Fall off the bone-shank meat that is so tender and flavorful. Instant Pot Osso Buco, is the easiest way to cook beef shank to perfection with little preparation and ingredients! The best comfort food for a cool winter night.
Love Italian food? Try this Instant Pot Osso Buco, a quicker version of a traditional Osso buco with the same great taste.
This Instant Pot Osso Buco is made of beef shank that is cooked at high pressure for about an hour to break down all tough connective tissue, which eventually melts into a rich broth.
This recipe was inspired by this Boneless Beef Short Ribs recipe on my site and pairs well with these Nokedli (Hungarian dumplings).
Jump to:
What is Osso Buco
Osso Buco or Ossobuco is one of the most popular meat dishes from the region of Lombard in Italy. It is a cross-cut veal shank braised with white wine, vegetables, and broth. It's traditionally served with either risotto alla Milanese or polenta.
The traditional Osso Buco is usually braised slowly in the oven and could take more than 2 hours of cooking time.
Do People Like Osso Buco?
Wondering if your friends and family will like Osso Buco? It's one of those dishes that's a very safe bet! Almost everyone I know likes tender meat that just falls off the bone. The meat and sauce have kid-friendly tastes, too.
Another reason people will enjoy this dish is that they'll get to enjoy a dish that's quite expensive in restaurants.
The first time tried Osso Buco was in a steak and seafood restaurant. It was fantastic! Being able to bring that type of dish to your home kitchen to share with friends and family is fun and can give you some extra pride.
Instant Pot Osso Buco Ingredients
Osso Buco may sound fancy but it's actually pretty easy to make and uses simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry and fridge.
To make this Instant Pot Osso Buco, you will need the following ingredients:
- Veal or Beef shank. Beef shank is an affordable substitution for veal in a classic osso buco. It's available at any grocer for around $4.99 per pound.
- Dry white wine. Such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, or Sémillon.
- Carrots
- Onion
- Garlic
- Celery
- San Marzano tomato. It's the most famous Italian tomato. You can find canned San Marzano tomatoes in any grocer.
- Broth. You can use veal, beef, or chicken broth.
- Rosemary
- Oregano or use thyme.
How to Cook Osso Buco in an Instant Pot:
Step 1. Brown the Beef Shank
Make 3-4 tiny slits on the connection tissue between the meat and fat. Season the beef shank with salt and black pepper then dredge the shanks very lightly in flour, thoroughly shaking off the excess.
Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in an Instant pot. Working in multiple batches, sear the meat until nicely browned on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Add more oil if needed. Set aside.
Step 2. Cook Aromatic Vegetables
Add onion, carrots, and celery to the pot. Cook until soft and translucent for about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant.
Step 3. Deglaze
Pour in white wine, and cook, scraping up any brown bits with a spatula, until the wine is reduced to at least half.
Step 4. Cook at High pressure
Add rosemary, oregano, broth, and the browned beef shank back into the pot. Pour in the crushed tomatoes.
Select "Manual" for 60 minutes (fall off the bone). When the cooking cycle is completed, quickly release the pressure.
How to Cook Store and Reheat Ossobuco:
You can also store the leftover Ossobuco in the fridge or freezer if you'd like. Here's how to do it:
- First, let the stew cool at room temperature but no longer than 2 hours.
- Once it has cooled completely, you can store it in an airtight container.
- Properly stored, this osso buco can last up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.
I hope you'll enjoy this recipe and share it with friends! If you try it and don’t mind, please leave me a comment and/or give this recipe a rating. Be sure to subscribe to receive weekly recipes and follow me on Pinterest.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Osso Buco
Ingredients
- 3 beef shanks, (about 2.5 pounds) - pat the meat dry with paper towels.
