Easy Instant Pot French Dip
These Instant Pot French Dip sandwiches are loaded with tender, juicy, shredded beef that cooks in just about 90 minutes from start to finish! This one will quickly earn a spot in your monthly family dinner rotation!
You Will Love These
- These sandwiches are amazing. Seriously – the beef just falls apart it’s so tender and juicy. And the instant pot does all the work for you in a relatively short amount of time! Start dinner around 4pm and you’ll be eating by 530-6! And do you know what else you can do in that time? Throw together the most perfect Baked Fries ever to serve alongside these shredded beef sandwiches.
- If you’re new to the instant pot, this is a simple, easy recipe that would be great for your first try! You get some practice using the sauté function, you can test out the manual setting AND get to see how the natural release work – which, spoiler alert, is pretty underwhelming! The steam just slowly escapes. But it’s great for keeping the meat juicy! If you’re ready to try more instant pot recipes be sure to check out my Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Tacos or 20 Minute Instant Pot Taco Soup!
- If you don’t have an instant pot, fear not! You can use a slow cooker instead! I would recommend still searing the roast in oil and sautéing the onion and garlic in a pot on the stove. But other than that, the process is pretty much the same. Add the seared roast, sautéed onion and garlic, broth, Worcestershire, thyme, oregano, and salt and pepper to a crockpot and set on high for 4-6 hours (or on low for 8-10 hours) or until the beef shreds easily.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Olive Oil — I like a good olive oil, but we’re just searing the roast, here, not eating the oil raw, so you can use your favorite cooking oil or whatever you have on-hand.
- Chuck Roast — You can use a chuck roast or a rump roast for a good French dip. Basically, you want a good hunk of beef with white marbling throughout. Bone in or boneless will work well!
- Yellow Onion — Yellow onions add a nice sweetness, but white onions will add a similar flavor if that’s all you have on hand.
- Garlic — No need to mince the garlic in this recipe, just smash it to release some flavor. If you don’t have fresh garlic on hand, you can use garlic powder instead.
- Beef Broth — Remember that broth is essentially flavored water that just adds flavor to a recipe where water would … well, water it down. If you don’t have beef broth (or just don’t have enough) you can substitute with another kind (veggie would be best here). Warning: There are other options (red wine, beer, soy sauce, etc.) if you Google “beef broth substitute,” but those are generally for replacing a smaller amount of broth. Don’t pour 32 ounces of soy sauce into your instant pot French dip if you forgot to get beef broth!
- Worcestershire Sauce — Worcestershire has a pretty distinct flavor, but if you’re out you can mix in ¼ cup of soy sauce instead.
- Thyme and Oregano — I love the layers of flavor that dried oregano and dried thyme bring to this dish. If you’re out of one you can just double the other. Skip the packet of onion soup mix for this recipe – you can make a delicious French dip recipe from scratch with a few simple ingredients! Feel free to add a couple bay leaves if you’ve got them on hand as well – they’ll really boost for the herb flavors.
Instructions
Heat oil in the instant pot set to the sauté function. Season roast on all sides with salt and pepper.
Sear roast, cooking for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until a dark golden brown crust forms on all sides. Set roast aside.
Keeping the instant pot on the saute function, add onion and garlic along with a large pinch of salt and pepper and cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add a splash of beef broth to the pot and deglaze the pan, scraping all the yummy bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
Add beef roast back to the instant pot.
Add beef broth, Worcestershire, thyme, oregano and a couple large pinches of salt and pepper to the instant pot.
Seal the instant pot lid making the sure the valve is sealed and pressure cook for 75 minutes using the manual setting. Let the instant pot naturally release. Shred beef with two forks.
Fill sliced French baguette with shredded beef and provolone or Swiss cheese, then broil to melt the cheese and enjoy!
Use a fine mesh strainer to strain cooking liquid from the instant pot and serve with French dip sandwiches. Drizzle sandwiches with horseradish sauce and garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Tips
- Don’t skip the sear! The sear is really going to add another layer of flavor to the meat and help it to lock in all the juices and keep it moist. It’s so convenient that the instant pot has the sauté function built right in so instead of dirtying another dish and firing up the stove, you can sauté the roast right in the instant pot! Trust me, it’s worth the extra few minutes.
