Easy Instant Pot ropa vieja features a stewy mixture of tender shredded beef, tomatoes, and peppers with warm spices and briny green olives to create a rich, comforting dish. Complete the meal with piping hot rice and frijoles negros. For more like this, try boliche and beef picadillo!
What is Ropa Vieja?
Ropa vieja means ‘old clothes,’ referring to the tattered appearance of the slow-cooked, shredded beef. The dish is largely considered the national dish of Cuba. However, ropa vieja is well known in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Philippines.
Key Ingredients
Ropa vieja is traditionally slow-cooked until the beef becomes tender and rope-like, but the Instant Pot delivers the same juicy shredded meat in a fraction of the time. Here’s what you need to get started.
- Olive Oil: Sauté the vegetables and aromatics in extra-virgin olive oil.
- Sofrito: A quick, homemade sofrito made with onions, bell peppers, and fresh garlic builds the flavorful base for this Instant Pot ropa vieja recipe.
- Spices: Season with kosher salt, ground cumin, ground coriander, kosher salt, coarse black pepper, and dried oregano for a well-balanced flavor.
- Tomato Paste: A spoonful of tomato paste intensifies the tomato flavor and deepens the color of the stew.
- Tomatoes: Canned San Marzano tomatoes are my go-to, but you can use 2-3 fresh tomatoes if you prefer.
- Beef: Skirt steak or flank steak are the traditional choices, but chuck roast or brisket work just as well, becoming tender and juicy in the pressure cooker.
- Green Olives: Add a touch of briny saltiness with green olives.
- Lime Juice: Brighten the dish with fresh lime juice.
Additions and Substitutions
- Use a different protein. Replace the skirt steak in the recipe with chicken breast or pork shoulder.
- Load up on veggies. Prepare Instant Pot ropa vieja with carrots and peas.
How to Make Instant Pot Ropa Vieja
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Warm the olive oil in the Instant Pot in saute mode. Add the onions and bell peppers. Sauté until they soften, for 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Step 2: Add the tomato paste, cumin, coriander, black pepper, and oregano. Sauté for 1 minute.
Step 3: Deglaze the inner pot with the canned tomatoes. Crush the whole tomatoes over the pot by hand and add ¼ cup of the sauce from the can.
Step 4: Nestle the steak into the pot. Secure the lid and set the Instant Pot to manual high pressure for 20 minutes with a 20-minute natural release.
What does natural release mean?
Natural release on the Instant Pot means allowing the pressure inside the pot to gradually decrease on its own after cooking finishes, without manually opening the pressure release valve. This process takes 10–30 minutes, depending on the amount of liquid inside the pot.
As the pressure decreases, the float valve will drop, signaling that it’s safe to open the lid. Natural release is ideal for soups, stews, or liquid-heavy recipes to prevent splattering.
Step 5: Remove the lid and use two forks to shred the beef against the grain, moving the onions and peppers aside. Stir in the olives and lime juice. Simmer in saute mode for 15 minutes.
Expert Tips
- Adjust the cooking time. For perfectly tender shredded beef, pressure cook the skirt steak in the Instant Pot on manual high pressure for 40 to 60 minutes, depending on the size. After cooking, switch to sauté mode to simmer it with the other ingredients.
- Shred the meat. Shred the beef with two forks against the grain.
If you enjoy Instant Pot ropa vieja, try more Instant Pot recipes!
What to Serve With Ropa Vieja
- Yellow Rice, White Rice, Cilantro-Lime Rice, Quinoa
- Black Beans, Moro, Congri
- Air Fryer Plantains
- Avocado Cucumber Tomato Salad, Homemade Coleslaw
- Mango Pico De Gallo, Pico De Gallo
- Roasted Potatoes, Boiled Potatoes
- Blackened Mahi Mahi
What To Do With Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the leftover beef in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Let the dish cool and transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag. Instant Pot ropa vieja freezes for 2-3 months.
- Reheat: Warm the leftovers in the microwave or stovetop until heated through.
- Repurpose: Use any leftover shredded beef as a filling for tacos, tostadas, or a burrito bowl. Better yet, use it as a filling for an empanada!
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of beef is used in ropa vieja?
Use skirt steak to make traditional ropa vieja, which has long, thick strands of muscle fiber. Flank steak or chuck roast is a tasty alternative that produces similar results.
What does ropa vieja consist of?
For the characteristically long fibers that earned the name “old clothes,” flank steak is the star of most recipes, along with onions, peppers, garlic, olives, and warm spices like cumin, coriander, and oregano.
What is the difference between ropa vieja and vaca frita?
Vaca frita is closely related to ropa vieja in terms of appearance and ingredients, but they differ in preparation. Ropa vieja undergoes a single cooking process, whereas vaca frita is braised and then pan-fried for its distinctive flavor.
Instant Pot Ropa Vieja
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium white onion, thinly sliced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 2½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 2½ teaspoons coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes, drained except for ¼ cup
- 3 pounds skirt steak, cut in half lengthwise
- 1 cup green olives, sliced
- fresh lime juice, 2-3 limes
- Warm the olive oil in the Instant Pot in saute mode. Add the onions and bell peppers. Sauté until they soften, for 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, cumin, coriander, black pepper, and oregano. Sauté for 1 minute.
- Deglaze the inner pot with the canned tomatoes. Crush the whole tomatoes over the pot by hand and add ¼ cup of the sauce from the can.
- Nestle the steak into the pot. Secure the lid and set the Instant Pot to manual high pressure for 20 minutes with a 20-minute natural release.
- Remove the lid and use two forks to shred the beef against the grain, moving the onions and peppers aside. Stir in the olives and lime juice. Simmer in saute mode for 15 minutes.
- Adjust the cooking time. For perfectly tender shredded beef, pressure cook the skirt steak in the Instant Pot on manual high pressure for 40 to 60 minutes, depending on the size. After cooking, switch to sauté mode to simmer it with the other ingredients.
- Rest the skirt steak. Once the beef cooks, carefully remove it from the Instant Pot and let it rest for 5-10 minutes so the juices have time to redistribute.
- Shred the meat. Shred the beef with two forks. If the meat doesn’t shred easily, pressure cook it for an additional 10 minutes.
Charlotte
Friday 18th of August 2023
Ropa vieja is my favorite and making it in the instant pot makes it so tender and delicious and saves a ton of time! Thanks for the wonderful tips you shared in the recipe!
Tressa Jamil
Friday 18th of August 2023
Using the Instant Pot for recipes like this is my favorite!