This Quick & Easy Pot Roast recipe is life changing! Seriously… it is the BEST pot roast I’ve ever made and a HUGE bonus is that it’s quick & easy, too!
True but funny story about this recipe for Quick & Easy Pot Roast. Many of you know that I have a couple of Facebook groups for the Ninja Foodi, but a little secret here… I also have one called Simply Cooking with Louise where I cook LIVE every other Tuesday and make dinner with surprise ingredients my husband brings me.
Well… one Tasty Tuesday, he brought me a chuck roast, carrots, onions, potatoes. It was pretty obvious that he had pot roast in mind. I looked at him like he was nuts… the LIVE show is an hour long — or at least that’s what we aim for!
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How in the world can I cook a pot roast in 60 minutes? I laughed and got to cooking! Amazingly, I developed this quick & easy pot roast LIVE on Facebook and it was delicious! Now, a little disclaimer here… it took me longer than 60 minutes, but that’s because I talk so much.
The pressure cook time on this is ONLY 30 minutes! WooHoo! Here’s how I did it!
How Long Do You Cook a Pot Roast in the Ninja Foodi?
I always feel like a broken record when I say this, but it all depends! There are many variables to consider when choosing times for pressure cooking a pot roast. The size, cut of meat, and how you want it cooked will determine how long you should pressure cook it.
Some other things to consider are:
- Are you adding in your veggies at the beginning or waiting until it’s almost done to add them?
- Will the pot roast be in the liquid or above it on a rack?
- Does the cut of meat have a bone?
- Do you want the roast to be shreddable and fall apart easily or do you want slices?
- How much time do you have?
Usually, a 3-pound chuck roast will take 90-120 minutes to be tender and fall apart. That’s a long time! I don’t know about you, but I don’t usually plan that far in advance and I never have 4 hours to make dinner.
No worries, though. You can get a perfectly tender pot roast with a pressure cook time of 30 minutes! Yep! That’s right, this quick & easy pot roast only pressure cooks for 30 minutes and it’s perfect!
The first IMPORTANT step is picking out the right cut of meat for your pot roast!
What Cut of Meat Should I Use for a Quick & Easy Pot Roast?
There are so many different cuts of beef — it can really get confusing, even for me. In no way am I an expert on this subject, but I’ve had enough failed pot roast attempts in my life that I have learned a thing or two.
Let’s assume that you want a flavorful, tender, pull apart, and melt in your mouth pot roast. You will need to get a chuck roast that is well marbled, but not overly fatty. Pick one that has fat 
going through it, but also has a lot of meat on it. I look for 80% meat and 20% fat.
Now, they aren’t labeled like ground beef, so the package won’t say 80/20 like ground beef does. It’s all up to you to look at the meat and estimate. I look for a chuck roast that has uniform marbling throughout.
Some other common names for Chuck Roast that you might see in the grocery store are:
- Chuck Eye Roast
- Chuck Pot Roast
- Chuck Roll Roast
Now, don’t be confused by the Chuck Eye Roast, it is not the same as the eye of round roast that you commonly find in the store. The chuck eye roast comes from the shoulder and has more connective tissue and fat. The Eye of Round roast comes from the rear of the animal and is much leaner.
Top Round and Bottom Round roasts are also commonly found in grocery stores. These cuts also come from the rear of the animal and are lean and tough. If you try to make a pull apart tender pot roast with either of these cuts, I think you will be disappointed. Because they have less fat, less collagen, and less connective tissue, they don’t break down like a chuck roast does.
The top or bottom round roasts are often used for roast beef. You can pressure cook them, but it is important to know that these cuts should be sliced thin against the grain for the best results. I also recommend serving them rare to medium rare. I’ve been on the hunt for a top round and, when I find one, I will be sure to do a recipe!
Okay, hopefully I’ve convinced you to get a chuck roast for your next pot roast dinner and I really hope you’ll give this Quick & Easy Pot Roast recipe a try!
I find the various cuts of beef to be interesting (I know I’m kind of strange!) and I found this website that goes over the various cuts, so take a peek at it before you go shopping for beef!
One last thing before we move on to how to make the quick & easy pot roast. Meat varies a lot! You can have one chuck roast that is melt-in-your-mouth tender and cook a second one the exact same way and it’s not as tender. You didn’t do anything wrong! It happens. Some are just better than others. If you want the best quality, I really recommend finding a reputable butcher shop and getting your meat from them. The difference is unbelievable!
