Savory and super tender, these easy Instant Pot French Dips with French Onion Soup with melted cheese and rich au jus are mouth-wateringly good. They require almost no cleanup, so they are great for busy nights!
This Instant Pot French Dip recipe is a one pot recipe, and the slow cooker version is also one pot unless you want to sauté the beef first (not required). Who doesn't love easy cleanup?!
I love these delicious French Dip Sandwiches any time of year, and I like to serve them with Thai Pasta Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing and crispy kettle-cooked potato chips. This is a great camping recipe for those of you who travel with your Instant Pot or Crockpot.
The recipe was inspired by the broth base of my Baked Rice recipe.
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Ingredients
For the French Dip:
- butter
- extra thin-shaved chuck steak
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
- condensed French onion soup
- beef consommé
For the sandwiches:
- hoagie rolls
- provolone cheese
- horseradish sauce
See recipe card for quantities.
Step-by-Step Instant Pot French Dip
Leaving meat slices layered, trim any large pieces of fat and discard.
Still leaving the meat slices layered, slice meat crosswise and lengthwise if needed to create 4” squares of layered meat.
Turn the Instant Pot on. Press the sauté button.
Add the butter and melt it. When the butter is melted, add the steak and sprinkle the salt and pepper over everything.
Stir gently to break up the meat pieces in the butter. When the meat has mostly turned from brown to pink, press the Keep Warm button. Add both cans of condensed soup (do not dilute).
Stir gently with a wooden spoon, mixing everything and continuing to break up the meat.
Ensure the sealing ring is properly seated around the inside of the lid. Put the lid on and turn it firmly to lock.
Turn the pressure sealing valve on top to the Sealing position.
Press the Manual button and set the timer for 15 minutes.
When pressure cooking is done, natural pressure release for 15 minutes (leave the knob on top pointed to sealing until the count up timer indicates that 15 minutes has passed. After 15 minutes, carefully turn the knob on top to the Venting position. Always keep face and hands away from the vent hole near the knob. Once there is no venting (there may not be any after 15 minutes of NPR), remove the lid.
While the IP is releasing pressure, prepare the hoagie rolls by slicing them in half lengthwise if necessary and spreading horseradish sauce on one side and placing a cheese slice on the other side. You may prefer to toast or broil the open hoagie rolls before adding the horsey sauce and cheese, but I prefer not to (fewer crumbs).
Using tongs, carefully dip the beef out of the broth onto the hoagie rolls (be sure to get all of the meat—it tends to hide at the bottom of the pot in the au jus). Using a ladle, place au jus into each of 4 small bowls. If you wish, you can strain the au jus through a fine mesh strainer. Serve sandwiches with au jus for dipping.
For slow cooker instructions, see the recipe card below.
French Dip with Au Jus FAQ
Is French Dip gluten-free?
The French Onion and Beef Consomme soups are not gluten-free. A gluten-free version of French Dip could be made using reduced homemade beef broth and sliced fresh onions, but this recipe as written is not gluten-free.
What is the best meat for French Dip sandwiches?
This recipe, like most French Dip recipes, uses beef chuck. While some recipes use chuck roast, the extra-thin shaved chuck steak I use results in incredibly tender meat that melts in your mouth.
What is the best bread to use in the sandwiches?
We use hoagie rolls because they are already in individual servings. Traditionally French Dip is served on French bread.
Is French Dip low carb?
If you are limiting carbs, you can substitute a low carb bun or low carb bread for the hoagie roll. I like Sola Low Carb buns as they are softer and more flavorful than zero carb buns. Using a low carb bun brings the net carbs down to about 11g.
What is French Dip with au jus?
French Dip is traditionally sliced roast beef served on French bread and dipped in au jus, which is the meat juices produced as the beef cooks. It is basically French Dip sauce made of broth to dip sandwiches in.
How do you make au jus for French Dip?
This simple recipe cooks extra-thin slices of chuck steak in a base of beef consomme and condensed French Onion soup. The the meat drippings flavor the soups, resulting in a rich au jus for dipping.
Can I double this recipe?
This recipe is easily doubled, but you do not have to double the soups for the au jus - there is usually plenty of au jus to have enough for twice the number of sandwiches.
