Air Fryer Roast Beef (Instant Pot Vortex and Omni)

With the rotisserie on the Instant Pot Vortex and Instant Omni, I was pretty excited to try air fryer roast beef on the rotisserie. This recipe can work with any decent beef roast cut. I used top round, but eye of round, sirloin tri tip, chuck, tenderloin or prime rib would also work. Learn about cuts of beef here. If you don’t have a rotisserie, simply set your beef roast in the air fryer basket and turn it during cooking.

Air Fryer Roast Beef

For air fryer rotisserie roast beef in the Vortex or Omni, choose a roast that is under 4 pounds as that is the maximum weight for the rotisserie. For a basket style fryer or if cooking on a tray, you might be able to go larger. Mine was 2.5 pounds.

Preparing the beef roast is easy. Mine came already tied. If your roast is not tied, tying it will keep it nicely compact for the rotisserie.

Rub the roast with olive oil and add seasonings of choice. In my case I rubbed it generously with Montreal Steak Seasoning. Just plain salt and pepper is fine too. Others like to add thyme or rosemary.

For the Instant Pot Vortex or Instant Omni, place the roast on the rotisserie rod. The spit pushed through my roast quite easily. Using the rotisserie tool, place the roast beef in the air fryer.

Air Fryer Beef Roast Cooking Time

The cooking time will vary based on the weight of the beef. Using the times suggested for a convection oven, I estimated 15 minutes per pound and 360 degrees for rare center beef and this was pretty accurate. I cooked mine for 35 minutes and got a rare center in the thickest part of the roast to a medium rare center in the thinner part. The best way to measure though is to use a meat thermometer and check the roast from time to time.

Take the roast beef out when it is about 5 degrees below your desired doneness. Allow the meat to rest under a foil tent for about five minutes. It will continue to go up in temperature during that time.

The following temperatures for beef should be used to calculate when to take the roast out:

• Rare: 115 to 120°F (125 final temperature)
• Medium-Rare: 125 to 130°F (135 final temperature)
• Medium: 135 to 140°F (145 final temperature)
• Medium-Well: 140 to 145°F (150 final temperature)
• Well-Done: 150 to 155°F (160 final temperature)

The USDA recommends steaks and roasts be cooked to 145°F and rested for at least 3 minutes. I tend to prefer rare. You will note that when doing a beef roast in the air fryer or in a convection oven that the meat will get more cooked toward the edges. If you want to avoid that, try using a Sous Vide to cook to the desired temperature and then air fry on high heat (400 degrees or more) for just a few minutes to crust up the outside.

Serving Air Fryer Beef Roast

I served the beef roast with some roasted broccoli. I also really like roasted asparagus with roast beef. Certainly a good air fryer baked potato would also pair well with it. Or try some air fryer vegetables.

I like to add a horseradish sauce for dipping and you can also thin slice roast beef for sandwiches.