The popular Greek gyro has been simplified here with the help of an Instant Pot, though your guests will have no idea that you didn’t spend all afternoon cooking. Ready all of the sandwich fixings, including the cool, creamy tzatziki, while the beef cooks.
Instant Pot Beef Pitas with Tzatziki
Ingredients
For the beef:
- 1 1/2 lb. (750 g) boneless beef chuck, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup (3 fl. oz./80 ml) water
- 3 Tbs. olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 Tbs. garlic powder
For the tzatziki:
- 1 cup (8 oz./250 g) plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cucumber, finely diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh dill
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
For serving:
- 8 pita breads
- Lettuce leaves
- Sliced tomatoes
- Thinly sliced red onion
- Chopped fresh dill
Directions
1. Season the beef on both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Put the beef and onion into an Instant Pot. In a small bowl, whisk together the water, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and garlic powder, then add the mixture to the pot. Cover the pot with the lid, lock the lid in place and turn the valve to “sealing.” Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook at high pressure for 30 minutes.
3. While the beef cooks, make the tzatziki: In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, cucumber, garlic, dill and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to serve.
4. When the pressure cooking is complete, let the steam release naturally for about 15 minutes, then turn the valve to “venting” to release any residual steam. Remove the lid from the pot and, using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef and onion to a bowl.
5. To serve, spoon an equal amount of the beef mixture into each pita and top with lettuce, tomato and onion. Sprinkle with dill and finish with a dollop of tzatziki. Serves 8.
For this and more recipes that are big on flavor but short on prep time, check out The Instant Pot Cookbook, by the cooks of the Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen.
Based on 3 Review(s)
9 comments
Do you slice the beef before or after cooking?
Hi folks,
How can you make this recipe without the required liquid for pressure cooking?
There is plenty of liquid. I made this tonight and followed the recipe exactly. There is liquid from the water, lemon juice, olive oil, and meat. It was a hit with my family.
Not enough liquid in this recipe!
Hi Korey! Our test kitchen does aim for about 1 cup of liquid in every Instant Pot recipe but, of course, we want to avoid diluting the flavor with too much water. For this recipe, the water, olive oil and lemon juice provide some initial liquid (about 2/3 cup) and then the beef and onions give off enough moisture as they cook in the sealed environment that it the amount of liquid is sufficient for the pressure and time needed.
I thought an Instant Pot required at least 1 cup of liquid.
Hi Linde! Our test kitchen does aim for about 1 cup of liquid in every Instant Pot recipe but, of course, we want to avoid diluting the flavor with too much water. For this recipe, the water, olive oil and lemon juice provide some initial liquid (about 2/3 cup) and then the beef and onions give off enough moisture as they cook in the sealed environment that it the amount of liquid is sufficient for the pressure and time needed.
Why is this meat sliced before cooking rather than after?
Hi Brenda,
Slicing the meat before cooking saves cooking time. If you’d like to cook a whole 1.5 pound beef roast and slice it after, our test kitchen recommends upping the cook time to 45 minutes plus using a natural release. If it’s not tender enough, add 10 to 15 more minutes.