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    Home » Recipes » Instant Pot

    Instant Pot Tri Tip

    By: Jessica · Posted: Apr 14, 2022 · Updated: Jan 12, 2025 · This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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    Jump to Recipe 17 comments
    4.97 from 27 votes
    instant pot tri tip pinterest image

    Instant Pot Tri Tip: Found at the grocery store, Tri tip is an affordable cut of meat, and is wonderful made as a roast in this Instant Pot recipe.

    sliced roast, gravy and carrots and potatoes
    Instant Pot Tri Tip

     

    Quick Overview: Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes and natural release. Optional gravy recipe included!

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    Similar to cooking a pot roast in the Instant Pot, this tri tip in the Instant Pot is not only easy but it is an affordable cut of meat that makes a wonderful roast! It helps you accomplish those dinner goals with minimal effort!

    This Instant Pot tri-tip recipe also uses simple ingredients so it’s nice that you can usually keep the ingredients on hand for a quick Sunday dinner idea (or busy weeknight dinner) that the entire family will love!

    Jump to:
    • Why You’ll Love This Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • How Long to Pressure Cook a Tri-Tip
    • How to Make Gravy for Tri-Tip
    • Substitutions
    • Equipment
    • What to Serve with Tri-Tip
    • Storage
    • Top Tip
    • More Tri-Tip Recipes
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Ingredients

    Although we used potatoes and carrots in this recipe, you can leave those out if you prefer, and the roast will still cook the same way! There’s just something about adding potatoes and carrots to a roast recipe, so we include it in our oven-baked chuck roast recipe and our dutch oven beef stew recipe, too!

    Here’s what you’ll need:

    ingredients for instant pot tri tip
    Ingredients

    Tri-Tip Ingredients

    • 2 to 2.5 pound tri tip roast (it’s a cut of beef that has a triangular shape)
    • 1 Tablespoon paprika
    • 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
    • 1 Tablespoon onion powder
    • 1 Tablespoon black pepper
    • 1 Tablespoon dried rosemary
    • 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
    • 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (this can make it pretty spicy for kiddos – either omit or cut in ½)
    • 2 Tablespoon butter
    • 4 cups of beef broth
    • 1 pound baby potatoes
    • 4-5 carrots, peeled and cut in to small sticks

    Gravy, if desired:

    • 5-6 tablespoons of flour
    • 5-6 tablespoons of water
    • meat drippings

    See recipe card toward the bottom of this post for full instructions.

    Instructions

    1. This tri-tip that we used was about 2.5 pounds. But yours may be slightly different in size, yet the cooktime should remain the same, as long as it’s within 2 to 2.5 pounds.
    Raw tri tip on white plate
    Tri Tip ready to cook
    1. Mix paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, dried rosemary, kosher salt, brown sugar and crushed red pepper (if desired), together in small bowl.
    spices in white bowl
    spices for rub
    spices mixed together in white bowl
    Mix spices
    1. Then, rub spice mixture on both sides of the meat, massaging it in to the meat.
    Spice rubbed tri tip on platter
    Rub spice blend on tri tip
    1. Turning the saute function on, on your Instant Pot, add the butter and allow it to melt.
    2. Once butter has melted, place tri tip in pot and sear each side of the tri tip for 5 minutes on each side.
    sear tri tip in butter on saute
    Sear one side
    Trip tip searing in Instant Pot
    Sear other side
    1. Then remove the instant pot tri-tip roast from the Instant Pot and set aside.
    Trip tip removed from Instant Pot
    Remove seared tri tip
    1. Pour a small amount of beef broth in to instant pot and using a wooden spoon (or similar) scrape brown bits of cooked meat/spices off the bottom of the pot.
    2. Next, place trivet (metal rack) inside of Instant Pot.
    Beef broth poured in pot
    Pour in some broth, and scrape
    Place trivet in Instant Pot
    Insert trivet in to pot
    1. Place tri tip on metal rack and, if desired, pour any leftover spices on top of meat.
    tri tip back in instant pot
    Place tri tip back in pot
    pour rest of broth in to pot
    Pour rest of broth in to pot
    1. Pour in beef broth, pouring around the roast, so it doesn’t wash spices off.
    2. Next, add in the potatoes and carrots.
    3. Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes, and then allow to natural release.
    veggies added in to pot
    Add veggies in to pot
    cooked veggies and tri tip
    Cooked tri tip and veggies

    How Long to Pressure Cook a Tri-Tip

    My Instant Pot is an 8 quart – and the natural release took about 35 minutes. This time may vary for different sizes.

    You CAN use the quick release method, if you’re in a rush but I prefer to naturally release it because I believe it helps make a tender meat or tender roast.

    cooked tri tip, potatoes and carrots
    Cooked tri tip, potatoes and carrots

    How to Make Gravy for Tri-Tip

    If you would like to make a gravy for the tri tip, our favorite method is using the drippings that remain in the pot.

