It is the ultimate comforting meal best served piping hot over a mountain of steamed white rice.

What is Kaldereta?

Kaldereta (or Caldereta) is a famous, hearty stew from the Philippines. Originally made with goat meat for special occasions and fiestas, it is now most commonly enjoyed as a comforting, everyday meal using beef.

What sets Kaldereta apart from a standard Western beef stew is its incredibly rich, thick, and savory tomato-based sauce. The unique flavor profile comes from an unexpected secret ingredient: liver spread. It adds a deep, savory, slightly earthy richness that makes the sauce completely irresistible.

Key Ingredients for a Deep, Savory Stew

To get that authentic, simmered-all-day taste, you need the right combination of meat, aromatics, and savory enhancers.

• The Meat & Fat: We use 2 pounds of beef chuck cut into 1.5-inch pieces. This cut is perfect for pressure cooking because it breaks down beautifully, becoming melt-in-your-mouth tender. Searing it in 2 tablespoons of beef tallow adds an incredible layer of savory flavor right from the start.
• The Secret Thickener: You will need 4 ounces of beef liver spread. Do not skip this! It is the defining ingredient of Kaldereta, transforming a simple tomato broth into a luscious, traditional gravy.
• The Broth Base: To build the sauce, you will need 16 ounces of tomato sauce and 2 cups of rich beef bone broth.
• The Vegetables & Beans: We use 3 carrots and 3 potatoes cut into bite-sized chunks, along with 2 diced onions, 2 tablespoons of jarlic (or fresh garlic), and 1 drained 16-ounce can of chickpeas.
• The Seasonings: Two bay leaves provide an aromatic backbone. To finish the dish, you will season it with salt, pepper, MSG, and fish sauce to taste.

Mastering the Instant Pot Beef Kaldereta Method

Beef Kaldereta requires a few specific steps to ensure the sauce does not burn and the vegetables stay perfectly intact.

Step 1: Searing and Deglazing (Crucial!) Turn your Instant Pot to Sauté mode on High. Brown your beef in the beef tallow, set the meat aside, and then sauté your onions and jarlic until fragrant. Before you pressure cook, you must deglaze the pot! Scrape the bottom extremely well to remove any browned bits. This is absolutely critical to prevent the dreaded Instant Pot “burn error” during the cooking cycle.

Step 2: The Two-Stage Pressure Cook If you cook everything together, your vegetables will turn to mush. First, add the beef, bone broth, tomato sauce, and bay leaves. Pressure cook on high for 35 minutes, followed by a 10-minute natural release before doing a quick release.

Once the beef is tender, add your potatoes and carrots. Do a second pressure cook on high for just 4 minutes, followed by an immediate quick release. This ensures your beef is perfectly soft while your vegetables remain delightfully tender-crisp.

Step 3: Thickening the Stew When the lid comes off, switch the Instant Pot back to Sauté mode on Low. Stir in your liver spread and your drained chickpeas. Let the stew simmer gently until the sauce becomes thick and glossy. Finally, season the dish with salt, pepper, MSG, and fish sauce to your exact preference.

Serving and Storing

Serve this rich, savory stew immediately over a generous portion of hot white rice. The rice is essential for soaking up all of that incredible, thick tomato gravy. If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Like most stews, Kaldereta tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had more time to meld together!

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Instant Pot Beef Kaldereta

This rich and hearty Instant Pot Beef Kaldereta is a classic Filipino stew made incredibly effortless. Featuring melt-in-your-mouth beef chuck, soft potatoes, carrots, and chickpeas, the secret to its deeply savory tomato broth is a touch of beef liver spread. It is the ultimate comforting meal best served piping hot over a mountain of steamed white rice.

