Instant Pot Oxtail Stew is a hearty, meaty dish with fall-off-the-bone tender beef in a rich, savory gravy. This braised oxtail recipe cuts the cooking time in half and is perfect for cozy winter dinners or whenever you’re craving comfort food.
If you love this cut of beef, try my Paleo Oxtail Stew and Oxtail Soup next.
The Best Recipe for Oxtail Stew
I’ve made oxtail stew countless times, and this recipe is hands-down my favorite. The marinated oxtail turns incredibly tender under pressure, the sauce is rich and meaty, and it’s a great cut of meat for the pressure cooker. The deep, beefy flavor and gravy-like texture make this a fall-off-the-bone dish that’s hard to resist.
- The Best Recipe for Oxtail Stew
- Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Oxtail Recipe
- What is Oxtail Stew?
- Ingredients
- How to Prepare Oxtails
- How to Make Oxtail Stew
- Want to make this Oxtail recipe Whole30 Compatible?
- Tips for Making Oxtail Stew
- Storage
- What to Serve with Oxtail Stew
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Oxtail Stew Recipe with Instant Pot Instructions
Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Oxtail Recipe
- Save Times: Using the Instant Pot cuts the cooking time significantly, compared to stovetop or slow cooker methods.
- Comfort Meal: Perfect for cozy winter dinners, this dish brings warmth and satisfaction in every bite.
- Packed with Flavor: The beefy, gelatinous oxtail cooks down to create a rich, flavorful sauce, making every bite extra savory.
- Hands-off Recipe: While my oxtail stew was pressure cooking, I had another Instant Pot making rice and peas and was free to clean up and set the table. With this recipe, you can have a hearty, flavorful meal without standing over the stove.
What is Oxtail Stew?
Oxtail stew is a Jamaican-inspired dish made from the tail of ox or cattle, cut into thick pieces and cooked until tender. In this recipe, the oxtail is braised with a rich, savory gravy in the Instant Pot for fall-off-the-bone meat and meaty flavor.
Ingredients
Before we start cooking, I like to have all my ingredients prepped and ready—this makes the process easier and ensures each layer of flavor comes together seamlessly. These are the essential ingredients I use to cook oxtail in the Instant Pot.
- Oxtail: Provides rich, beefy flavor and gelatinous texture that melts into the stew, creating a thick and hearty gravy.
- Oil for cooking: Helps to sear the oxtail, adding depth and richness to the flavor.
- Salt and black pepper: Enhance the overall taste and depth of flavor, bringing out the natural savoriness of the oxtail and seasonings.
- Browning and brown sugar: Add a rich color and subtle caramelized sweetness, deepening the stew’s flavor.
- Aromatics (yellow onion, green onions, garlic, cilantro): Combine in the green seasoning to build a fresh, flavorful base with natural sweetness, body, and herbaceous notes.
- Spices (garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, ground allspice, parsley flakes): Layer warm, earthy flavors and subtle herbaceousness, creating a complex and well-rounded seasoning.
- Tomato paste or ketchup: Provides a tangy base for the gravy while helping to thicken the sauce.
- Spicy brown mustard and scotch bonnet pepper or powder: Add zesty heat and vibrant flavor, balancing the rich stew.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Prepare Oxtails
For this dish, trim as much fat from the oxtail as possible. Depending on your butcher, it may come pre-trimmed, or you may need to ask for it to be trimmed before slicing. Always check before buying, as trimming can be time-consuming.
How to Make Oxtail Stew
Blend the Green Seasoning
I like to start by making the green seasoning. I blend yellow onion, green onions, garlic, and cilantro into a smooth paste, adding a little water if needed to get things moving. This seasoning forms the base for the marinade and infuses the oxtail with fresh, herby flavor.
Marinate Your Oxtail
Next, I mix the green seasoning with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, ground allspice, and browning (or coconut aminos), then add in spicy brown mustard and tomato paste or ketchup. After trimming the oxtail, I coat each piece in the marinade and let it sit for at least two hours, but it’s even better overnight. This marinating step is what really develops that deep, rich flavor before we start cooking.
Sauté and Sear
When I’m ready to cook, I set the Instant Pot to sauté and heat the oil until it’s shimmering. I add the marinated oxtail and sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring halfway through to ensure even searing. This step adds color and caramelizes the meat for a richer stew later on.
Pressure Cook Oxtails
After sautéing, I pour in one cup of water, cancel the sauté function, and seal the Instant Pot to pressure cook the oxtails on high for one hour. This method cooks the oxtail low and slow—but with the convenience of the Instant Pot, it’s much faster than the stovetop. The meat comes out tender and flavorful, just like traditional stews but in a fraction of the time.
Final Simmer and Serve
When the pressure cooking cycle finishes, I release the pressure and skim off any excess oil that rises to the top.
Then I set the Instant Pot to sauté again and let the sauce cook down for about 5 minutes until it thickens into a rich gravy.
Want to make this Oxtail recipe Whole30 Compatible?
To make this recipe Whole30 compatible, I skip the browning and brown sugar and use coconut aminos. I also don’t add any butter beans or spinners which are typically added to oxtail stew. Please also read the labels on the tomato paste and mustard to ensure that they are also Whole30 Compatible.
Tips for Making Oxtail Stew
- Marinate the oxtails for best flavor. Let the oxtail marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight to allow the seasoning to penetrate deeply.
- Trim excess fat before cooking. Removing large pieces of fat prevents the stew from becoming greasy and keeps the gravy balanced.
