Instant Pot Rouladen – Oma's Rouladen im Schnellkochtopf

by: Gerhild Fulson  / Oma Gerhild shares easy, authentic German recipes you can trust, rooted in family tradition and featured in her cookbooks.

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An incredible beef rouladen recipe from Germany using a pressure cooker (Instant Pot) and made just like Oma

This Rouladen recipe, aka Rinderrouladen, is similar to the traditional Rouladen (beef rollups) made throughout Germany, however it calls for a pressure cooker. In my case, it's an Instant Pot. 

Pressure cookers, Schnellkochtöpfe, are very commonly used in Germany, however, I haven't had one for years!

These German beef roulades are a great dinner idea for special occasions. Although they do take a bit of time to prepare, the pressure cooker helps speed up the cooking process.

HOWEVER, if you want to have these same flavors in a less expensive and a much quicker recipe, then check out the Flatladen recipe I created.

It has all the flavor of a traditional rouladen recipe, especially the wonderful gravy ... but it's perfect for a week night meal! My family LOVES this!

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How to make Instant Pot Rouladen

Ready? Let's make some Rouladen...

Pound your meat thin, spread with mustard, and get the rest of the ingredients ready.

Preparing the rouladen ingredients by setting up an assembly line.

I find setting things up in an assembly-line style makes everything go faster and easier. Top the thin slices of beef  with slices of bacon, pickles, and veggies. Roll up each piece of meat.

Rolling rouladen ready for the Instant Pot

You can use either wooden picks or metal skewers to hold your rouladen together. Or, if you are blessed, you'll actually have metal rouladen clips available. Some people like to use a thin kitchen twine or thick thread to hold theirs together.

Whatever way you choose, just make sure you remove them before serving!

Now, you're ready to brown the rouladen in the Instant Pot pressure cooker (or whichever pressure cooker you have).

Browning the beef rouladen using a pressure cooker (Instant Pot)

Make sure you take the time to brown the beef roll-ups. Don't rush this step.

The browning will ensure a wonderful flavor, especially in the gravy. The little bits that stick to the bottom of the pot are the basis for the gravy. The more browned, without burning, the more intense the taste.

Ready to put these rouladen under pressure!

Once the meat has browned, and you've added the rest of the ingredients according to the recipe, making sure you have scraped up all those lovely browned bits, you are ready to seal the pressure cooker and set it.

Make sure you always follow the manufacturer's requirements for sealing and setting your cooker. Safety first!

Always follow the pressure cooker instructions to seal and set your time.

Seal pressure cooker and set to Manual for 20 minutes and use Natural Release.

Yes, it only takes 20 minutes under pressure to cook the rouladen to fork-tenderness. However, for calculating the timing, you also need to add the time for the pressure cooker to come to pressure. Natural Release will also add extra time. 

To figure out the total time, you'll need to know your cooker. Those coming-to-pressure times and the Natural-Release times are different depending on the make and model. Your pressure cooker (including the Instant Pot) manual will have those times available for you.

Oma's traditional beef rouladen is sooo yummy and fun to make! Cooked simply in a pressure cooker

Once the Natural Release has finished, open your pressure cooker, remove the rouladen and set them aside and keep warm. Make the gravy according to the recipe below.

Then you are ready to enjoy absolute fork-tender meat with the most amazing flavor... easy and quick. German perfection!

These incredible fork-tender beef rouladen were made using the pressure cooker (Instant Pot) and here served traditionally with red cabbage as a side.

Ready to make this German Rouladen recipe?

Print Recipe

Instant Pot Rouladen Recipe – Oma's Rouladen im Schnellkochtopf

This classic German recipe made in the Instant Pot pressure cooker produces perfect Rouladen (beef rolls) every time.

This is one of our favorite German dishes that we love especially with potato dumplings and red cabbage. But sometimes, I'll make boiled potatoes and baby carrots or mixed veggies, when it needs to go fast. Either way, this is pure comfort food!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 60 minutes

Servings:

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 slices top round, about 1 pound (see hints below)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard or German mustard
• 2 slices bacon, cut into strips
• 2 onions
• 2 dill pickles or German pickles
• salt and black pepper
• olive oil or butter for frying
• 3 carrots
• 1 celery rib, cubed
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup beef broth or water (see hints below)

Instructions:

1. Season beef slices with salt, paprika, and freshly ground pepper. Thinly spread mustard on top of each slice.
2. Chop one onion. Cut one carrot into strips. Cut pickle in half lengthwise. Divide chopped onion, carrot strips, pickles, and bacon strips on one end of each roulade.
3. Roll up slices (think 'burrito'), tucking the ends in and securing with skewers, wooden cocktail picks, or thread.
4. Set Instant Pot (IP) to sauté. Once hot, add butter (or oil), about 4 tablespoons. Brown beef well on all sides. 
5. Once the rouladen are browned, remove to a plate. Remove most of the fat from IP.
6. Slice remaining onion. Add to the IP. Add carrots and celery. Lightly brown vegetables. Add tomato paste.
7. Add beef broth or water (and wine, see below), stir to scrape up brown bits from bottom of IP.
8. Return rouladen to IP. Seal pressure cooker and set to Manual for 20 minutes and use Natural Release. 
9. Remove rouladen and keep warm. Set IP to sauté. Make gravy by either blending the cooking liquid with hand blender and thickening with about 1 to 2 tablespoons corn starch dissolved in a bit of water. Alternatively, sieve out vegetables and thicken. Or just thicken as is. 
10. Season gravy to taste with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper. If you wish, add sour cream to gravy.
11. Remove skewers, picks, or thread to serve rouladen with their gravy.

Notes/Hints:

• Have your local butcher cut beef top round into thin slices, about ⅜ inch thick. Each roulade should measure at least 6 inches by 4 inches. Gently pound meat until it is about ⅛ to ¼ inch thick. Be careful not to put holes in meat. The larger the roulade, the easier it is to roll up.
• Replace ½ cup of the water or broth with red wine.
• For my traditional rouladen recipe, check out German Beef Rouladen.
• Or, make this slow cooker roast beef that tastes just like rouladen. Use the slow cooker feature on your Instant Pot for this.
• Take a look at What to Serve with Rouladen.

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Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | justlikeoma.com 

04.27.2022 revision update

Beef Recipes? Click here ->

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.