This Instant Pot Venison Roast recipe is perfect for cold winter days. This hearty roast is cooked with onions, potatoes, and carrots for a complete, comforting meal with fall-apart-tender meat that melts in your mouth. Thanks to just a handful of ingredients, the dish is packed with flavor, making it easy to enjoy any night of the week! This one-pot recipe takes only 1 hour to cook, and by the end, your plate will be filled with tender meat, yummy veggies, and perfectly seasoned gravy!
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When the temperature changes and becomes cooler, there's nothing like a tasty comfort meal you can enjoy with your family.
I love warm, satisfying comfort meals; they are my all-time favorite!
I've been making Delicious Instant Pot Ham and Potato Soup, Savory Buttercup Squash Soup, Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Pasta Soup, Instant Pot Lazy Lasagna, and Instant Pot Venison Stew.
The great thing about the Instant Pot is it's an easy way to prepare dinner. Plus, cooking venison roast in a pressure cooker makes the meat tender.
If you're looking for a quick and easy dinner that is perfect for winter, then this venison pot roast will surely hit the spot. The dish itself is super easy to make, and your whole family will love it!
If you have a smoker, check out this Smoked Venison Roast Recipe.
Jump to:
- What is an Instant Pot?
- What is a Venison Roast?
- Why you will love instant pot deer roast
- Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- How to cook venison roast in an Instant Pot
- Variations for pressure cooker venison roast
- Equipment
- Storage
- Tips on cooking venison roast with gravy in the instant pot
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What to serve with venison roast instant pot?
- More instant pot recipes
- 📋 Recipe
- Food safety
- 💬 Comments
What is an Instant Pot?
An Instant Pot is a multi-functional cooking device that does the job of many kitchen appliances like a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, and sauté pan.
It is a great time saver and a money saver as well. You can cook food using less energy and spend less time in the kitchen while enjoying your favorite dishes.
What is a Venison Roast?
Venison is meat from deer, elk, moose, or antelope. It is very lean meat due to its low-fat content. It makes for a delicious meal when appropriately prepared.
Venison is an excellent alternative to beef or pork for people looking to reduce the amount of saturated fat they consume. For this reason, venison is often used in recipes where beef is traditionally used.
The best thing about cooking venison in the instant pot is that there's no need to worry about overcooking it; the longer it cooks, the more tender it will be!
Why you will love instant pot deer roast
TENDER MEAT: This Instant Pot Pot Roast is so tender it falls apart when you try to take it out! The flavor is so good!
TENDER-CRISP VEGETABLES: The pressure cooker cooks vegetables quickly, adding them after the roast is cooked and turning out tender-crisp. Say goodbye to mushy vegetables!
EASY: This pressure cooker venison roast is incredibly easy to make and only needs 15 minutes of prep time!
TASTY GRAVY: It has a wonderful gravy that is perfectly seasoned and tastes better than traditional gravy.
MEAL PREP: This pressure cooker pot roast tastes delicious warmed up the next day, and tastes great in sandwiches or cold in a salad.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Venison roast (or other game meat). The recipe calls for a 2 to 3-pound roast. You could also use a beef roast.
- Olive oil: Olive oil is required to prevent the venison from sticking to the bottom of the pressure cooker while sauteing. You could also substitute avocado oil as well.
- Onion, peeled and chopped. I used a red onion, but you could also use a yellow onion or sweet onion.
- Garlic cloves, peeled and chopped. If you do not have garlic cloves, substitute 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Beef broth. Beef broth adds great flavor to the venison roast. You could also use chicken or vegetable broth.
- Worcestershire sauce. Worcestershire is perfect for tenderizing meat, as well as adding deep flavor to the roast and gravy.
- Sea salt. I used sea salt for the best flavor, but you could use regular table salt instead.
- Black pepper. Black pepper adds depth and some spice to the roast. Feel free to use course ground black pepper as well for a more vibrant flavor.
- Paprika. This adds a nice sweet peppery flavor to the stew. You could also use smoked paprika if you have it.
- Italiano seasoning. This seasoning consists of dehydrated onion, carrot, red bell pepper, garlic, green bell pepper, among other seasonings. It is one of my favorite seasonings to cook with! It adds a savory element to the roast and the gravy.
- Potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks. I used red potatoes, but feel free to use any potato, even sweet potatoes!
- Carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks. I used our own home-grown garden carrots, feel free to use the type of carrots you have on hand.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to cook venison roast in an Instant Pot
Sear: Add olive oil to the pressure cooker. Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting for 10 minutes and brown the roast in a bit of olive oil on all sides. Don't skip this step! It adds great flavor and helps the juices stay in the meat.
Season: Once the roast is browned, add sliced onions, garlic, and beef broth to the instant pot. Deglaze the pot with the beef broth. Scrape off any bits that might be stuck to the bottom with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle paprika, Italiano seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, sea salt, and pepper on the roast.
Pressure cook: Place the lid on the instant pot. Close the valve and set the timer for 60 minutes on the "Meat/Stew" or high-pressure setting.