- It can be tempting to just use the quick release setting when you’re finished cooking the beef. I urge you not to, however! The natural release setting is going to slowly allow the pressure to reduce and the steam to escape. This will ensure that the meat stays tender and juicy and doesn’t dry out. The quick release setting is going to allow the steam to escape quickly and along with the steam will go all of the juices leaving you with a dried out roast!
- You can also cook a larger roast – say 3-4 pounds – using this recipe too! You’ll just need to increase the pressure cooking time. I’d recommend for a 3-4 pound roast cooking for 90 minutes and then testing to see if it’s tender. If it’s not, just seal it up again and cook for another 15-20 minutes.
- If you want to take the flavors up a notch, try spreading butter on your baguette and giving it a quick toast in the oven before adding the cheese and meat.
Make-Ahead, Storage, Freezing, and Reheating
- Make-Ahead: This shredded beef can be made up to a week in advance which is what makes it one of my favorite recipes!
- Storage: Store leftover shredded beef in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. Store the cooking liquid with the shredded beef.
- Freezing: Store leftovers in the freezer an airtight container for up to 2 months. Freeze the cooking liquid with the shredded beef. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheating: Reheat shredded beef in a large sauté pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until warmed through.
FAQ
A traditional French dip sandwich is made with thin slices of hot beef and provolone cheese, toasted inside a baguette and dipped in the pan sauce. This instant pot French dip recipe makes it even easier for you to enjoy a tender, juicy, shredded beef sandwich!
Some great sides to serve with a French dip sandwich include baked fries or potatoes wedges, any of your favorite pasta salads, crispy coleslaw, or traditional potato chips!
It’s surprisingly easy to make a delicious French dip from scratch! You can cook the beef roast in the slow cooker or instant pot, assemble your shredded beef sandwich and broil. French dips are one of the easiest hot sandwiches to make!
The sauce served with a French dip sandwich is called u0022au jusu0022. It’s a pan sauce that cooks with the beef. Au jus is a French culinary expression that means u0022with juiceu0022. Many French dip sandwiches are served dipped in the au jus, but I prefer to serve it on the side so the sandwich doesn’t get soggy!
More easy family dinners to try!
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Instant Pot French Dip
These Instant Pot French Dip sandwiches are loaded with tender, juicy, shredded beef that cooks in just about 90 minutes from start to finish! This one will quickly earn a spot in your monthly family dinner rotation!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 lbs. chuck roast
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 32 oz. beef broth
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
Serve with:
- 10 oz. loaf French baguette
- provolone cheese
- horseradish sauce
- fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat oil in the instant pot set to the saute function.
- Season roast on all sides with salt and pepper.
- Sear roast, cooking for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until a dark golden brown crust forms on all sides. Set roast aside.
- Keeping the instant pot on the saute function, add onion and garlic along with a large pinch of salt and pepper, and cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add a splash of beef broth to the pot and deglaze the pan, scraping all the yummy bits off the bottom.
- Add beef roast back to the instant pot.
- Add beef broth, Worcestershire, thyme, oregano and a couple large pinches of salt and pepper to the instant pot.
- Seal instant pot and pressure cook for 75 minutes using the manual setting.
- Let the instant pot naturally release.
- Shred beef with two forks.
- Slice French baguette lengthwise and place on a baking sheet, cut side up. Layer shredded beef on one side of the baguette and provolone on the other. Broil for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese melts.
- Use a fine mesh strainer to strain cooking liquid from the instant pot and serve with French dip sandwiches.
- Drizzle with horseradish sauce and garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
Don’t skip the sear! The sear is really going to add another layer of flavor to the meat and help it to lock in all the juices and keep it moist. It’s so convenient that the instant pot has the saute function built right in so instead of dirtying another dish and firing up the stove, you can saute the roast right in the instant pot! Trust me, it’s worth the extra few minutes.
It can be tempting to just use the quick release setting when you’re finished cooking the beef. I urge you not to, however! The natural release setting is going to slowly allow the pressure to reduce and the steam to escape. This will ensure that the meat stays tender and juicy and doesn’t dry out. The quick release setting is going to allow the steam to escape quickly and along with the steam will go all of the juices leaving you with a dried out roast!
