Instant Pot Beef Chili Recipe (Pressure Cooker)

Name: Instant Pot Beef Chili
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil; 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped; 1 medium yellow onion, chopped; 2 ribs celery, chopped; 1 clove garlic, finely chopped; 1 pound ground beef (85% lean); 2 tablespoons chili powder; 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; 1/2 teaspoon oregano; 3 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes; Water or broth, as needed to make 1 cup liquid with the tomato juices; 1 (15.5-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed; 1 cup shredded cheese, any favorite mix, to serve; 2 green onions, sliced thinly, to serve; Rice , cornbread, or garlic knots, to serve

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A warm bowl of chili is such a comforting meal on cold nights. Beef chili usually takes at least an hour and a half to simmer on the stove, but you can cut that time down by half when you use a pressure cooker!

Pressure Cooker Beef Chili — Coco Morante

The Many Wins of Instant Pot Chili

Using an Instant Pot to make chili isn’t any harder than cooking a pot of chili on the stove. You can sauté and simmer right in the appliance, just you would when cooking on the stovetop. The only difference here is that instead of turning a knob on the stove, you press a few buttons on the Instant Pot.

The biggest difference? Start to finish, this chili is ready in under an hour — compare this with stove-top chilis that take twice as long!

If you have another model of electric or stovetop pressure cooker, the sautéing instructions might be slightly different. Just check your user manual for guidance.

How to Use an Instant Pot: A First-Timer's Guide

What to Serve With Chili

One of the best parts about chili is all the ways you can top your bowl! Cheese, sliced green onions, crushed tortilla chips, and a dollop of sour cream are all great options.

What about a batch of Southern cornbread or garlic knots to serve on the side? Chili is also great served over cooked rice.

Storing and Freezing Your Chili

This chili will keep in the fridge for at least five days, or frozen for up to three months.

To freeze, transfer the cooked and cooled chili to freezer containers or bags, press out as much air as possible, and freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or heat while still frozen. The best way to reheat chili is in a sauce pan over low heat on the stove top.

Easy Ingredient Swaps and Additions

Since first posting this recipe, so many of you have made it and shared your success stories! You've also shared ways that you've adapted or swapped ingredients, which all sound so great. Here are some of favorite ideas:

Add an extra can of beans for more protein
Add a cup of frozen corn
Swap the ground beef for finely chopped flank steak or ground chicken
Add cumin!
Use fire-roasted tomatoes
Add sliced mushrooms
Some BBQ sauce adds extra depth

Instant Pot Beef Chili in a bowl — Coco Morante

Which Instant Pot Is Best?

The pressure cooker I use is an Instant Pot. I have both the 6- and 8-quart models, and I find that the 6-quart size is plenty big for most meals. It handles recipes making 4 to 6 serving recipes easily, including this beef chili.

More Favorite Instant Pot recipes!

Instant Pot Beef Chili

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Servings 4 to 6 servings

If you have leftover tomato paste after making this recipe, you can freeze it in tablespoon portions for another recipe.

Stovetop Instructions: In a medium saucepan or soup pot, cook the bell pepper, onion, celery and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until the onions are softened and translucent. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Add the spices, tomato paste, tomatoes, and beans, along with a cup of water or broth. Bring to a simmer. then turn the heat down to low, cover the pot, and let simmer for one hour.

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 pound ground beef (85% lean)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
Water or broth, as needed to make 1 cup liquid with the tomato juices
1 (15.5-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup shredded cheese, any favorite mix, to serve
2 green onions, sliced thinly, to serve
Rice, cornbread, or garlic knots, to serve

Cook the vegetables:

Select the “Sauté” program on your pressure cooker and add the oil to the pot. (If you are using a stovetop pressure cooker, heat the oil over medium heat.) Add the bell pepper, onion, celery, and garlic. Sauté until the onions are softened and translucent, about five minutes.

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Cook the ground beef:

Add the ground beef to the pot, breaking it up in small pieces. Cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

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Stir in the spices and tomato paste:

Add the chili powder, salt, oregano, and tomato paste to the pot. Stir until the tomato paste is evenly mixed into the other ingredients and no clumps remain.
Add the tomatoes and beans:

Strain the tomatoes, then add enough water or broth to make 1 cup total liquid. Add the liquid, the strained tomatoes, and the beans to the pressure cooker.

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Cook the chili:

Place the lid on the pressure cooker. Make sure the pressure regulator is set to the “Sealing” position. If you are using an Instant Pot, select the “Chili” program, then adjust the time to 20 minutes. If your pressure cooker does not have a “Chili” program, set it manually to “High Pressure” for 20 minutes. For stovetop pressure cookers, cook for 17 minutes at high pressure.

It will take about 10 minutes for your pressure cooker to come up to pressure, and then the actual cooking will begin. Total time from the time you seal the pressure cooker to the finished dish is about 30 minutes.

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Release the pressure after cooking:

When the timer goes off, you may either perform a quick pressure release by moving the pressure release knob from “Sealing” to “Venting,” or let the pot depressurize naturally on its own (this takes about 20 minutes; open the vent to "Venting" when you’re ready to serve the chili.) For stovetop pressure cookers, perform a quick pressure release.

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To serve:

Top bowls of chili with shredded cheese and green onions, if desired. Serve alone, over rice, or with cornbread.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
425	Calories
21g	Fat
27g	Carbs
33g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	425
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21g	27%
Saturated Fat 8g	41%
Cholesterol 86mg	29%
Sodium 1081mg	47%
Total Carbohydrate 27g	10%
Dietary Fiber 8g	29%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 33g
Vitamin C 28mg	139%
Calcium 230mg	18%
Iron 5mg	29%
Potassium 993mg	21%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.