Add the vegetables: After the timer is up, let the pressure cooker naturally release. When the pin drops and is safe, remove the lid and add diced potatoes and carrots around the roast. Use a spoon to push the vegetables down the best you can underneath the beef broth. Place the lid back on the instant pot and close the valve. Set the timer for 12 minutes on high pressure. Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then manually release the rest of the pressure.
Make the gravy and serve: Remove the lid and remove the venison roast and vegetables to a serving platter. Turn on the saute function and thicken the gravy. I prefer to use 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cold water to thicken the gravy, whisking it constantly as I pour it in. Stir until desired consistency is reached.
Serve gravy over deer roast and vegetables if desired.
Variations for pressure cooker venison roast
This recipe is an excellent alternative to beef roast. You can modify the ingredients for specific tastes by adding different vegetables, herbs, or spices. For this recipe, I recommend adding carrots and onions to achieve the best flavor possible.
Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish
Deluxe - add celery, fresh mushrooms or dried mushrooms, parsnips, or diced squash.
Equipment
I used an 8-quart Instant Pot that I have had for a few years now, and I LOVE it! I also have an 8-quart Instant Pot stainless steel pressure cooker, which I also love!
Storage
Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely. Place cooled venison roast in an airtight container or freezer-friendly bag, with all air removed.
FRIDGE: Store in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
FREEZER: Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, remove from the freezer and thaw overnight before reheating on stovetop or microwave until hot throughout. The vegetables may be a bit mushy, though, when you reheat them. For best results, freeze the venison without the vegetables.
Tips on cooking venison roast with gravy in the instant pot
- Sear the meat first. This provides a much more flavorful stew, trust me! However, do not overcook the meat in this step.
- Natural release the pressure for best results. When you have a lot of boiling liquid, you risk the danger of getting burnt by the hot steam. The natural release also helps to ensure the meat is tender.
- Do not add the vegetables for the first cook time. You would not want to have your veggies cooking for an extra 60 minutes under high pressure!
- To save time, you can skip the searing step, but it does add a lot of flavor to your meal. You'll find that your juices and gravy will be less flavorful without it.
- If you're short on time, just cut the roast into two to three chunks and place these in your pressure cooker for 40-50 minutes instead of 60 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Venison is the term to describe the meat of a deer, moose, elk, or antelope. It has a lot of health benefits and tastes great as it's low in fat and calories and packed with protein.
Yes! Venison is a great high-protein alternative to beef, which you can enjoy without dealing with excessive fat and cholesterol levels. Not only that, but deer meat also contains less fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol than chicken or salmon!
If the venison roast is too tough, it just needs more time to cook. Put it back in the instant pot to cook for another 10-15 minutes. You may choose to cut the roast into smaller chunks, so it cooks faster and has more time to tenderize.
Yes, of course! However, you will need to adjust the cooking time. For a 3 lb roast, increase the cooking time to 90-100 minutes. For anything over 4 lbs, increase the cooking time to 120 minutes. You won't be able to sear frozen meat, but you can add the spices and broth at the beginning of cook time.
What to serve with venison roast instant pot?
- Air Buns
- Garden salad
- Focaccia bread
- Garlic bread
More instant pot recipes
This Venison Roast in an Instant Pot recipe is a fantastic way to cook your venison roast quickly and easily. The Instant Pot also helps make sure that the roast comes out juicy and tender every time!
If you've tried Instant Pot Venison Roast or any other recipe, please take a moment to leave a star rating and/or comment on the recipe card below.
📋 Recipe
Instant Pot Venison Roast
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2-3 pound venison roast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves diced
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoon Italiano seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 large carrots peeled and diced
- 5 potatoes peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon cold water
Instructions
- Sear: Add olive oil to the pressure cooker. Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting for 10 minutes and brown the roast in a bit of olive oil on all sides. It will take about 2-3 minutes in one spot for it to brown. Next, flip the roast around to brown all sides. Don't skip this step! It adds great flavor and helps the juices stay in the meat.
- Season: Once the roast is browned, add sliced onions, garlic, and beef broth to the instant pot. Scrape off any bits of meat that might have stuck to the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle paprika, Italiano seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, sea salt, and pepper on the roast.
- Pressure cook: Place the lid on the instant pot and turn the valve to sealing. Select Manual or Pressure Cook and set the cooking time for 60 minutes on high pressure.
- Add the vegetables: After the timer is up, let the pressure cooker naturally release. Remove the lid and add diced potatoes and carrots around the roast. Use a spoon to push the vegetables down the best you can underneath the beef broth. Place the lid back on the instant pot and close the valve. Set the timer for 12 minutes. Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then manually release the rest of the pressure.
- Make the gravy and serve: Remove the lid and remove the venison roast and vegetables to a serving platter. Slice or pull apart the roast as desired. Turn on the saute function and thicken the gravy. I prefer to use 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cold water to thicken the gravy, whisking it constantly as I pour it in the remaining juices. Continue to whisk until gravy is thickened. Taste the gravy and adjust seasoning as desired.
- Serve the roast with potatoes, carrots, and gravy.
- Enjoy!