresh ground black pepper

How to Make Beef Tips and Gravy in the Instant Pot

Season the beef tips and brown on one side: Toss the beef tips with the onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. Add the vegetable oil to an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode - High (use medium-high heat in other pressure cookers), and heat until the oil starts to shimmer. Add half the beef to the pot, making sure not to crowd it, and brown on one side (about 3 minutes). Remove the browned beef to a bowl. Add the rest of the beef to the pot and brown it on one side (about 3 more minutes). Move the browned beef to the bowl.

Sauté the onion, simmer the wine: Add the onion to the pot and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt. Sauté the onion until it softens, about 5 minutes, stirring and scraping with a flat-edged wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Pour in the (optional) red wine and simmer the wine for 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the pot one last time.

Everything in the pot: Pour the beef and any juices in the bowl into the pot. Drizzle the beef with the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce and stir to coat. Pour in the beef broth (and ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt if using homemade broth).

Pressure Cook for 20 minutes with a Natural Release: Lock the lid. Pressure cook on high pressure for 20 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker (Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot), or for 20 minutes in a stovetop pressure cooker. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 more minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes).

Thicken the gravy and serve: Scoop the beef into a serving bowl using a slotted spoon. Make a cornstarch slurry by whisking the cornstarch with ¼ cup of beef broth, then whisk the slurry into the pot. Then, whisk the sour cream with about a cup of the pot liquid to thin it out, and whisk the thinned sour cream into the pot. Stir in the fresh ground black pepper. Ladle some of the gravy over the beef tips and pass the rest of the gravy on the side. Enjoy!

Storage

In an airtight container, beef tips will last for a few days in the refrigerator or for months in the freezer. I store them in 2-cup containers, covered with gravy, for grab-and-go lunches.

Tips and Tricks

The key to the timing of this recipe is the size of the beef tip pieces. I cut the beef into 1-inch cubes, or at least pieces that are 1 inch on their longest size. (Some of the end pieces come out in interesting shapes.) If you have bigger pieces, like 1½- to 2-inch cubes, then the pressure cooking time should increase to 30 minutes at high pressure to make sure the cubes are tenderized.

What to serve with Instant Pot Beef Tips and Gravy

You want to serve these beef tips with something that will soak up the gravy. Traditionally, they are served with egg noodles or rice (see my Instant Pot Rice Recipe here). But I love gravy and mashed potatoes, so that's what I usually serve as the starchy side.