Super Easy Instant Pot Beef Nilaga

Instant Pot Beef Nilaga is our shortcut to the ultimate Filipino comfort food. This classic Filipino beef soup is traditionally simmered for hours on the stovetop to develop a rich, collagen-packed broth.

The Instant Pot makes it weeknight-friendly!

Using a mix of beef chuck and beef feet, this easy Instant Pot Beef Nilaga delivers deep flavor, tender meat, and a nourishing broth in a fraction of the time. Corn, potatoes, cabbage, and chayote soak up that savory beefy goodness while the pressure cooker does the heavy lifting.

If you’re looking for a simple, authentic pressure cooker nilaga recipe that tastes slow-cooked without the all-day wait, this is it.

Just don’t forget the white rice.

🍅🥝

What is Nilaga?

Nilaga (which literally translates to “boiled” in Tagalog) is a staple soup in the Philippines.

It is the dish you crave on a rainy day or when you are feeling under the weather.

While it can be made with pork (Nilagang Baboy) or chicken (Nilagang Manok), Beef Nilaga (Nilagang Baka) is highly prized for its incredibly savory, rich, and beefy broth.

By boiling tough, bone-in cuts of meat with whole peppercorns and onions, the broth transforms into something deeply nourishing.

Why make Instant Pot Beef Nilaga?

Traditionally, achieving perfectly tender beef and a broth rich in collagen takes at least two to three hours of babysitting a pot on the stove.

• Time-Saver: The pressure cooker slashes that cooking time by more than half.
• Locked-in Flavor: Because the Instant Pot is sealed, none of the aromatic evaporation occurs. Every ounce of flavor stays right in the broth.
• Set It and Forget It: Once you secure the lid, you are free to prep your vegetables, make your rice, and set the table without having to skim or stir continuously.

Key Ingredients & Substitutions

To get that authentic taste, the ingredients matter. Here is what you need and how you can adapt it:

• The Beef: We use a combination of beef chuck for meaty bites and beef feet (or bone marrow or shank) for that gelatinous, rich mouthfeel. If you cannot find beef feet, beef short ribs or beef shank (bulalo cuts) work beautifully.
• The Aromatics: Whole black peppercorns, a quartered onion, and a splash of fish sauce (patis) are non-negotiable for the classic flavor profile.
• The Vegetables: We love the traditional mix of sweet corn on the cob, potatoes, chayote (sayote), and cabbage.
• Veggie Swaps: Cannot find chayote? Green papaya or zucchini works in a pinch. If you prefer leafy greens, you can swap the cabbage for bok choy or pechay.

Pro-Tips for the Best Pressure Cooker Broth

1. Parboil and Rinse (Optional but Recommended): For the clearest broth possible, you can quick-boil the beef for 5 minutes on the stove, rinse off the impurities, and then add it to your Instant Pot.
2. The Two-Stage Pressure Cook: To keep your vegetables from turning into mush, cook them in a second stage. We wait to add the corn, potatoes, cabbage, and chayote until after the beef has finished its main pressure cook. Once the pressure is released, drop the vegetables into the hot broth, seal the lid, and pressure cook for an additional 6 to 7 minutes. This guarantees you get fall-apart tender beef and perfectly cooked vegetables in the same pot.

How to Serve and Store Leftovers

Beef Nilaga is never eaten alone. It must be served with steaming hot white rice!

For the true Filipino experience, serve it with a sawsawan (dipping sauce) on the side. Mix a little bit of fish sauce (patis) with a squeeze of calamansi or lemon juice, and optionally crush a spicy bird’s eye chili (siling labuyo) into it. Dip the tender pieces of beef into the sauce before eating them with your rice.

Storing: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. The broth will likely solidify like jelly when cold. That just means you extracted all that great collagen! It will turn right back into a rich liquid once heated.

Dan & Ash

Instant Pot Beef Nilaga

Cozy, simple, and deeply comforting 🤍 This is Filipino Beef Nilaga made in the Instant Pot. Rich beef broth, corn, potatoes, chayote, and cabbage.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Asian, Filipino

Calories: 400

Ingredients Equipment Method Video

Ingredients

  

Meat

• 1.20 lb Angus beef chuck stew meat boneless
• 2.7 lb beef feet rinsed
• 1.07 lb beef round boneless, stir-fry cut

Vegetables

• 3 corn cut into fourths
• 3 russet potatoes cubed
• 1 chayote cubed
• 3-4 carrots 1/2 inch pieces
• ½ head cabbage cut into wedges
• 2-3 onions

Seasoning & Liquids

• 1 tbsp whole peppercorns
• ½ tsp salt adjust to taste
• fish sauce adjust to taste
• 7 cups water to barely cover during pressure cooking

Equipment

• Instant Pot Pro (8 QT) This recipe was made with an 8 QT Instant Pot in mind.

Method

 

Prepare Ingredients:

1. Dice your onions

   Quarter your chayote and potatoes

   Cut corn into fourths

   Wedge your cabbage
   3 corn, 3 russet potatoes, 1 chayote, 2-3 onions, ½ head cabbage

Pressure Cook 1:

1. Place beef chuck, beef feet, salt, peppercorns, and onions into the Instant Pot.

   Add in enough water to barely cover the meat.

   Cover and pressure cook for 45 minutes on high.

   Natural release for 10 minutes, then quick release.
   1.20 lb Angus beef chuck stew meat, 2.7 lb beef feet, 2-3 onions, 1 tbsp whole peppercorns, ½ tsp salt, 7 cups water

Pressure Cook 2:

1. Add the chayote, potatoes, corn, and carrots to the Instant Pot.

   Cover and pressure cook for 6-7 minutes and then quick release.
   3 corn, 3 russet potatoes, 1 chayote, 3-4 carrots

Saute:

1. Switch your Instant Pot to Saute.

   Add in your Beef Round and cook until tender.

   Adjust seasonings here and add fish sauce to taste.
   1.07 lb beef round, fish sauce, ½ tsp salt

Finish:

1. Serve with white rice.

Video