Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches

Instant Pot French Dips are sure to become a new family favorite dinner. These easy French Dips are made with super tender pressure cooked shredded beef, a garlic toasted bun, gooey cheese, and a rich au jus, for the best Shredded Beef Sandwich ever!

I love to pair French Dips with a side of Oven Baked Fries, Sweet Potato Fries, or Instant Pot Corn on the Cob. But regardless of what side dish you serve these sandwiches with, your family will agree, they are out of this world delicious!

I am about to make YOUR heart swell with my latest recipe, Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches. 

Yes, this recipe for shredded beef sandwiches is so good, your heart literally with swell with joy!

Tender, flavorful beef on top of a garlic-infused toasted bun, smothered in cheese is enough to make anyone happy. Add in a rich au jus for dipping, it is easy to see why French Dips are a family favorite recipe. 

And because these simple Shredded Beef Sandwiches take mere minutes of prep work for cook, everyone is happy!

Ingredients for French Dips

• Beef Roast: I strongly recommend chuck roast for this recipe. A bottom round roast, sirloin roast, or top round roast will not become as tender as a chuck roast. 
• Beef Broth or Stock: Use low sodium beef stock to help control the added sodium in this recipe. There is a lot of liquid in this recipe--do not be tempted to cut back on the amount used. Not only does it create a delicious dipping sauce for the French Dips, but it also keeps the beef super moist and the cooking time was calculated using the full 4 cups of beef. 
• Onion & Garlic: Garlic and onion add to the flavor of the au jus and beef. 
• Soy Sauce: Don't be tempted to omit the soy sauce from these French Dip Sandwiches, that extra flavor adds just the right umami flavor.
• Buns: Use hoagie or sub rolls for an authentic French Dip, but in a bind use hot dog or hamburger buns. Parenting Tip: Use hot dog buns for smaller appetites!
• Provolone Cheese: Use thick sliced provolone cheese for a thick, gooey layer of cheese. Of course, Swiss can be substituted.

How to Make Instant Pot French Dips

Step One: Sear Meat

Searing the meat adds texture to the final shredded beef. Feel free to skip this step if you are on a time crunch. You MUST skip the step of searing if your roast is frozen--you NEVER want to sear frozen meat. 

• Turn the pressure cooker to Sauté and allow the Instant Pot to heat up for a couple of minutes. Note: I recommend using high heat to saute the beef, but if you have an 8-quart Instant Pot that seems to overheat easily, adjust the temperature of sauteing to Normal instead of High by hitting saute then the adjust button until normal is lit up instead of high or low.
• Season the roast aggressively with salt and pepper.
• Once the instant pot is heated, add a bit of oil and sear the roast on all sides until golden.
• Turn the pressure cooker OFF and remove the seared beef to a plate in order to deglaze the inner pot. 

Step Two: Deglaze Pan

• Add in 1 cup of the beef broth and thoroughly scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of your pressure cooker--do not skip this step or you may end up with a burn notice. 

Step Three: Add in Remaining Ingredients

• Add in the remaining beef stock, sliced onion, garlic, and soy sauce to the inner pot. 
• Nestle the seared beef into the stock. 

Step Four: Pressure Cook

• Place lid on the pressure cooker and turn the valve to sealed.
• Set to high pressure for 60 minutes. 
• Allow at least 10 minutes of natural release before finish releasing pressure.

Step Five: Shred Meat

• Remove roast from the pressure cooker and place it in a large bowl and turn the Instant Pot back to saute to allow the cooking liquid to boil and evaporate slowly while assembling the sandwiches. 
• Shred with 2 forks or a handheld mixer. 

Step Six: Assemble French Dip Sandwiches

• Spread buns with butter and toast in oven until golden. This helps to keep the sandwiches from getting soggy.
• Once the buns are toasted rub with a garlic clove to give the buns a delicious hint of garlic flavor. 
• Top buns with shredded beef and sliced provolone cheese and return to oven briefly to melt the cheese.

Step Six: Serve

• Turn off the Instant Pot.
• Ladle up the au jus, straining if desired.
• Serve immediately with the French Dips. 

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can still enjoy Easy French Dip Sandwiches, with the help of a slow cooker.

• Sear the meat in a heavy-bottomed skillet in 1 tablespoon oil.
• Once seared on all sides, place the roast into the slow cooker with the broth, garlic, onion and soy sauce.
• Cook on high for 6-7 hours or low for 9-10 hours and then follow the instructions for toasting the bun and assembling the sandwiches. 

Storage Suggestions

You can store the leftover beef in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 days. I just strongly suggest storing the meat in the leftover au just to keep the roast from drying out. 

