Jump to Recipe

Instant Pot Hungarian Pot Roast is going to be a hit with people who like Hungarian flavors like paprika, sour cream, peppers, and tomatoes! Or make Slow Cooker Hungarian Pot Roast if you’re not an Instant Pot fan.

PIN Instant Pot Hungarian Pot Roast to try it later!

Instant Pot Hungarian Pot Roast finished pot roast on plate with sauce

I’m excited to be starting the year with this new recipe for Instant Pot Hungarian Pot Roast! There’s a favorite recipe on the site for Slow Cooker Hungarian Pot Roast, and back when I needed lunches to take to school I’d make that several times a month. But creating a version of that slow cooker recipe to cook in the Instant Pot turned out to be a challenge!

It wasn’t that our Hungarian Pot Roast experiments in the Instant Pot weren’t delicious, they were. But some ingredients (like roasted red peppers in a jar) didn’t hold up well to Instant Pot cooking. And the Instant Pot versions with sliced onions were a bit of a food photography nightmare. So to get better results and help with the photos we made a few changes from the slow cooker recipe.

They were minor changes, but they made a lot of difference in the results, and Kara and I absolutely loved this when we tested the recipe you see here! And we decided it was fine to have a chunky sauce, and managed to get new photos that weren’t half bad! (And we added new-and-improved photos to the slow cooker version too.) Hope you enjoy trying this recipe, no matter which way you make it! 

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

What Paprika do I use for Hungarian Pot Roast?

I’m a HUGE fan of Szeged Paprika (affiliate link) and I use both Szeged Sweet Paprika (affiliate link) and Szeged Hot Paprika (affiliate link) in this recipe. (Hot Paprika is also called Sharp Paprika by some companies.) But if you don’t have that brand, try to use authentic Hungarian paprika. It will make a big difference in the flavor.

What Size Instant Pot Did I Use?

I use a 6 Quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) for all my Instant Pot Recipes! You can find more Instant Pot Recipes on my other site, Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker.

Want more low-carb dinners for the Instant Pot?

Check out Favorite Keto Instant Pot Recipes for more low-carb dinners like this one.
Instant Pot Hungarian Pot Roast process shots collage

How to make Hungarian Pot Roast in the Instant Pot:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

    1. I trimmed a large chuck roast to about 3.5 pounds after trimming.
    2. Rub the roast with steak seasoning. 
    3. Brown the meat well in olive oil. I did this on the stove so I could cook onions in the Instant Pot.
    4. Add olive oil to the Instant Pot, use SAUTE, MEDIUM HEAT and brown onions.
    5. Add paprika after the onions are lightly browned and cook a few minutes more. 
    6. Then add petite dice tomatoes, and one cup beef stock to the Instant Pot.
    7. Use a non-metal turner to scrape the bottom of the pot to be sure onions don’t stick, then add browned pieces of chuck roast to the Instant Pot.
    8. Season with some black pepper. (The steak rub has salt so I didn’t add more.)
    9. Set Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH HEAT, 40 minutes.
    10. When it finishes cooking, let it NATURAL RELEASE for 20 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure.

Remove meat to a cutting board. (You might want to cover with foil.)

  • Remove about 1/3 cup of liquid, let it cool for a minute or two, and then whisk it into the sour cream.
  • Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE, MEDIUM HEAT and start simmering the liquid in the pot.
  • Drain the jar of roasted red peppers, finely chop, and add them to the Instant Pot to be part of the sauce.
  • While the sauce cools, slice meat and arrange on a serving plate.
  • When sauce has slightly cooled, stir sour cream mixture into the Instant Pot. (Be sure the ingredients are not still boiling or the sour cream may separate in the sauce.)
  • Serve sliced meat with the sauce, either spooned over the meat or on the side. Serve hot.

 

Slow Cooker Hungarian Pot Roast with beef sliced on plate and sauce served on the side

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

This Hungarian Pot Roast would be amazing with Easy Cauliflower Rice with Garlic and Green Onion or Pureed Cauliflower with Garlic, Parmesan, and Goat Cheese to serve with the sauce over it. I’d also like it with something like Twice Baked Cauliflower or Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan.

More Tasty Beef In the Instant Pot!

Instant Pot Hungarian Pot Roast finished pot roast on plate with sauce
Yield: 8 servings

Instant Pot Hungarian Pot Roast

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Everyone who's a fan of Hungarian food is going to love this Instant Pot Hungarian Pot Roast.

Ingredients

  • 2 T olive oil, divided
  •  1 beef chuck roast, about 3.5 pounds after trimming
  •  2 T steak seasoning (see notes)
  •  1 large onion, chopped
  •  2 T sweet Hungarian paprika (or more)
  •  1/2 tsp. sharp Hungarian paprika (also called Hot Paprika, this is optional, but good)
  •  one 12 oz. jar roasted red bell peppers, drained and chopped
  •  one 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes, drained
  •  1 cup beef broth
  •  fresh ground black pepper to taste (see notes)
  •  1 cup sour cream

Instructions

  1. Trim fat and unwanted parts from the chuck roast; my roast was about 3.5 pounds after trimming.
  2. Rub the roast with steak seasoning.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the meat well. (I did this in a pan so I could cook onions in the Instant Pot at the same time.)
  4. Add the rest of the olive oil to the Instant Pot, use SAUTE, MEDIUM HEAT and brown onions.
  5. Add the paprika after the onions are lightly browned and cook a few minutes more.
  6. Then add the drained petite dice tomatoes, and one cup beef stock to the Instant Pot.
  7. Use a non-metal turner to scrape the bottom to be sure onions aren't stuck on, then add the browned pieces of chuck roast to the Instant Pot.
  8. Season with some black pepper. (The steak rub has salt so I didn't add more.)
  9. Set Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH HEAT, 40 minutes.
  10. When it finishes cooking, let it NATURAL RELEASE for 20 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure.
  11. Remove meat to a cutting board. (You might want to cover with foil to keep it warm.)
  12. Remove about 1/3 cup of the liquid, let it cool for a minute or two, and then whisk it into the sour cream.
  13. Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE, MEDIUM HEAT and start simmering to reduce the liquid in the pot. We simmered about 5 minutes.
  14. Drain the jar of roasted red peppers, finely chop, and add them to the Instant Pot to be part of the sauce.
  15. When liquid has reduced by a little less than half (or as much as you prefer), turn off Instant Pot and let the liquid cool for several minutes.
  16. While the sauce cools, slice meat and arrange on a serving plate.
  17. When sauce has slightly cooled, stir the sour cream mixture into ingredients in the Instant Pot to make the sauce. (Be sure the ingredients are not still boiling or the sour cream will separate.)
  18. Serve sliced meat with the sauce, either spooned over the meat or on the side. Serve hot.

Notes

I was out of my homemade steak rub so I used Szeged Steak Rub (affiliate link).

This recipe adapted from Slow Cooker Hungarian Pot Roast, with a lot of experiment to make it work in the Instant Pot!

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 163Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 26mgSodium 555mgCarbohydrates 10gFiber 3gSugar 5gProtein 5g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

© Kalyn Denny
Category: Instant Pot
Square image for Instant Pot Hungarian Pot Roast.

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Served with vegetables and gravy over the meat, Instant Pot Hungarian Pot Roast is a great low-carb dish and it would also work for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. You might want to use a leaner cut of beef and use reduced-fat sour cream if you’re strictly following South Beach.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Instant Pot Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
I first posted Hungarian Pot Roast in the slow cooker in 2008! In 2o21 I created this Instant Pot version, and the recipe was last updated with more information in 2023.

Pinterest image of Instant Pot Hungarian Pot Roast

Share This: