Instant Pot Cubed Steak and Gravy
This Instant Pot Cubed Steak and Gravy comes out so tender thanks to the quick work of the pressure cooker and it makes its own gravy!
A FAST AND EASY INSTANT POT RECIPE
So, I thought I would start converting some of my crock pot (slow cooker) recipes to Instant Pot recipes. In my mind, I thought it would be so easy! Yeah, that’s what I get for thinking! Ha! Turns out, not as easy as I thought. I started converting my Crock Pot Cubed Steak and Gravy recipe to an Instant Pot Cube Steak and Gravy and learned that you definitely have to tweak some things to make recipes convert to pressure cooker recipes.
I have made this recipe several times. It was quick and easy and tasted delicious. Matter of fact I’m cooking it today.
– Lillian
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Cube (or cubed) steak is an inexpensive cut of meat that has been run through a meat tenderizer. Basically, little holes are punched into both sides of the meat to help break down the tendons in the meat which is what makes meat tough.
Cube steak if usually taken from the bottom or top round part of the cow. It’s the bit near the cow’s rump which is a tougher cut of meat.
You can do it a few ways. You can pan fry it like you’re making Chicken Fried Steak. Or you can cook it low and slow with my Crock Pot Cubed Steak recipe which really helps create a very fork tender meat. Or cook it under pressure as I do here. Cooking it in the slow cooker or in the instant pot will give you the most tender outcome.
I’ve made this dish a few times since creating the recipe. Occasionally I still get a burn message on my pressure cooker. When this happens, I just give it a few minutes. I don’t open the lid, I just wait. After a few minutes, it will begin the cooking countdown and the burn message goes away. So if this happens to you, just be patient.
Sometimes it’s possible to get a burn message if something is sticking to the bottom of the pot or if the liquid in the pot is too thick. You may need to scrape the bottom of the pot and possible add a bit more liquid to get it to come to pressure.
No. You can substitute it with Beef Consommé.
Just substitute it with a cream soup that you like – like cream of chicken.
We usually serve it with my Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes, Cafeteria Noodles or rice to take advantage of that yummy gravy!
Mix together all the sauce ingredients (minus the water and cornstarch) and pour over the cube steaks in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350F degrees for 2 hours.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- water
- French onion soup
- cream of chicken soup
- Au Jus Gravy mix
- cubed steaks
- cornstarch
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT CUBED STEAK:
Pour 1 1/2 cups water, French onion soup, cream of chicken soup and packet of au just gravy mix into bottom of the Instant Pot insert. Whisk together well.
Place cubed steaks into pot making sure to coat the pieces in the gravy.
Close lid, turn valve to “Sealing.” Cook on Manual High pressure for 20 minutes. If you get a “burn” message, just give it a few minutes, it will eventually start cooking.
After cooking, carefully turn valve to “Venting” (this is called a “Quick Release”). Be VERY careful of the steam that will quickly come out. Allow all of the steam to fully release before unlocking lid. Turn the Instant Pot to the sauté setting. Remove the cubed steaks. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together 1/4 cup water and cornstarch (this is called a “slurry”).
Pour this slurry mixture into the gravy that is already in the Instant Pot. Whisk well to combine. Continue to whisk until gravy starts to thicken. Place cubed steaks back into the pot to warm them back up. Turn off Instant Pot. Serve cubed steak with gravy over Mashed Potatoes
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Instant Pot Meatloaf
- Instant Pot Smothered Pork Chops
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Instant Pot Sausage Mac and Cheese
- Instant Pot Crack Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Scampi
- Instant Pot Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Meatballs
- Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Instant Pot American Goulash
- Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
- Instant Pot Mac & Cheese
- Crock Pot Cubed Steak and Gravy
- Steak Tips With Peppers
- Chicken Fried Steak Fingers
- Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Steak Bites
- Chicken Fried Steak & Gravy
- Stovetop Mashed Potatoes
Originally published: January 2018
Updated & republished: April 2020
Instant Pot Cubed Steak and Gravy (+Video)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 can French onion soup
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 packet packet Au Jus Gravy mix
- 4 cubed steaks (about 2 pounds)
- ¼ cup water
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Pour 1 1/2 cups water, 1 can French onion soup, 1 can cream of chicken soup and 1 packet packet Au Jus Gravy mix into instant pot. Whisk together well.
