The Best Instant Pot Chili
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This Instant Pot chili is an award-winning chili! Made in less than 1 hour with zero babysitting in one single pot. So tender, so flavorful!
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Why you’ll love instant pot chili
- Not your average bowl of chili. This is the best instant pot chili recipe you can find (loaded statement, I know). The texture of the chili comes out so perfectly with the lean, tender, crumbled ground beef and the blend of all the spices. Not to mention, a secret ingredient that sets this apart from any other chili recipe (more on that below).
- One pot convenience. With the help of the pressure cooker, the chili tastes as if it has been simmering for hours on end, but it really just needs 18 minutes in the Instant Pot. And you can brown the ground beef right in that same pot. It’s fast, it’s quick, and it’s so convenient.
- Perfect with cornbread. The chili is chunky and hearty, perfect to dunk your buttery, crumbly buttermilk cornbread right in.
- Freezer-friendly. Not only do the leftovers taste even better but homemade chili can keep in the freezer for at least 3 months, providing instant lunches or dinners on busy nights (reheating so quickly once thawed).
How to make instant pot chili
- Sauté. Set a 6-qt Instant Pot® to the sauté mode. Add the ground beef and crumble until the meat is fully browned, draining off any excess fat and grease. Set aside.
- Stir in aromatics. Stir in the garlic, onion, bell pepper, and poblano chili until tender, then stir in the tomato paste, chili powder, paprika, oregano, cocoa powder, and cumin until fragrant.
- Deglaze the pot. Stir in the beer, lifting up all the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Combine. Stir in the beef stock, tomato puree, black beans, crumbled ground beef, salt, and pepper.
- Pressure cook. Close and seal the lid, cooking on high pressure for 18 minutes, quick releasing when finished and carefully opening the lid.
- Finish. Stir in the cilantro and adjust the seasonings, to taste.
- Serve. Serve warm with desired toppings.
Chili Toppings
- Cheese: shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, or Mexican cheese blend
- Onions: diced red, yellow, or white onions
- Cream: sour cream, plain Greek yogurt, or Mexican crema
- Chips: corn chips or tortilla chips
- Crackers: Saltines or oyster crackers
- Peppers: pickled jalapeños
- Garnishes: chopped fresh cilantro leaves, parsley leaves, or lime wedges
freezing and storage
Storage
Leftover chili can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheating
Gently reheat on the stovetop over medium low heat with a splash of water or stock until warmed through, about 5-10 minutes.
Freezing
Let cool completely; portion the chili into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Lay the bags flat in a single layer in the freezer (this will help them freeze quickly). To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, gently reheating over medium low heat with a splash of water or stock until heated through.
what to serve with instant pot chili
Tools For This Recipe
The Best Instant Pot Chili: Frequently Asked Questions
Not at all! Ground pork or ground turkey can be used instead of ground beef.
The beer will add sweetness and acidity to the chili but additional beef stock can also be used as a non-alcoholic substitute.
Set the Instant Pot to the sauté mode, simmering for 5-10 minutes, or until the desired consistency is reached.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, reheating gently on the stovetop with a splash of water or stock until warmed through.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers in individual freezer bags, thawing overnight and gently reheating on the stovetop.
Yes, you absolutely can! Here is an easy slow cooker version – also one of my personal favorites.
The Best Instant Pot Chili
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons canola oil
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 poblano chili, minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 12 ounces lager or pilsner beer
- 1 ½ cups beef stock
- 2 (10.75-ounce) cans tomato puree
- 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Set a 6-qt Instant Pot® to the high saute setting.
- Heat canola oil; add beef and cook until beef has browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks. Drain excess fat and set aside.
- Add garlic, onion, bell pepper and chili to the Instant Pot®. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4-6 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, chili powder, paprika, oregano, cocoa powder and cumin.
- Stir in beer, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in beef stock, tomato puree, black beans and ground beef; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 18 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Stir in cilantro; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately, garnished with sour cream and cheese, if desired.
Equipment
Notes
- Lean ground beef is ideal. The ground beef should have some fat. For example, 80/20 or 85/15 are both excellent options. Extra lean meats can be drier (and blander).
- Cocoa powder is key here. Cocoa powder is a common secret ingredient used in chili, adding a layer of depth and richness. Always use unsweetened cocoa powder to avoid adding unnecessary sweetness.
- Deglaze the pot. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits stuck to the bottom to prevent the dreaded burn notice.
- Use beer. The lager or pilsner beer here will add so much more flavor, acidity, texture and tenderness to the chili.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your chili. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety.
- Make it thicker. For a thicker consistency, simmer the chili using the sauté function for 5-10 minutes.
- Add garnishes. Garnishes are always optional but a fresh sprinkle of cilantro or some shredded cheese will certainly take your chili to the next level, adding more flavor, texture and contrast.
Did you make this recipe?
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My super picky grandson pronounced it “delicious”. The only changes I made was charring the poblano pepper before dicing it & using fire-roasted tomatoes.