- 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
For Braising:
- 1½ cups diced yellow onion
- ¾ cup small diced carrots
- ¾ cup small diced celery
- 1½ tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup dry white wine
- ½ cup low-sodium broth , (veal, beef, or chicken broth)
- 2 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary , (add more according to your liking)
- 2 teaspoon finely chopped oregano, (or use thyme)
- 1 can (14.5 oz) San Marzano Tomatoes, (use whole tomatoes only, chopped - about 1 cup)
- ½-1 teaspoon salt, (optional)
Instructions
- Make 3-4 tiny slits on the connection tissue between the meat and fat. Season the beef shank with salt and black pepper then dredge the shanks very lightly in flour, thoroughly shaking off the excess.
- Select the "Saute" key. When the display shows "HOT", add 2 tablespoon of oil. Working in multiple batches, sear the meat until nicely browned on both sides, 2-3 minutes per side. Add more oil if needed. Set aside.
- Add onion, carrots, and celery into the pot. Cook until soft and translucent for about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant.
- Pour in white wine, cook, scraping up any brown bits with a spatula, until the wine is reduced to at least half.
- Add rosemary, oregano, broth, salt (optional), and the browned beef shank back into the pot. Pour in the crushed tomatoes.Select "Manual" on a high setting and cook for 60 minutes (fall-off the bone meat). When the cooking cycle is completed, quickly release the pressure.
Mary Schermerhorn
I got all the ingredients and we are having it tonight. Dug out my silver coffee spoons to sample the bone marrrow. Can't wait.
One question - would it be proper to thicken the sauce? mine seems to be a bit watery, but no too bad.
Rika
Hi Mary,
If the sauce is too watery to your liking, add equal parts of cornstarch and water mixture (1 tbsp of cornstarch + 1 tbsp of cold water) to the stew at the end of the cooking. Cook the stew over medium heat, stirring continually, until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Rika
john newcomb
Beef shanks just went into the Instant Pot for 45-minutes with double the ingredients and beef broth. So looking forward to tasty Osso Buco and side dish of something.... Thanks!
Rika
Hi John,
You're welcome. Thanks for trying and sharing what you did with the recipe!
Best,
Rika
Jane
I plan on making this recipe those coming weekend butt had a question? What is the purpose of the 3-4 tiny slits? Thanks!
Rika
Hi Jane,
To prevent the meat from curling. As a result, the meat will stay flat and sear evenly. It's optional.
I’m here if you have any further questions.
Best,
Rika
Tina
This was absolutely delicious. I'm so happy I found this recipe. I get a 1/4 cow each year and get two shanks. I'm going to look forward to making this again next year. Thanks so much.
Rika
Hi Tina,
Thanks for the comment, so glad you liked the recipe. That’s a lot of meat you get each year, I’m so jealous. I think more people should try Oso Bucco.. haven’t met anyone that doesn’t enjoy it.
Best,
Rika
Marina
This looks delicious, I've never made beef shanks, and I'm excited to try this! But I am entirely confused about the slits. Am I slicing into the connective tissue only? Does the size/length of slit depend on thickness of connective tissue you are cutting into? Am I cutting in the middle of the connective tissue or between the tissue and the meat? One of your slits looks like it just cuts into the meat and I see no tissue (on the bottom one in your photo). I want to do this right! Lol
Rika
Hi Marina,
You just need to cut through the fat to prevent the meat from curling and stay flat during browning. It doesn’t have to be perfect and you may skip if you’d like. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Judy Peters
Almost followed your recipe however I added a few mushrooms and leeks all the cut same size. Also used the Jugo dark sauce for color and seasoning.
Did not use pressure cooker but Instapot three hours.
Wowed by the taste and your basic recipe. It was a beautiful presentation. We served it over roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Can’t wait for another cold day in Texas.
Rika
Hi Judy,
Fantastic! I love your variations of it (great idea on the leeks) sounds delicious. I wish you more cold days and warm food, lord knows we had enough hot days this past year and I too am enjoying these months.
Best,
Rika
Susan
I’ve made this 3 times now. Perfect and delicious every time. Thank you for sharing a great recipe!
Rika
Oh awesome, I love hearing that! I don't really get tired of Osso Buco. I change up the sides, but my family and I are big fans of tender meat dishes and Osso Buco is at the top of that list. Thanks again!
Best,
Rika