- Place 4 cubed steaks into pot making sure to coat the pieces in the gravy.
- Close lid, turn valve to "Sealing." Cook on Manual High pressure for 20 minutes. Note: It will take anywhere from 5-10 minutes to come up to pressure before cooking.
- If you get a "burn" message, just give it a few minutes, it will eventually start cooking. Or, open it back up, scrape the bottom really well to make sure there are no bits sticking to the bottom. Add a bit more water to thin it out a bit then try again.
- After cooking, carefully turn valve to “Venting” (this is called a “Quick Release”). Be VERY careful of the steam that will quickly come out. Allow all of the steam to fully release before unlocking lid.
- Turn the Instant Pot to the sauté setting. Remove the cubed steaks. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together 1/4 cup water with 3 Tablespoons cornstarch (this is called a "slurry").
- Pour this slurry mixture into the gravy that is already in the Instant Pot. Whisk well to combine. Continue to whisk until gravy starts to thicken. Place cubed steaks back into the pot to warm them back up. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Serve cubed steak with gravy over mashed potatoes.
Video
Notes
- Low sodium beef consommé or beef broth can be substituted for the French Onion Soup.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Excellent recipe. This is my family’s absolute favorite recipe for cubed steak. Easy and it tastes incredible. Thank you for sharing!!
This is the best recipe. I do substitute French onion soup for beef consume. I make mashed potatoes and corn while cube steak is cooking. My husband LOVES this meal. Monday is his birthday, guess what i am making. Easy prep, easy clean up. And so very tasty.
I made this recipe and my family loved it. My father in law is hard to please he like it so much he ask for all the left overs! I added onions. Thank u so much for this recipe
I make this recipe exactly as noted, only thing I do different is I put the instapot trivet on top of liquid and put 4 peeled and washed potatoes on top. The potatoes suck up the flavor and mash really well. The gravy on top is a hit.
This was so quick and easy to make without using a bunch of pots and pans. The gravy is a little salty (not a surprise because of the soups) but really yummy. Excellent recipe!
Made this in my instant pot today for the first time. Absolutely delicious . Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I have made this recipe several times. It was quick and easy and tasted delicious. Matter of fact I’m cooking it today.
ive made and it’s delicious wondering how much longer to add for frozen cube steaks or if it would just take longer to come to pressure
I haven’t tested it with frozen – I’m sorry!
This was the first time I ever made cubed steak and gravy in my instant pot. It was, quick, simple and easy to make. I was surprised at how good it was. My husband and son liked it as well and my son is very picky. Will definitely be making this again. I put the meat over buttered noodles and topped it all with the gravy.
I’ve made this a few times and we love it! It is always fork tender and full of flavor. Best of all, no frying! I’ve never gotten a burn notice with this recipe, (or ever, with any recipe and I use my instant pot at least 3 times a week.) I always layer with the lightest liquids in the bottom, heaviest ingredients on top.
could this be doubled? if so would cooking time be the same?
I haven’t tested it with doubling the recipe. You have to be careful about overfilling the instant pot or you’ll get a burn message. It also would depend on the size of the instant pot you were using. I wish I could give you more information but I don’t like to guess when I haven’t personally tested it myself and then you waste ingredients.
i have doubled the recipe numerous times and the add extra packet of AUJUS and French onion but did not adjust water.
Can I use a pressure cooker instead of a Instant pot , for your Instant pot cubed steak and gravy recipe ?
You should be able go since an instant pot is just an electric pressure cooker
Absolutely delicious! Made it for my wife and kids and everyone loved it! Thank you so much for all your step by step photos and ingredient photos and videos. I am sure that takes a lot of work to do but it really helps people like me that are learning to cook more. It is such appreciated and we love all of your recipes (and my wife is loving me cooking so much – she works hard so this has been a treat for me)
Nice recipe! I did not have french onion soup so subbed for the water mixed with beef bouillion. My cubed beef was tossed in frozen and I set the IP for 23 minutes. It was so easy and we loved it. Thank you!