Course Main Course, Stew

Cuisine Asian, Filipino

Keyword beef kaldereta no bell peppers, easy kaldereta recipe, Filipino beef stew with liver spread, Instant Pot beef kaldereta, kaldereta with chickpeas, pressure cooker kaldereta

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 5 servings

Calories 550kcal

Equipment

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

Ingredients

Meat:

• 2 lb beef chuck 1.5-inch cubes

Vegetables:

• 3 carrots chunks
• 3 potatoes chunks
• 2 tbsp jarlic
• 2 onions diced

Cans:

• 4 oz Beef Liver Spread the secret
• 1 16 oz can chickpeas drained
• 16 oz tomato sauce

Seasonings:

• 2 bay leaves
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• MSG to taste

Liquids:

• 2 cups beef bone broth
• fish sauce to taste

Fat:

• 2 tbsp beef tallow or oil

Instructions

• Prepare Ingredients:

  Cut beef chuck into 1.5-inch pieces

  Cut carrots and potatoes into a similar bite sized size.
  2 lb beef chuck, 3 carrots, 3 potatoes
• Sear:

  Sauté mode (High). Brown beef in tallow. Set aside.
  2 lb beef chuck, 2 tbsp beef tallow
• Aromatics:

  Sauté onions and jarlic until fragrant.
  2 onions, 2 tbsp jarlic
• Deglaze:

  Scrape the bottom WELL (prevents burn error!)
• Pressure Cook:

  Add beef, broth, tomato sauce, bay leaves. Pressure cook on high pressure for 35 mins. Natural release 10 mins and then quick release.
  2 lb beef chuck, 2 cups beef bone broth, 16 oz tomato sauce, 2 bay leaves
• Veggies:

  Add potatoes and carrots. Pressure cook on high pressure for 4 mins. Quick release.
  3 potatoes, 3 carrots
• Thicken:

  Sauté mode (Low). Stir in liver spread and chickpeas (drained) until thick.
  4 oz Beef Liver Spread, 1 16 oz can chickpeas
• Season:

  Salt, pepper, MSG, and fish sauce to taste. Serve with hot rice!
  salt, pepper, fish sauce, MSG

Video

Thinly sliced ribeye is marinated in a perfectly balanced, tangy-savory blend of soy sauce, black pepper, and calamansi. Quickly pan-fried and simmered until tender, it is served with a generous topping of sweet, softened onion rings.

This is an incredibly flavorful, fast stovetop dinner that demands a massive side of steamed white rice to soak up that glossy sauce!

What is Ribeye Bistek Tagalog?

Bistek Tagalog is the Philippines’ answer to beefsteak. It is a hearty, comforting stovetop dish characterized by a deeply savory and distinctly tart sauce.

The magic lies in the marinade, which relies on the perfect marriage of salty soy sauce and the bright, acidic punch of calamansi (a native Philippine citrus fruit). When combined with the natural beef drippings and sweet caramelized onions, it creates a sauce that is completely irresistible.

Why Use Ribeye?

Traditionally, Bistek is made with more affordable, leaner cuts of beef like sirloin or bottom round. While those are delicious when cooked properly, they can sometimes become tough or chewy.

By upgrading to 20 ounces of thinly sliced ribeye, you are guaranteeing a melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Ribeye has beautiful marbling. As the beef quickly pan-fries, that fat renders down and mixes directly into the soy and calamansi sauce, creating a richer, more luxurious gravy than you would get from a leaner cut.

Pro-Tip for Slicing: To get perfectly thin slices of ribeye, place your steak in the freezer for about 30 to 45 minutes before cutting. Firming up the meat makes it incredibly easy to slice it as thinly as possible with a sharp knife.

Key Ingredients for the Perfect Bistek

To build the classic flavor profile, you need a few very specific staples.

• The Marinade: The flavor foundation is built on 1/4 cup of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of calamansi extract. If you cannot find fresh calamansi or the extract, lemon juice is an excellent substitute. You will also need plenty of ground black pepper to taste.
• The Aromatics: You need 1 tablespoon of jarlic (or freshly minced garlic) and 2 medium onions cut into thick rings. The onions are the co-star of this dish, bringing a much-needed sweetness to balance the salty and sour sauce.

Mastering the Stovetop Method

The secret to the perfect Bistek Tagalog is all in the staging. You want to build layers of flavor in the pan without overcooking the delicate beef. For the absolute best results, combine your sliced ribeye, soy sauce, calamansi, and black pepper, and let it marinate overnight.

Step 1: The Two-Batch Onion Technique Heat your neutral oil in a pan. You will actually cook your onions in two separate stages. First, sauté just one of the sliced onions until it is perfectly soft, and then set those rings aside for later. These will be your sweet, slightly crisp garnish.

