Instant Pot Beef Eye of Round Roast

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Instant Pot Eye of Round Roast shares all the electric pressure cooker cooking secrets to make roast beef that’s tender, juicy, and perfectly medium-rare.

Cooking Eye of Round Roast in the Instant Pot

Yep. I’ll admit it right up front – we eat A LOT of beef. This is twofold – we enjoy it, but we also raise it, so there’s that.

Eye of Round Roast is rich, satisfying, and pretty darn versatile for making easy family meals.

I love cooking a couple of beef roasts over the weekend timeframe so that when the work week begins, I already have cooked meat in my fridge that’s ready to use for easy lunch and dinner meals.

We love cooking a simple eye of round roast in the oven or you can really impress a crowd with this garlic butter eye of round roast.

What to love about this roast beef recipe

1. The Instant Pot or any pressure cooking cooking method provides lots of moisture and that works perfectly for this very lean cut of roast beef.
2. You can have deli-style roast beef that’s absolutely perfect for making sandwiches and sliders….just like what you get at the deli counter. (But it’s cheaper and much more delicious!!)

What you need to know about eye of round roast beef

An eye of round roast is a beef roast that is super lean and comes from the hindquarters of the cow.

Because this muscle gets a lot of movement on the cow, it is very flavorful. But if it’s not cooked properly, it can be an extremely tough cut of beef. Yes, shoe leather tough!

Eye of Round roast is a cut of beef best cooked to medium rare in internal temperature, no matter which cooking method you use. This cut is not like a chuck roast that is delicious when it’s cooked to fallin’-apart fork tender.

One of the best attributes of a beef eye of round roast is that it is a great dinner choice for cooking on a budget.

It is tender and succulent, as long as it’s only cooked to rare or medium-rare doneness.

Eye of round roast beef is the type of beef that you get when purchasing lunch meat at the deli counter. It is delicious and thinly sliced for sandwiches and subs.

Ingredients to make Instant Pot Eye of Round

• Eye of round roast: I think a 3 pound eye of round is the perfect size since it feeds about 8 people. If your eye of round roast has a fat cap on one side of the roast, don’t trim it off. This fat renders as the meat cooks, helping keep it moist.
• Seasonings: Italian seasoning, kosher salt, black pepper.
• Beef broth: I like to cook my roasts in broth instead of water to add flavor to both the meat and also the pan juices that are leftover in case gravy is made.
• Red wine vinegar: Optional but recommended. I like to add a bit of vinegar when cooking meat to add some tang and brighten the flavor of the dish.
• Olive oil: This is for searing the roast. Feel free to substitute canola or vegetable oil, or even avocado oil or coconut oil.

Here’s what you’ll learn

• How to cook an eye of round roast very quickly with little work
• Why beauty rest for all meat is so important, both before and after cooking
• Which tools are helpful for making eye of round roast in your electric pressure cooker
• The best way to thinly slice a cooked eye of round roast
• How many pounds of beef to purchase
• What to serve with eye of round roast beef
• Other beef roasts you can substitute for eye of round roast

Cooking Tips

You can make your own Italian seasoning by combining one tablespoon each of dried basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley and oregano, along with one teaspoon garlic powder. (You’ll only need 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning for this recipe. Store the remainder of the seasoning blend in an air tight jar in your spice cabinet.)

When choosing an eye of round roast, opt for one with a fat cap on top, if possible. Because eye of round is so very lean, a fat cap insulates the meat as it cooks and the fat also renders into the meat to keep it moist. Don’t be afraid of an eye of round roast with a fat cap – it’s a good thing!

Trust the process of this recipe.

How to make beef eye of round roast in your Instant Pot

Two hours before you want to cook the roast, remove it from refrigeration and take it out of it’s packaging. In a small bowl, combine the Italian seasoning with the salt and pepper.

Using your fingertips, season the roast on all sides. Rub the spices liberally into all the nooks and crannies of the meat.

Let the seasoned roast rest, uncovered, on the counter for two hours so the meat can rest, relax, and season. **DON’T SKIP THIS STEP!!

Using the sauté setting on the Instant Pot, add a good swish of oil. When the oil is hot, carefully add the seasoned roast. Let it brown on the first side for a couple of minutes.

Turn the roast over to brown the remaining side, adding a bit more oil, if needed. Once the roast is fully browned on both sides, turn off the sauté setting on the Instant Pot. Remove the roast to a platter.

Use a paper towel to carefully remove any oil that remains in the bottom of the Instant Pot.

