Make a hearty vegetable beef soup in no time with this Instant Pot soup recipe. Goodbye to all-day simmering, this is a quick and easy dinner for any busy weeknight.
What cut of beef is best for soup?
I always use sirloin steak in this vegetable beef soup recipe. Sirloin does not have a bone and has very little fat, so it’s easy to cube.
It’s also juicy and fairly tender. It’s great for use in an Instant Pot soup recipe because it has enough texture not to get mushy with this kind of cooking. You’ll end up with beef that is hearty but tender enough to be cut with your spoon.
You could also use:
- Chuck roast or shoulder (like my Instant Pot Sweet Potato Kale Beef Soup)
- Short rib
- Oxtail
Is it necessary to brown meat for vegetable beef soup?
Technically, you do not have to brown the meat before you cook it under pressure. The Instant Pot will cook the beef completely. It must have an internal temperature of at least 145°F.
I recommend taking the few extra minutes to brown the beef for this vegetable beef soup, though. Browning breaks down the surface sugars on the meat and caramelizes the exterior. You will notice a big difference in the rich flavor of the finished product if you brown the meat first.
Browned meat will also hold its shape better while cooking.
What is the soup function on an Instant Pot?
Some Instant Pots come with a button for soup. In this setting, the temperature and pressure are controlled so that it never goes into a heavy boil. The soup setting usually lasts for 20-40 minutes, but you can adjust that. Want more soup recipes to make as well as this one? Try these 30 Healthy Soup Recipes!
What veggies taste good in vegetable beef soup?
One of the easiest things to adjust in the vegetable beef soup recipe is the vegetables. Feel free to add or replace with any of these:
- Butternut squash
- Sweet potato (Try my Sweet Potato Chicken Soup Recipe if you’ve got extra!)
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onions
- Kale (Got extra? Try my Ground Turkey White Bean Kale Soup)
Even if you make other changes, I would still use the onions and celery for flavor and the tomatoes for the rich red color of the broth.
How do you know when a natural release is done on an Instant Pot?
When making soup in an Instant Pot, you always want to use the natural release. This means, basically, that you do nothing at all to the Instant Pot. Just let the pressure gradually release on its own.
This is important when making any soup because it will be boiling and foamy. If you do a quick release of pressure, foam will shoot right through the release valve on the Instant Pot. As a result, you greatly increase your chance of injury from steaming hot liquid.
A natural release takes anywhere from five to thirty minutes. With soup, it will take longer because there is more liquid in the pot.
Other Vegetable Soup Recipes to Make:
- Ground Beef Butternut Squash Kale Soup
- 20-Minute Butternut Squash Soup
- Easy Whole30 Pumpkin Chili Recipe
- Chicken Vegetable Soup Recipe
- Turkey Sausage Vegetable Soup
- Ground Turkey Soup with Veggie Roots
Instant Pot Vegetable Beef Soup
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Video
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups sirloin steak cut into small cubes
- 1 tsp garlic clove minced
- 1 cup red onions chopped (replace onions for 1/2 cup of scallions if you're following keto diet)
- 1 cup celery diced
- 2 cups diced tomatoes
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 4 cups butternut squash diced
- Fresh thyme to garnish
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to sauté and pour olive oil into the pot and allow to heat.
- Add the beef cubes and sauté until they get brown.
- Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Then, add onions and celery and cook for about 3-4 minutes.
- Turn off the pot, and add all the rest of the ingredients.
- Put on the lid, lock it and set to manual high pressure for 7 minutes. It’ll take about 10-15 minutes to reach pressure, then it will start counting down. After the 7 minutes is up, do a Quick Release, which means move the valve to venting to release the steam. When all the steam is gone, open the instant pot.
- Add the butternut squash. Close the lid, and cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 3 more minutes. Followed by a quick release.
- Open the Instant Pot and remove bay leaf. Top with thyme leaves before serving.
Tips
- Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Stove Instructions:
- Other cuts of beef you can use are chuck roast or shoulder, short rib, or oxtail.
- I highly recommend not skipping browning the beef before pressure cooking as it adds more flavour and richness to the soup.
- You can add an assortment of other vegetables to the soup.
- To store: Store leftover vegetable beef soup for up to 5 days in the fridge in airtight containers.
- To reheat: You can reheat the soup in the microwave, stovetop, or Instant Pot.
- To freeze: Freeze soup in a freezer-safe container with some space on top as the soup will expand when frozen. This will keep for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
Alli says
Any idea for substitute for the butternut squash? I have a picky crew here. Thanks!
Olivia Ribas says
You can replace it with sweet potato or white potato.
Mary says
Substitute sweet potato for squash?
Olivia Ribas says
You can replace sweet potato for butternut squash.
Odeleye Jumoke Dorcas says
My family loved the meal when i prepared it
Olivia Ribas says
Happy your family likes it.