More Instant Pot Beef Recipes

• Instant Pot Pot Roast
• Instant Pot Ground Beef
• Instant Pot Chili
• Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup
• Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff
• Instant Pot Beef Stew

These French Dips are picky-eater approved, satisfying, and easy to make! I hope that you enjoy them as much as my family!

Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches

These easy French Dips are made with super tender pressure cooked shredded beef, a garlic toasted bun, gooey cheese, and a rich au jus, for the best Shredded Beef Sandwich ever!

4.71 from 44 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Reaching and Releasing Pressure: 35 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Servings: 8 rolls

Calories: 375kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 pound Chuck Roast
• ▢ salt and pepper
• ▢ ½ tbsp oil canola or olive oil
• ▢ 4 cups beef broth
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves divided
• ▢ 1 small onion thinly sliced
• ▢ 1 tbsp soy sauce
• ▢ 8 hoagie buns
• ▢ 1 tbsp butter optional
• ▢ 16 slices provolone cheese

Cook ModePrevents your screen from going dark while preparing the recipe.

Instructions

• Liberally season the chuck roast on both sides with salt and pepper. 
• Turn Pressure Cooker to Saute and let heat to hot. Add oil and sear meat on all sides until golden--about 2-3 minutes per side. I recommend using high heat to saute the beef, but if you have an 8-quart Instant Pot that seems to overheat easily, adjust the temperature of sauteing to Normal instead of High by hitting saute then the adjust button until normal is lit up instead of high or low.
• Once the roast is evenly seared, turn the instant pot off and remove the roast to a plate.
• Pour in 1 cup of the beef stock into the inner pot and scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot.
• Pour in the remaining 3 cups of stock. Add in 2 garlic cloves, sliced onions, and the soy sauce to pressure cooker. Return the beef back to the inner pot.
• Place the lid on the pressure cooker and be sure the vent knob is pointed towards sealed. Set cook time for 60 minutes on high pressure by hitting manual or pressure cook and then using the +/- buttons to adjust until the display reads "60."
• Once cooking time is finished, allow the pressure cooker to naturally release for AT LEAST 10 minutes, but 15-20 minutes is best, before manually releasing pressure. 
• Remove the roast from the inner pot and place into a large mixing bowl and turn the pressure cooker back to saute. (Hit Cancel/Off THEN Saute).
• Let the cooking liquid saute with the instant pot open, while you shred the beef and toast the buns so that it intensifies in flavor and reduces slightly.
• Use 2 forks or a hand-held mixer to shred the beef.
• Place rolls, opened up, on a sheet pan. Spread a light layer of butter or drizzle with olive oil. Toast for 5 minutes in a 400-degree oven or carefully and quickly using a broiler until just browned. Remove rolls from the oven and rub the garlic clove over inside of the roll. 
• Layer meat and 2 slices of cheese on each roll and return to oven until cheese melts--about 3 minutes. 
• Turn off the saute function on the inner pot. Lade up the au jus into bowls, straining first if desired. Serve with the french dips.

Equipment Needed

• Electric Pressure Cooker (6 or 8 quart)

Notes

• Total Time: 10 minutes prep, 15 minutes to come to pressure, 60 minutes cook time, 20 minutes natural release: Total time 1 hour 45 minutes.
• This recipe is designed for a 3-pound roast. To use a larger cut of beef, increase the cook time by 20 minutes per additional pound. 
• Using Frozen Beef: To make French Dips with frozen beef, skip the step of sauteing the beef and cook for 30 minutes per pound on high pressure instead of 20 minutes per pound. Keep in mind it will take longer to come to pressure as well. 
• Slow Cooker Instructions: Sear the meat in a heavy-bottomed skillet in 1 tablespoon oil. Once seared on all sides, place the chuck roast into the slow cooker with the broth, garlic, onion, and soy sauce and cook on high for 6-7 hours or low for 9-10 hours.
• Leftover shredded beef can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. 
• For Gluten-Free French Dip Sandwiches, use Gluten-Free soy sauce and serve on gluten-free buns
• Instead of rubbing the toasted bread with a garlic clove, you can still impart garlic flavor by adding ½ teaspoon garlic powder to the melted butter or olive oil before brushing on the sandwich rolls.
• While optional to brush the bread with garlic butter, I would not skip toasting the buns for a French Dip Sandwich--it helps the bread from getting soggy.
• My husband recommends after toasting the buns, spreading mayonnaise on the buns as well. I personally omit the mayo, but again, the choice is yours.
• Nutrition Facts are based on ⅓ pound meat, 1 rolls, 2 slices of cheese, and 1 cup au jus.

Nutrition

Calories: 375kcal | Protein: 40g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 600mg | Potassium: 577mg | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 300mg | Iron: 5.7mg

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This post was originally published in 2017 but was updated in 2020 with a new video and tips.