Step 2: Browning the Beef Next, fry your marinated ribeye in batches until it is beautifully browned, and then set the beef aside. Cooking in batches prevents the meat from steaming in its own juices, ensuring you get a great sear.

Step 3: Building the Sauce In that same pan full of savory beef drippings, sauté your second onion. Add your tablespoon of garlic and fry it until it becomes deeply aromatic. Next, pour enough water into the pan to cover the ingredients and deglaze all those wonderful browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Step 4: The Final Simmer Return your browned beef to the pan. Let everything simmer gently until the sauce reduces slightly and all of the flavors beautifully meld together.

How to Serve

To serve, plate the glossy, saucy beef over a large portion of hot rice, and generously top it with that first batch of softened onions you set aside earlier! If you have leftovers, they will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, and the flavors will only get better as they sit.

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Bistek Tagalog (Ribeye Version)

This premium Ribeye Bistek Tagalog takes the classic Filipino beefsteak to the next level. Thinly sliced ribeye is marinated in a perfectly balanced, tangy-savory blend of soy sauce, black pepper, and calamansi. Quickly pan-fried and simmered until tender, it is served with a generous topping of sweet, softened onion rings. This is an incredibly flavorful, fast stovetop dinner that demands a massive side of steamed white rice to soak up that glossy sauce!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Filipino

Keyword beef steak tagalog, bistek tagalog, calamansi beef, easy bistek recipe, Filipino beefsteak, ribeye bistek, stovetop Filipino beef

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 450kcal

Ingredients

Meat:

• 20 oz ribeye sliced thin

Vegetables:

• 1 tbsp jarlic or minced garlic
• 2 medium onions cut into rings

Liquids:

• 1 tbsp calamansi extract or lemon juice
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• water enough to cover
• neutral oil for frying

Seasoning:

• ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Marinate:

• Combine sliced ribeye, soy sauce, calamansi, and black pepper.

  Marinate overnight for best results.
  20 oz ribeye, 1 tbsp calamansi extract, ¼ cup soy sauce, ground black pepper

Cooking:

• Heat oil in a pan.
  2 medium onions, neutral oil
• Sauté one onion just until soft and then set these aside for later.
• Fry the marinated ribeye in batches until browned and then set the beef aside.
  20 oz ribeye, neutral oil
• Sauté the second onion.
  1 tbsp jarlic, 2 medium onions, neutral oil
• Add the jarlic and fry until aromatic.
• Add water to the pan, deglaze, and then return the beef.
  water
• Simmer until the sauce reduces slightly and flavors meld.

Finish:

• Plate over hot rice and top with the first batch of onions!

Video

Packed with nearly three pounds of ground beef, a from-scratch three-bean blend, and a secret touch of cocoa powder, it develops an incredibly deep, simmered-all-day flavor in a fraction of the time.

Serve it thick with sour cream, shredded cheese, and a handful of crunchy chips!

Why Make Chili in the Instant Pot?

A truly great bowl of chili con carne requires time for all the spices, tomatoes, and beef fat to meld together. Usually, that means keeping a heavy pot on the stove for hours.

The pressure cooker completely changes the game. By forcing liquid and spices into the meat under high pressure, you get that next-day chili flavor on the very first night.

Key Ingredients for Deep, Savory Flavor in Instant Pot Beef Chili

This recipe is all about building layers of flavor. We skip the generic canned chili and use specific, high-quality ingredients to create a robust base.

• The Meat & Fat: We use a hefty 2.68 pounds of 85/15 ground beef to make this incredibly hearty. Browning that beef in 1 ½ tablespoons of bacon fat adds an unbeatable smoky richness.
• The Dry Beans: Instead of mushy canned beans, we use about 1 cup each of dry black beans, dry pink beans, and dry kidney beans.
• The Base Liquids: To create a rich sauce, we combine 29 ounces of tomato sauce and 28 ounces of diced tomatoes with 2 cups of savory beef bone broth.
• The Secret Spices: Along with classic spices like chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika, our secret weapon is 2 ½ to 3 teaspoons of cocoa powder. The cocoa powder does not make it taste like chocolate. Instead, it adds a dark, earthy depth that pairs perfectly with the beef.

How to Cook Beans from Scratch in the Instant Pot

Cooking your own beans from dry is highly recommended for the best texture. We dedicate the first step of this recipe solely to the beans.

