Easy Instant Pot Beef Gyros
These Instant Pot Beef Gyros are packed with bold Mediterranean flavor, thanks to a blend of garlic, herbs, and homemade tzatziki sauce. They’re an easy and delicious way to bring slow-cooked taste to your weeknight dinner—without the wait.
Whenever I post a new dinner recipe, I get requests for more (I get it – we can’t live on dessert alone!), so here’s another one. This is a family favorite in my household – homemade beef gyros made easy, thanks to the Instant Pot!
If you’ve ever ordered a gyro from a street cart or Greek restaurant and wondered how to recreate that tender, flavorful meat at home, this is your answer. We’re using a pressure cooker to break down a marbled chuck roast into fork-tender shreds. It’s (mostly) hands-off, easy, and always a favorite when we serve this to guests!
These are not traditional lamb gyros cooked on a vertical rotisserie. But that’s okay – we’re taking a classic concept and giving it a home-cooked, low-effort twist that still delivers on taste and texture. I don’t have a rotisserie in my kitchen (do you?), so I went with my favorite weeknight time-saver: the Instant Pot.
The beef practically falls apart after pressure cooking, which makes it perfect for stuffing into a warm pita or piling over rice. Add a generous spoonful of homemade tzatziki and you’ve got dinner that tastes like it took all day but didn’t. The tzatziki is so good, so do yourself a favor and make a double batch!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fast and Easy: Pressure cooking transforms a tough cut of meat into juicy, flavorful shreds in under 90 minutes.
- Freezer-Friendly: Both the meat and the tzatziki freeze well, making this a great meal prep option.
- Bold Flavors: Mediterranean herbs and garlic gives the beef lots of flavor.
- Versatile: Serve in a pita, over rice, as a salad, or in a bowl with roasted veggies.
- Family Approved: We make this a lot for friends, and both kids and adults love building their own gyros or bowls!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chuck Roast: This cut has the marbling and connective tissue that breaks down beautifully with pressure or over time with sous vide. Brisket or bottom round will also work.
- Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
- Herbs: Parsley, oregano, dill, and rosemary, or your other favorite Greek seasonings. Use dried or fresh herbs, just remember to double the amount if using fresh.
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Red Pepper Flakes: Add more or less depending on spice preferences.
- Garlic Cloves: Sub with minced onion or shallots if desired.
- Red Onion
- Beef Broth: Any other broth, or even water, can be used instead of beef broth. And yes, 1/4 cup is all you need – I have never had issues with not enough liquid when making this in a 6-quart Instant Pot!
- Greek Yogurt: Use plain Greek yogurt, preferably full-fat, for the creamiest texture.
- Cucumber: English cucumber is the best (fewer seeds).
- White Vinegar: White vinegar or red wine vinegar are delicious in the tzatziki.
- Lemon
How to Make Beef Gyros
- Season the Beef: Start by cutting the beef into 4 pieces and rubbing the spice mixture all over the chuck roast.
- Sear: Brown the beef in the Instant Pot on sauté mode. This is technically optional, but it adds so much flavor!
- Pressure Cook: Cook the chuck roast on high pressure for 60 minutes, followed by a natural release for 15 minutes before opening the vent.
- Shred and Serve: Shred or slice the beef, toss with the juices left in the Instant Pot, and serve with warm pita and tzatziki.
Pressure Cooking Chuck Roast
Chuck roast is full of rich marbling and tough connective tissue, which means it’s loaded with flavor. But you have to cook it long enough to break everything down. Traditionally, we’d braise it low and slow for hours in the oven or on the stovetop. But thanks to the Instant Pot, we can get the same melt-in-your-mouth results in a fraction of the time.
How does this work? It’s time for my favorite subject… kitchen chemistry!
Kitchen Chemistry
Pressure cooking works by raising the boiling point of water, allowing food to cook at higher temperatures. At sea level, water boils at 212°F (100°C), but inside a sealed pressure cooker, the temperature can rise to around 240°F (115°C). This jump in temperature speeds up the chemical reactions involved in tenderizing meat—specifically, the conversion of collagen (a tough protein found in connective tissue) into gelatin, which gives braised meats their characteristic silky, juicy texture.
Tips and Tricks for the Best Instant Pot Beef Gyros
- Trim Excess Fat: A little fat is good for flavor, but too much will make the juices greasy.
- Sear First: If you’re really short on time you can skip this step, but the flavor boost from searing is well worth it!
- Deglaze the Pot: If the bottom of your Instant Pot has lots of browned bits after searing, give it a little scrape with a splash of water to prevent a burn warning.
- Natural Pressure Release: A natural pressure release, rather than manual, keeps the meat tender.
- Chill the Tzatziki: Make the tzatziki while the beef cooks and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes before serving to blend the flavors.
- Serving Options: Serve on pita bread, over rice or another grain, or as a salad with lettuce, tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, pickled red onions, kalamta olives, and feta cheese.
- Storage: This is a perfect meal prep option! Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Recommended Tools: Instant Pot | Extra Sealing Rings | Sharp Knife
More Instant Pot Favorites:
Instant Pot Beef Gyros
Instant Pot Beef Gyros are the perfect combination of fast, easy, and seriously delicious. Make a big batch and freeze the leftovers for easy lunches or dinners all week long!
Ingredients
For the Beef:
- 2 to 2.5 pounds chuck roast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 sliced red onion
- 1/4 cup beef broth
- 1 lemon
For the Tzatziki:
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 large cucumber, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- big pinch of salt
For Serving
- pitas, rice, farro, or another grain
- chopped cucumber
- diced tomatoes
- kalamata olives
- pickled red onions
Instructions
- Cut the chuck roast into 4 large pieces. Pat dry with a paper towel.
- In a small bowl, combine the salt, parsley, oregano, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dill, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Spread the spice mixture all over all the beef, ensuring each side is covered.
- Set a 6-quart Instant Pot to the "saute" setting. Add the olive oil. Once hot, add two of the beef pieces and sear for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until browned. Flip and sear on the other side, then remove from the Instant Pot and repeat with the remaining pieces of beef. Once all the meat is browned, turn off the saute setting.
- Add all the meat back into the Instnat Pot, along with the garlic cloves and sliced red onion. Pour the beef broth over the top. Put the lid on the Instant Pot. Pressure cook on the high setting for 60 minutes, then let the pressure naturally release for 15 minutes before opening the lid.
- Remove the meat and shred or slice it as desired. Pour some of the liquid from the bottom of the Instant Pot back over the meat and squeeze half a lemon over the top.
- While the beef is cooking in the Instant Pot, make the tzatziki by combining all ingredients in a food processor or blender and processing until smooth. Refrigerate the sauce for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Serve the beef in pitas, over rice or another grain (farro or quinoa work well), on top of a salad, or over a bowl of roasted vegetables alongside the cucumber, tomato, pickled red onion, kalamata olives, and homemade tzatziki.
Notes
- This recipe is written and tested for a 6-quart Instant Pot. If you are using a larger Instant Pot, it will take longer to come up to temperature and may require a little more beef broth. If you are using a smaller Instant Pot, you may need to add a few minutes of cook time - if the meat does not shred after the natural release, try adding 10 minutes of cooking time.
- If your chuck roast has large pockets of fat, trim off the excess fat.
- If the bottom of your Instant Pot has a lot of browned bits after searing, add a splash of water and deglaze the bottom of the pot to prevent a burn warning.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze the beef for up to 3 months.
- Recommended Tools: Instant Pot | Extra Sealing Rings | Sharp Knife
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