A hearty, comforting dish this Instant Pot chili is made with both black and kidney beans, ground beef, fresh vegetables, tomatoes, and of course a delicious blend of chili and other spices. The perfect weeknight meal when served with fresh cornbread and a simple green salad.
Originating in Texas, and first made with only beef chuck, chili peppers and other spices, this hearty stew-like dish quickly made it's way across North America picking up local ingredients as it went. Eventually, it morphed into the chili we are all familiar with these days. A rich stew-like dish filled with beans, tomatoes, peppers, and spices.
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Why Use The Instant Pot?
While you can certainly make this chili recipe in a pot on the stove the old fashioned way, making chili in the Instant Pot cuts the regular cooking time in half, making this recipe much easier to pull off any day of the week.
Traditional recipes call for simmering the chili anywhere from 1.5 - 2.5 hours. This helps infuse all the flavours and make sure the beans are properly cooked.
In the Instant Pot, the high pressure helps cut down the cooking time of the beans, as well as infuse flavours faster since literally nothing escapes the pot!
Canned Beans vs Dried Beans
This recipe calls for canned beans and this is to ensure the fastest cooking time possible.
You can use dried beans instead of canned beans, but you will need to alter the recipe slightly. You will also need to soak the beans overnight to ensure the cooking times in the IP work.
To substitute dried beans for the canned beans, use a ½ heaped cup of dried beans for every (1) 15oz can of canned beans.
Substituting other beans
If you don't have a particular type of bean in the pantry, you can easily substitute another kind of bean, such as black-eyed beans, white beans, or any variety of home grown beans!
Just note that the colour and taste of the recipe may change slightly.
What You'll Need
To make this easy Instant Pot Chili you'll need:
- 2 lb ground lean beef
- 1 can kidney beans (15oz) - drained
- 1 can black beans (15oz) - drained
- 1 can diced or crushed tomatoes (28oz)
- 1 cup chicken broth or stock
- 1 whole white or Spanish onion
- 1 medium red bell pepper
- 1 medium green bell pepper
- ½ jalapeno pepper - seeds removed
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2.5 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Optional Toppings
- ½ cup chopped Green Onion
- ½ cup greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
A Couple Of Notes
- The instructions below in the recipe card can be followed to make this recipe on the stove as well. After you've sauteed all the meat, vegetables, and added the spices and canned products, simply simmer the chili for 1.5 - 2 hours before serving. Taste and season as always.
- While I consider this chili recipe to be fairly mild, I realize everyone has different tastes. If you prefer your chili less spicy, omit the jalapeno and reduce the amount of chili powder.
- If you don't have black beans or kidney beans, pretty much any bean can be substituted. See the section above if you wish to use dried beans instead of canned.
- When first opening the IP after cooking, the chili may seem quite watery. this is because all the solids will settle to the bottom as it cooks. Just stir the chili well and it should come back to a thick chunky texture. if you still find it to thin, simmer it on saute until some of the water has been cooked out.
- This Instant Pot Chili is perfect for meal-prep and can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days after cooking. You can even freeze it for up to 3 weeks!
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Recipe
Instant Pot Chili
Ingredients
- 2 lb ground lean beef
- 1 15 oz can kidney beans drained
- 1 15 oz can can black beans drained
- 1 28 oz can can diced or crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth or stock
- 1 whole white or Spanish onion diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper seeds removed and diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper seeds removed and diced
- ½ whole jalapeno pepper seeds removed
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2.5 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Optional Toppings
- ½ cup Green Onion chopped
- ½ cup greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Turn the Instant pot to Saute, and adjust the temperature to more. Add a little oil to the IP and saute the ground beef until it is fully cooked. Dice the onion, bell peppers, and jalapeno as the ground beef cooks.
- Once the ground beef is fully cooked, add the onions and bell pepper and continue cooking for 4-5 minutes. add the spices to the beef/veg mixture and cook for 2 minutes, being careful not to let the spices scorch.
- Deglaze the Instant Pot with the chicken stock, by adding the liquid and using a wooden spoon to scarpe any stuck on bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Add the drained beans and tomato product to the pot and stir. Switch the IP to manual and adjust the pressure to high if your model allows. Set the time to 25 minutes and seal the lid. Once the cooking time has elapsed, you can use the natural pressure release or quick release option to open the lid.
- Stir the chili and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immedietly topped with freshly chopped green onion, sour cream, and shredded cheddar.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Kelly Neil
Holy mackerel this chili looks so good!! I don't have an Instant Pot so I'll give this a whirl on the stovetop! Thanks for sharing!!
Chef Markus Mueller
It works just as well on the stove top Kelly! Just simmer it as you would normally do!
Marissa
Love how thick and hearty this chili is. And so easy when you make it in an instant pot!
Chef Markus Mueller
It was so good Marissa! Tag us on social media if you make it and take a pic!