Carne Guisada = Mexican Beef Stew
Most of us have heard of carne asada (translation: grilled meat), but how many have heard of carne guisada? If you haven’t tried the latter, you’ve been missing out. Carne guisada is an absolutely delicious traditional Mexican beef stew. Guisada just means “stewed meat in gravy” and that’s exactly what this dish is. There are different ways to make the gravy – you can add bell peppers or potatoes to the dish. Personally, I prefer to keep it simple – just tender meat and flavorful gravy. If you like beef stew and you like Latin flavor, then you will most definitely like this recipe for carne guisada.
Why use a pressure cooker?
Carne guisada is typically a slow-simmered stew that can take hours to make, but I’ve been able to recreate the dish using my new pressure cooker, Instant Pot.
Those of you who have been following me for awhile know that I had been coveting this pressure cooker for nearly a year before I bought it. It went on sale over the holidays (I bought it for about $115 – it’s only $134 right now!) and I’ve been using it several times a week ever since. It’s one of the best kitchen investments I’ve made – it can do so many things.
You can definitely make this dish in a stovetop pressure cooker or a slow cooker, but you’ll have to adjust the cooking method. For the slow cooker, just cook until the meat is tender (estimate: ~6 hours).
Thicken the stew:
Once the Instant Pot has finished cooking your meal, you’ll see that the stew is a bit thin. You’ll want to ladle out the liquid into a bowl and whisk a tablespoon of potato starch into the stew. I’m sure potato flour will work too. Different thickeners require different steps, so make sure to use them correctly. For example, if you use arrowroot or tapioca flour, you’ll want to mix it well with cold water and then pour that into the stew. Regardless, once it’s well mixed, just pour the thick slurry back into the Instant Pot and mix well to thicken the whole stew.
We’ve enjoyed eating carne guisada over cauliflower-rice and also on top of paleo tortillas, served with avocado slices and fresh salsa. I think the carne guisada tacos are my favorite… way better than the carne asada fajita-type meat you’re probably used to eating at Mexican restaurants. If you like spicy food, serve the carne guisada with thin slices of Serrano pepper on top!
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or fat of choice
- 1 pound beef stew meat
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 Serrano peppers, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 1 cup beef broth or chicken stock
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon potato starch or thickener of choice
- Press the “Sauté” button on the Instant Pot, and add the oil and beef cubes to the pot. Sear the meat on all sides.
- Once the meat has browned , add the onion, garlic, serrano pepper, bay leaf and spices. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the beef broth and tomato sauce, then cover and lock the lid. Press the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button on the Instant Pot, then press the “Meat/Stew” button to begin the pressure cooking. It will automatically be set for 35 minutes. Make sure the steam valve is closed.
- Once the stew is done, the Instant Pot will automatically switch to the “Keep Warm” mode. Allow the pressure to release naturally or use the quick release if you’re HANGRY. 😉
- Unlock the lid, ladle out some liquid into a bowl and combine it with the potato flour. Mix well and then add this thick slurry back into the pot, and stir-well.
- Serve over cauli-rice, or in a tortilla!
To make in a slow cooker: Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.
Looking for more Instant Pot Recipes? Try these:
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
Instant Pot Taco Meat
Instant Pot Saag
Instant Pot Habanero Chili
Instant Pot Dal Makhani
Goat Curry in a Hurry
Instant Pot Texas Beef Chili
Instant Pot Ground Lamb Curry
Instant Pot Butter Chicken
I made this tonight and it turned out wonderful. I didn’t have any Chipotle powder so just omitted it, I’m not sure how much of a change in flavor it would have been but we loved it nonetheless and will be making it again, maybe this time with the Chipotle Powder. Very easy to throw together in the Instant Pot so thank you for giving the directions.
Samantha, I’m so glad you liked the recipe – thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you!! 🙂
We loved this! My husband said its the best thing I’ve ever made! Thanks so much for sharing your recipes– please share more for the Insta-Pot!!
Lisa, wow that’s awesome! So glad you both liked the recipe!! 🙂
Made this tonight – fantastic! Flavor was amazing. Did not put in the chili powder and used a jalapeno pepper rather then a Serrano pepper, as that is what we had on hand. It was plenty spicy! Used arrowroot for the thickener and cooked it in a pressure cooker for 15 minutes. I am not a stew fan, but loved this. Next time I would add some carrots, just to get in the extra veggies.
I love your recipes. Thanks so much!
Barb
Barb, so glad you liked the recipe! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out 🙂
Yay, Ashley! Fantastic as always! I felt like having minced meat and had only pork and lamb on hand, so i went with it and also doubled the recipe. Turned out awesome!
Awesome!! So happy to hear that you liked the recipe!! 🙂
This was really delicious. I will add more meat next time so we have leftovers. There was plenty of gravy left so I don’t think adding another pound of beef would hurt. Thanks for the recipe.
Courtney, I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Made this in my Instapot tonight. Absolutely delicious!! Thank you for this easy recipe that was amazingly tasty!
Sherri, I’m so glad that you liked it!! 🙂
I was hesitant on this recipe at first – I am not a stew person really or a huge beef fan, but….I am glad I tried it anyway because it’s so flavorful and tasty!! Have made this several times now. It’s so nice and easy in the Instant Pot. Tastes like it was slow cooking for hours but done in minutes. Another one of your recipes is now a staple in our home 🙂
I’m so glad you gave it a try and liked it!! 🙂
This S Texas native is in a very happy place right now. This will be made again!!
One note, it was tough to get the gravy thickened with arrowroot. Gotta work on figuring out proportions. But seriously so good.
Rebecca, I’m so happy to hear that you liked it! 🙂 If you eat potatoes, it might be easier to thicken it with potato flour? Or even some mashed up potatoes (that’s my secret to thickening up my beef stew).
Yeah, probably – I just had arrowroot in the house so I used it. I will have to experiment next time I made it, because yes, there will be a next time.
Tried your Carne Guisada tonight and it is wonderful. Thank you
Genene, I’m so glad you liked it!
I can’t wait to give this a try, one of the many dishes I look forward to when I visit Texas!
Deana, can’t wait to hear what you think!!
I made this tonight in my IP and my husband loved it.
Happy to hear that! 🙂
Making this tonight–if I double the meat, do I need to double the liquid?
Hi Annie, yes I’d double the whole recipe. If it’s too thin at the end, just hit the “saute” button to reduce the liquid. Hope that helps!
This was really delicious! I had 2 lbs of stew meat, so I doubled the recipe. Perhaps I should have kept it the same…pretty soupy. No matter, it was delicious! The kids felt it was too spicy, but I tthouht it was awesome! I tossed in about a dozen small potatoez, which came out ready to mash. Perfect!
I’m so happy you liked it! If it’s too soupy, you can press “saute” once it’s done and reduce the sauce with the lid off 🙂
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this recipe!!! Thank you for sharing!
This is my FAVORITE go-to recipe for carne guisada! I have made it several times and it has turned out perfectly each time. I now use 5 pounds of beef stew meat (COSTCO) and double the amounts for everything else (could triple for more “gravy”). (Tip: I brown some of the meat in a large skillet to save time.) This lasts several days at our home and gets better each day!
Kyle, so happy to hear that you liked the carne guisada! Love that you make a big batch at once!