This Instant Pot Chili is perfect for either feeding a crowd, meal prepping, or freezing. In under an hour you have a big pot of nourishing, delicious chili con carne that makes everybody happy!
Where Does Chili Come From?
For those who didn’t know. Chili is a staple of Tex-Mex cuisine. It is not as many believe a typically Mexican dish. It originates in the US and is Texas’ official dish.
There are different variations of this famous dish. Some with beans, some without. Some with tomatoes, some without … The one thing most of the different chilis have in common is that their main ingredients are ground beef and of course chili powder.
My recipe is fairly “classic” if one can say that about a recipe. Ground beef, kidney beans, canned tomatoes, chili powder.
However, my version has two interesting twists. First of all, I added tons of vegetables so it fits the Green Healthy Cooking crowd. Second, I made it in my Instant Pot to speed up the process.
Spend 20 minutes prepping, set your Instant Pot, and off you go relax while the Chili cooks itself!
Instant Pot Chili with dried beans vs canned
I am a huge fan of cooking with dried beans as opposed to canned because I think they are easier to digest. I always soak my beans overnight and then add them soaked to any kind of recipe.
For this chili recipe, however, you cannot use dried (soaked or unsoaked). Beans don’t cook in tomato-based sauces because of the tomatoes’ acidity. You can cook them as long as you want, they’ll always taste somewhat raw.
You have two options. Either use canned or cook your dried beans first and add them already cooked to the chili. I have a full tutorial on how to cook beans in the Instant Pot.
What’s the secret ingredient for an amazing chili?
The answer is simple: spices and time.
Be generous with sea salt and pepper and add at the very least chili powder, cumin, and paprika.
Make sure you take your time browning the onion. Take your time browning the meat. And most importantly give the Instant Pot time to really cook the chili to perfection.
Don’t rush it.
How To Avoid The Burn Warning
Chili is based on tomatoes and we all know tomatoes and the Instant Pot don’t love each other. Tomatoes are notorious for causing the Instant Pot to show the burn warning on the display.
To avoid this warning and be successful with this chili recipe I recommend not mixing in the tomato ingredients but instead have them sit “on top” of all the other ingredients.
Make sure the meat, beans, and vegetables cover the bottom and are fairly compressed and level and then add the chopped tomatoes and tomato sauce on top and don’t mix in.
During the high-pressure cooking time, everything will come to a rolling boil inside the Instant Pot and the tomato sauce will slowly seep down and cover all the other ingredients but not burn to the bottom.
This little trick is what makes this Instant Pot chili recipe failproof.
What To Serve With Chili Con Carne
First of all you need some toppings to make it EXTRA delicious! Avocado, a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, chopped fresh cilantro, a few sliced of jalapeño, and a couple squeezes of lime juice if you like.
The side can be anything from white rice, to brown rice, to quinoa, or simply a piece of bread. It all depends on how many more pots you want to get dirty ;)
I love to eat it with just the toppings and no sides but a few times I have made a side dish. My favorite side for chili is rice and ever since I have my Instant Pot I exclusively make Instant Pot Rice. I couldn’t be more in love with this awesome machine!!!
* Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Chili con carne is perfect for freezing. Simply let cool completely and freeze in an airtight container. To defrost, place in the fridge for 12 hours.
Chili lasts in the fridge for up to 4 days. That makes it perfect for meal prep.
Release pressure manually, give everything a good stir, and try again. If you still get it. Release pressure manually again and press the saute button and cover with a regular lid and simmer for 1 hour on low.
Failproof Instant Pot Chili
Equipment
- instant pot
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- sea salt
- pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 lbs lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1.5 cups diced bell pepper - any color works
- 3 cup cooked kidney beans
- 28 oz canned chopped tomatoes
- 2 cups tomato sauce (passata)
- 1 avocado
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 jalapeno
- 1 cup cilantro
- 2 limes - (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the Instant Pot by pressing the saute button.
- Once hot, add oil and chopped onions and saute until translucent.
- Add chopped garlic and spices and sauté for another minute.
- Add ground beef and use a wooden spoon to break up and brown until there are no more pink bits to see.
- Add diced vegetables and cooked kidney beans and give everything a good stir. Then flatten everything and make sure there a no big holes where the tomato ingredients could easily seep to the bottom quickly. (see notes)
- Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato sauce and do NOT mix in.
- Put on the lid, turn the valve to the sealing position and set the Instant Pot to 20 minutes on high pressure. Then wait for full natural pressure release.
- Serve alone or over rice topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, chopped cilantro, sliced jalapeno, and a squeeze of lime juice if you like.
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Laura says
I have just made this recipe and do like it but it definitely doesn’t serve 10!! I only managed to make 4 portions to freeze in small trays…
Lorena says
Please always take the serving sizes as an estimate. It’s very difficult number to determine because everybody eats differently. Some eat 5 small meals, others eat 2 large. I can only base it off of how my own family eats. I’m glad you liked the recipe though. Makes me very happy :)
Tiffany McCalla says
I love my InstaPot…but this isn’t instant by any means in my life. =( I’m a super positive Mom but there’s really not anything instant about it. And the comment about “A slow chopper” just makes everything worse. I’m sure it’s a delicious recipe but dang, not what I was looking for! Who soaks beans when you’re using an InstaPot? What’s the point? So your husband that doesn’t show up till whenever doesn’t fart when he eats this? I’m confused but..more power to ya!
