Wondering what to cook with that chuck roast? How about an easy and delicious Instant Pot pepper steak? Tender juicy beef, mixed with sweet bell peppers and a flavorful, savory Asian stir fry sauce…yum!

My instant pot has become a staple on our kitchen counter since boy #2 arrived. I use it to make baby food, Vietnamese Yogurt and easy hands-off meals for the family. This pepper steak dish is another one of those amazing Instant Pot recipes that infuses maximum flavor with minimal effort.
Pepper steak is usually made with flank, skirt or sirloin cuts of beef. However, in this recipe, I found that using chuck roast cut comes out more tender in the Instant Pot. I buy chuck roast cuts often as it’s more affordable than New York and rib-eye steaks.
The chuck roast cut is a tougher piece of meat because it comes from the cow’s shoulder, a body part where the muscle is heavily used. So it is mainly used for braises and stews, requiring more time to cook. Fortunately, the Instant Pot is great for these types of meat and cooks in speedy, busy mom time and delivers deep, rich flavors.
Ingredients And Equipment
Instant Pot 6-8 quart – I have the 6 quart Instant pot Duo.
Chuck roast – Look for cuts that are well marbled, 1.5-2 pounds and about 2 inches thick.
Shaoxing wine – A specialty Chinese cooking wine that you can find at an Asian market. I get mine at the local HMart.
How To Make
Dry the meat then season with salt and pepper on each side.
Set the IP to saute mode, until it reads “hot’.
Add the meat. Sear the meat 6-7 minutes on each side to get a nice brown crust. Take the meat out and set aside on a cutting board.
Add the minced garlic and ginger, then saute.
Add the chicken broth, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, honey, and sesame oil into the pot. Use a wooden spoon, deglaze the pot by scraping the charred bits of meat on the bottom. Turn off the saute mode.
Cut the meat into ⅛” slices, width-wise. To make it bite-size pieces, cut the slices crosswise.
Add the sliced meat back in the instant pot, make sure it’s submerged in the chicken stock. Set it to high pressure for 13 minutes. Turn the valve to the seal position.
When ready, natural release for 15 minutes then open the valve to release the rest of the pressure and open the lid.
Press the saute function, when it reads “hot”, add the bell peppers and onion. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
Then add the cornstarch slurry in a little at a time, mix well until the sauce thickens to your liking, about 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and serve!
Tips
- This dish is best served with rice. If going low carb, cauliflower rice works as well!
- Keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Searing the steak first will make it easier to cut and adds a lot more flavor to the dish.
- Don’t have cornstarch for the thickener? Try potato starch instead, 2 tablespoons starch mixed with 3 tablespoons water.
- This pepper steak recipe is best made with a chuck roast, if you have a sirloin, flank or skirt cut, it’s better to do a stir fry on the stove.
Happy eating guys, hope you all enjoyed this! Spread the love, and share this recipe with anyone that will appreciate an easy, delicious instant pot meal!
Instant Pot Pepper Steak
Equipment
- wooden spoon
- cutting board
- sharp cutting knife
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds well marbled, 2 inch thick chuck roast
- ½ cups chicken stock
- ¼ cup shaoxing cooking wine
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
cornstarch slurry
- 2 tbs cornstarch
- 3 tbs water
Instructions
- Dry the meat, then season with salt and pepper on each side.
- Add oil to the Instant Pot and press the saute mode. When it reads "hot", add the meat.
- Sear the meat on one side for 6-7 minutes to get a nice brown crust. Then turn the meat over and sear for another 6-7 minutes.
- Take the meat out and set on a cutting board.
- Add garlic and ginger into the pot and saute for about 1 minute.
- Then add the chicken broth, shaoxing wine, soy sauce, honey, and sesame oil into the pot. Use a wooden spoon to deglaze the pot by scraping the charred bits of meat on the bottom. About 2-3 minutes. Turn off the saute mode.
- Cut the meat into ⅛" thick slices.
- Add the meat back into the instant pot, submerging it into the stock.
- Close the lid, and press the pressure cook function for high pressure for 13 minutes. Turn the valve to the seal position.
- When done cooking, allow for natural release, about 15 minutes. Then open the valve to release the rest of the pressure.
- Press the saute mode, when it reads "hot", add the bell peppers and onion. Saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Then add the cornstarch slurry in a little at a time, mix well until the sauce thickens to your liking, about 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and serve!
Notes
- This dish is best served with rice. If going low carb, cauliflower rice works as well!
- Searing the steak first will make it easier to cut and adds a lot more flavor to the dish.
- Keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Don’t have cornstarch? Try potato starch instead, 1 TBS starch to 2 TBS water.
- This pepper steak recipe is best made with a chuck roast, if you have a sirloin, flank or skirt cut, it’s better to just do a stir fry on the stove.