French Boeuf Bourguignon in Instant Pot: With and without wine
Main ingredients:
 | Beef chuck |
 | Bacon lardons |
 | Mushrooms |
 | Carrot |
 | Celery |
 | Chopped onions |
 | (Optional) Potatoes |
 | (Optional) Spinach |
Spices, herbs and flavoring ingredients:
 | Parsley leaves |
 | Thyme |
 | Bay leaf |
 | Garlic |
 | Salt and pepper |
Accents for the sauce:
 | Beef stock |
 | Butter |
 | Flour |
 | (Optional) Dry Red wine * |
* To cook without wine:
 | Apple cider vinegar |
 | Tomato sauce or paste |
In the Old Country, you often couldn’t afford your ideal cut of beef. Young and succulent meats were rare and reserved for rich nobility. The solution? Slow cooking your meat in juices and wine to release the flavor in a beef stew, as we do for the French boeuf bourguignon. (Even if you don’t care to “waste” the wine!)
Fast forward to the 21st century, and that classic boeuf bourguignon has become a popular meat dish known around the world, and is simpler than ever. A quick beef stew in Instant Pot that the whole family will enjoy.
Shortcuts to the traditional recipe
The traditional beef bourguignon is a classic French dish that has been around for centuries. Along with the very similar Coq au Vin (chicken stew) both have been dated back to early Roman times.
Both dishes have always been a go-to for busy families looking to put a meal on the table. Toss everything along with some spices from the traditional French pantry in the slow cooker and wait. (There is also the very similar Carbonade Flamande that uses beer instead of wine.)
Over the years, there have been a few tried and true shortcuts established. The traditional french beef bourguignon recipe doesn’t include steamed potatoes in it, but as an aside. In the Instant pot, however, you can just toss it in, and the stew becomes even more flavorful.
I also actually prefer adding presliced frozen carrots and onions to the mix instead of the fresh ones. Because the cooking time is so long, the vegetables hold up better, instead of disintegrating. My recipe below includes chopping time, but if you can find the veggies frozen, I say go for it!
I also often toss in frozen spinach to increase the vegetable quotient. For a family meal, where you are trying to get the kids to eat, it works wonderfully.
The typical cut of meat that is used in boeuf bourguignon is not the tenderloin, but the more affordable beef chunk. I suppose you could use tenderloin if you really wanted, but it is rather more expensive and becomes overcooked in a bourguignon. The tenderloin is better reserved for a filet de boeuf on a frypan, that you can serve medium or rare.
In France, you can actually just go to your local boucherie (butcher) and ask for the type of meat for a “bourguignon”.
In addition, there are a lot of spices on the list, but in essence this is a French bouquet garni. You don’t need to have every single one, a French bouquet garni involves mixing and matching what you have.
☞ READ MORE: Classic French Recipes remade in the Instant Pot
Cooking Beef Stew without wine
Boeuf Bourguignon is traditionally from the region of Burgundy (Bourgogne) in France. So it stands to reason that they would want to combine the two delicacies that they are most famous for: Burgundy beef and Burgundy wine.
The slow cooking time is meant to assure that any alcohol has long been cooked off, and locally I see that French parents don’t hesitate to serve it to their kids. Nevertheless, for various reasons you may not want to cook with alcohol.
In this case, I would recommend adding about 1 cup of tomato sauce, or 1/2 cup of tomato paste if it is concentrated. In addition, add about 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, for that extra little kick. You can also try a beef pot-au-feu which adds more vegetables, but no alcohol.
Similar recipes
Beef Bourguignon in Instant Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs of beef chuck cut into medium-sized portions (1 kg)
- 1 cup of lardons or 6 strips of bacon sliced into small pieces
- 1 cup of sliced white or button mushrooms
- 1 onion chopped up
- 1 carrot sliced
- 1/2 bottle of dry fruity red wine eg. Bourgogne or Pinot Noir
- 2 cups of beef stock or bouillon
- 1 garlic clove chopped up
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 4 sprigs of parsley
- 1 chopped celery stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- Pinch of salt and pepper to taste
- 6-8 baby potatoes (optional)
Instructions
- Add the garlic, beef, bacon, and butter in the Instant pot and sauté for about 5 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients (except the flour), and set the Instant Pot to High Pressure for 45 minutes.
- Once the countdown has finished, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
- Mix in the flour with a tablespoon of water to make a slurry. Add the slurry to the Instant Pot.
- Press the Sauté button again for 5 minutes to let the sauce thicken.
- Let the Boeuf Bourguignon rest for 10 minutes on the Keep Warm function.
- Taste to add salt and pepper if necessary.
Notes
- 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup tomato sauce (or 1/2 cup tomato paste)
Nutrition
Please note: We are not certified nutritionists and these estimates written and produced for entertainment purposes only.
What to serve with a boeuf bourguignon?
In France, Boeuf Bourguignon is traditionally served with grilled bread or baguette that has been lathered with garlic butter. But it can also be served with rice, steamed potatoes, mashed potatoes or tagliatelle pasta.
As I mentioned above, if you want steamed potatoes, a quick fix is to add baby potatoes directly into the Instant pot, instead of cooking them separately.
But there are many other accompaniments that go very well with beef stew, such as brown rice, white rice, green lentils, polenta, or even bulgur.
If I am making rice, I tend to use a rice cooker, so it is simple enough to “set it and forget it”. You can also serve it with a starter like a chickpea salad.
What drinks to serve with it?
A meal like Beef Bourguignon should only be served with wine. For a traditional dinner, French etiquette dictates that there are no apéritifs or other drinks during the main course. Those are reserved for the apéro hour (happy hour).
To keep the flavors consistent, pick a dry red wine from the same region as the wine you have added into the recipe. A light red from Bourgogne will keep well with the theme. You can read more about French wines here.
How to store it?
Boeuf bourguignon is one of those recipes that, interestingly, tastes better the next day. You can easily put aside portions in a container and put in the freezer. Let it cool, and then place in an airtight glass container.
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