Tips for Making a Quick & Easy Pot Roast
Choose a good quality chuck roast
This will have the most direct effect on the outcome of your pot roast, so get the best quality you can.
Pick carrots that are about 1″ in diameter
Skinny carrots will cook much quicker and might fall apart during the 30-minute pressure cook time.
Leave your vegetables whole
Not only does this make prep easier, but it will prevent the vegetables from overcooking in the 30-minute cook time.
Use Yukon Gold potatoes
The reason I suggest using Yukon Gold or any type of full size gold potato is because they hold their shape better under the 30-minute pressure cooking time. Russets tend to fall apart.
How to make a Quick & Easy Pot Roast
The first thing you want to do is take your meat out of the fridge and let it come to room temp for about 30 minutes. This will give you a better sear on the meat because cold meat cools the pan down quickly and you don’t get the high heat in direct contact with your meat.
Next, combine the flour and the seasonings in a medium size bowl. Of course, you can change the seasonings however you like, but this blend was truly delicious!
Cut up the meat into 4″ chunks. This is very important if you want your roast to cook in 30 minutes along with the vegetables. By controlling the size of the meat, we greatly reduce the cooking time. If you want to keep your roast whole, you will need to increase the cooking time to 90-120 minutes. I also recommend adding in the vegetables the last 20 minutes or so.
Add ¼ cup of olive oil (bacon grease works great too) to the inner pot and turn on the sear/sauté to high. Allow the oil to get very hot, but not smoking.
Dredge your beef chunks in the flour mixture, coating all sides. When the oil is hot enough, place each chunk in the inner pot and let them sear. You may have to do this in stages if you have more chunks than the inner pot can hold. You will know when your meat is seared correctly because it will release from the pan easily. If it is sticking, it isn’t ready yet. Turn each piece of meat over and continue the process until all sides of each chunk are seared.
Remove the meat and place on a plate, or if you can fit all the chunks in at once, you can skip this step and just leave the meat in the bottom when deglazing.
Deglaze the pan with 1 cup of dry red wine or, if you don’t want to use wine, use beef stock. This step is very important and should be done while the pot is hot. When the cold liquid hits the hot pan, it releases all the brown bits (called fond) on the bottom. The fond has great flavor and we want it in our liquid.
It is also important because, if we don’t deglaze the pan, those stuck-on bits can trigger the water notice. I like to use my scoop and spread from Pampered chef to scrape the bottom, but you can use any utensil that is safe for non-stick surfaces.
When deglazing with wine, allow the liquid to simmer for a minute or two so the alcohol has a chance to burn off. We want the flavor of the wine, but not the strong alcohol taste in our final 
dish. Return the meat to the bottom of the inner pot if you removed it.
Add in the beef stock. I call for 2 cups of beef stock, but I think you can get away with only using 1. I haven’t tested this yet, but there is so much liquid that is put off by the beef that we end up with a full pot of liquid at the end.
Now, let’s get those veggies ready. I love how easy the prep for this pot roast is and I know you will too!
If you are using mushrooms, gently wipe them with a damp paper towel. You don’t want to wash them under water because they will absorb the water and then they can’t absorb the delicious liquid from our pot roast!
Peel and smash one full bulb of garlic. I know, it’s a pain… but it’s worth it! Cut the onions in large chunks. I usually cut each onion into quarters. Throw them in the pot.
Peel the carrots (if you want to) and leave them whole. If the carrots are too long to fit in the pot, cut them just so they will fit. We want our vegetables to be as large as possible to avoid overcooking.
Wash the potatoes and leave them whole. You can peel them if you want, but I don’t.
Add the fresh Thyme and Rosemary sprigs to the pot and top with carrots and potatoes. If you are using the 6.5 qt Ninja Foodi, your pot will be very full. No worries. Just make sure anything that is above the top of the inner pot is pushed towards the front and not impeding the underside of the valve and red pin.
Put the pressure lid on and turn the valve to seal. Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes. Isn’t that the best part!
Allow to natural release for 5-10 minutes. This is not because the meat will dry out, it won’t. It’s submerged in liquid. It’s so you don’t have the liquid spewing out of the valve! Release the remaining pressure. This will take some time because the pot is full of liquid!