    1. Remove veggies and roast from pot and leave drippings.
    Cooked tri tip with veggies
    Cooked Tri Tip and Vegetables
    1. In small bowl, mix cold water and flour until smooth.
    2. Add in a few spoonfuls of the meat drippings and mix together until smooth.
    flour and cold water in white bowl
    Flour and cold water
    drippings added in to flour mixture
    Add in drippings to flour mixture
    1. When smooth, pour in to pot of drippings and turn Instant Pot on to “saute” and let gravy cook and stir (with a whisk) until thickened.
    brown gravy from drippings in bowl
    Brown gravy

    Gravy Tip: Before serving, we found it best to pour gravy in to a mesh colander, to separate any fat, etc. for a “cleaner” gravy but it’s not necessary.

    Gravy poured on tri tip and vegetables
    Tri Tip Roast with Gravy

    Substitutions

    If you prefer to switch out some of the spices, feel free too! The wonderful thing about roast, is that it can be flexible with your favorite spices.

    Although we use beef broth in this recipe, feel free to use vegetable broth or even chicken broth if that’s what you have on hand or prefer.

    If you prefer to leave out the brown sugar, for less sugar… you absolutely can. The brown sugar just gives it a hint of sweet to go with the salty spice flavor.

    Olive oil can be used instead of butter if you prefer.

    Tri tip roast with vegetables on fork
    Tri tip with vegetables

    Soon, you’ll have a delicious meal that may just become your new favorite easy recipe!

    Equipment

    I used an 8 quart Instant Pot but this can also be made in a 6 quart. The only difference is that it could take less time to come to pressure if using a smaller Instant Pot.

    You may also use a different brand of electric pressure cooker or even a stovetop pressure cooker but do note that the times may vary for a pressure cooker tri tip.

    What to Serve with Tri-Tip

    This tri tip can pair perfectly with delicious breads, such as Italian baked bread, this easy Focaccia bread, or even these cheddar biscuits! But if you have a slow cooker, we absolutely love having these crock pot cheesy hashbrowns with them!

    Storage

    If you have leftover Instant Pot tri-tip roast and/or gravy, allow to fully cool and then place in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

    To reheat, you can microwave leftovers or even place in the oven in an oven-safe baking dish.

    Top Tip

    If you find that your roast is tough, it could be the cut of meat. You can also try pressure cooking a little longer, around 15-30 minutes to see if it becomes more tender.

    More Tri-Tip Recipes

    If you love tri tip steak, roast or this cut of meat, you will absolutely love this smoked tri tip recipe! (We found our tri tip at Costco and two came in a pack so we made one in the pressure cooker and smoked one, and then made tri tip tacos with leftoves!)

    Recipe

    sliced tri tip with brown gravy

    Instant Pot Tri Tip

    Jessica Burgess
    Instant Pot Tri Tip: Found at the grocery store, Tri tip is an affordable cut of meat, and is wonderful made as a roast in this Instant Pot recipe.
    4.97 from 27 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Pressure Release 35 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 414 kcal

    Equipment

    • Pressure Cooker

    Ingredients

    • 2 pound tri tip roast 2 to 2.5 pound will work
    • 2 tablespoons butter salted or unsalted
    • 1 tablespoon paprika
    • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
    • 1 tablespoon onion powder
    • 1 tablespoon black pepper
    • 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
    • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
    • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper this can make it pretty spicy for kids – either omit or cut in half
    • 4 cups beef broth
    • 1 pound baby potatoes
    • 4 carrots peeled and sliced in to small sticks

    Tri Tip Roast Gravy, if desired

    • 5 tablespoons flour
    • 5 tablespoons cold water
    • meat drippings

    Instructions
     

    • This tri-tip that we used was about 2.5 pounds. But yours may be slightly different in size, yet the cooktime should remain the same, as long as it's within 2 to 2.5 pounds.
    • Mix paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, dried rosemary, kosher salt, brown sugar, and crushed red pepper (if desired), together in small bowl.
    • Then, rub spice mixture on both sides of the meat, massaging it in to the meat.
    • Turning the saute function on, on your Instant Pot, add the butter and allow it to melt.
    • Once butter has melted, place tri tip in pot and sear each side of the tri tip for 5 minutes on each side.
    • Then remove the instant pot tri-tip roast from the Instant Pot and set aside.
    • Pour a small amount of beef broth in to instant pot and using a wooden spatula (or similar) scrape brown bits of cooked meat/spices off the bottom of the pot.
    • Next, place trivet (metal rack) inside of Instant Pot.
    • Place tri tip on metal rack and, if desired, pour any leftover spices on top of meat.
    • Pour in beef broth, pouring around the roast, so it doesn't wash spices off.
    • Next, add in the potatoes and carrots
    • Pressure cook on high pressure for 30 minutes, and then allow to natural release. For my 8 quart, this took about 35 minutes of natural release. You can, if in a hurry, manual release but I feel that the natural release results in a more tender roast.

