This Instant Pot French Dip is stuffed with tender beef and provolone cheese in a fresh mini baguette dipped in a delectable au jus.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – feel free to use any neutral-flavoured oil such as sunflower or canola oil.
- Top sirloin tip roast – I suggest top sirloin tip roast, but any chuck roast and round top will work instead.
- Beef broth – beef broth will pair best with this roast, but you can also use chicken broth, veggie broth or bouillon cubes.
- Onion soup mix – onion soup mix is necessary for this recipe but if you do not have it on hand, you can try making it from scratch.
- Soy sauce – coconut aminos or tamari are the best substitutes here.
- Worcestershire sauce – if you don’t have Worcestershire sauce, dissolve 1/4 tsp. sugar, 1/4 tsp. lemon juice and your favourite hot sauce with 2 tsp. soy sauce.
- Garlic – use fresh or jarred minced garlic.
- Fresh thyme – in a pinch, use some dried thyme.
- Mini baguettes – baguettes are the best option because of their crusty exterior, so if you cannot find mini baguettes, then use a similar crusty bread like ciabatta buns.
- Provolone cheese slices – you can replace the provolone with Swiss cheese for a similar taste.
- Red onion – white onions would also be good on these sandwiches.
- Arugula – I highly recommend arugula as a topping, but you can replace it with baby spinach or leave it out if you’re not a fan.
Au jus
- Butter – or a butter substitute of your choice.
- Flour – swap out for almond flour to help thicken the au jus.
How to make French dip in the Instant Pot
- Season the beef.
- Cook on high pressure for 40 minutes.
- Shred the beef.
- Make the au jus.
- Assemble your sandwiches.
- Serve and enjoy!
What to serve with French dip sandwiches
Besides a decent amount of your au jus, there are so many toppings you can add to take your French dip Instant Pot sandwich to the next level! I recommend using red onions, arugula and provolone for this recipe; but you can also use caramelized onions, Swiss cheese or sautéed mushrooms.
There are also lots of great side dishes to choose from as well. Here are some ideas:
- Potato salad
- Coleslaw
- Regular fries or sweet potato fries
- Kettle chips
- Green beans
Frequently Asked Questions
A traditional French dip sandwich consists of thinly sliced roast beef served on a baguette with Swiss or Provolone cheese and an au jus dip. This French dip Instant Pot recipe tastes just like the traditional sandwich, except the beef is shredded and everything comes together way faster in the pressure cooker!
The sauce served with this sandwich is called au jus, which directly translated from French means “with juice”. It’s made from the natural juices that are left in the pot after cooking the meat. The au jus is the perfect accompaniment to your prepared meat because it enriches the flavour while also bringing some juiciness back to the meat.
French dip is traditionally made with roast beef, ribeye steak or sirloin. For this Instant Pot French dip recipe, I used top sirloin roast, but any chuck roast or round top can be used.
Yes! Your French dip sandwich isn’t complete without some cheese on top. I like using provolone, but you can also make this Instant Pot French dip with Swiss cheese.
French dip sandwiches are traditionally served on a baguette or French roll. I like serving my Instant Pot French dips on mini baguettes, but you could use another variety of crusty bread like ciabatta.
Storing and reheating
These Instant Pot French dip sandwiches are so good, you’re going to want to have them for lunch every day. You can store the beef and au jus separately in the fridge for up to 5 days, so you can enjoy them throughout the week!
To store assembled sandwiches overnight, build them without toasting the bread or adding any au jus and place them into an airtight container. When you’re ready to eat, wrap your sandwich in foil and reheat it in the oven for 7 to 10 minutes then serve it with your reheated au jus. You’ll have an easy-peasy but delicious lunch in no time!
Freezing the beef
Place any leftover beef from your French dip Instant Pot sandwich in an airtight glass container or freezer-safe Ziploc bag and freeze it for up to 3 months. Make sure there’s no excess air in the bag to avoid freezer burn. When you’re ready to serve the beef, thaw it in the fridge overnight then reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave, stirring frequently.
More Instant Pot beef recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass food containers if you plan on having this delicious sandwich as your lunch the next day.
- I get all my grass-fed beef from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen!
Instant Pot French Dip
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 lb top sirloin tip roast
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 package onion soup mix
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 6 mini baguettes
- 6 provolone cheese slices
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cups arugula
For the Au Jus
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
Instructions
- Season beef all over with salt & pepper, coating generously. Add the olive oil to the bottom of Instant Pot, then the roast. Add remaining ingredients except for baguettes, cheese, red onion, arugula, butter and flour.
- Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal. Press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for 40 minutes. Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure then pressure cook for 40 minutes.
- Let the pressure naturally release (should take about 15 minutes). Open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily. Remove the roast and shred it.
- Meanwhile, add juices to a 4-cup pitcher and set aside. Turn Instant Pot to saute mode. Melt butter, then whisk in flour. Add the juices back to the pot, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, then bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes or so until thickened.
- Serve shredded roast over mini baguettes, pouring a bit of au jus overtop then adding provolone cheese slices, sliced red onion and arugula. Serve French dip sandwiches with more au jus on the side to dip. Enjoy!