Remove the lid and remove the veggies. Don’t dig down to get the meat first. You want the temperature of the liquid to cool slightly before removing the meat so the moisture doesn’t get sucked out of the meat with a sudden change in temp.
I find using this large Scoop 'N Drain works great for removing the meat and veggies from a pot with a lot of liquid. The size is great and all the juices are drained off. 
You can make gravy out of the juices. I’m not the best gravy maker, but I did manage to make some delicious gravy in the YouTube video for this recipe.
Serve and Enjoy!
Quick & Easy Pot Roast in the Ninja Foodi
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
Seasoning Blend
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp rosemary crushed
- ½ cup flour
Pot roast Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 lb chuck roast you can use any size chuck roast, just cut it into 4" chunks
- 1 cup red wine any dry red wine you enjoy drinking.
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 large onions vidalia or sweet
- 1 bulb garlic
- 2 sprigs Rosemary fresh
- 4 sprigs Thyme fresh
- 8 ounces mushrooms whole baby portobella
- 2 pounds carrots
- 2 pounds potatoes
Instructions
- Take the chuck roast out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking. Combine the flour & the seasoning blend into a bowl.
- Heat the olive oil in the inner pot on high sear/saute until it is very hot, but not smoking. While the oil is heating up, cut the chuck roast into 4" chunks.
- Coat the pot roast with the seasoned flour and brown all sides in the hot oil. Deglaze the inner pot with the red wine. Make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Add in the 2 cups of beef broth and keep the sear/saute on high.
- Add in the whole mushrooms and peeled garlic cloves. Cut the onions into large chunks and add to the inner pot.
- Peel the carrots, but keep them whole. Wash the potatoes (you don't have to peel them) and keep them whole. Add the Rosemary & Thyme to the pot along with the carrots and potatoes.
- Put the pressure lid on and turn the valve to seal. Set Pressure to high for 30 minutes. Allow to natural release for 5 minutes and then manually release the remaining pressure.
- Leave the meat in the bottom for at least 5 more minutes while removing the vegetables to avoid having it loose some moisture. See post for details
- Make gravy with the juices if desired. Serve & Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
ABOUT THE RECIPE AUTHOR, LOUISE LONG
Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of 
experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full-time.
Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and getting the most out of the Ninja Foodi.
Ninja Foodi Fresh & Healthy Meals
Seeing the need for easy, delicious, and high quality recipes, she is focusing all of her efforts creating recipes specifically for the Ninja Foodi. Her recipes are easy for the home cook to follow and provide step-by-step instructions.
Louise is also a YouTube creator and you can find most of her recipes in video format on The Salted Pepper YouTube channel.
She is very responsive to messages and eager to help in any way she can.
Kathy
Can you use this recipe if your pot roast is frozen and how long would you cook it in the pressure cooker or foodi
Louise
You can, but since you won’t be able to easily cut up a frozen roast, you will need to change several things. First, I would PC the whole roast for about 60-90 minutes depending on the size, NR for 10. Then add the veggies and PC for another 5 minutes with a NR of at least 10 minutes. These suggestions are based on what I have seen other people do, but I have not tested them.
Natalia N Murillo
I made this with a couple of mods. I added a can of crushed tomatoes to the beef broth bc I didn’t have wine. I added celery to the veggie mix and wrapped them in foil and cooked on top. Then, after the pressure released, I mixed them in. My husband a 2 small kids devoured it.
Louise
I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed it!
Kathy K
OMG! Was off today and wanted to make some comfort food for my hubby. Didn’t stray too far- had to use dried thyme and used a smaller roast and baby Yukon’s but the end result was perfect! We purchased the Ninja Foodi not long ago and
Always looking for easy meals to prepare. This is a winner.
Louise
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
M
I love your recipes! I especially like the chili and spaghetti. This one is next. Unfortunately all I’ve got on deck are baby carrots and baby potatoes. I can wrap in foil, but should I cut the cooking time to 10 mins? I’ll be leaving my roast whole and have noted info in other comments regarding cook time and release etc.. Please advise me and thank you in advance.
M
Louise
I would definitely cut the cooking time down for baby potatoes and carrots, even if they are wrapped in foil. 10 minutes PC at the most.
JACQUELINE DONK
Loved every bite, and you! Finally found someone who is so relatable and so many recipes. This one amazed me! Something I want to share with you, when making your gravy, mix your seasoned flour with cold water into a honey consistancy, then slowly add to hot liquid. Smooth, silky gravy everytime. You’ll never have to strain or see another lump again! Thanks so much for all you do!!!