Can I freeze French Dip?
Absolutely! Prepare the recipe as directed except for preparing and assembling the sandwiches. Freeze the meat and au jus together in a freezer-safe container and label with the date and "French Dip for sandwiches: Thaw and heat meat and au jus. Prepare hoagie rolls with horseradish sauce and one slice of provolone cheese, and add meat. Serve with au jus for dipping."
It should keep for a couple of months. After that, it would still be safe to eat but might begin to change texture.
Equipment for Cooking French Dip Beef
This easy French Dip recipe can be made in either the Instant Pot (or other electric pressure cooker) or the Crockpot (or other slow cooker). Instructions for each are in the recipe card.
  6 Quart Instant Pot |   6 Quart Programmable Crockpot |
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Storage
If you have leftovers, store the beef and au jus together in the refrigerator, reheating and assembling as sandwiches just before eating. The beef and au jus will last for 3-4 days.
Tips for the Best French Dip Sandwiches
Add some heat: French Dip sandwiches are delicious with pepperoncini peppers for added kick!
Tender meat: The key to the super tender result in this French Dip is using extra-thin shaved chuck steak. Here is what it looks like in the package (this package is from Walmart, which regularly carries it):
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot French Dip with French Onion Soup (Includes Slow Cooker Option)
Equipment
Ingredients
For French Dip and Au Jus
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1-½ to 2 pounds extra thin-shaved chuck steak
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 10.5 ounces condensed French onion soup
- 10.5 ounces beef consommé
For Assembly
- 4 6-inch hoagie rolls
- 4 slices provolone cheese
- Horseradish sauce as needed for sandwiches, about 2 teaspoons for each sandwich
Instructions
- Leaving meat slices layered, trim any large pieces of fat and discard.
- Still leaving the meat slices layered, slice meat crosswise and lengthwise if needed to create 4” squares of layered meat.
Instant Pot Instructions (if using slow cooker, skip to slow cooker instructions)
- Turn Instant Pot on. Press the sauté button.
- Add the butter and melt it.
- When the butter is melted, add the steak slices and sprinkle the salt and pepper over everything. Stir gently to break up the meat pieces in the butter.
- Suaté until the meat has mostly turned from brown to pink, then press the Keep Warm button.
- Add both cans of condensed soup (do not dilute).
- Stir gently, mixing everything and continuing to break up the meat.
- Ensure the sealing ring is properly seated around the inside of the lid. Put the lid on and turn it firmly to lock.
- Turn the knob on top to the Sealing position.
- Press the Manual button and set the timer for 15 minutes. In a 6 quart IP, it takes around 5-6 minutes to come to pressure.
- When pressure cooking is done, natural pressure release for 15 minutes (leave the knob on top pointed to sealing until the count up timer indicates that 15 minutes has passed).
- While the Instant Pot is releasing pressure naturally, prepare the hoagie rolls by spreading horseradish sauce on one side and placing a cheese slice on the other side.
- After 15 minutes of pressure release, carefully turn the knob on top to the Venting position. Always keep face and hands away from the vent hole near the knob.
- Once there is no steam venting (there may not be any after 15 minutes of NPR), remove the lid. If the lid will not turn, there is still pressure that has not vented.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- If you wish, sauté the beef in melted butter in a skillet and transfer to slow cooker. You may skip this step and just place the meat and butter directly into the slow cooker together.
- Add the salt, pepper, and soups to the slow cooker. Stir gently.
- Set the slow cooker to high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours (time will vary based on the size of your slow cooker and how hot it cooks).
- Stir gently to mix every hour or two.
- When the meat is near the end of cooking time, prepare the hoagie rolls by spreading horseradish sauce on one side and placing a cheese slice on the other side.
Sandwich Assembly
- Using tongs, carefully dip the beef out of the broth onto the hoagie rolls.
- Using a ladle, place au jus into each of 4 small dipping bowls. You may strain the au jus if you wish.
- Serve sandwiches with au jus for dipping.
Notes
Nutrition per serving
Food safety
When cooking beef for French Dip Sandwiches:
- Be sure you do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Never leave your pressure cooker unattended
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