Instant Pot Vegetable Beef Soup

Are you looking for a delicious instant pot vegetable beef soup recipe? Look no further! This hearty soup is packed with tender beef, nutritious vegetables, and savory flavors.

The instant pot vegetable beef soup is a comforting dish that warms your soul and helps you use up those leftover vegetables in your fridge. It features tender, succulent beef chunks and a mix of vegetables; all simmered in a flavorful beef broth.

Jump to recipe

• Why should you cook soup in an instant pot?
• Recipe ingredients
• What else can I add?
• How to make beef and vegetable soup in the instant pot?
• Expert Tips
• Recipe FAQ
• How to store and reheat?
• What to serve with vegetable beef soup?
• More beef soups
• Recipe
• Instant Pot Vegetable Beef Soup

Why should you cook soup in an instant pot?

• Timesaving: Pressure cooking significantly reduces cooking time compared to traditional stovetop or slow cooker methods.

• Retains flavors: The sealed environment of the pot traps and intensifies the flavors of the ingredients, resulting in a rich and flavorful soup.

• The pot helps tenderize tough cuts of meat, such as beef, in a relatively short time.

• Convenience: Once you've added all the ingredients to the pot and set the cooking time, you can let the instant pot work without the need of stirring.

Check out more instant pot recipes: Instant Pot Potato and Leek Soup, Instant Pot Pork Roast, or Instant Pot Chicken Stew.

Recipe ingredients

• Beef stew meat is derived from tougher cuts of beef, such as chuck and/or round, which contain a generous amount of connective tissue. When simmered in a liquid, the collagen-rich connective tissue gradually breaks down, resulting in tender meat.

• Vegetable oil for sautéing the vegetables and browning the meat.

• Vegetables: Onion and garlic form the flavor base of the soup. Carrots contribute flavor and texture to the soup offering a hint of natural sweetness. Cabbage adds a crisp and slightly sweet taste.
• Potatoes add substance to the dish, making it more satisfying and comforting.
• Tomatoes: Tomato paste and diced tomatoes from a can.

• Beef broth: You can use homemade beef broth or store-bought broth. Consider the saltiness of the stock and adjust the salt in the instant pot beef and vegetable soup accordingly.

• Seasoning: Oregano, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, fine sea salt or kosher salt, ground black pepper.

• Balsamic vinegar adds a subtle sweetness and depth of flavor to the soup. Its touch of acidity is mandatory when cooking hearty soups.
  • You can replace it with another type of vinegar, like apple cider or red wine vinegar. However, in this case, you might also consider adding ¼ - ½ teaspoon of sugar, as balsamic is slightly sweet.

• Worcestershire sauce brings a complex umami flavor. You can replace it with soy sauce or even fish sauce.

What else can I add?

• Barley: Either instead of potatoes or use ½ the number of potatoes and replace the rest with barley.

• Other vegetables like two sticks of celery, 1 cup of frozen green beans, 1 cup of cauliflower florets (or chopped leftover cauliflower stem from another recipe), one chopped parsnip, 1 cup of thawed peas (added at the end; the hot soup will cook them slightly).

• Other spices you like: Season the instant pot beef and vegetable soup with cumin and coriander; add some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper for some heat.
  • And you could flavor it with other herbs like lovage (it goes great with beef), dill, thyme, or rosemary.

How to make beef and vegetable soup in the instant pot?

• Brown beef: Set the pot to the sauté mode, add ½ of the vegetable oil, and sear the meat in two batches on all sides, 3-4 minutes per batch (1). Remove from the pot.
• Sauté diced onion, carrots, and garlic in the remaining oil for 2-3 minutes.
• Add remaining vegetables and tomato paste (2). Stir well and cook for another 5 minutes.

• Add the canned tomatoes and scrape the bottom of the pot. Pour in the beef broth and add the seasoning and the browned beef.
• Close the lid and set the valve to the sealing position. Select the pressure cook/manual mode and set the timer for 15 minutes.
• Allow for a natural pressure release for about 10 minutes. Carefully release any remaining pressure (3).
• Add vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, and adjust the taste with salt and pepper if needed. Stir in the parsley before serving.

Expert Tips

• Flavoring sauce: I use balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce to lift/ improve the dish’s flavors. This little touch at the end always has a crucial effect on the overall taste.

• You can substitute balsamic with another type of vinegar (for instance, apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar) and the Worcestershire sauce with soy sauce.
  • I often use fish sauce; it might seem unusual, but it works; rest assured, the beef soup will not taste of fish.

• Avoid overfilling the instant pot. Leave enough headspace to prevent the liquid from foaming and spattering during cooking.

• Adjust liquid quantities: Since the pot is a sealed environment, less liquid evaporates compared to traditional stovetop cooking. That’s why we use less broth than we would typically use in a stovetop recipe to avoid ending up with a thin or watery soup.

• Natural release: For soups, it's generally recommended to use natural release for a few minutes before switching to quick release. This helps the flavors meld together and prevents liquid from spurting out during quick release.

Recipe FAQ

How to store and reheat?

• Refrigerate the soup in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat it on the stovetop or microwave.
• Freeze it airtight for 3-4 months. Defrost it in the fridge and reheat it before serving.

What to serve with vegetable beef soup?

• Our first choice is always bread. Try our Spelt Bread, No Yeast Oat Bread, Overnight Bread Rolls, or Herb Baguette.
• Grilled cheese sandwich: A classic grilled cheese sandwich is a comforting and satisfying option.

More beef soups

Recipe