Ninja Foodi Beef Stew

Check out our recipe for Ninja Foodi Beef Stew!

If you are looking for a super hearty meal, look no further. Beef stew has always been a great meal to warm up with but it can take several hours to cook it the traditional way. Save time by making Ninja Foodi Beef Stew! Not only will you save time by using the Ninja Foodi, but you will end up with the most tender and delicious stew meat ever!!

I cook a lot of beef stew meat. It's not always made into beef stew. My normal go-to recipe is Ninja Foodi Beef Tips and Noodles! I find myself making so much stew meat because it comes out incredibly tender after it has been pressure cooked. With other recipes, I pressure cook the stew meat for 22 minutes so that it is so tender that it falls apart. For this beef stew recipe, I pressure cooked it for 18 minutes instead of 22 so that it held together a little bit better. After 18 minutes, the stew meat was so tender and flavorful!

This recipe was made using the Ninja^® Foodi^™ 8-qt. 9-in-1 Deluxe XL Pressure Cooker & Air Fryer but can also be made using the Ninja^® Foodi^® 14-in-1 8-qt. XL Pressure Cooker Steam Fryer with SmartLid^™

If you want your stew meat to fall apart, pressure cook it for 22 minutes. If you want more of a bite (still super tender) to the stew meat, cook it for 18 minutes. Either way, you can't go wrong.

Tips for making Ninja Foodi Beef Stew

Can I use frozen beef?

Yes, you can. However, you will not be able to brown the meat on all sides before pressure cooking it. Browning helps to lock in some of the moisture so the end product may not be quite as juicy and flavorful.

Can I use different veggies?

Yes, you can. Feel free to use any type of vegetables that you have on hand. You can use frozen or fresh vegetables. Some recommendations would be to add peas, corn, or mushrooms.

Can I use instant gravy for this recipe?

Yes, use whatever type of gravy you would like. I prefer the jarred or canned version because they are a bit more flavorful and thicker, but any gravy will work. If you are using instant gravy and it isn't very thick, reduce the amount of beef broth that you are using or add additional corn starch at the end to reach the desired consistency.

Can I double the recipe?

Yes! You can double this recipe. However, this recipe does make a lot of food. If you are doubling the recipe, just make sure that the ingredients do not go above the max fill line in the pot. When doubling, double all ingredients except the beef broth. Instead of doubling the beef broth, only add an additional 1 cup.

Can I use water instead of beef broth?

Technically, yes. But, the beef broth adds so much extra flavor to the stew. If you use water, the flavor will be more "watered down" and not as rich and delicious.

What cut of meat should I use to make beef stew?

Beef stew meat is usually made up of chunks of chuck or round roast. My grocery store sells it already cut and packaged. But, you can buy a chuck roast or a round roast and cut it up into small chunks- about 1 or 2 inches in size. Stew meat is never the best cut of meat. It's usually tougher meat that needs some time to cook and becomes more tender.

What can I do with beef stew leftovers?

You can either throw the leftovers into a microwave-safe dish and microwave on high for about a minute- increase if you are reheating a lot of stew all at once. Or, you can reheat all of the leftovers by adding them back into your Ninja Foodi and warming on the saute function for a couple of minutes. You can even reheat it using the slow cooker function. You may need to add some additional beef broth to make it less thick. If you'd like, you can freeze the leftover stew. Put the leftover stew in freezer-safe, plastic containers. When ready to eat, thaw and heat. Leftover stew should stay good in the freezer for about 3 months if sealed properly.

How do I cook beef in my Ninja Foodi?

This will vary based on the type of beef that you are cooking. But, when pressure cooking tougher cuts of beef, it's important to ALWAYS allow for some of the pressure to release naturally. If you quick release all of the pressure, the beef will come out tough and dry.

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Ingredients need to make Ninja Foodi Beef Stew:

Ingredient substitutions and tips for making Ninja Foodi Beef Stew:

Vegetable Oil-Oil or canola oil can be used instead if you prefer.

Beef stew meat- cut into 1-2 inch chunks.

Salt and pepper- freshly ground or pre-ground will work.

Onion- white onion diced into small pieces. If you prefer larger pieces of onion, you can simply cut the onion in quarters.

Garlic- fresh or bottled. Minced.

Thyme- I used dried thyme but you can use fresh thyme if you have it.

Beef Broth- Water can be used, but the beef broth adds extra flavor.

Beef gravy- jarred or canned. If you don't have jarred or canned, you can use the instant gravy from the packet.

Bay Leaf- dried.

Carrots- peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks.

Potatoes- peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks. Any type of potato will work. I used russet potatoes. If you are using red potatoes or golden potatoes, you can leave the skin on.

Celery- cleaned and cut into 1-inch chunks. Can be committed if you don't like celery.

CornStarch- can substitute with flour. If using flour, double the amount of flour.

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How to make Ninja Foodi Beef Stew:

Directions for making Ninja Foodi Beef Stew:

1. Turn Ninja Foodi on the "sear/saute" function on high.
Once hot, pour in vegetable oil.

2. Season beef stew meat with salt and pepper and then add to the pot.

3. Sear beef on all sides. This should take about 5 minutes. Stir meat during this time to ensure all sides get lightly browned.

4. Add in onions and saute until almost transluscent.

5. Add in garlic and thyme and stir.

6. Pour in gravy and beef broth and stir.

7. Place bay leaf on top of beef.

8. Close the pressure cooking lid and move the valve to the "seal" position.

9. Pressure cook on high pressure for 18 minutes.

10. When the timer beeps, natural release pressure for 10 minutes and then quick release remaining pressure. Once all pressure has been released, open the lid.

11. Remove bay leaf and add in potatoes, carrots, and celery.

12. Close the pressure cooking lid and make sure the valve is set to the "seal" position. Pressure cook on high for 3 minutes.

13. When the timer beeps, quick-release pressure by moving the valve to the "release" position. Once all pressure has been released, open the lid.

14. Turn on saute. Mix corn starch with ½ cup of the gravy in the pot (mix in a bowl to make a slurry), add in corn starch slurry and stir until gravy has thickened up. Once, thickened, serve, and eat!

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