Lorena says
That’s ok Tiffany. My recipes are most definitely not for everybody. I’m always looking for ways to create highly nutritious and easily digestible recipes. On the stove this recipe takes about 2 hours start to finish, so for me it’s a huge time saver to use the Instant Pot. I always, always, always soak my beans no matter the cooking method. So when you ask “who soaks beans” well that would be definitely me. I don’t understand the comment about my husband. I don’t speak about him in this post and I don’t understand why he should be showing up at all here.
Kevin Peterson says
i was skeptical of the carrots, but this is legit. I liked it.
Maria says
Thanks For Sharing This Awesome Stuff :)
Lorena says
You are very welcome :)
Peggy Susanne Slattery says
Hi
I was wondering if you drained the fat as you cooked the beef?
Lorena says
I used lean beef, so I didn’t. When using regular ground beef I would. Not so much because of fear of eating fat but rather to make the chili more flavorful. Excess fat dilutes the flavor.
Kathrin says
After seeing so many of Lorena’s instant pot recipes, I recently bought one! YAY. So far, I am experimenting, learning and loving those experiments that come out right :) Yesterday I made the chili and it was FABULOUS. Absolute hit with everyone at the dinner table. I did increase the amounts of chili and added chipotle peppers as we like our chili hot.
Lorena says
I’m so happy for you!!! The IP is amazing!! :D
Sonia says
Hello! I’m looking to start trying out the instant out and this recipe sounds great! I was just wondering for the canned diced tomatoes if you drain it or add the juices in as well?
Can’t wait to try, thanks!
Lorena says
Hi Sonia, I’m happy you chose one of my recipes to try out your Instant Pot :D I add the whole can with juices and all.
Svilen says
Hi! How do you calculate the Nutrition Facts?
Lorena says
Hi Svilen, I use a plugin called WP Recipe Maker. Please only take it as a guide. I’m not a nutritionist, so I cannot provide 100% accurate nutritional information.
Juli says
What size is a serving? Thanks!
Lorena says
1/10th of the whole recipe.
Alex says
Hi, I want to attempt this recipe soon but how would you recommend to store it? How long does it last before it goes bad in the refrigerator?
Lorena says
Hi Alex, if lasts up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Almost all animal and plant protein lasts 3-4 days so that’s what you can use as a rough guide. The chili is easily frozen though. Just freeze as individual servings for those days you can’t or don’t want to cook :)
Lisa says
Made this tonight. It was very good, as it was a spur of the moment dinner decision I didn’t have time to soak beans so I used canned. Otherwise I followed the recipe. Will be making again 😊
I am just learning to use the instant pot
Lorena says
I’m so happy you liked it Lisa :D Thank you for coming back and commenting and rating. I really appreciate it!
Trish says
Do you have an 8qt? I don’t want my chili to burn if I don’t put in enough thin liquid. Thanks!
Amy Milton says
If I’m cutting this recipe in half do I need to reduce the cook time or leave it the same?
Lorena says
Hi Amy, it’s the same cook time if you half or double :)
Seanna says
What could you use instead of avocado oil? TIA!
Lorena says
You can use, coconut oil or sunflower oil :)
BE says
I tried it today and did not like the result.
The meal was almost tasteless, the ground beef had become fine as sand. This could have happened because of the strange imperial measurements given in the recipe: I changed the number of people to 6 and the result was “3/20 cup of water”. What is that supposed to mean: 1/6 of a cup of how many millilitres? I used almost a full cup thinking that 40 or so millilitres would have been expressed in tablespoons, and that might have spoiled it.
Also, when I made chili con carne in a frying pan a couple years ago, I made sure to well-brown the meat first before stewing it, so that it would retain its coarse texture. Why not do it here as well?
Lorena says
Hi BE I’m sorry the recipe didn’t work out for you. The calculator of my plugin doesn’t work. I’ve tried to get rid of it forever but I can’t. The ground beef becoming like fine sand is definitely VERY weird. I’ve never seen that before, no matter what cooking method. I can certainly understand why it turned out completely tasteless. The recipe for 10 calls for 1/4 cup water and you put in a full cup even though you reduced all other flavorful ingredients watering down the whole recipe. You should have used just a splash, maybe a tablespoon at the most. I hope you give this recipe another try with the exact measurements. Leftovers can always be frozen and eaten another day you don’t have time to cook :)
Lynn says
This chili was a success. It was easy to make, didn’t take long. Our neighbours even had a bit to taste at camp (as we only had a little leftovers) and they all said it was great. Therefore, this recipe will go into our repertoire. Thanks.
Lorena says
thank you so much for coming back and commenting Lynn!!! You made my day! Comments like yours are what keep me going! :D