Instant Pot Beef Kaldereta: The Ultimate Filipino Beef Stew

tnkadmin — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 04:52:36 +0000

This rich and hearty Instant Pot Beef Kaldereta is a classic Filipino stew made incredibly effortless. It features 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.

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 Originally made with goat meat for special occasions and fiestas, it is now most commonly enjoyed as a comforting, everyday meal using beef.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!