Instant Pot chili recipe with a Southwestern kick! Let your multi-cooker do all the work, from sautéing the ground beef to pressure-cooking the dried beans, which tenderizes them in a fraction of the time.
Jessica’s Recipe Science
- 80% lean ground beef has enough fat to add richness and flavor, while the collagen-rich chuck becomes tender as it breaks down during pressure cooking.
- Blooming the spices in oil and beef drippings draws out more fat-soluble flavors locked in during the drying process.
- High pressure raises the cooking temperature above boiling, rapidly softening the beans by breaking down their cell walls.
Featured Comment 34
“Made this chili for the first time today. Really love the flavors all together. Definitely keeping this as a go to recipe!”—KT
Why It Works
When you’re craving a good chili, break out your pressure cooker! Traditional methods require soaking the beans overnight, like cooking pinto beans, then hours of stovetop cooking for a delicious meal. To significantly reduce prep and simmer time, use an electric pressure cooker like the Instant Pot. With this all-in-one vessel, you can use multiple techniques to develop more flavor than in a slow cooker.
The Instant Pot allows you to enhance the taste of each ingredient by browning the beef, sautéing the vegetables, and blooming the spices. Then the bean mixture pressure-cooks until tender and creamy. Make each bowl customizable with your favorite toppings like sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions, or slices of spicy peppers.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
- Beef: For a flavorful chili, use 80% lean ground beef. It typically comes from the chuck (shoulder region of the cow), which becomes tender when the muscle tissue breaks down. The higher fat content also adds richness and texture.
- Chili Seasoning: Use my bold chili seasoning blend for this easy chili recipe. It combines chili powder, cumin, coriander, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and chipotle chili powder.
- Vegetables: Freshly diced onions and minced garlic add earthy notes and natural sweetness. Bell peppers add crispness and complement the paprika. Minced jalapeños add a kick of heat.
- Tomatoes: I use tomato paste to thicken the chili and add sweetness.
- Beans: I prefer to use equal amounts of red kidney beans, black beans, and beige speckled pinto beans. Dried beans can take hours to cook to soften the skins and create a creamy center. However, the Instant Pot’s high-pressure setting offers a quick solution in just under an hour.
- Liquids: Beef broth or stock enhances the meaty taste of the ground beef. Coffee is bitter, which balances the tomatoes’ sweetness. Worcestershire sauce adds tangy, umami flavor.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
This Instant Pot chili recipe is easy to customize! Try these tasty options:
- Protein: You can use other types of ground beef, but leaner options tend to be much chewier. 90% lean ground sirloin will also work, but the chili will be slightly drier because of the lack of fat. Instead of beef, try ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork. Make it vegetarian with tofu, seitan, tempeh, or quinoa.
- Chilies: Add fresh serrano, poblano, or habanero peppers, or your favorite type. Increase the spiciness with cayenne pepper or more chipotle chili powder for a smokier flavor.
- Herbs: Add fresh or dried oregano, thyme, basil, or parsley.
- Vegetables: Add veggies like diced green bell pepper, sweet potato, carrots, celery, corn, mushrooms, or zucchini.
- Beans: I prefer to use equal amounts of red kidney beans, black beans, and beige speckled pinto beans. Dried beans can take hours to cook, softening the skins and creating a creamy center. However, the high-pressure setting on the Instant Pot offers a quick solution in just under an hour.
- Liquid: Swap beer for coffee, or add more beef broth. Use soy sauce instead of Worcestershire sauce, and add a splash of apple cider vinegar for tanginess.
- Sweetness: Add brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup to add sweetness.
- Toppings: Add crunchy tortilla chips, corn chips, Goldfish crackers, hot sauce, plain Greek yogurt, diced chilies, cilantro, avocado, or shredded cheese like sharp cheddar or pepper jack.
How to Make Instant Pot Chili
Step 1: Heat Instant Pot
Preheating the Instant Pot before adding ingredients creates a hot cooking surface that quickly sears the meat and sautés the aromatics, helping develop deeper flavor through browning and the Maillard reaction.
Step 2: Cook Aromatics and Beef
The Instant Pot lets you sauté and pressure-cook the chili ingredients in one vessel. Using the sauté function, the onions and garlic cook first in the hot olive oil. Next, add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink.
Step 3: Add Seasonings and Vegetables
The secret to my chili recipe is using the right combination of smoky, savory, and spicy seasonings. I use chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, salt, and pepper. I like dried spices for their concentrated flavor and intense aroma. That means a little goes a long way, but we don’t want to be shy with our chili. Tomato paste adds a little sweetness and concentrated flavor.
