Instant Pot Cubed Steak and Gravy (+Video)
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.
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?
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.
Could you double this recipe for an 8 qt instant pot?
Hi Andrea, you should be able to!
Quick, easy and tasty! I used a can of beef consommé instead of the French onion soup. This recipe makes plenty of gravy so you could easily add another cube steak or two in my opinion.
Just made this recipe exactly as stated..in my 6 quart “instant pot” No burn notice! Looks yummy cant wait to try it when my son and husband get home from work/school! ????
The second time I made this, I substituted cream of mushroom for the cream of chicken, and added a large can of mushrooms. Talk about comfort food!
Love it!! Thanks so much Joanna!
It was my first time using the instant pot, so I was a little nervous, but it came out great. Very easy to make.
My husband and I both love this recipe, easy to make and delicious!
Thanks so much Pamela! Love hearing that!
I couldn’t find French onion soup so I used cream of mushrooms..Will I be sorry.???
Can you make this in a mini IP.
I substituted wine for the water. Recipe was so good, I saved the leftover gravy and froze it for a future recipe base.
Hi Dave – that is fantastic!! Love hearing that. Thanks so much!
This recipe is delicious. I got the burn error in my 6 qt. pot. When I turned it off and looked, there was plenty of liquid. I did not add additional. I stirred it and it was not burning. Put lid back on and it was find. 20 minutes and it was very tender.
I think some of these Instant Pots are just super sensitive. Some have problems and others have zero issues. Thanks so much for coming back to comment! I appreciate it!
Received my Instant pot for Mother’s Day and decided this would be my first recipe to try. I made it today and it was amazing and kid approved! Thanks so much for sharing it!
This makes me do a happy dance!! So wonderful to hear. Thank you Shelly!!
We love this!! Love the simplicity yet rich taste.
I prepared the recipe just as you had written. However 20 mins of cook time was not enough. The cube steak was not tender after 20mins.I had to cook for an additional 20 mins. Total cook time 40 mins. It came out perfect then.
I have the 8 quart Instant Pot. I made this as instructed and turned on the Instant Pot. While it started to build pressure, I was reading the reviews about receiving a “Burn” notice and quickly added an additional 1/2 cup of water and then turned the Instant Pot back on. I got a “Burn” notice anyway. I added an additional 1 cup of water, so 12 oz. additional water than called for in the recipe. That seemed to do the trick. I hope this helps someone with an 8 quart.
Thanks so much for the tip Lisa! It always helps to know how it works for the different sizes! I appreciate you taking the time!
Is your receipe for cube steak and gravy to make in crock pot still available?
This looks so amazing! I will try this tonight! Have you tested this recipe using frozen cubed steak? Only reason I’m asking is because my cubed steak is frozen and I’d like to try this now haha.
What did you find out?! Sitting here staring at my pkg of frozen cubed steak. ????
Hey, just curious how yours turned out, I’m going to try the sauté button to try a country fried steak element. Experiment #1
This recipe sounds delicious. Just what I’ve been looking for. I have a question about the sodium content. Is the 145 mg sodium for one of four servings? I thought with the canned soups it would probably be higher. I ask because I am on a strict restricted low sodium diet
I didn’t add cornstarch at beginning and still got burn notice. I ended up putting my steaks on the trivet and cooked potatoes in the gravy. Scrumptious!
I just finished making this dish and uploaded a photo. I used regular Beef Broth 14oz can. I increased the time from 20 to 30 minutes. Everything else is spot on. Delicious Recipe!
I will add this as a Keeper 🙂 Thank you so much!
I made this tonight but didn’t have any French onion soup so I sautéed onions in butter and added Better than Bouillon beef and water. Steak is super tender,coloring is nice and brown (sometimes meat can lack nice color in IP), made lots of delicious gravy. Served with heat and eat mashed potatoes and green beans. Wonderful will make again! Easy and delicious.
OMG!!! I made this tonight for dinner and it was absolutely delicious. My entire family loved it, including one picky son. That son actually went back for seconds, LOL. It is really delicious. IThis is definitely a keeper. My husband asked if I would make this from now on about once a week !! thank you for a wonderful recipe. I’ve also printed out several of your other recipes to try. I just received an Instant Pot for Christmas this year .
Delicious with modifications! I got the burn notice. Twice. Grrrr. After dumping everything out and scrubbing the pot, I cooked the cube steak in just beef broth (with sliced onion and mushrooms) and added the gravy ingredients in sautè mode after the meat cooked. I steamed whole medium red potatoes in their skins using the pot in pot technique while the steak cooked, then peeled and mashed them. My son and husband LOVED it. The flavors were great and SO MUCH GRAVY.
First IP recipe… was very good! Simplistic and easy! I definitely added this to my list! Made this exactly as directed and wouldn’t change anything! Thanks for the insight within your directions!
My Instant Pot is 8 quarts. I never have to add more liquid or time to any recipe. The booklets that came with my IP don’t advise any changes either. I can also make small recipes (1 or 2 servings) with no trouble. I only have to be sure not to fill my IP too full.
How about brown gravy instead of au jus gravy? Would it come out just as good?
Did you start with frozen or thawed cube steaks? Thanks!
Hi Lisa – I started with thawed.