This Instant Pot chili is a blend of beef, beans, tomatoes and spices, all simmered together in a pressure cooker until tender and flavorful. The easiest way to make chili; everyone will think you spent all day on it!
There’s nothing better than a big bowl of chili on a cool day, and this Instant Pot version is full of bold flavors, but ready in no time at all. Serve your pressure cooker chili with honey cornbread or garlic knots for a complete meal.
Sometimes I crave a bowl of chili, but I just don’t have the time to let it simmer all day. Enter the Instant Pot; rich, flavorful chili ready in less than an hour! This recipe is so easy to make and is mild enough that the whole family can enjoy it.
How do you make Instant Pot chili?
To make Instant Pot chili, you’ll need to first saute your ground beef and onions in the pot. After the beef is browned and the onions have softened, an array of seasonings go into the pot along with two types of beans, tomatoes and beef broth. Seal the Instant Pot, turn it to the Chili/Bean setting, then wait for your dinner to be ready!
How long does it take to cook chili in an Instant Pot?
It takes 20 minutes to cook chili under pressure, in addition to the time it takes you to saute the ground beef and onions. You can either release the pressure manually, or wait for the pressure to naturally release depending on how quickly you want to eat.
How do you thicken chili in an Instant Pot?
This chili comes out quite thick because it only contains a small amount of broth. If you prefer your chili to be even thicker, you can simmer it on Saute mode for 5-10 minutes after it’s already been cooked under pressure.
Tips for Instant Pot Chili
- I like to use 90% lean ground beef, as it has plenty of flavor but isn’t overly greasy. You can also use ground turkey or ground chicken.
- I use a blend of beans, with one can of kidney beans and one can of pinto beans. Feel free to use other types of beans to suit your taste, such as black beans or red beans.
- This chili makes for great leftovers. You can store the chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or you can freeze it for up to 2 months.
- This is a mild chili, but if you prefer a spicy chili, you can add some hot sauce to taste.
- I like to serve my chili with a variety of toppings such as shredded cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, tortilla strips, avocado and green onions.
This recipe can easily be doubled to serve a crowd. Sometimes I make a double batch just for my own family, then freeze half for another night. You’ll find yourself making this recipe over and over again!
More soups and stews
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
- Chicken Vegetable Soup
- Beef Noodle Soup
- Hamburger Soup
Instant Pot Chili
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 pounds ground beef I use 90% lean
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes do not drain
- 3 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup beef broth
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 15 ounce can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce can pinto beans drained and rinsed
- Assorted toppings such as shredded cheese, tomatoes, green onions and sour cream
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot to Saute, then select More. Add the olive oil to the pot. Add the meat and cook until browned, breaking up the beef with a spatula as you stir.
- Add the onion and cook for 3 more minutes or until softened.
- Add the garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, pepper and beans to the pot.
- Turn the Instant Pot to the Chili/Beans setting and place the lid on the pot. Cook for 20 minutes. Release the pressure either manually or allow it to release naturally.
- Serve with assorted toppings.
I use this recipe a lot. I think the only reason beef broth is necessary is if the ground beef is too lean. I used a bit of olive oil and 80/20 beef. I forgot to add the broth. Everything can out perfectly. The chili is a bit chunkier, but I got no burn notices.
I'll continue experimenting. I think the chili might taste better.
Why do I keep getting a food burn error? I followed the recipe exactly
Sometimes it has to do with the way the ingredients are distributed in the pot. If there's no liquid at the bottom of the pot it can trigger a burn notice. To fix this, just add 1/2 cup more of liquid and stir well to make sure the liquid touches the bottom of the pot.
I got the burn notice despite following the recipe to a tee - when I opened the lid it looked like the ground beef burned at the bottom even though it was still very liquidy - thoughts to prevent this?
Sometimes it has to do with the way the ingredients are distributed in the pot. If there's no liquid at the bottom of the pot it can trigger a burn notice. To fix this, just add 1/2 cup more of liquid and stir well to make sure the liquid touches the bottom of the pot.