I also use fresh, chopped jalapeños for more heat. For depth, I use brewed coffee to add a slight bitterness and roasted flavor that complements the savory ingredients. A small amount of cocoa powder also adds a light astringent note. If you’re not a coffee fan, beer works too. Otherwise, you can use beef stock or broth.
Step 4: Cover Instant Pot
Sealing the Instant Pot traps steam inside, allowing pressure to build and raising the boiling point of water above 212°F. The higher temperature cooks the chili faster while helping tenderize the meat and beans.
Step 5: Pressure Cook
Cook the chili using the manual function on high pressure until the beans are tender. This speeds tenderization and eliminates the need to quick soak the beans; in about 33 minutes, you’ll have soft legumes that hold their shape. When testing the recipe, I noticed the larger kidney beans require a few additional minutes of cook time.
So, the cooking time is based on the minimum time needed to cook the larger beans thoroughly. Otherwise, they will taste slightly underdone compared to the other varieties. You can always add the lid back on, and pressure cook a few minutes longer if needed.
Step 6: Release Pressure
Use a natural release, as a quick release would cause the tiny bits of food and liquid to splatter out of the release valve. This process takes about 15 minutes and gently finishes cooking the beans.
Step 7: Open the Lid
Releasing the pressure lowers the boiling point of water, causing the superheated steam inside the Instant Pot to rapidly expand and condense into hot water droplets. This is why steam and moisture can spray from the valve, so release pressure slowly and open the lid away from your face to prevent burns.
Step 8: To Serve
Both beans and tomato paste can help to thicken the chili. As the beans cook, they release some of their natural starches into the simmering liquid. I also find that as the chili sits before serving, the beans absorb more moisture from the liquid in the pot. Adjust the consistency as needed by adding more beef broth or heating up the chili when ready to serve.
Instant Pot chili is a comforting meal that doesn’t cost much to make. Dried beans are cheap and have a long shelf life. They’re a great pantry staple, and you can swap in other types of beans to suit your taste. This chili uses lean ground beef, but you can swap in ground chicken or even crumbled firm tofu to change up the flavor. Turkey chili is one of our fall favorites, and you can even try my Instant Pot turkey chili to switch things up.
Frequently Asked Questions
For my Instant Pot chili recipe with dried beans, pressure cook on high pressure for 33 minutes, followed by a 15-minute natural pressure release. The Instant Pot will take about 15 minutes to build pressure before the 33-minute cook time begins, so plan on about 63 minutes total from starting the Instant Pot to opening the lid. This longer pressure cooking time helps the flavors develop and allows the meat and beans to become tender.
This setting for beans or chili cooks at high pressure. This will cook for 25 minutes on the “less” setting or 30 minutes on the “more” setting. I recommend naturally releasing for 15 minutes before fully releasing all of the pressure.
The chili can burn if any pieces of food or spices stick to the bottom of the pot before pressure cooking. To prevent this, scrape the bottom of the pot well and stir before putting on the lid. Ensure enough liquid is in the pot so that the chili doesn’t start to burn soon after; it will thicken as the beans cook.
Yes! If you heat it too long, the beans will start to break down. The legumes will “blow out” of their surrounding skin, lose their shape, and turn mushy. Cook the chili just until the beans become tender and creamy.
You can substitute canned beans for dried beans, although I recommend draining and adding them after pressure-cooking the ground beef. This lets them simmer on the sauté setting until warmed through. Canned beans will disintegrate and get mushy if you pressure-cook them for too long. It’s best to limit their time in the vessel. It’s best to make my traditional stovetop homemade chili recipe instead; it’s ready in less than an hour.
Cool the chili, then store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The chili also freezes well for up to 3 months.
More Instant Pot Recipes
If you tried this Instant Pot Chili, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Instant Pot Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion, ¼" dice
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef, 80% lean
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder, optional
- 6 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup diced red bell pepper, ¼" dice
- 2 tablespoons minced jalapeno pepper, seeds and membrane removed
- ½ cup dried kidney beans, rinsed
- ½ cup dried black beans, rinsed
- ½ cup dried pinto beans, rinsed
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups unsalted beef broth, or beef stock
- ½ cup coffee
Instructions
- Heat Instant Pot – Select "Saute" on the Instant Pot. Let the device heat up; it will indicate "Hot" on the display when ready.
- Cook Aromatics and Beef – Add olive oil, then, once hot, add the onions and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink; break it into smaller chunks for 6 to 7 minutes.
- Add Seasonings and Vegetables – Add the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, stir, and cook for 1 minute. Add bell peppers and minced jalapenos, cook for 1 minute. Add rinsed kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, and coffee. Stir to combine, scraping any food from the bottom of the pot.
- Cover Instant Pot – Press "Keep/ Warm/Cancel" on the Instant Pot. Make sure that the release valve is in the "Sealing" position. Place the lid on, turn and lock.
- Pressure Cook – Press the "Manual" button on the Instant Pot to high pressure, and then set the timer to 33 minutes using the "+" or "-" buttons. It will take about 15 minutes for the pot to heat up and build pressure. You will see some steam release from the lid, and then the time will start on the display.
- Release Pressure – After cooking, let the pressure naturally release for 15 minutes.
- Open Lid – Use an oven mitt or towel to slowly and carefully twist the steam release handle to the "Venting" position. The initial release will spray some moisture around the pot, so be careful. Remove the lid, opening the top away from you, as steam will be released.
- To Serve – Stir the chili and taste. Season with more salt, pepper, chili powder, or chipotle chili powder as desired. If desired, add more beef broth for a thinner chili consistency. Serve with desired toppings.
Notes
- Serving Size: 1 cup (8 ounces)
- Topping Suggestions: Sliced chili peppers, sour cream, cheese, sliced green onions, cilantro, or avocado.
- Using Canned Beans: Add a total of 4 ½ cups of cooked beans after you pressure cook the meat for 15 minutes instead of 33 minutes. Select “Saute” and cook until the beans are warmed through.
- Coffee Substitution: You can substitute decaffeinated coffee. You can also use instant coffee; follow the manufacturer’s rehydration instructions.
- Protein Substitution: Substitute ground turkey, ground chicken, or crumbled firm tofu for ground beef.
- Storing: Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Freeze in a resealable bag for up to 3 months, and defrost before using.
- Reheating: Cover and microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until hot. Alternatively, reheat on the stovetop over medium heat.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Rebecca Anderson says
I’ve made this chili every couple of months for about six years now. It is my go-to. When you find perfection, why deviate?
Jessica Gavin says
I’m so honored that my instant pot chili recipe is your go-to, Rebecca!
Gigi says
You mention cocoa in the article but not in the ingredients. Is that mentioned as an option to using coffee?
Jessica Gavin says
Cocoa powder isn’t required in the recipe, but like coffee, it’s an optional flavor booster. Adding about 1 teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa during simmering deepens the savory flavors, balances the tomato acidity, and adds complexity without making the chili taste like chocolate. You can always add more to taste. You can add it in addition to the coffee, or as a substitute, but I would add an additional 1/2 cup of beef broth or stock to replace the liquid in the coffee. Let me know how it goes!
alamobecky says
I have made this chili countless times and it truly is the best Instant Pot chili. Thick, rich and brimming with flavor. I use ground dark meat turkey because I prefer the texture over ground beef. This is my most go-to recipe. I always make a double batch for freezing.
Jessica Gavin says
I love that you added turkey to the instant pot chili! Thrilled that you are enjoying the recipe.
David Paquette says
Thank you for doing the heavy lifting. I could tell immediately with the ingredients alone, that this was going to turn out fantastic. Super easy and fast. Only thing I added was diced tomatoes and frozen corn, and used the (bean/chili) button instead. The coffee and smoked paprika are the secret ingredients. Everything else can easily be tweaked.
I eat this for breakfast, actually,…it has all the fiber, protein, fats, and vitamins that are essential to kickstart the day.
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you for your chili feedback, David! I love the addition of tomatoes and corn, adds a nice sweetness. Chili for breakfast sounds delicious!
Pierre says
Damn that was good!! For nutrition information, do you know how many servings this dish makes?
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you, Pierre! The serving size is about 1 cup of chili.
Kt says
Made this for the first time today. Really love the flavors all together. Definitely keeping this as a go to recipe! Thank you!
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you so much for your, feedback! So happy that you enjoyed the chili recipe.
Isabel says
This is the best chili, YUM!! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. I left out the chipotle chili powder and the jalapeno, afraid it would be too spicy. It was perfect and had a little heat from the regular chili powder and paprika. My family loved it and I will definitely be making this one again!