There’s a ton of flavor packed into this Instant Pot Chili recipe with ground beef and pork, beans, tomatoes, and oodles of spices, and the best part is it only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.
» You’ll also love this Homemade Instant Pot Tomato Sauce and Instant Pot Apple Cider.
Instant Pot Pro Plus
Now you can control your pot wirelessly through an app. Cool-touch handles on the pot itself, and an automatic locking pressure release valve for greater safety. This one does it all.
There’s nothing better than a big bowl of chili on a cool, fall day. It’s the perfect bowl of deliciousness. This Instant Pot recipe is packed full of the bold flavors you’d expect from a chili that’s been stewed for hours.
If there’s one thing the Instant Pot does well, it’s chili. The Instant Pot is able to give chili the deep flavor that it usually takes hours on the stove top to develop. So will you believe me that this only cooks in the pressure cooker for 10 minutes?
It’s true! This is the easiest chili you’ve ever made. And I’ll be it’s also one of the best you’ve tasted. You might also try this tasty turkey chili cooked just as quickly in the Instant Pot.
Why Use An Instant Pot?
The Instant Pot is one of the most useful kitchen appliances you can buy, because it drastically cuts down on the cooking time for developing flavors in soups and stews, getting tough cuts of meat tender, and even baking a cheesecake. And there are many accessories that will help you get more out of your Instant Pot.
If you don’t have one yet, check out our guide on which one to buy. Also see our guide to How to Use an Instant Pot for more information.
- Don’t Have an Instant Pot Yet? This guide can help you choose the right one.
- See reviews and prices for Instant Pots on Amazon.
- Learn some great Instant Pot Tips & Tricks.
- Click to find more recipes to make in your Instant Pot.
Ingredients in Instant Pot Chili
Yes, there are quite a few ingredients in this chili. I admit that I don’t love looking at that long list and wondering if I even have everything. But it’s mostly spices and they’re ones you very likely already have on hand.
I’m a firm believer that you don’t need any crazy ingredients to make great chili. Some people like to put chocolate, cinnamon, and even fish sauce in their chili. That’s fun once in a while, but there’s no need to add crazy things to make a delicious bowl of chili.
You’re going to need these ingredients for this chili:
- Ground beef and pork – I use both because it adds a richness of flavor and a slightly different texture. You can just one one or the other, if you like. You might substitute the pork for chunks of steak, which is also an amazing texture for chili.
- Onion, Celery & Garlic – These are the trinity of flavor in cooking. You can’t get away without it. They add a tremendous amount of flavor to the chili.
- Tomato paste and a can of diced tomatoes
- A can of pinto beans – there’s debate about what the best bean is for chili. I prefer pinto beans. You can use your favorite bean instead, if you want.
- Water
- Beef bouillon cube – you can also go with a cup of beef broth in place of the water and bouillon cube
- Spices – chili powder, ground cumin, salt, oregano, paprika, white sugar, ground black pepper, dried cayenne pepper
- Worcestershire sauce
- For garnish – shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions, red pepper flakes
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How to Make Instant Pot Chili
Heat the Instant Pot on saute mode for 3-5 minutes. When hot, add oil to the inner pot, then add the beef, pork, onion, celery, and garlic. Break up the meat as it browns, so you’re left with a crumble.
Once the meat is browned, add the remaining ingredients and stir well. You want to be sure you get up any browned bits that stuck to the bottom while browning the meat.
It might seem thick, but it will turn out just the right consistency once cooked. If you prefer a more soup-like chili, you can add an extra cup of water to thin it out.
Lock on the lid and make sure the vent is set to sealing. Press the Pressure Cook button and set the time to 10 minutes. It doesn’t seem like a long time, but it’s plenty of time to develop tremendous flavor thanks for the high pressure the ingredients will be under.
When the time is up, allow for a natural pressure release. This will take about 15 minutes. Once the pressure is released, the chili is ready to eat. However you can keep it on warm in the Instant Pot for as long as you like.
If you have the glass lid for the Instant Pot, you can even leave the chili in the pot until you’re ready to serve it. Guests can just scoop their portion right out of the pot.
Serve with your toppings of choice. I like to add shredded cheese and sour cream. You might also serve green onions, red pepper flakes and oyster crackers on the side so everyone can top it how they like it.
Can I Freeze Leftover?