    Tri Tip Gravy Instructions, if desired

    • Remove veggies and roast from pot and leave drippings.
    • In small bowl, mix cold water and flour until smooth. Add in a few spoonfuls of the meat drippings and mix together until smooth.
    • When smooth, pour in to pot of drippings and turn Instant Pot on to the sauté setting and let gravy cook and stir (with a whisk) until thickened.
    • Gravy Tip: Before serving, we found it best to pour gravy in to a mesh colander, to separate any fat, etc. for a "cleaner" gravy but it's not necessary.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 414kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 1375mg | Potassium: 1021mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 7601IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 4mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

    Keywords instant pot recipe, pressure cooker, roast, tri tip
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Comments

      4.97 from 27 votes (18 ratings without comment)

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    1. Heather says

      May 25, 2025 at 10:43 pm

      5 stars
      We had this tonight for dinner. It was yummy! I made a few changes: omitted the red pepper flakes, used olive oil to brown instead of butter, pressure cooked for 40 minutes since the meat weighed about 3 lbs, deglazed the pot with about 1/2 cup grape juice and added 3 1/2 cups water since I was out of beef stock. Oven roasted potatoes and baby carrots as a side. Only had one small serving left! Thanks for a great recipe 😋

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        May 26, 2025 at 6:25 am

        Hi Heather! Oh yum! I love hearing what you did, and I’m so glad that you liked it! Thank you so much for sharing!

        Reply
    2. JUdith says

      July 30, 2024 at 3:40 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! Made this last night and forwarded a link to the recipe to my BFF today. We are not spicey types, so I left the crushed red pepper out. Thank you for this recipe which I’ll definitely be making again.

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        July 30, 2024 at 6:17 pm

        Awww, I’m so happy that you liked this tri tip recipe too! Thank you SO much for taking the time to share and to leave the review!

        Reply
    3. Jennifer Y Miller says

      November 13, 2023 at 8:38 pm

      4 stars
      Outstanding full flavor, beef tri-tip was tender! Next time I will use whole Yukon gold potatoes and cut large carrots into three or four whole pieces as we like our vegetables more firm. The gravy was delicious! I’ll definitely will make this dish again!

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        November 14, 2023 at 8:30 am

        So happy that you liked this tri tip recipe Jennifer. Thank you for sharing!

        Reply
    4. Erin says

      December 06, 2022 at 8:22 am

      Can I use a frozen tri tip for this recipe? I have a habit of forgetting to take meat out for dinner because of getting everyone ready in the morning rush.

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        December 06, 2022 at 10:49 am

        Hi Erin! I haven’t tried that for this recipe specifically but I do use a frozen roast in this Instant Pot roast recipe, in case you find it helpful!

        Reply
    5. Gpv says

      November 29, 2022 at 5:57 am

      5 stars
      I made this last night for dinner and it was delicious! Very tasty and tender. Will definitely use this recipe again.

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        November 29, 2022 at 9:38 pm

        Oh I’m so glad you loved this tri-tip recipe too! Thank you so much for taking the time to share!

        Reply
    6. Lisa says

      November 06, 2022 at 9:01 am

      5 stars
      I made this Tri Tip recipe and I will never fix Tri Tip any other way. This is SO good. My hubby even asked what I did to make the meat so yummy. Good flavor . No , GREAT flavor.

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        November 06, 2022 at 9:26 am

        Oh Lisa!!! That makes me SO happy to hear! I have to agree… the flavors, the ease, the everything. Haha. It’s perfect this time of year too. Thank you for taking the time to let me know!

        Reply
    7. Adriana says

      October 20, 2022 at 9:31 pm

      5 stars
      I made this for dinner tonight. My picky kids loved it. I didn’t use pepper flakes but it still is a but spicy because of all of the pepper. But it’s soo good. I also didn’t have carrots. But I made white rice and fresh green beans. So delicious.

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        October 20, 2022 at 9:43 pm

        Oh Adriana, I’m so glad to hear that you all loved this tri tip recipe!! Totally understand leaving the red pepper flakes out! I love it when picky kids love another recipe that can be added to the meal rotation. Thanks again!

        Reply
    8. Samantha says

      May 02, 2022 at 11:01 am

      5 stars
      I couldn’t believe how tender and succulent this roast was coming out of the instant pot and the gravy was amazing! Thanks for a great recipe that I’ll be adding to our regular rotation. 🙂

      Reply
    9. Allyssa says

      May 02, 2022 at 8:38 am

      5 stars
      Thank you so much for this very helpful recipe! It is so flavorful and really delicious! Loved it!

      Reply
    10. Toni says

      May 02, 2022 at 5:52 am

      5 stars
      This is so good and amazing! A comforting and satisfying meal!

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Jessica! - Owner and Creator of the blog and brand, Fantabulosity.

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