Instant Pot Freezer Pot Roast

Assemble raw, freeze flat, and cook from frozen — no thawing, no searing. A whole comfort dinner from a bag.

Ingredients

• 2½–3 lb beef chuck roast, cut into large chunks
• 1 lb baby potatoes, halved
• 3 carrots, cut in chunks
• 1 onion, cut in wedges
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp dried thyme, salt, pepper
• (added at cooking time: 1 cup beef broth)

Assembly & Freezing

Combine everything except the broth in a gallon freezer bag (leave thickeners and dairy out). Press flat and freeze — ideally molded to the shape of your Instant Pot insert so the block drops in cleanly. Good up to 3 months.

Cook from Frozen

1. Add 1 cup beef broth to the Instant Pot and drop in the frozen block.
2. Pressure cook on high for 80 minutes, then natural release for 15 minutes.
3. If you want gravy, remove the meat and veg, set to Sauté, and thicken the liquid with a cornstarch slurry.

Notes

Cutting the roast into chunks (rather than one piece) is key so it cooks through evenly from frozen. Always include at least 1 cup of liquid so the pot reaches pressure.