Skip the turkey this year and make the fastest (and tastiest!) Instant Pot Beef Tips and Gravy with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes for your holiday meal!
This recipe is sponsored by Ohio Beef Council.
The holidays are upon us but that shouldn’t induce stress about what to prepare for a meal. This year, why not pass on the Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey and make the easiest/fastest holiday meal you’ve ever seen. How about actually enjoying your holiday with your friends, family or favorite traditions rather than cooking all day for a meal that takes minutes to eat. Novel idea, right?!
There’s not a faster meal than one prepared in an Instant Pot. Any type of food prep with the word “instant” in it and I’m here for it. Instant is not typically a word we see used for any form of meal prep that involves the holidays. It’s like we think we have to slave away over a holiday meal for it to be a real holiday meal. Let’s stop that and have a yummy meal of beef!
We know turkey has been a long time staple of holiday meals, but why not switch it up and serve beef? One 3 oz. cooked serving of beef provides half of your recommended daily value of protein for less than 200 calories. That means more energy for watching football and holiday shopping. No turkey naps happening with this meal!
Beef Tips and Gravy are the ultimate comfort food and perfect for your holiday meal. With tender beef, a rich brown gravy and a scoop of roasted garlic mashed potatoes you have yourself the perfect holiday menu!
These Pressure Cooker Beef Tips just might become your new holiday go-to meal. The entire meal is ready to go in about the same time it would take to simply prep and carve a turkey (let alone roasting it!)
What cut of beef is best for beef tips?
According to Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner, the top three cuts of beef most Americans have on their holiday feast wish list include Prime Rib, Tenderloin Roast and Strip Roast. However, the most common cuts of steak for making beef tips are sirloin or tenderloin. A leaner cut of beef is ideal for steak tips as it will remain tender even when cut into cubes. You can also use Ribeye or strip steak. This was the first time I’ve made steak tips and gravy with Ribeye and I’m never doing it another way ever again. Every single bite was so tender and flavorful… the flavor of the beef is not at all masked or hidden by the gravy. It’s strong enough to stand on its own.
Is stew meat the same as beef tips?
No. Stew meat can be a variety of cuts depending on the part of the country you live in and even the store. They will usually work just fine for beef tips and gravy in the Instant Pot, since pressure cooking tends to keep the beef tender (even if it’s not necessarily as tender of a cut).
Can you make beef tips in advance?
You sure can. That would really free up your holiday to enjoy! You can keep them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If you want to buy the steaks in advance as well, you can freeze beef in its original packaging for up to two weeks. For longer storage, wrap in heavy-duty aluminum foil or place in plastic freezer bags, removing as much air as possible.
Can you make steak tips in a crockpot?
Another yes. Rather than searing the steak in the pressure cooker, sear on the stove top and cook in the slow cooker on low for 6 – 7 hours.
What do you serve with beef tips?
In keeping with the quick and easy holiday meal theme, I’m going for Bob Evans mashed potatoes! Mashed potato hack: gourmet-ify your favorite mashed potato recipe (or Bob’s!) by adding in roasted garlic. Roasting garlic makes it almost sweet and mixed into mashed potatoes makes it a perfect compliment to serve with your steak tips and gravy. If mashed potatoes aren’t your thing, beef tips and gravy are wonderful served with egg noodles.
How to Make Easy Instant Pot Beef Tips & Gravy with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Printable recipe card below.
Ingredients
- Beef trimmed and cut into 1 1/2″ cubes
- Flour
- Black pepper
- Salt
- Paprika
- Onion powder
- Ground mustard
- Onion, chopped
- Minced garlic
- Beef broth
- Red wine
- Worcestershire sauce
- Olive oil
- Cornstarch and water
- 3 tablespoons water
- Parsley for garnish
Directions
After trimming the ribeye and cutting it into cubes, add it into a bag with all of the seasonings and coat each piece well.


