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    Home » Recipes » Sandwiches

    Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches

    Ashley Covelli standing in the kitchen wearing an apron with the Big Flavors logo.
    Modified: Sep 16, 2024 · Published: Apr 4, 2018 by Ashley · This post may contain affiliate links · 22 Comments
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    This post may contain affiliate links, which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe·5 from 12 reviews
    2 photos of the prepared ingredients for Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches and assembled sandwiches.

    A homemade Italian seasoning blend flavors the beef for these mouthwateringly tender Instant Pot French Dip sandwiches.

    Served on top of toasted garlic bread with melted provolone cheese and plenty of au jus for dunking makes this a delicious homemade meal without a lot of work!

    ¾ view of 3 assembled Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches with au jus, an Instant Pot, and shredded meat alongside.

    Ah, French Dips.

    There's just something magical about a sandwich that requires dunking.

    And when I make French dip sandwiches, I like to take the swoon-factor up a few notches by piling all that tender beef on top of garlic bread and melting provolone cheese all over 'em.

    Overhead view of the prepared ingredients for Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches ready to assemble.

    This garlic butter is the same as the one that I use in My Favorite Garlic Bread recipe.

    It's just softened, unsalted butter, garlic powder, and dried parsley. And spread over deliciously toasty sandwich rolls it.is.pure.heaven.

    Whereas the Slow Cooker French Dips that I've been making for years use an Italian seasoning blend, I decided to make my own mix for this recipe.

    You could certainly substitute the spices for a blend, but if you have all of these spices in your pantry, I highly recommend trying out my mix. It's fantastic!

    Overhead view of the prepared ingredients for Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches ready to assemble.

    Once the meat is seared in your Instant Pot, you add in soy sauce, beef stock, and water, along with some dried herbs and spices, seal it up, and you're ready to rock.

    Whenever I'm cooking meat that I want to be really tender in my Instant Pot, I tend to use the natural pressure release method.

    That means that once the cooking time is over, you just leave the pot alone until the float valve drops down. That's your indicator that the pressure has fully released.

    And the awesome part is that you can use it right then or just leave it since the Instant Pot switches over to "Keep Warm" mode once the cooking time has completed.

    Close up view of a French Dip sandwich with melted cheese and a sesame seed bun.

    The meat should be falling apart tender once it finishes cooking.

    I like to splash a bit of the cooking liquid over the shredded meat to keep it juicy in the tray if I'm not using it all right away.

    My husband likes to go in and snag a few extra pieces of meat after he finishes his sandwiches, so this way they're still nice and moist.

    ¾ view of 3 assembled Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches with au jus, an Instant Pot, and shredded meat alongside.

    You can skim the fat off the top of the cooking liquid if you like, or you can wait until the leftovers have been in the fridge overnight and just scrape off the hardened fat.

    When I make these, I tend to toast the number of rolls that we need for that meal, and then make fresh garlic bread for the leftovers.

    There's just something about fresh, toasty garlic bread that takes me to my happy place.

    Overhead view of the prepared ingredients for Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches ready to assemble.

    Looking for more Instant Pot recipes? Check out some of our favorites:

    • Instant Pot Braised Lamb Shanks with Tomato
    • Instant Pot Herbed Pot Roast
    • Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
    • Instant Pot Beef Goulash
    • Instant Pot "Baked" Beans
    • Waffle Pulled Pork Eggs Benedict
    • Instant Pot Chicken, Bacon, and Potato Soup
    • Chicken Quesadillas with Chipotle Ranch Dip
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    📖 Recipe

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    ¾ view of 3 assembled Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches with au jus, an Instant Pot, and shredded meat alongside.

    Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 12 reviews
    • Author: Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen - Ashley Covelli (adapted from CLBB)
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    • Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
    • Yield: 8 Servings 1x
    • Category: Sandwiches
    • Method: Instant Pot
    • Cuisine: American
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    A homemade Italian seasoning blend flavors the beef for these mouthwateringly tender Instant Pot French Dip sandwiches. Served on top of toasted garlic bread with melted provolone cheese and plenty of au jus for dunking makes this a delicious homemade meal without a lot of work!


    Ingredients

    Units Scale

    For Beef:

    • 2 tablespoons peanut or sunflower oil
    • 1 (3-pound) chuck roast
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
    • ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
    • ½ cup unsalted beef stock or broth
    • ¼ cup water
    • 3 whole peppercorns
    • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
    • 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
    • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
    • ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
    • ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
    • 1 bay leaf

    For Sandwiches:

    • ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 4 teaspoons dried parsley
    • 8 slices provolone cheese
    • 8 sandwich rolls

    Instructions

    1. Place oil in the Instant Pot insert and set to "Sauté" and "Normal".
    2. Pat the roast dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. When the screen on the Instant Pot says "Hot", add meat and sear on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side, using tongs to carefully turn the meat.
    3. Once meat is seared, add soy sauce, beef stock, water, and seasonings (peppercorns through bay leaf). Close the lid and set it to high pressure for 60 minutes. Once finished, allow the pressure to naturally release before opening the lid.
    4. Remove the beef from the Instant Pot, reserving the liquid (you can skim any excess oil/fat off the top at this point if you'd like). Shred the beef with a fork or tongs (the meat should pull apart easily).
    5. Place the softened butter in a small bowl. Mix in garlic powder and dried parsley.
    6. Place the sandwich rolls, cut sides up, on a large baking sheet and broil until golden brown. Spread garlic butter onto each toasted roll and set the tops off to the side of the tray. Pile shredded beef onto the bottom half of each sandwich roll, then top with a slice of provolone. Return the tray to the oven and continue to broil until the cheese melts, about 2-3 minutes.
    7. Serve each sandwich with a bowl of au jus liquid from the Instant Pot alongside for dipping.

