Instant Pot Dr Pepper Pot Roast

Dr Pepper Pot Roast

This pot roast is super easy – brown and then toss in an Instant Pot – and you have a delicious pot roast dinner in less than an hour! If you love delicious, tender pot roasts – and the flavor of Dr Pepper – this easy Sunday dinner is for you.

It is super simple, packed with flavor, makes great leftovers, and even picky kids love the flavor!

Cooking roasts in the instant pot doesn’t just speedup cook time, it also helps to break down fat in thick cuts like roasts without drying them out. If you love this recipe, be sure to see how I’m cooking pork tenderloin in an Instant Pot with a similar technique.

How To Make Dr Pepper Pot Roast

This recipe works with both regular Dr Pepper and Diet Dr Pepper.

My husband and I are trying to stick to a keto diet as much as we can, and we opted for the Diet Dr Pepper to not throw off our carbs, but I make this with regular Dr Pepper often, too.

One note: if you don’t like the flavor of non-sugar sweeteners, you should use regular Dr Pepper, as you will get a bit of the flavor from the sweeteners. I don’t notice it because I am used to diet soda (I don’t drink soda often, but I usually grab diet if I do just because I don’t like super sweet drinks.)

Know pot roast timing. Roast is different than a steak in that you won’t be looking at your digital thermometer to gauge how done your steak is – especially since this roast is cooking in a pressure cooker, so you won’t be able to just open it to check your progress.

Your roast *should* be done after 45 minutes at high pressure, with a natural release.

After the pressure releases on it’s own (about 15 minutes), remove the pressure cooker lid, and test the roast with a fork, lightly pulling on the meat with the fork tines.

If the roast is soft, and starts to shred with light pressure, you’re done!

If your roast is a bit large, or you didn’t get a great seal, you might need to add a bit more cooktime.

In the rare case it’s not tender after 45 minute pressure cook time, try an additional 5 minutes at high pressure and you should be all the way there.

Tips to Perfect Dr Pepper Pot Roast & FAQs

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, follow these steps to add the roast into a slow cooker for the same delicious flavor, with a longer cook time.

Please use a large dutch oven if cooking in the oven. I prefer enameled dutch ovens for their cleaning ease!

• After browning:
• Add to dutch oven and add garlic and Dr Pepper or Diet Dr Pepper.
• Roast 4 hours, covered, until roast is tender with light pressure from a fork.
• Remove roast and tent with foil on cutting board.
• Let roast rest at least 15 minutes before slicing.
• As roast rests, braising liquid can be boiled down and blended to thicken and serve as gravy.
• Slice roast and serve.

Recipe FAQ’s

Boneless chuck roast is our choice for a tender pot roast.

Pot roast should be fork tender, but doesn’t necessarily fall apart when served. This recipe will shred apart somewhat.

Your roast will be done after 45 minutes, when meat pulls back light pressure from a fork. It will be soft, and able to shred.

Plan on about 1/2 lb or 8 oz per person when meat is your main dish.

For the best flavor, and to keep meat from looking grey, we reccomend browning meat in a pan before adding to dutch oven with other ingredients.

What to Serve With Dr Pepper Pot Roast

We love to serve this pot roast with Crispy Roasted Potatoes, The Best Creamy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad, Easy Baked Tomato Pie Recipe, The Best Air Fried Corn Ribs, and Carrot Bacon!

Creamy Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Air Fried Broccoli

Pan-Fried Zucchini

The Best Air Fryer French Fries

Butter Poached Potatoes

BBQ Baked Beans with Ground Beef and Bacon

Grilled Potatoes

Charro Beans

You can find the rest of our easy side dish recipes here.