Turn the Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker to sauté or brown mode. Heat olive oil and sear the beef cubes on each side (this will be about 1 or 2 minutes per side). You may need to do this in batches so that you have a single layer of beef to sear in the pot. Cook just to sear, you don’t want them to cook through. Set the seared beef aside.
Deglaze the pot with a flat headed utensil and add onion. Sauté onion until it becomes soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic to the pot and sauté just until aromatic. Pour red wine, beef stock and Worcestershire sauce into the Instant Pot and simmer until the reduced by about half. Turn off sauté or brown mode and add the seared beef tips back into the pot. Set the Instant Pot to high pressure for 20 minutes. It takes about 8 – 10 minutes for the pressure to rise before the cook time actually begins. Once the timer goes off, turn the knob to manually release the pressure.


Remove the beef tips from the pot and check the temperature to ensure they’re done. We want to make sure we keep our friends and family healthy this holiday season by ensuring your beef dinner is properly cooked before serving! Use this handy guide and a meat thermometer to determine when your beef is fully cooked. Just remember: Beef should always be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 145°F.
Place the beef tips and gravy in a large bowl and tent with foil. Turn on the brown/sauté mode again. Mix cornstarch with water until combined and pour in small amounts and stir continuously until the gravy reaches the thickness you like your gravy. Turn the Instant Pot off and return the beef tips to the pot to mix with the gravy.
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
To transform any plain mashed potatoes into roasted garlic mashed potatoes, you will use 1 head of garlic for every 2 pounds of potatoes.
Rub the outside of the heads of garlic to remove as much of the white papery skin as possible. Cut the top off of the heads of garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Season liberally with kosher salt. Roast for 30 minutes or until the tops of the cloves are golden brown. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the cloves and blend into mashed potatoes with an electric mixer. The roasted garlic can be made up to 3 days in advance if refrigerated. Make more than you need for the mashed potatoes… combine it with butter to make the tastiest compound butter for your holiday rolls!



How to Make Instant Pot Beef Tips and Gravy with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Ribeye steak trimmed and cut into 1 1/2″ cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon ground mustard
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 large cloves garlic minced
- Parsley
Gravy
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons water
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- 2 lbs Mashed potatoes
- 1 whole head of garlic
- kosher salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Pat ribeye steaks dry with a paper towel. Trim away the fatty edge and cut into 1 1/2 cubes. Combine flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, paprika and ground mustard in a large ziplock bag and add steak. Shake to coat.
- Add olive oil into Instant Pot and turn on sauté mode. Once oil is hot, add beef tips and brown on all sides (about 1 – 2 minutes per side). Sear in a single layer, so you can sear them in batches if necessary. Be careful not to cook through. Set aside.
- Deglaze the pot and add onion. Sauté onion until soft translucent. Add minced garlic and sauté until aromatic. Pour wine, beef stock and Worcestershire sauce into the pressure cooker and simmer until the wine mixture is reduced by about half. Turn off sauté and add the seared beef tips back into the pot. Set the instant pot to high pressure for 20 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes for the instant pot to reach high pressure before the cooking begins. Once the timer beeps, turn the knob to release. Remove the beef tips and place in a large bowl and tent with foil.
Gravy
- Turn on sauté mode on the Instant Pot . Mix cornstarch with water and pour in small amounts and stir continuously until gravy thickens. Turn sauté mode off and return the beef tips to the pot.
Roasted Garlic for Mashed Potatoes
- Rub the outside of the heads of garlic to remove the majority of the white paper-like skin. Cut the tops off of the heads of garlic and drizzle with olive oil and season liberally with kosher salt.
- Roast for 30 minutes or until the tops of the cloves are golden brown and they feel soft. Allow to cool until they can be handled.
- Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the cloves and mix into mashed potatoes with an electric mixer.
Visit www.OhioBeef.org, and follow the Ohio Beef Council on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for beef nutrition facts, cooking tips, recipes and to meet Ohio’s beef farming families. Use #OhioBeef to share photos of your beef dishes this holiday season!
I hope you’re inspired to take back your holiday time this year with a delicious bowl of beef tips and gravy! Happy holidays!
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