    Notes

    You can substitute an Italian seasoning blend for the spices & herbs (parsley through rosemary) in the beef recipe - use 1-2 tablespoons total.

    Recipe adapted from the now-defunct CLBB.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 539
    • Sugar: 4.3 g
    • Sodium: 1151.3 mg
    • Fat: 30.6 g
    • Saturated Fat: 14.6 g
    • Carbohydrates: 26.4 g
    • Fiber: 1.3 g
    • Protein: 38.4 g
    • Cholesterol: 125.2 mg

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @bigflavors on Instagram and hashtag it #cookbigflavors

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    Comments

    1. Anna says

      April 10, 2018 at 9:29 am

      Although I do not own an instant pot , looking at the delicious and tempting recipes like this one really makes me wanna buy one! I also like how you've used your own herb blend, so much better than a shop-bought version!

      Reply
      • Ashley says

        April 10, 2018 at 10:49 pm

        Thanks so much, Anna! If you have a slow cooker, you could totally cook the meat in that, or even low and slow in the oven for a few hours. But if you're debating an Instant Pot, I highly recommend getting one! I LOVE mine and use it several times per week!

        Reply
    2. Dominique | Perchance to Cook says

      April 10, 2018 at 10:57 am

      Nom nom nom, there's so much flavor in these sandwiches, I feel like my taste buds could explode with happiness!! These sandwiches are being added to my "To-make" list!

      Reply
      • Ashley says

        April 10, 2018 at 10:50 pm

        Taste buds exploding with happiness? MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!! 🙂 Thanks so much, Dominique!

        Reply
    3. Kathryn @ FoodieGirlChicago says

      April 12, 2018 at 8:19 am

      I love french dip sandwiches so this recipe is motivation to get me to finally buy an instant pot so I can make these!! 🙂

      Reply
      • Ashley says

        April 12, 2018 at 11:06 pm

        I'm firmly #TeamInstantPot, but you can totally make this by cooking the meat in a slow cooker, or in the oven if you want. But I just know you'll love your IP whenever you do take the plunge 🙂

        Reply
    4. Sharon says

      April 13, 2018 at 9:34 am

      I'm always looking for a new instant pot recipe, and this one looks great! French Dip sandwiches are great for dinner or even a party.

      Reply
    5. Michelle says

      April 13, 2018 at 4:41 pm

      Mmmn, this dish sounds so amazing! So easy too! I'm adding it to my meal plan next week. I bet it's great for left overs too.

      Reply
    6. Sara says

      April 13, 2018 at 10:23 pm

      This looks like a great dinner! I know my family would love it, and in the instant pot we could be eating in a flash!

      Reply
    7. Meredith says

      April 14, 2018 at 11:48 pm

      Ooh I love a delicious french dip sandwich... I can't wait to make this with the IP!

      Reply
    8. Heather says

      April 15, 2018 at 4:49 pm

      OOOOOO... I love french dip sandwiches!!! What a great recipe to make and add to the Instant Pot collection. I also love that you use a homemade garlic butter spread .. very good idea!

      Reply
    9. Matt Kearns says

      April 15, 2018 at 5:49 pm

      Oh man am I a big fan of French dips! I can only imagine how tender the meat is after being cooked in the instant pot! Well done!

      Reply
    10. Charles says

      April 15, 2018 at 7:11 pm

      Tried this for our Sunday dinner and it was fantastic. Thank you!

      Reply
    11. Nicole | Culinary Cool says

      April 15, 2018 at 9:58 pm

      Wow, you're really got me craving a French Dip sandwich now! For real! I haven't had one in forever and I think I might need to bust out my Instant Pot, stat, and make some!

      Reply
    12. Stacey says

      April 15, 2018 at 10:23 pm

      I'm all about French dip sandwiches and I love that it's made in the instant pot! Can't wait to try!

      Reply
    13. Rachel says

      April 15, 2018 at 11:32 pm

      This recipes looks awesome! French Dip Sandwiches are my mom's fav. Now I have the perfect thing to make her for Mother's Day!

      Reply
    14. Bella says

      July 23, 2019 at 11:10 am

      A m a z I n g !
      Definitely a favorite!

      Reply
      • Ashley says

        July 23, 2019 at 11:13 am

        I’m so glad to hear that it’s a hit for you, Bella!!

        Reply
    15. CC McD says

      January 24, 2022 at 6:06 pm

      Made this on a friend's recommendation for dinner at my sister's. Everyone raved & my sister requested the recipe. 🙂 Thanks, Ashley!

      Reply
      • Ashley says

        January 24, 2022 at 6:12 pm

        I’m so glad this was a hit for everyone! It’s one of my family’s very favorites. Thanks for sharing your feedback!

        Reply
    16. Katie N. says

      July 03, 2025 at 1:54 pm

      I made this today for some friends, one of whom loves French Dip sandwiches and it was a huge hit! Delicious, and just the right spices to make the broth very tasty. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Ashley says

        July 08, 2025 at 11:30 am

        I'm so glad to hear that this was a hit for your friends, Katie! It's such a comforting meal - I need to put it back on my list to make again soon!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Ashley and I’ve been writing about food & recipes here at Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen since 2006. I want to help you (yes, you!) gain confidence in the kitchen so you are excited to cook at home for yourself and your loved ones.

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