Easy Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff

Instant pot is the ultimate time saver! Try Instant Pot Balsamic Pork Tenderloin. (viral recipe!), Instant Pot Ground Beef Pasta (new and so. GOOD.) and Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork (a reader favorite!). BEST Easy Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff will be a favorite in your home with all the classic flavors and creamy texture of traditional beef stroganoff, made super quick and easy in your pressure cooker! You might remember my Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon recipe (which many of you already commented that you loved, so thank you!) from a couple weeks ago. It’s that fall-apart-meat that you all love so much — and the simplicity of taking a recipe you probably never thought you could make in a short amount of time and making it work that keeps me wanting to make more. It is with that recipe in mind that I tackled Beef Stroganoff. It’s another one of those classic beef entrees we all grew up with but made easier. Just as delicious — less steps. Dinner will be ready for you and your family faster than you ever thought possible.

What is Beef Stroganoff?

As you might imagine, beef stroganoff originates from Russia. The first time we see this recipe is 1871, in a cookbook called “The Gift to Young Housewives.” While not so much a gift to housewives anymore (but thank you to the author of the cookbook for first introducing the West to different ways to prepare beef recipes), this recipe has gone through many iterations over the years. It also is made differently from country to country as well. As recipes go, it all depends on what kinds of meat and spices you have available. A lot is owed to the creativity of cooks everywhere for transforming recipes over the years into something delicious and creative and new. Regardless of origins or how it has changed over the years, the basis for beef stroganoff is the same: meat + mushrooms + onions + spices + sour cream sauce = melt-in-your-mouth, beefy goodness, all over noodles, of course.

How to Make Beef Stroganoff in the Instant Pot

Making beef stroganoff in the slow cooker is great but making it in the Instant Pot is even faster! Here’s how you can get dinner on the table in just 40 minutes.

Ingredients

Stew Meat – My grocery offers pre-cut beef already labeled as “stew meat” but you can also use a tender beef like sirloin, steak tips, tenderloin, flank, or rib eye and cut it into smaller pieces yourself. You could also use ground beef in a pinch. Salt and Pepper to Taste – Grab any salt and pepper and start adding and tasting until you reach the perfect amount of seasoning. Sliced Mushrooms – Pre-sliced mushrooms are the way to go, I think. Less work. White button mushrooms or baby portobellos work great. Minced Garlic – I use the pre-made, jarred minced garlic and it works great. Butter – I use unsalted butter and then adjust for salt later when I’m tasting. Flour – Any all-purpose flour works great. Beef Broth – Any boxed or canned beef broth will work here. Again, I tend to go low-sodium and adjust for salt later on. Worcestershire Sauce – Any name-brand Worcestershire sauce will do. Egg Noodles – Go small, medium, or wide – whatever egg noodles you choose will tastes so good in thisInstant Pot beef stroganoff. Sour Cream – I go full-fat sour cream in this yummy comfort food dish. But you can use low fat if you prefer. Corn Starch – Cornstarch is great for making a slurry. Any brand will work here. Beef Broth (or Cold Water) – Beef broth or cold water are the other ingredients in a slurry that are combined with cornstarch.You can use either, but I prefer the broth.

Directions

Can I Make this in the Slow Cooker?

Yes! If you do not have an Instant Pot, no worries there. In fact, I first adapted this recipe for the slow cooker before I re-adapted it for the Instant Pot. You all loved the Slow Cooker Creamy Beef Stroganoff recipe so much that I decided to see if I could make it even easier for you. So if you are in the mood for this Americanized comfort food on these last days of cold weather (please, please, please, let the spring come ASAP, for real) then you have options. Slow cooker or Instant Pot, both so good, both sure to be hits with you and yours.

What Beef To Use For this Recipe

If you’re wonder what kind of meat works best in a stroganoff, you’re in luck because you have a lot of options. You’ll notice in the ingredients list of this beef stroganoff recipe I suggest getting “stew meat.” Generally when you purchase this, it’s already cubed or cut for you and ready to go. That’s one less step when you’re in a hurry to get dinner done. But if you have beef in your freezer or you can’t find stew meat or just prefer to cut it yourself, then the best kind to buy is a beef that is more tender. If you have tender meat, then that means you don’t have to cook it as long. (Ahem Instant-Pot worthy). These types of cuts include sirloin, steak tips, flank, tenderloin, or rib eye. If you don’t purchase your beef pre-cut, then you’ll want to cut it into small chunks or thin strips.

What is Stroganoff Sauce Made of?

Mmmm sauce. I’m a saucy gal. I love the meat, I love the carbs but what good are the two if there isn’t a nice sauce tying them all together? For this dish, the sauce really comes together from all of the ingredients. From the beef drippings and the mushrooms, garlic, and butter all cooking down together to the broth, worcestershire, and sour cream added at the end, all of these things make the sauce happen. And it makes them so finger-licking-good too! Other recipes might call for paprika, white or red wine, or fresh herbs. Others might ask you to add onion, Dijon mustard, or milk. Those are all fine to add as well to suit your own tastes. My suggestion is to start with a recipe as instructed, then embellish it as you see fit. That’s how all the best recipes come about anyway, right?