Yes, you can freeze left over chili. It will keep in the refrigerator for at least 5 days, if you think you’ll eat it soon, but freezing is a great option for preserving leftovers. It will keep in an air tight container for at least a month.
When you’re ready to eat it, you can reheat it in the Instant Pot on saute mode until it’s heated through.
What If I Get the Burn Notice?
If you’re cooked a lot of thicker stews and casseroles in the Instant Pot, you’ve probably gotten the burn noticed a time or two.
The burn notice is caused typically by one of two things. Either there isn’t enough water in the food content, or there are still browned bits on the bottom of the pot from when you sautéed the meat.
If you get the burn notice, first cancel the cooking, remove the lid and see if you can scrap the bits from the bottom of the pot. Try cooking again.
If you still get the burn notice, add an additional 1/2 cup of water to the pot. The extra water won’t affect the chili’s flavor, so no worries.
Tips & FAQs
Heat & Chilis
When you’re choosing the chili powder that you’re going to use in this chili, be sure to mind whether it’s mild or hot. The recipe calls for two tablespoons of chili powder, which adds a ton of flavor. But that amount of hot chili can be overpowering and too spicy for many people. I use mild chili powder and then add additional cayenne pepper to reach my desired level of heat. If you are interested in making the chili powder yourself try this recipe.
Can the Recipe Be Doubled?
Yes, you can definitely double this recipe. It makes 4 servings. If you’d like to make a larger batch, you can double it in a 6-quart pot or you can even triple it in an 8-quart Instant Pot. Just be sure not to go over the 2/3 fill line.
>> Have you tried making homemade bone broth? The Instant Pot is one of the easiest ways to make it at home.
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Instant Pot Chili
Note: Made in a 6-qt Instant Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1/2 yellow onion chopped
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 4 ounces tomato paste
- 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 15 ounce can pinto beans drained
- 1 cup water
- 1 cube beef bouillon
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne or chipotle powder add extra for more heat
- For garnish: shredded cheddar cheese sour cream, green onions, red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Heat the Instant Pot on saute mode for 3-5 minutes. When hot, add oil to the inner pot, then add the beef, sausage, onion, celery, and garlic. Break up the meat as it browns.
- Once the meat is browned, add the remaining ingredients and stir well.
- Lock on the lid. Press the Pressure Cook button and set the time to 10 minutes.
- When the time is up, allow for a natural pressure release.
- Serve with your toppings of choice.
Video
Nutrition
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Laura is a passionate home cook and the owner of A Pressure Cooker Kitchen. She is dedicated to helping people create delicious Instant Pot meals with ease. Laura is an expert at developing recipes that can be prepared quickly and easily using a pressure cooker.
What is the point of using an instant pot for this recipe? Since you’re using canned beans as opposed to dry, you’d get a better result on the range since you’d get more reduction with about the same cooking time.
There are many benefits to cooking chili under pressure. Because it cooks faster and very little moisture escapes, the flavors are richer and more developed. It would take a lot more time to develop the same flavor on the stovetop. Also, some people like the ease of cooking in the IP because you don’t have to keep an eye on the stove for an hour or longer.
And only one dirty dish!
Doubled the recipe, turned out liked watery soup. For the time spent cooking it down (and thereby overcooking the beans) would have been easier on stove top by far.
I’ve never had it turn out watery and I don’t cook it down at all. The consistency is exactly as shown in the photos. Did you use tomato sauce or paste? That could slightly change the consistency.
I used paste – everything per the recipe except the quantities were doubled
You have to consider that reduction happens through evaporation, which scales by surface area, not volume. So if it’s in a straight sided pot, the same amount of water will evaporate in a given time no matter how full the pot is and the onion, peppers and tomato all give off water as well. That’s why restaurant chefs use a Windsor pot for making large batches of reductions.
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/Cooking/comments/79gfwn/i_want_to_double_a_chili_recipe_do_i_just_use/
I was wondering if I could use stew meat instead of ground
Yes, absolutely! Just cut the pieces small to ensure they have time to cook to tender.
Great, easy, tasty chili! No pork, but followed the recipe for everything else, and it turned out great!
Just made it, and it turned out great. I love how fast it all comes together! (I used Rancho Gordo beans that I had cooked earlier, so I just added those after all the other ingredients were cooked). This is a recipe that will be added to our weekly rotation! 🙂
So glad to hear you liked it Tony!