This is a great, simple recipe. It is a new family favorite (family of 6 and everyone loves it)! I have made it several times, with a few variations only when I didn't have 2 pounds of ground beef. I've used 1 pound if ground Turkey mixed with 1 pound of ground beef, but gave also done ivory one and a half pounds of ground beef with additional half can each of the beans and it's been wonderful each time. Thank you so much for sharing! Cornbread is a great side with this too!
Do the diced tomatoes cook down? We have picky eaters who won't eat chili if it has chunks of tomatoes in it.
I'd recommend using crushed tomatoes instead as they won't be visible!
I also don’t like chunks of tomatoes. I use 45 ounces of tomato sauce total and keep everything else the same. Turns out beautifully!
I don't have a chili/bean setting on my Instant Pot. Would I choose, Low, Medium or High?
Medium!
This is the first time I made a chili in my instant pot. It was good—my husband and I enjoyed it. I will say the next time I make this I will cook the ground beef on the stove top. The meat was a little mushy cooking it on the sauté setting in the instant pot and is no fault of this recipe. I’ll add a little hot sauce just for that extra kick. Thanks for the yummy recipe 🙂
This is a wonderful recipe! I’m a really picky eater but I have made this recipe at least 10 times by this point. A quick question, if I freeze half, what would be the best way to reheat it? Thanks for this amazing recipe!
I would reheat on the stove top!
My new GO TO. I’ve made this about 5 times. I’m never going back! Thank you!!
Can I make this recipe with dried beans also? How much time would you add?
I'm not sure if it would work with dried beans, you run the risk of overcooking the other ingredients. If I had to estimate I'd say cook for 40 minutes but I haven't tested this myself.
Did you try with dry beans? I would love to do the same
I've only used my IP once so far. When I click the bean/chili button, it presets to 30min and I can't adjust the time on that setting. Do I need to click manual and then adjust the time to 20min?
Manual pressure for 20 minutes is fine!
I absolutely love this recipe!! My whole family loves it and this is our new go to chili recipe now. Thank you so so so much for sharing this with us all!! Even my picky eater is in love with this 🥰 making this again for the 4th time tomorrow as a request by my oldest son 👌
I haven't eaten this yet, but it's smelling AMAZING. I'm new to instapot and cooking in general, this recipe made me feel like a pro! Thank you!
Do you need certain size instant pot? Seems like it would be super full in the pot
This recipe was tested in a standard sized pot. If your pot is smaller you can adjust the recipe to make a smaller amount by changing the serving size, the ingredient amounts will automatically recalculate.
Love the recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Winning recipe! A new favourite - I just tweaked a tiny bit with adding finely chopped chilies and a chopped red pepper. ( I only used 1lb of mince so halved the tinned tomato’s and did half the chilli powder as mine as hot chilli powder)
Thank you for a super dish!
What does cocoa powder do for recipe?
It adds a little complexity to the flavor, it's not sweet in any way.
I dont use cocoa powder since I'm not a Baker, I found a Lindt extreme Dark Chocolate (believe about 70% cocoa) and Sea Salt mini bar in my Safeways candy aisle for 99 cents, used about 3 of the squares (and ate the rest) , then omitted the sugar. It worked perfectly!
That's the secret ingredient for great chili! I usa a block of unsweetened chocolate.
What is the serving size for 318 calories?
It's 1 1/2 cups!
Loving it. But I’m lazy with spices so I put dry ready to go chili mix. What I do I do if it’s a bit too watery? Thanks.
I would simmer it on saute function with the lid off to remove any excess liquid!
Thanks. I’ll do it next time. I left it on KEEP WARM with opened lid for an hour. That made chili less watery. I love you recipe , so straight forward. 👍🏻
This was the first time I made chili in the IP. My family tried this recipe tonight and prepared it as written minus the cocoa powder since ours was years old (although I may have added bit more tomato sauce and beef stock since it appeared a little thick at the start). I let in manually release and it was absolutely delicious. My son, who is an extremely picky eater, said he might try it again! We will use this one again!! Thanks for sharing!