Instant Pot Chili
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This Instant Pot Chili version can be whipped up in no time taking a mere 10 minutes to cook. It’s packed with incredibly flavorful spices along with some heat to make this a much quicker version of this all-time favorite comfort food.
Chili Made In The Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
Once the ground beef is cooked, all the ingredients are essentially placed in an Instant pot and then cooked for a mere 10 minutes, and this chili is ready to eat. I just love pairing this dish with a fresh piece of my homemade bread or a soft roll or even some delicious cornbread to slurp up all that amazing tasty liquid.
Chili freezes very well and it’s great for making up individual microwave-safe dishes for lunches, or whenever you want to have a quick meal on hand. Give it a try and this will become one of the best meal preps.
What You’ll Need To Make This Chili In The Instant Pot
- Beef – I use lean ground chuck but use any ground beef you prefer. For a leaner chili try ground turkey or ground chicken!
- Beans – I used a combination of pinto beans and red kidney beans but you can use your favorite!
- Onion and Garlic – A large onion and some garlic are essential to add to the great flavor of this chili.
- Jalapeno – A finely chopped and seeded medium sized jalapeno for a bit of heat. Another great option would be to add some chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, but keep in mind this can be quite spicy. If you don’t want any additional heat, you can use just a regular bell pepper.
- Tomato paste – I love to add tomato paste to add depth to my chili plus to thicken, color, and enrich the flavor.
- Chili powder – What’s chili without chili powder? I use a couple of tablespoons for that great chili taste and hit of spiciness. Use store bought or give my great recipe a try if you prefer to make your own.
- Cumin – Ground cumin adds instant depth to any dish.
- Oregano– Oregano is most often used in tomato-based dishes or combined with olive oil. It has a strong spicy taste with sweet and sour notes.
- Paprika – Paprika will provide a subtle earthiness, with a sweet and peppery taste. I used smoked paprika for an extra bit of smokiness.
- Cayenne – Cayenne powder is used to kick up the heat, it’s perfect in this chili dish. If you don’t like too much heat, you can optionally leave it out.
- Salt – A bit of salt to enhance all the flavors. Add to taste.
- Sugar – You’ll need a bit of sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Beans – I used kidney and pinto beans. Feel free to use other types like black beans, chickpeas or brown beans if you prefer.
- Tomatoes – A large can of fire roasted tomatoes to provide some extra zip compared to regular canned tomatoes. Use them if you can, otherwise, regular diced tomatoes are just fine.
- Beef broth – Some added liquid and great taste when using beef broth instead of water.
How To Make Instant Pot Chili
- Cook The Beef With Onion And Garlic. First you’ll need to turn your Instant Pot to the sauté setting. I like to first sauté the beef with the onion and garlic for a few minutes just until the beef is cooked and the onion softens.
- Add The Rest Of The Ingredients. This chili recipe couldn’t get any easier. You really just dump all the the rest of the ingredients into the instant pot and stir it all together. Anyone can do this.
- Cook. Close the lid and make sure to seal the valve, then set the Instant Pot to Manual/High Pressure for 10 minutes. The IP will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure. Once the 10 minutes are up, all the the pressure cooker to naturally slow release. This should take another 10 minutes. Finally remove the lid and give it another stir. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve It With Your Favorite Toppings. Finally, all you have to do is ladle some chili in bowls and serve with your favorite toppings, such as cheddar cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, avocado, fresh cilantro, jalapeños, or red onion.
Slow Cooker Chili
You can easily make this chili in your slow cooker. Simply sauté the meat with the onion and garlic in a skillet until browned and the onion has softened. Next, add all the ingredients, including the beef to your slow cooker, and give it a quick stir. Cover it and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
What’s The Difference Between Chili And Chili Con Carne
The Spanish phrase “chili con carne” means chili with meat, but both chili and chili con carne can refer to the authentic spicy dish of meat, chili peppers, beans, tomatoes, seasonings and spices. For a chili with no beans try my best chili recipe. If your chili has no beans it’s usually called Texas Chili.
What Other Spices Can I Use?
Common spices like cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and even a Mexican vanilla bean will add aromatic complexity to the overall flavor profile of chili.
Expert Tips
- Chili always tastes better the next day when the beans have soaked up the flavors.
- Consider different cuts of meat. It doesn’t have to be all ground! Coarsely chopped chuck and pulled meat are great additions to chili.
- Chili is one of the best meal prep dishes and so easy.
- I like to serve my chili with lots of toppings such as cheddar cheese, sour cream, avocado, jalapeños, red onion, tortilla chips or green onions.
Leftovers
You can store this chili in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freezer
Freeze in an airtight container for 4-5 months.
More Great Recipes To Try
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Instant Pot Chili
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 medium jalapeno (seeded and finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons chili powder (hot or mild)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 15 ounce red kidney beans ((1 can), drained and rinsed)
- 15 ounce pinto beans ((1 can), drained and rinsed)
- 28 ounce fire roasted tomatoes ((1 large can))
- ½ cup beef broth
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Prep Instant Pot: Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting. (See your manufacturer’s guide for detailed instructions on how to use your instant pot.)
- Cook Beef: Add the olive oil, ground beef, onion and garlic to the Instant Pot and break up the beef with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink.
- Add Ingredients: Add the rest of the ingredients to the Instant Pot, stir well, scraping the bottom to remove any stuck bits.
- Cook: Close the lid. Seal the valve and set the Instant Pot to Manual/High Pressure for 10 minutes.
- Finish and Serve: Follow manufacturer's instructions for slow release, then remove lid. Serve with desired toppings.
Equipment
Notes
- Chili always tastes better the next day when the beans have soaked up the flavors.
- Consider different cuts of meat. It doesn’t have to be all ground! Coarsely chopped chuck and pulled meat are great additions to chili.
- Chili is one of the best meal prep dishes and so easy.
- I like to serve my chili with lots of toppings such as cheddar cheese, sour cream, avocado, jalapeños, red onion, tortilla chips or green onions.
- You can store this chili in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze in an airtight container for 4-5 months.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