I actually loved the recipe but I changed it a little bit for my taste. I used cream of mushroom because I hate cream of chicken. It turned out great!
Thank you for a GREAT recipe that turned out so delicious! Will be making this again often and I will be check out many of your other recipes!
So, so happy you enjoyed it Gary! You are so kind to come back and comment – it means a lot!
We love this recipe. We add sliced onions, peppers, carrot and small potatoes. Big hit at our house
love this recipe so does the family. we also eat it over egg noodles. I have a friend however that doesn’t have an instapot. has anyone made this in a slow cooker? if so what are the cooking times?
Hi Ray! I have a recipe that was made just for the crock pot: https://www.thecountrycook.net/crock-pot-cubed-steak-with-gravy/
I’ve made this recipe at least a dozen times and it’s always came out fantastic. My family usually comes back for second helpings and they love it too. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
What is cooking time for only one pound of cube steaks?
1lb or 2 lbs would be same cooking time. Cooking time doesn’t vary by amount. Like 4 cups of rice takes same amount of time as 1c of rice. lpp
I’ve made this several times now and it’s always yummy! I use venison cubed steak and have served it both ways with mashed potatoes or rice. I love the fact it doesn’t require flouring and browning first! Very easy and quick to prepare. I’ll add mushrooms on occasion too! Yummm!
This was so good and easy to make! I have tried a couple other recipes and the meat was not near as tender as these are! Thank you for the recipe
I got my hands on some wonderful cubed steaks and these came out tender and we loved the gravy. I know cubed steaks are supposed already tenderized but sometimes you get a bad batch and they are like rubber so my advice to others is still be choosy when picking out cubed steak. Many times it’s the cubed steaks and not a recipe that are the problem.
Delicious, best way to cook cubed steak hands down and simple quick recipe. Thank you for sharing
this is so delicious! there aren’t many meals that everyone in this house shares as a favorite, but this is one of them
Love, love, love! The meat is like butter!
I’ve made this recipe numerous times. Twice now, I’ve used frozen store bought meatballs with quite a bit of success. My kids aren’t huge mashed potatoes fans but they love to eat this over rice. This is in our dinner rotation!
This is a very good recipe. It is super easy and delicious. It was tender and the gravy is superb. Thank you for the recipe. I definitely will make it again.
Tried this and it was tender, moist, and delicious. Can the gravy be frozen?
I’m always weird about gravy after it has been frozen and that just may be only me but I don’t always love the texture of gravy after it has been frozen then re-heated. However, having said that you technically can freeze it. I would just recommend a very slow re-heat.
This is our favorite meal to make in the instant pot, the gravy is to die for and the meat falls apart.
Yay – I so love hearing that! Thank you JoAnne!
Amazing recipe . I have made this a number of times now. Was the first thing I cooked in my instant pot. This
is one of my husband’s favorites. Thank you for sharing it with us.
cube steak was very dry. vegetables were great
I tried this and OMG it was amazing and quick!!
It worked quite well. Very tasty.
You might’ve just gotten bad cubed steaks. Despite your best efforts, some are just not good quality & no matter what you do, they won’t get tender. You can try beating them with a meat tenderizer first next time (although you really shouldn’t need to, but you can) and you can also add a light sprinkling of meat tenderizer. I’ve never had an issue with tough meat on this recipe so I’m going to guess it was the meat that was the problem. Sorry it didn’t turn out for ya!
Made this for dinner tonight in my instant pot. I did not get a burn notice. This was so quick and easy! I added a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, but you could add just about anything in your refrigerator to customize to your liking— sour cream, spaghetti sauce , ranch seasoning , French fried onions, endless options!
Thanks so much for taking the time to come back & comment Karen!
Delish. No burn notice but I was prepared to wait it out just in case. LOL. I think if anyone does get a burn notice, you can also scrape the bottom and make sure you don’t have anything sticking to the bottom. Some of these instant pots are SO sensitive. I also find adding a bit more water to thicker sauces helps a lot too. 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe! These were so tender!