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.
Do you double cook time if dbl recipe?
I’d add another 10 minutes!
I’d like to make this with just 1 lb of meat. Should I lower the cooking time?
The cook time will be the same!
What is the serving size for this? Is it one cup?
1 1/2 cups!
First time making this,it is in the pot now.did forget the sugar and set it to manual button. We shall see
Very good
This is hands-down my favorite recipe I make in my Instant Pot without a single change to it. We make this two to three times per month and coast by happily for days on the leftovers.Thank you for the amazing chili!
I’ve made this more than once with different meats and my family loves it! Thank you so much for the recipe and thank you for the jump to recipe button!
My instant pot has a bean/grain button so I just used the pressure cook setting. Is bean/grain different than bean/chili?
That should be fine!
I’ve made this chili more than once. It is really, really delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
This is my “go to” recipe for chili. Excellent recipe made even better when paired with home made cornbread.
Left out the sugar and cocoa powder. Yummy!
I leave out the sugar too but don’t leave out the cocoa powder I did once and everybody noticed and said it wasn’t as good
If you find your chili is not as thick as you’d like add a few tablespoons of corn meal.
My instant pot does not have a setting called chili or beans. I set it to Meat/Stew. Is that ok???
I would use manual high pressure!
First ever making chili. This was delicious. Next time i will drain the meat and maybe add less tomatoes sauce as i was hoping it would be a little thicker. But my family loved it. Can this be put in freezer?
Yes you can freeze it!
Great Recipe! Thanks for sharing! I have made this twice since finding the recipes a few weeks ago and my family loves it!! Making it for the third time tonight!!
So good! I’ve already made this 3 times in 3 weeks.
I like to add different peppers to my stovetop chili like jalapeno, habenero, etc. Should I put these in before I set the pressure?
Yes you should add them before cooking!
Delicious! I doubled the recipe and was a little concerned about the chili not being thick enough, so I used just a little less tomato sauce and drained most of the fat from the cooked beef. Not sure if that did me any favors, but I received no complaints : ) The only thing I may try to remember next time is to add the salt at the end (after cooking has been completed). I’m sure it was the particluar tomatoes and/beans I used, but the chili I made could have used a little less salt. Oh and I also added a small can of green chilies (highly recommended)!
This is going to give my slower cooker chili a run for its money. Thank you.
What size Instant Pot do you have and how much room did you have left after doubling?
8 quarts. Which left a decent amount of room for mixing, stirring and serving. I would guess the chili stopped at least 4-5 inches from the top of the pot itself.
Made this for dinner tonight. My husband doesn’t usually like chili. He had seconds of this! Thank you for sharing!
Do I put the valve on sealing or venting?
You need to seal it to cook the chili!
Thank you😁
I would guess sealing
This was delicious but a little watery even though we didn’t use the full amount of diced tomatoes. Next time, we will try a half cup of beef broth instead of three quarters.
Do the beans get mushy after 20 minutes? I can’t fathom it, lol.
This was fantastic! Everything came out just right, and the thickness was perfect. I added a diced green pepper in addition to the onion, and I think it made something fantastic even better. I will definitely be making this again for the super bowl. Thanks!
I’m making this in a Ninja pressure cooker…if I cook for 20 minutes on high does it matter if I do quick or natural release?
Nope either way is fine!