Name: Instant Pot Beef Tips
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 - 2.5 lbs beef chuck roast, or stew meat, cut into 1 in cubes; 3/4 cup cooking sherry; 1/2 cup beef broth; 1 - 1oz packet of French onion soup mix; 8 oz fresh white button mushrooms, sliced; 1 tsp fresh thyme; 1/4 tsp salt; 2 Tbs instant tapioca

↓ Jump to Recipe

Instant Pot beef tips are a melt-in-your-mouth main dish made with sherry gravy and savory mushrooms. Comfort food made easy!

A white dish with beef in gravy over noodles

Spice Up Your Beef with Sherry

We called this recipe "Sherried Beef" growing up. It was my number one request for my birthday dinner every year. Except for my Mom didn't have an Instant Pot back in the 90s. So it was more of a labor of love to prepare it back then.

Lucky for us, a pressure cooker makes this recipe super easy. It's a one-pot wonder with minimal prep required. If you get pre-sliced mushrooms and pre-cut beef, then literally all you have to do is dump things into your Instant Pot.

Overhead view of ingredients to make Instant Pot Sherry Beef

Overhead view of a plate of beef tips in gravy with mushrooms over noodles

Which cut of beef is best for beef tips?

I use a chuck roast when making beef tips. It's a tougher cut of meat, so slow cooking or pressure cooking helps to make it tender.

Stew meat is often made from tougher cuts like chuck roast, so if I'm at the store and the stew meat looks good and is well-priced, I'll go for that.

I buy ½ pound of beef per person for serving. So a 2lb chuck roast will generally feed approximately four people.

What is the difference between Cooking Sherry and Sherry Wine?

They both contain alcohol and have a distinct, sweet flavor. But, cooking sherry is made specifically for use in dishes like this one. Some of the primary differences between cooking sherry and sherry wine are:

Saltiness: Cooking sherry often contains added salt, which can enhance the flavor of dishes. The salt helps preserve the wine and gives it a longer shelf life.
Lower quality: It is generally not of the same quality as drinking sherry, as the primary focus is on its utility in cooking rather than its taste when consumed on its own.
Alcohol content: Cooking sherry usually has a lower alcohol content compared to drinking sherry. This can vary, but it's typically around 12-17% alcohol by volume.
Shelf stability: Cooking sherry has a longer shelf life than regular sherry due to the added salt and preservatives, which help prevent spoilage.

The great advantage to using sherry in this recipe is that not only does it add flavor, but it also helps to tenderize the meat in the cooking process. By the time you're ready to serve it, your chuck roast will be fork-tender.

close up view of beef tips in sherry gravy

What if I Don't want to use Sherry?

No sweat! You can substitute the ¾ cup of sherry wine in this recipe with equal parts either red wine or additional beef broth.

The Secret to the Sauce

Once the beef is cooked, it's time to thicken up the sauce. I add 2 Tbs of tapioca to the Instant Pot, stir it around and then change the Instant Pot setting to "Saute" adjusting to the "Low" setting. I leave the lid off for this step.

Then let it simmer away for 10 minutes, stirring about halfway through. If you don't stir it, you might end up with some burned bits on the bottom of the pot.

This simmering process not only causes the sauce to reduce through water evaporating as steam, but also activates the tapioca as a thickening agent.

Ingredients for beef tips in the pot before being cooked — Before Cooking

Inside the pot after the initial cook process before thickening the sauce — Before Cooking

What to Serve with Instant Pot Beef Tips

The classic in my house is to serve Beef Tips over wide egg noodles. Rice or mashed potatoes would also be great options.

I also like to serve it with something green like: