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.
TIPS FOR MAKING INSTANT POT CUBE STEAK:
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 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 mashed potatoes, egg 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 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350F degrees for 2 hours.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- water
- French onion soup
- cream of chicken soup
- Au Jus Gravy mix
- cubed steaks
- cornstarch
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT CUBED STEAK:
Pour 1 ½ 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 ¼ 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 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 ½ cups water, French onion soup, cream of chicken soup and packet of au just gravy mix into instant pot. Whisk together well.
- Place cubed steak 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.
- 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 ¼ cup water with 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 can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Originally published: January 2018
Updated & republished: April 2020
Ashley
Hi I’m making this tonight hopefully but I couldn’t find Auu u jus gravy in a packet I have it in a jar.. so will that work as well? Would I have to add it in separately?
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Are you talking about the liquid Au Jus? I haven't personally tested it but I think it would work.
Derwin Dobbs
Love making this dish. Even add onion and bell pepper. Mushrooms next time
Keta
This is delicious! I made it the first time and everyone loved it. I have made it two more times since then. It's very quick and easy to make. Thank you so much.
Leisa
This is delicious, my entire family loved it!!! I have actually never cooked cubed steak because I couldn’t stand the toughness of the meat. When I saw this recipe and the comments saying you can cut it with a fork I had to try it and it’s a KEEPER!
James Smith
Gave this recipe a shot tonight and it disappeared. Great job.
Gerty
Made this with 9 pork cube steak and brown gravy mix instead of asu as thats what i had on hand however added just about 14 cup more water and some liquid smoke so it would be wll covered with the mixture then just left as is when serving as had no corn starch or flour bc im moving most things are already packed or moved served with green beans macn cheese and the potatoes to go under meat omg amazing and love you dont have to brown the cube steak ahead of time
April Parlier
Can I cook this with the cube steak frozen and do I need to add more cooking time if so?
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Hi April! I haven't tested this from frozen - I am sorry. Perhaps someone else on here has and can give you some advice. 🙂
Dawn
I made it with frozen cube steaks. Looking on other sites I found a general reference to cooking with frozen meat and it said to increase cooking time 10-30 minutes depending on the meat. I added an extra 10 minutes and the meat was done and falling apart. It was so good!
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Thanks so much for your help Dawn! I always appreciate when our community can jump in & help
Tina Stoddard
made This last night with the ingredients I had on hand, but it was close. I used Lipton onion soup and cream of chicken with 2cups of water and three beef bullion cubes and it was the bomb!
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Yay! I love hearing that Tina - thank you!
Richard
Best cube stake recipe I’ve ever made, still tinkering with the cook time, 20 min was to long, adjusted to 15, still might back it down to 10. Save the leftover gravy and add it io my Salisbury Steak,
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Thank you Richard! I always think timing with pressure cookers is always a tricky thing. Especially when they are different brands and sizes. Would you mind sharing the type and size instant pot you have. Just in case any other people might want to adjust based on your time, etc.
Lisa F
Has anyone used half water half white wine?
Tammy
How could this recipe omy have 145mg of sodium with those soups and gravy pack. Soup has 895 in each can and the gravy mix has around 200or 300 mg. I am on a strict Low sodium diet due to heart failure. This seems like a high sodium meal .?
Brandie @ The Country Cook
You are looking at a whole can. Are you going to eat that whole can? No, because it is separated into servings. Also, I mention you can go with low sodium options. I would also suggest if you have heart failure issues, you consult a nutritionist and use your own trusted nutritional calculators since your health is greatly at risk. Mine is for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for your own trusted nutritional calculators. Please refer to my nutritional disclaimer here: https://www.thecountrycook.net/disclaimers/
Jill Zink
We substituted lipton onion soup mix and added 8oz. of water in place of the can french onion soup. We didn't have the can of french onion soup in the cupboard. Other than that, we followed the recipe and it turned out great. Thanks.
Brandie @ The Country Cook
I think those are perfect substitutes Jill! Thanks so much!
Bo Marie
Overall it was tasty. I used cream of mushrooms and roasted garlic and chicken gravy mix. Next time I need to be sure to salt it and prep my kitchen for explosive steam. :/ but the meat was nice and fork tender.
Pamela Mitchell
Very good, used cream of mushroom soup and a can of beef consume with the packet of Au jus. Also cooked potatoes on a trivet at the same time.
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review! I really appreciate it!!
Roxane
I made this about 2 weeks ago with a couple of tweaks only because I didn’t have the French onion soup but I also forgot to take the meat out so it was frozen so I added 5 min and added the slurry after cooking put my IP to sauté and it all turned out great. So making it again tonight only with all the ingredients the recipe calls for and the meat is thawed this time. I’m sure it will be great again. Thank you for a great recipe.
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Well I am so happy you were still able to make it work last time! That's the great thing about the IP is being able to defrost meat first!
Tricia
Hey Brandie. I tried this recipe and is was super yum but a little more tough than I thought it would be. I'm sure it is something I did and not the recipe but was wondering if cooking a bit longer would make the meat more tender?
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Hi Tricia, you certainly could but sometimes I think it depends on the thickness of the cubed steak. Some people have said the cooking time I have on here is too long and made their cubed steak overdone but I think they were using very thin cuts of cubed steak - it's always hard to say since your'e not in the kitchen with someone when they cook - ha! If your cubed steak is on the thick side, you could certainly add a few more minutes to the cooking time to help with tenderness!
Sherry Connelly
20 minutes is way too long. It was tasty, but way overcooked. Mine might’ve been too thin
Laurie
Thank you so much for posting this! My very picky 8 year old absolutely loved it as well as the rest of the family! It was a quick weeknight meal. We eat ours over noodles, and it was just delicious! Thanks again!
Fonda
Delicious recipe. The only problem I had, was QR made a big mess under my over the stove microwave. Also inside IP cover. Can you please give recipe for natural release? Thanks
Debbie
You can wet a paper towel and place it in a tent shape over the QR valve and then open it an it won’t leave a mess.
Chris
Amazing recipe! Super simple and cube steak so tender you can cut it with a fork. Gravy taste just like restaurant style. Great dinner for those upcoming cold winter nights!
Tina
My husband said it was the most tender cubed steak he had ever had! I agree! Cut with a fork...Thanks for this recipe!
Nicki
If I want to double the recipe for a larger family, how much more time should I add?
Tara Shepherd
Everything was extremely flavorful and the meat was so tender. Definate must-try recipe!
Brad Johnson
Didn’t even add the cornstarch. Devoured the cube steak. Thank you!
Linda
My husband is on a low sodium diet I'm trying to figure out how to convert/tweek this recipe. The onion soup mix is so saturated with sodium it's outrageous! I'm going to check my Ranch, Italian, and brown gravy dry salad dressing and gravy mix for sodium.
I'll get it figured out before time to cook dinner. I will add carrots, onion and celery to my Instant Pot also. I bake potatoes.