Instant Pot Chinese Beef Stew

Name: Instant Pot Chinese Beef Stew
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 5 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 2.5 lb beef brisket or chuck (cut into 1.5-inch cubes); 1 tbsp neutral oil; 5 slices ginger; 5 cloves garlic (smashed); 3 scallions (cut into 2-inch lengths); 2 star anise; 1 cinnamon stick (or a pinch of five-spice); 2 dried red chilies (optional); 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine; 3 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (for color); 1 tbsp doubanjiang (chili-bean paste) (optional, for depth); 1 tbsp rock sugar (or 2 tsp regular sugar); 1.5 cups water or unsalted beef stock; 1 lb daikon radish (peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks); 2 carrots (roll-cut (optional))

By The Chowmi Test KitchenUpdated June 8, 2026↓ Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Learn more.

🧪 Developed & tested by the The Chowmi Test Kitchen for US kitchens. How we develop our recipes.

Quick answer

Chinese braised beef stew (红烧牛腩, hóngshāo niúnǎn) is a deeply savory soy-and-star-anise braise of beef brisket and daikon — and it's a perfect Instant Pot dish, because the pressure cooker turns a normally 2–3 hour simmer into about 35 minutes of mostly hands-off cooking. You brown the beef on Sauté, build a fragrant braise with ginger, garlic, scallion, Shaoxing wine, light and dark soy, and a little rock sugar, then pressure-cook until the meat is fork-tender and the daikon is silky. A natural pressure release keeps the beef from seizing up. The result is rich, glossy, and comforting over rice or noodles, with none of the babysitting a stovetop braise needs. Brisket (niúnǎn) is traditional and ideal, but any well-marbled stewing cut like chuck works beautifully.

Chinese braised beef stew with daikon in a rich soy sauce, in an Instant Pot

Why you'll love this instant pot chinese beef stew

Fall-apart tender beef in about 35 minutes of cooking instead of a 3-hour stovetop braise.
Mostly hands-off — brown, dump, pressure-cook, walk away.
One deeply savory soy-and-star-anise braise that tastes like it simmered all day.
Every hard-to-find ingredient comes with an exact US-grocery substitute.

Ingredients

Beef & browning

2.5 lb beef brisket or chuck, cut into 1.5-inch cubes
1 tbsp neutral oil

Braise

5 slices ginger
5 cloves garlic, smashed
3 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
2 star anisesubstitutes →
1 cinnamon stick, or a pinch of five-spice
2 dried red chilies, optional
2 tbsp Shaoxing winesubstitutes →
3 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce, for colorsubstitutes →
1 tbsp doubanjiang (chili-bean paste), optional, for depthsubstitutes →
1 tbsp rock sugar, or 2 tsp regular sugar
1.5 cups water or unsalted beef stock

Vegetables

1 lb daikon radish, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 carrots, roll-cut (optional)

Missing an ingredient?

Tell us what you have and what you're making — get the best US-grocery swap, with ratios.

Hard-to-find ingredients, delivered

Stock the pantry once and you can cook this anytime: star anise, Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, doubanjiang. Asian groceries deliver nationwide.

Shop on Weee! →Shop on Yamibuy →Find on Amazon →(affiliate)

Equipment

Instant Pot (6-qt) — Any multicooker with a Sauté and high-pressure mode works.(shop →)

Instructions

Blanch the beef
Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the beef cubes for 2–3 minutes to remove scum, then drain and rinse. This keeps the braise clean and clear.
💡 Blanching is a classic Chinese braising step — it firms the meat and removes the impurities that make a braise cloudy and off-tasting.
Brown & bloom aromatics
Set the Instant Pot to Sauté (High). Add the oil and the blanched beef and sear for 3–4 minutes, just to color it. Add the ginger, garlic, scallions, star anise, cinnamon, and dried chilies; stir 1 minute until fragrant.
Build the braise
Add the Shaoxing wine and scrape the bottom of the pot clean (this prevents a Burn warning). Stir in the light soy, dark soy, doubanjiang, and rock sugar, then pour in the water or stock.
💡 Always deglaze the bottom after sautéing — stuck-on bits trigger the Instant Pot's Burn sensor under pressure.
Pressure cook
Add the daikon and carrots. Lock the lid, set the valve to Sealing, and Pressure Cook (Manual) on High for 25 minutes.
Natural release
Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then quick-release any remaining steam. The beef should be fork-tender.
Reduce & serve
Switch back to Sauté and simmer uncovered for 5–10 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce to a glossy braise. Taste and adjust soy or sugar. Serve over rice or with noodles, scattered with fresh scallion.