Great recipe, made this for Father’s Day since my husband is a huge fan of chili. I will make this recipe again and again, there hardly any leftovers with only 3 of us! One thing I did do differently; I added the beans after cooking the the chili in the instant pot and kept it on warm for an hour or so until dinner and the beans were soft but intact. I noticed some of the comments indicating that the beans were mushy after the cook time in the instant pot. I will also try this recipe with small beef chunks in the future and perhaps add a chipotle pepper as it will make a perfect chili stew.
What a delicious pot of chili, so full of flavour! I followed the recipe with the exception of using crushed tomatoes instead of pureed, out of necessity. The 796 ml can was more than the amount called for and I probably should not have used it all because it was a bit liquid-y at first. The chili did thicken up once it was ladled into bowls and allowed to cool a bit. This was honestly the tastiest chili I’ve ever made and was a hit with my husband. There is a fair bit of prep work and my IP took a long time to reach pressure, so I would suggest giving yourself at least an hour start to finish. Thanks for this great recipe!
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but it looks delicious, I was wondering if I could have your recipe for the cornbread. I absolutely love cornbread and this picture of it looks amazing. look forward to receiving it and trying it with this chili recipe 🙂
Hi Jessica! Here’s the recipe:
https://damndelicious.net/2011/12/30/jalapeno-cornbread/ 🙂
Great flavors from the modest amount of spice components. but after browning the meat and essentially cooking the vegetables and considering that canned beans don’t need much cooking, 18 min at high pressure was way too long to preserve any texture. I tried it a second time and reduced the high pressure cycle to 3 min and simmered it a bit after that. The flavors were still there but this improved the texture for me. Thanks for putting this out there. John
I’m making this for dinner tonight. However, I don’t add the beans until the end. Once I open the lid, I stir in the beans to heat through – this way they don’t get mushy.
Will a doubled amounts fit an 8 at instant pot?
This was a hit at the Chili-off! The 2 ingredients that threw me off a bit was the addition of beer and a bit of cocoa, but it was a serious game changer!
Thanks for trusting our ingredients, Rylan! 🙂
Spot on recipe! This is indeed a crowd favorite. I tend to serve over small Frito’s and that adds some crunch. I have reduced the smoked paprika due to smokiness imparted. As of /2/2/2019 made this 8-10 times with great results.
The chili is SO good! Highly recommend. BUT, be careful with the poblano pepper. I cut it up and then accidentally touched my face and got some in my eye. NOT FUN.
I’ve done that too. It just never stops burning!!!
Made this last night and it was delicious! Ang idea what the nutritional info is?
Nutritional information is provided only for select recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, we recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps!
Quick Question: Have friends in recovery and need to know if the alcohol in the beer cooks out completely in this recipe. Or is there a substitution you would recommend? Thanks!
Beef broth can be used as a possible substitute – while obviously not the same, it still has a rich flavor that should hold up well. Hope that helps, DS!
I used lemon/lime seltzer water, with good results.
My husband is a very picky eater and usually not adventurous to try anything new. I made this for dinner tonight and he couldn’t stop raving about the flavor. He wants the leftovers for dinner tomorrow! This was absolutely one of the best Chili’s I’ve made. Packed full of flavor and very tasty. There is nothing I would change – the recipe is perfect as is. Thanks for sharing!
That’s awesome! Thank you for your feedback.
The chili was fantastic. It says 8 servings. Can you tell me what size the portions are?
Hi Patrick! You would have to divide the full amount by 8 servings to get the serving size. Hope that helps!
OMG I made this tonight it was so delish!
So happy you liked it!
Made this recipe “as is” and it was delicious. It was a great consistency, wonderful flavors. I would not change a thing–would prepare exactly as suggested next time. This will be in regular rotation! (Used a bottle of Yuengling beer.)
Thanks for sharing!
Oh WOW!!! Of course I changed a few things. I used one can each of white and red kidney beans because I didn’t have black beans. And because I didn’t have beef broth I used water an a veggie bouillon cube. Also put in two bell peppers because they were looking tired in my fridge.
Yum! Thanks for sharing.
Wow! What an awesome recipe. I just got an Instant Pot and decided to make the first meal chili.
This recipe is AMAZING, and I agree that it’s the best chili I’ve ever had.
I tweaked the recipe just a tad – used two type of beans (kidney and black); crushed tomatoes (instead of tomato puree), and added minced carrots, cayenne pepper and a little Worcestershire sauce.
Must admit that cutting/measuring everything took longer than cooking time itself. However, every minute invested in preparing this delicious chili is worth it.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It’s a total winner!! A+++
Thank you so much, Alexis!
Made it with ground Turkey!!!
Soooooooo good!!!!
Yum!
I’m not sure if I’m being wimpy but I found this to be very spicy. I’m not sure if maybe my chili powder was super potent or something was off with my poblano pepper? Other than that, it’s very good and I’ll probably use less chili powder next time!
I used root beer instead of beer and ancho chili powder. So yummy.
This chili recipe was on point. I had a house full of teenagers hanging out and they all came back for seconds and thirds.
I substituted chicken broth for beef broth because its all I had. I also recently pickled peppers and added those, the vinegar gave it a great flavor. I will definitely be making this again.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the great recipe! This came out great. I tweaked a bit and added some apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, and a little bit of fish sauce. Finished with a bit of lime and Franks hot sauce, absolutely delicious.