- Don’t skip searing the meat. Searing the oxtails before pressure cooking locks in flavor and adds depth to the stew.
- Use the sauté function to reduce the sauce. After pressure cooking, simmer the stew for a few minutes to thicken the sauce and intensify the flavor.
- Handle the Scotch bonnet pepper with care. If you’re using a whole pepper, avoid breaking it while cooking unless you want extra heat.
- Use coconut aminos as a browning substitute. If you don’t have browning sauce, coconut aminos provide a similar depth of flavor and slight sweetness.
Storage
Store leftover instant pot oxtail stew an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it will keep for up to 3 days.
To reheat, gently warm it in a saucepan over low heat, adding a splash of water if needed to loosen the sauce. For a quicker option, reheat in the microwave in 1-minute intervals, stirring between each.
What to Serve with Oxtail Stew
I like to serve oxtail with rice and peas and cabbage, carrot, and mango slaw for a complete meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, oxtail becomes more tender the longer it cooks, especially when using low and slow methods like a stovetop or Instant Pot. In this recipe, pressure cooking for one hour achieves fall-off-the-bone tenderness.
The best way to cook oxtail is to sear it first, then braise or pressure cook it to develop rich flavor and a tender texture. The Instant Pot combines searing and pressure cooking, which makes it efficient and flavorful.
Oxtail is cooked in the pressure cooker for one hour at high pressure. This method significantly reduces cooking time compared to traditional stovetop braising.
Browning the oxtails adds depth and richness to the stew, enhancing the flavor. That said, I once skipped the browning step due to time constraints and still ended up with a delicious dish, so feel free to skip it if you need to.
Oxtail Stew Recipe with Instant Pot Instructions
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Oxtail fat trimmed and sliced into 1 inch thick pieces
- 1 tablespoon oil for cooking
- 1 teaspoon salt or salt to taste
- 2 teaspoon browning
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Browning and sugar may be substitute with 1/4 cup of coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder/granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder/granulated onions
- 1/2 tablespoon ground all spice
- 1 tablespoon of parsley flakes
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste can be substituted with 1/4 cup of ketchup
- 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper or other chili pepper or
- 1/4 teaspoon of scotch bonnet powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
Green seasoning:
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 2 heads of green onions
- 3 cloves of garlic
- A handful of cilantro
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for the green seasoning in a food processor or blender and blend until a smooth paste forms. If you are using a blender you may need to add 1/4 cup of water for easy blending
Make a marinade:
- To a large mixing bowl, add the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, all spice, smoked paprika, scotch bonnet powder (if using), browning (or coconut aminos), mustard and tomato paste or ketchup.
- Then mix together well and set aside
Prepare the oxtail:
- Next, trim any fat from your oxtails the add it to the marinade that you set aside earlier
- Mix together ensuring that all oxtail pieces are completely covered with the marinade
- Allow oxtails to marinated for at least 2 hours or overnight for best results
Cooking the oxtail:
- Before starting to cook set your instant pot to sauté and when the pot is hot add the oil,
- Allow the oil to come up to temperature before adding your seasoned oxtail
- Sauté for about 10 minutes stirring after the first 5 minutes
- After 10 minutes of sautéing add 1 cup of water
- Then hit the cancel button to take the instant pot out of the sauté function and prepare for pressure cooking
- To pressure cook the oxtails, cover and seal the instant pot and pressure cook for 1 hour on high pressure
- After the instant pot completes the pressure cooking cycle, release the pressure
- This next step is critical: using a ladle scoop out some of the oil that forms above the sauce
- Finally, set your instant pot to sauté and cook the oxtail stew for an additional 5 minutes after scooping out the oil, to cook down the gravy/sauce
- Serve hot with a side of Instant Pot Rice and Peas and cabbage, carrot and mango slaw
Notes
Nutrition
The information listed in the recipe card is an estimate provided by an online nutrition tool. The tool evaluates ingredient names and amounts then makes calculations based on the number of servings listed for the recipe. It is provided as a general guideline and not as a precise calculation. For precise nutrition information please feel free to add the ingredients to your preferred nutrition calculator or consult a doctor or licensed nutritionist.
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liz Says
I was looking forward to trying this recipe but some instructions seem to be missing. The recipe doesn’t say when to add the prepared green seasoning to the recipe. It also doesn’t say when to add in the black pepper, brown sugar or parsley flakes. So I don’t know how well it will turn out since I followed the instructions and am now marinating the meat with a marinade that is probably missing those ingredients. Very disappointed. Hope it tastes the way it’s supposed to.
Sarah Says
The green seasoning is a marinade so add it to the “marinade” ingredients, add the oxtail and let it marinate overnight.
Deborah Says
What do I do with the green seasoning? You said to make it and then never said what to do with it!
Liz Says
Looks like she’s not responding to comments since it’s been 1 1/2 years since you commented. I guess our questions won’t be answered. That’s too bad. I guess I won’t be following any more of her recipes!!!
Saarah Says
Can you substitute the browning and sugar for casareep? If so, how much?
Gina Says
I’ve had Haitian oxtail and St.Maarten oxtail but not Guyanese. I would love to try this recipe but I do not have an Instapot or pressure cooker. Can this be made in a crock pot?
Also, what is browning?
Thank you!
Liz Says
Browning is a bottled sauce you can usually find in a West Indian supermarket. Althea has other oxtail recipes on her site that are cooked on the stovetop. And Althea says this oxtail recipe is supposed to be Jamaican style, not Guyanese.