Instant Pot French Dip with French Onion Soup

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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!

French dip sandwiches with au jus — Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches and Au Jus made with French Onion Soup and Beef Consommé

This Instant Pot French Dip recipe is a one pot recipe—who doesn't love easy cleanup?! If you'd prefer to get this recipe started early in the day, try our Crockpot French Dip recipe.

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.

The recipe was inspired by the broth base of my Baked Rice recipe.

Jump to:

Ingredients
Step-by-Step Instant Pot French Dip
French Dip with Au Jus FAQ
Equipment for Cooking French Dip Beef
Storage
Tips for the Best French Dip Sandwiches
Recipe
Food safety

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.

seasoned sliced chuck steak in the instant pot — Sliced chuck steak seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper

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).

sliced sautéed chuck steak, french onion soup, and beef consomme in the instant pot — Sautéed, sliced chuck steak with French Onion soup and beef consomme in Instant Pot

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).

hoagie rolls with horseradish and provolone cheese — Hoagie rolls with horseradish sauce and provolone cheese

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.

French dip sandwiches with au jus and test Easy Instant Pot French Dip with au jus — Instant Pot French Dip sandwiches with au jus

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 is perfect for the Instant Pot—sauté the meat using the sauté function, then cook under pressure for melt-in-your-mouth tender beef. (I use this 6 Quart Instant Pot).

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