Tips & notes

Brisket (牛腩) gives the silkiest result, but chuck or any marbled stewing beef works. Avoid lean cuts — they turn dry and stringy under pressure.
Rock sugar (冰糖) gives braises their signature glossy sheen; regular sugar works in a pinch, just use a little less.
Want it thicker? After reducing, stir in a slurry of 1 tsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water and simmer 1 minute.
This tastes even better the next day — the flavor deepens overnight and it reheats perfectly.
Make it gluten-free with tamari in place of soy sauce and a wheat-free chili-bean paste (or leave the doubanjiang out).

Recipe wording too vague?

Paste any fuzzy step (少许, 火候正好, 焯水) and get exact amounts, temps and times.

Recipe

Instant Pot Chinese Beef Stew

New recipe

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 45 min
Total: 60 min
Serves: 5
Level: Beginner

Ingredients

Beef & browning

2.5 lb beef brisket or chuck, cut into 1.5-inch cubes
1 tbsp neutral oil

Braise

5 slices ginger
5 cloves garlic, smashed
3 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick, or a pinch of five-spice
2 dried red chilies, optional
2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
3 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce, for color
1 tbsp doubanjiang (chili-bean paste), optional, for depth
1 tbsp rock sugar, or 2 tsp regular sugar
1.5 cups water or unsalted beef stock

Vegetables

1 lb daikon radish, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 carrots, roll-cut (optional)

Instructions

Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the beef cubes for 2–3 minutes to remove scum, then drain and rinse. This keeps the braise clean and clear.
Set the Instant Pot to Sauté (High). Add the oil and the blanched beef and sear for 3–4 minutes, just to color it. Add the ginger, garlic, scallions, star anise, cinnamon, and dried chilies; stir 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the Shaoxing wine and scrape the bottom of the pot clean (this prevents a Burn warning). Stir in the light soy, dark soy, doubanjiang, and rock sugar, then pour in the water or stock.
Add the daikon and carrots. Lock the lid, set the valve to Sealing, and Pressure Cook (Manual) on High for 25 minutes.
Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then quick-release any remaining steam. The beef should be fork-tender.
Switch back to Sauté and simmer uncovered for 5–10 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce to a glossy braise. Taste and adjust soy or sugar. Serve over rice or with noodles, scattered with fresh scallion.

Nutrition (est., per serving): 440 cal · 42 g protein · 12 g carbs · 24 g fat

Instant Pot Chinese Beef Stew FAQ

How long does beef take in the Instant Pot?

Cubed brisket or chuck becomes fork-tender in about 25 minutes at high pressure, plus a 15-minute natural release. Including browning and reducing the sauce, the whole dish takes about an hour — versus 2–3 hours for a stovetop braise — and most of it is hands-off.

Should I use natural or quick release for beef stew?

Use a natural release (let the pressure drop on its own for about 15 minutes). Releasing pressure quickly causes the muscle fibers to seize and toughen, and the rapid boil can make the meat squeeze out its juices. Natural release keeps the beef tender and the sauce settled.

Why blanch the beef first?

Blanching the raw beef in boiling water for a few minutes draws out blood and impurities that would otherwise cloud the braise and add an off, gamey taste. Drain and rinse the beef, then proceed — it's a small step that makes the finished stew noticeably cleaner and richer.

What can I use instead of daikon?

Daikon radish turns silky and soaks up the braise, but you can use extra carrots, turnips, or potatoes instead. If using potatoes, add them after pressure cooking and simmer on Sauté so they don't dissolve. Carrots can go in from the start.

How do I avoid the Burn warning?

After sautéing, deglaze: add the Shaoxing wine and scrape every stuck-on bit off the bottom of the pot before adding the rest. Make sure there's enough liquid (1.5 cups), and don't stir the dark soy into a dry pot. Layering the beef and vegetables without packing them down also helps.