You can also cook a larger roast – say 3-4 pounds – using this recipe too! You’ll just need to increase the pressure cooking time. I’d recommend for a 3-4 pound roast cooking for 90 minutes and then testing to see if it’s tender. If it’s not, just seal it up again and cook for another 15-20 minutes.
This was SO GOOD! I served it with sweet potato fries and added some au jus and beer to the broth! Delicious!
I had to use soy sauce instead. This was amazing, even my picky 7 year old loved it!
Woohoo! Love it when the picky eaters enjoy the meal too – that is always a win. Thanks for leaving a review, Sandra!
This is one of my favorites as well. My 7 year old granddaughter also loved it!!!!!
I’m so glad to hear that you and your granddaughter enjoyed these French dips! Thanks for leaving a review, Grace!
Turned out great! My roast was around 3.5 pounds so increased seasoning and added a pack of onion soup mix. Also cooked in the slow cooker for around 7 hours. Will definitely Make again very soon.
Going to make this in the instant pot in a couple days. On the manual setting, do you use high or low pressure?
Good question – high pressure works best!
Can you make this with a frozen roast or does it require it to be thawed? How would you adjust for frozen?
Good question, Erin! I think that you definitely could make it with a frozen roast, but I would plan to almost double the cooking time and even then you may have to cook it for a bit longer. Or you could try thawing the roast in the fridge overnight so that it’s not frozen also! Would love to hear how it turns out if you do end up making it!
The simplest, most delicious Saturday night meal! Will be on our weekly rotation now.
Question what kinda roast do you use?
I find that a chuck roast works best for this recipe!
This turned out so well. It was really delicious, I will definitely make it again.
I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed this french dip recipe, Laura! Thanks for leaving a review – I really appreciate it 🙂
Made in September and was requested to make it again now. Thanks so much for sharing
Woohoo! I LOVE to hear that, Emma! 🙂 Thank you so much for leaving a review – I really appreciate it!
Just wow!!!!! I added a French onion packet also because following an actual recipe is hard for me. This was amazing!
🙂 HAHHAA I have a hard time following a recipe too!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for leaving a review!!
I’ve made this recipe twice now and both times it has delivered splendidly! Simply delicious- highly recommend,,
I am so glad to hear that, Carolyn! Easy Instant Pot recipes are my fave 🙂 Thanks for leaving a review – I really appreciate it!
I added homemade horseradish to my 3.5 lber. Covering the top of any roast with horseradish is simply amazing. It does amazing things to the fat enzymes in the meat. Even if you dont like horseradish “TRY IT ” It honestly doesn’t even taste like it at all. WOW.
YUM! I am totally trying that next time I make these!!!! We have a huge jar of horseradish in the fridge to use up – thanks for sharing, Austin!
SO. Incredible!!! Made it and I am going to be dreaming about this tonight!
Yayyyy! I am so glad to hear this, Rebekah! This is one of our family’s favorites also! Thank you so much for leaving a review – I really appreciate it 🙂
Is the horseradish sauce a product you buy or something you make? If you make it, could you tell me how? Looks delicious!
It is a product! Great question! There are a few different brands out there and it’s literally labeled as horseradish sauce. I believe it’s a mixture of horseradish, mayo and mustard, but they are all slightly different. This is one that our family enjoys: https://amzn.to/2D4JNXI
Hi! Can you do this in the Crock-Pot as well?
Yes! Check out the post for the details. It’s under the “You’ll Love This” section – right near the top. Here’s an excerpt: If you don’t have an instant pot, fear not! You can use a slow cooker instead! I would recommend still searing the roast in oil and sauteing the onion and garlic in a pot on the stove. But other than that, the process is pretty much the same. Add the seared roast, sauteed onion and garlic, broth, Worcestershire, thyme, oregano, and salt and pepper to a crockpot and set on high for 4-6 hours (or on low for 8-10 hours) or until the beef shreds easily.
Everything turned out well and tasted great. I doubled everything so we could have it for leftover lunch the next day. It was a hit!
Thanks for the recipe
WOOHOO! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Christopher! Thanks so much for leaving a review 🙂
This was really, really good. I have a ninja foodi, so didnt know what the manual setting was, so pressure cooked on high for 50 minutes and let it naturally release for 30,Turned out amazing. Thanks so much
I’m so glad that this worked in the Ninja foodi! Thanks for leaving a review, Jill!