You will pressure cook the dry black, pink, and kidney beans on high for 50 minutes. Make sure they are covered with water and flavored with beef bouillon. This infuses the beans with a savory, meaty flavor from the inside out before they even hit the chili base.

The Layered Cooking Method

Once your beans are perfectly tender, it is time to build the chili.

1. Brown the Base: Sauté your ground beef in the bacon fat, then add your two diced onions and cook them until they are soft.
2. The Pressure Cook: Add in your cooked beans, beef bone broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and all of your spices. Pressure cook everything together for 25 minutes. When the timer goes off, let the pot sit for a 10-minute natural release before carefully doing a quick release.
3. The Thickening Process: When you open the lid, the chili will look a bit watery. Switch your Instant Pot back to the Sauté function and let it bubble for 15 to 30 minutes until it reduces to your desired thickness.
4. The Rest: Turn the pot off and let the chili rest for 10 minutes. Do not skip this! The chili will naturally thicken up beautifully as it cools down.

How to Serve Leftovers

Serve your chili piping hot in big bowls. We highly recommend topping it with a dollop of sour cream, plenty of shredded cheese, a few dashes of hot sauce, and crunchy chips for dipping.

If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Chili is famous for tasting even better the next day, making this the perfect meal prep recipe.

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Instant Pot Beef Chili

This rich and hearty Instant Pot Beef Chili is the ultimate comfort food. Packed with nearly three pounds of ground beef, a from-scratch three-bean blend, and a secret touch of cocoa powder, it develops an incredibly deep, simmered-all-day flavor in a fraction of the time. Serve it thick with sour cream, shredded cheese, and a handful of crunchy chips!

Course Main Course, Soup, Stew

Cuisine American, Tex-Mex

Keyword best Instant Pot chili recipe, chili with cocoa powder, easy ground beef chili, homemade chili with dry beans, Instant Pot beef chili, thick pressure cooker chili

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings 10 servings

Calories 540kcal

Equipment

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

Ingredients

Beef & Fat:

• 2.68 lb ground beef we used 85/15
• 1 ½ tbsp bacon fat

Beans (cooked from dry):

• ~1 cup black beans we used dry beans
• ~1 cup pink beans we used dry beans
• ~1 cup kidney beans we used dry beans
• beef bullion for beef flavor
• water to cover

Base:

• 29 oz can tomato sauce
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups beef bone broth
• 2 onions diced

Spices:

• 2½-3 tbsp chili powder
• 2½-3 tsp cumin
• 2½-3 tsp smoked paprika
• 2½-3 tsp cocoa powder
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• garlic powder to taste

Instructions

Beans:

• Pressure cook on high for 50 minutes, covered with water and some beef bullion.
  ~1 cup black beans, ~1 cup pink beans, ~1 cup kidney beans, beef bullion, water

Chili:

• Sauté bacon fat and brown the beef
  1 ½ tbsp bacon fat, 2.68 lb ground beef
• Add the onions and cook until soft
  2 onions
• Add in the black, pink, and kidney beans.

  Add in the beef bone broth

  Add in the garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, black pepper.

  Add in the tomato sauce and diced tomato cans.
  ~1 cup black beans, ~1 cup pink beans, ~1 cup kidney beans, 29 oz can tomato sauce, 2 cups beef bone broth, 2½-3 tbsp chili powder, 2½-3 tsp cumin, 2½-3 tsp smoked paprika, 2½-3 tsp cocoa powder, ½ tsp sugar, 1½ tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, garlic powder to taste, 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• Pressure cook for 25 minutes, natural release for 10, and then quick release.
• Sauté 15–30 min to desired thickness
• Rest 10 min (the chili will thicken as it cools)
• Serve with sour cream, cheese, chips & hot sauce

Video

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.

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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.

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Asian, Filipino

Keyword beef and cabbage soup, easy beef nilaga, Filipino beef soup, FIlipino comfort food, Instant Pot nilaga, nilagang baka, pressure cooker beef soup

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 400kcal

Author Dan & Ash

Equipment

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

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

Instructions

Prepare Ingredients:

• 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:

• 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:

• 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:

• 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:

• Serve with white rice.

Video