Instant Pot Cube Steak

I’m here to share this easy cube steak recipe that even my non steak loving children thought was amazing.  Definitely one of our favorite under 20 minutes comfort food Instant Pot recipes we make all of the time.

I know you’re busy, aren’t we all??!! It’s hard to find time to cook a complete meal, and find time to spend together. Using your pressure cooker, Crockpot Express or making it as an easy Ninja Foodi recipe just makes life easier. With this one you will use the lid that is not attached to get tender.

Ingredient Notes

I like to pick up a tray of Cube steak, or make your own with a meat mallet and steaks. You can also ask the butcher to run a few thru their tenderizer. All the pokes on the outside makes it fork-tender and able to really soak in the flavors of the gravy.

Olive oil is needed to saute the meat just a bit to brown at the very beginning of the instructions to lock in the juices.

All purpose Flour is used to coat the meat and thickens the gravy too. You could use a gluten free flour for this if need be.

How to Make the Gravy

You are going to want to use Beef broth, could use half cup of water and rest broth, to thin the Cream of mushroom soup which will make a nice thick gravy to cook your meat in. Add 1 packet of dry onion soup mix to add a lot of taste to the meat and sauce

As with any recipe the seasonings that you add to the outside comes down to personal preference. With a bit tossed with salt and pepper with the mushroom gravy here it makes for a yummy meal. Make it your own with what you have on hand I say!

We serve on top of Instant Pot white rice, egg noodles, or mashed potatoes on the side typically. If you wanted to add some heat to make it a bit spicy that is an option as well. I would use 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes for this.

How Long to Cook Cube Steak in Instant Pot

That depends on whether you leave your pieces whole or cut into bite size pieces like we did here. To get as tender as possible I would follow our directions below. Only takes 5 minutes in this case where the other would take twice as long. You don’t want to over-cook this or it will get tough.

Frozen Cube Steak in Instant Pot

You can cook frozen cube steak slow cooker style but that takes all day. Instead, throw it in under high pressure with gravy and OMG. That is right, it doesn’t matter whether your meat is fresh, thawed or frozen as far as timing goes. Cut into bite size pieces is key to getting it fork tender with tons of flavor.

Tips for Success

First you want to tenderize your meat and cut it into bite size pieces. This is the way we prefer it. Or you can just buy cube steak already done this way. Cut into bite size pieces. Or could cut in half if preferred. Fill a gallon size storage bag with flour, garlic salt and pepper. Shake to combine.

Cook all pieces until they are lightly browned on both sides, then turn pot OFF/Cancel button – Important step! Remove meat from pan and pour some beef broth in to deglaze the pot.

In a bowl whisk together cream of mushroom, onion soup mix packet. Worcestershire sauce, and remaining beef broth. Then put browned meat on top of that followed by soup mixture. Pressure cook.

Serve over rice or as is. I usually sprinkle with a bit of salt when serving because everyone prefers a different amt. of salt. It is important to give it a few minutes to rest in the pot once it’s done. Like any other steak it become more tender and maintains juiciness when it has time to rest.

What kind of meat is cube steak?

It’s usually top round or top sirloin, used in our air fryer chicken fried steak too It is tenderized and flattened by pounding with a meat tenderizer, or an electric tenderizer.

Is cube steak the same as minute steak?

Cube steak is sometimes referred to as minute steak. It is actually a different cut of beef. It is cut from the round steak, or chuck steak, and then tenderized. Can you make slow cooker cube steak with cream of mushroom soup too? <—- YES, here is the recipe.

Find more easy recipes on our Instant Pot beef recipes page here. You can use steaks of all kinds for things other than just cooking them plain.

Can you make this with pork?

Here’s a quick step by step but there is a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post too. Pound your eye of round steak or do the same for Pork Cube Steak, with a meat tenderizer/mallet on both sides (helps make meat tender, can buy it at store already tenderized too).

FAQ

Cube steak is a very lean cut. You won’t get a lot of fat from the meat by itself on this one as you can see here. I mean everything in moderation but compared to other cuts it is leaner than most so I would venture to say no to this question.

If your butcher doesn’t have cubed steak already available you can make a version yourself at home with a few thin steaks. Just place them in between plastic wrap and with a meat mallet hit it on both sides to thin and tenderize on both sides.

Cook time is under 15 minutes total in Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi which is much faster than in a Crock pot. If you’re looking for comfort food smothered with brown gravy we have directions for you here. We like cutting into bite size pieces first but can be cooked whole too.