Louise
Thank you!
Min
I just made this and made some changes to cater to my laziness. I used 2 cups of beef broth. Used baby carrots (about half a pound) and used baby Yukons. They held up well. I’m glad that I didn’t do more liquids. Will definitely make this again.
Louise
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Alice
I have made this twice and it was delicious both times. Did not use mushrooms, used sprigs of Rosemary and tyme once and jarred spice once it was great both times. I think as long as you follow the basics, it would be hard to mess this recipe up. It is a new staple at my house!
Louise
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Judy
Loved following this recipe and the food turned out very good except our meat was not that great…so we are wondering if it was a bad (gristle and tough) cut of meat, or if we didn’t cut the pieces small enough (we had 6 pieces cut of a 3 lb roast). So we don’t know if we didn’t PC it long enough for the size of the pieces of meat or if 30 minutes was too long for the small pieces (is that possible?) This is only my second recipe in the Ninja Foodie, so I am not giving up yet.
Can I re-PC the meat only with all the liquid to see if that helps tenderize the meat any more or is there nothing you can do for meat that is too gristly? Some hints, please?
Louise
I would have to know what cut of beef you started with to answer you. You can PC longer and see if that helps. Sometimes, you just get a tough cut and there isn’t anything you can do. Too much PC time can dry it out as well, so make sure to do a natural release.
Kelly
I have the 8 QT ninja and would like to make 6 pound of chuck roast. Do I need to increase the cook time for a larger amount of meat?
Louise
Not if you cut it up like I do in this recipe.
Stephanie
This was my first meal in our Foodi 6.5 qt and it was delicious. We had an eye round rather than a chuck roast and I used monstrous russets that I cut in half – everything was well flavored. I think I may decrease the cook time a minute or two the next time as my vegetables were a little mushy at 30 minutes. We have a ton of leftovers for the two of us that we will surely enjoy. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and recipes!
Louise
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I agree the veggies do get on the soft side. If you aren’t opposed to using foil, wrapping the veggies in foil does slow down the cooking. You can also cut the meat a little smaller and decrease the cook time. Congrats on the new Foodi! I know you will love it!
Traci Limback
I actually used a top round roast for this and it came out great. The meat did fall apart when smashed, and it really helped to cut into the large chunks. I wrapped my potatoes and carrots in foil since they were pretty small, and they also came out perfect. I didn’t have red wine so used a red sangria I had in the fridge, and what a difference using wine! Never tried it before in a pot roast. Love your videos and this newbie is learning a lot. Thank you!
Louise
That is so great to hear! Happy Cooking!
Heather D Ligrani
This recipe was so easy and so delicious. I didn’t make any changes and it came out perfect!
Louise
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Ann Smith
Hi,
I feel like I’m asking a silly question since no one asked above. You mentioned using a garlic “bulb”. Is that supposed to be a clove instead or are there more?
Louise
I used a whole bulb of garlic in the pot roast, one clove would not really do much. You separate the cloves and remove the paper first. Hope that helps.
Ann P Wilkinson
Hey, Louise:
Looking for better directions if wanting to leave the roast whole…I got the timing, but do you have to do a QR to add the veg (seems that would ruin the beef!) How long to cook after adding the veg???
Louise
I would not quick release the meat, I would do at least a 10 minute natural release and probably even 15 minutes. If the veggies are on top of the meat and whole, I would probably PC another 7-10 minutes. If they are cut up or submerged, that time would go down to about 3-5 minutes. I haven’t done it this way, so I’m just making educated guesses here. I hope your Pot Roast is delicious!
Holly
Louise , I’m gona sound stupid, but this is my 1st pressure cooker ever, and I received it from hubby at Christmas. I have the deluxe foodi, and still learning what things are what is PC and I been reading the natural and QR…. what do they mean with the valve…wanna make sure I’m doing it right, also I’ll be making this tonight..hopefully everyone loves it
Holly
Just to let you know, The family loved it..specially my husband….he was a cook for 10yrs in the Navy, and has been a pastry chef now for 15yrs out in Nevada at a casino..just figured that would make your day by having a Chef love it..he said it’s a keeper in our house now
Louise
That’s awesome! Thank you and tell him, thank you!