Return the roast to the Instant Pot; slowly pour in the beef broth and vinegar.

Lock the Instant Pot lid securely into place. Choose the high pressure setting for 5 minutes of cooking time (Yes! Just 5 minutes), bringing the Instant Pot to full pressure.

When the timer sounds at the end of the 5-minute pressure cooking time, just walk away from the Instant Pot. It’s time for the natural release so the pressure can come down a little at a time and roast can finish cooking as it rests and relaxes.

Leave the roast inside the Instant Pot on the “Keep Warm” setting for 30 minutes. (The “Keep Warm” feature is automatic once the Instant Pot’s timer sounds at the end of the pressure cooking time, fyi.)

After 30 minutes on the “keep warm” setting, remove the Instant Pot lid. Use an instant-read meat thermometer probe to test the roast’s internal temperature.

The ideal internal temperature for an eye of round roast at this point in the recipe is 115 degrees F. (rare) to 125 degrees F. (medium rare).

If the roast hasn’t yet reached 115-125 degrees F. internal temperature (because it may be larger than 3 lbs., for instance) just put the Instant Pot lid back on and let the roast sit inside on the “Keep Warm” setting for a bit longer.

After ten more minutes, check the internal temperature again. Odds are, the roast will now be at the perfect internal temperature!

Place the rested roast onto a large cutting board and carve it across the grain in thin slices. Serve at once.

What are other roasts called that are similar to eye of round roast?

Cuts of beef similar to the beef eye of round roast are top round, bottom round, or rump roast.

These roasts are also very lean and can be cooked like an eye of round beef roast, just to medium-rare doneness and sliced thinly across the grain of the meat.

How much roast beef should I purchase per person?

I think it’s good to plan for one-half pound of roast beef per person when buying a raw beef roast. If you enjoy having leftover meat to use for sandwiches, plan for one pound of roast per person.

How should I slice the eye of round roast beef?

Eye of round roast is primarily a deli meat roast, meaning it’s most delicious when sliced into very thin slices.

To slice the roast into nice, thin slices, be sure your carving knife is very sharp. Also be sure to slice the meat ACROSS the grain, not WITH the grain.

Slice the meat into shorter pieces so it’s easier to chew and enjoy.

How do I identify the grain of the meat and which way it’s running?

To figure this out, look for the parallel lines of muscle fiber running across the cut of meat. Then slice across them.

Sometimes, you will have to turn certain cuts of meat and adjust the slicing direction to always cut across the muscle (meat) fibers.

Why is the recipe so specific that the roast should be left out to rest for 2 hours before cooking it?

This is called beauty rest. It’s the best step (not to mention a secret!) when preparing to cook ANY meat, including poultry.

Meat that’s been allowed to rest and de-chill before the cooking process begins will cook completely differently than meat that is still chilled.

When the protein fibers have had time to relax and rest, the meat can receive the heat much better. It also cooks much more evenly, providing a GREAT eating experience.

So does that mean the meat needs beauty rest AFTER it cooks as well?

Yep. As meat cooks, especially under pressure in an Instant Pot, it contracts a bit. Allowing it beauty rest following the cooking process gives the meat time to relax .

It also pulls it’s juices back to the center so that when you slice it, the roast is tender and juicy.

What can I do with eye of round roast leftovers?

Eye of round roast beef is delicious for grilled sandwiches, subs, and sliders. We love French Dip Eye of Round Sandwiches!

Eye of round roast leftovers are also delicious in Eye of Round Caesar Salad.

What should I serve with eye of round roast beef?

We enjoy creamy potato and pasta dishes alongside roast beef. Baked Yum Yum Potato Wedges and Creamy Mashed Potatoes Supreme with Bacon are great options, or Oven roasted green beans are darn good, too.

Nice corn side dishes and salads would include Ricotta Creamed Corn Casserole and Delta Cornbread Salad – a couple of our very favs.

More Favorite Meat Recipes to Enjoy

Here’s how to cook a juicy, tender, and flavorful Frozen Beef Roast in an Instant Pot that’s a perfect dinner and makes amazing leftovers.

Beef Top Round Roast in the oven makes the most tender slices of perfectly cooked and seasoned, juicy beef roast that is budget-friendly and delicious.

This beef Bottom Round Roast recipe is the best way to cook a bottom round roast that simmers low and slow until tender and juicy in a rich tomato sauce with basil and oregano.

Originally published September 16, 2023. Updated October 28, 2024.