Louise
PC is pressure cook and QR is quick release. I have an article that goes over a lot of these things. Here is the link: https://thesaltedpepper.com/how-to-use-the-ninja-foodi/
Jacob Woodward
Maybe it was said before I didn’t read all the comments but next time I’ll put the carrots and mushrooms on top so that they aren’t mushy. Great recipe though, my wife and I loved it!
Louise
I’m surprised your mushrooms were mushy, my experience has been the opposite (shockingly so) and they have retained their firmness. I agree the carrots are softer than I would like, you can also wrap the carrots in foil if you don’t mind cooking with foil. I did that in another recipe and it kept them from getting too soft. I’m glad you enjoyed the pot roast!
Sandy
Hey ,I seen your recipes and this is how I enjoy cooking, just got my Ninja Foodi and have made your beef stew and pot roast! Both we’re really good! Like lick your bowl good!! Thank you from another Tennessee girl 😊
Louise
I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipes!
Barb Lyons
Hi. I plan on making this soon. Thank you for your guidance. I would like clarification as to what a serving size is for the nutrition facts. Thanks.
Louise
I based it on 6 servings. I think it would feed 8 normal appetites, but 6 bigger ones for sure.
Linda
I am in the midst of making this pot roast. I am hoping like crazy tgat this roast will come out so melt in your mouth soft. It is very hard to eat beef without teeth. The only thing that confused me was the amount of beef broth. The ingredients called for two and the instructions called for three.
Louise
Sorry about that, I’ll fix it. It really doesn’t matter if you use 2 or 3 cups, you will just have more liquid with 3 cups.
Janice Lucero
Love the recipe was so easy. You make it so easy to make your recipes. My family loved this pot roast. Thank you so much!
Louise
Thank you so much! I’m thrilled that everyone enjoyed the pot roast!
Mary Macchio
This recipe is fantastic! I was even able to make gravy that I liked for the first time. Definitely will make again. Was a big hit with the family. Added some turnips for a lower carb alternative vegetable.
Louise
Thank you! I’m so glad the family enjoyed it! I love turnips, that’s a great addition!
Brenda Atkins
Love your videos…I would like to know if I can do the Mississippi Roast in the Foodi instead of 8 hrs in the crockpot. And how long would I pressure the recipe? Thank you for all you do to help others like me.
Louise
Thank you so much, I’m happy to help in any way I can! I have never made a Mississippi Roast before, so I’m not sure what all goes into it, but you can change the flavors and follow this recipe as long as you cut the meat into 4″ chunks. If you don’t want to do that, then I would PC for 90 minutes with a full natural release for an average size chuck roast.
Becky N.
Enjoying your videos and the FB group 101. Learning a lot and I will be trying your recipes for months! 🙂
BTW – Love your cute hair in this video!
Louise
Thank you so much! I can’t wait to hear how you like the recipes!
Louise
Thank you so much! Enjoy the recipes!
Connie Clark
Very delicious. Just amazing how those whole potatoes and carrots cook so well. Meat was incredible. Next time I’m going to try reducing the time to 23 or 25 minutes in my 6.5 qt pot. Your remarks on picking a good quality chuck roast helped. BTW in the recipes above, you don’t say when to return the meat to the pot so I assumed it goes on the bottom.That worked.
Louise
I’m so glad you liked it! I looked at the recipe and you are so right! In the post, I say to remove the meat before deglazing, yet in the actual recipe I don’t and I never say when to put it back in in the post. I bet it isn’t even necessary to remove the meat. The liquid used to deglaze is going to get under the meat and that seems simpler to me anyway. It is supposed to go on the bottom, but I’m just going to remove that step. Thank you so much for the feedback!
Glenna Barnes
Thank you for yet another delicious recipe!
Now that fall is almost upon us, can you do one now for porcupine meatballs in the Foodi
Louise
Believe it or not, I had never heard of porcupine meatballs before now. I will look them up and put them on the list to make!
Charla
I have tried the Mexican Pot roast and It was delicious. I will be trying this one very soon. I love your serving platter. Where did you get it?
Louise
I’m so glad you liked the Mexican Pot Roast! I hope you will love this one too. That platter is so old, I have no idea where I got it. So sorry!
Ashley
One of the best pot roast I’ve ever had! Thank you! My Family loved it! 🙂
Louise
Thank you so very much! I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed it!