The Ultimate Instant Pot Beef Chili Recipe

About this recipe

Make the best beef and bean chili in your Instant Pot! This hearty, flavor-packed recipe is quick, easy, and perfect for a satisfying lunch or dinner the whole family will love.

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Looking out my window earlier today, I knew it was the perfect day to make chili. It is warm, hearty and nothing feels better than a cozy bowl of chilli on a damp, drizzly day. Today was also a busy day at work which worked out perfectly since I could whip out my Instant Pot.

This really is the Best Instant Pot Beef Chili recipe you’ll find! This chilli has got everything you could ask for! Hearty ground beef steeps its incredible flavor, and we have extra body with the combination of pinto beans and red kidney beans. You’ll get lots of heat from the California chilies, and everything is all topped up with sour cream and cheddar cheese. Whenever you’re feeling cold or you need to do some healthy meal prep, this is totally going to be the chilli recipe you’ll keep coming back to!

Literally until last week, I haven’t been much of a soup person! Funny enough despite it being summer time, I’ve been really loving making soups! I give more details about this in my Make Cooking Fun!! guide - my top 5 tips to get creative and motivated to explore your full potential in the kitchen - but having a theme surrounding your weekly cooking can help spark some creativity and you’ll explore tons of new dishes! Actually, I decided to make this because I had some leftover beans from my Instant Pot Minestrone Soup! For a vegan soup option, then be sure to check out that recipe, and if you’re looking for cooking motivation and to take your skills to the next level, then definitely check out my free guide, along with the one-month Live to Cook challenge!

Be sure to watch the video to see all the details of how to make this awesome Beef Chili in the Instant Pot! The video will show you how to make the recipe with canned beans, and the written recipe will show how to make it with canned and dried beans! If you’re not already, I’d really appreciate if you’d subscribe to my YouTube channel! Please also hit the bell button so you receive the notifications when my video recipes go live! The video recipes are excellent to give you all the tools for success, and I love to make them to give you a full picture of what’s going on! Let’s get cooking!

Beef chili in Instant Pot topped with melted cheddar cheese and cilantro, served with shredded cheese and fresh cilantro on the side.

Canned or Fresh Beans?▼

Everything in this dish is made from scratch, well everything except the sour cream I guess, and nothing makes me happier. There’s a part of me that enjoys the satisfaction of know where my food comes from and what goes in it. Especially when I think about canned beans. While I do enjoy using them, as I did in my Power Bean Burger. They are convenient, ready to use - although a bit less flavourful than fresh beans.

Canned beans can easily be substituted for fresh beans, and hey if you’re in a hurry and have a can lying around, that can shave off 20 minutes! Trust me though, try it with fresh beans and you will thank me later.

A Thick & Rich Sauce

Simply looking at this sauce makes your stomach rumble. A rich red color from tomatoes, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and from fragrant spices. The onions, jalapeño and garlic literally melt into the sauce giving the sauce body. And the kidney beans help naturally thicken the sauce and add so much flavor.

I use lean ground beef which becomes so tender and absorbs all of the yummy flavors.

Top the chilli with dollops of sour cream, cheddar cheese, loads of scallions and cilantro and you are good! I quite enjoy this chili by itself, but it will be great with plain rice or a crusty bread.

Beef chili in white bowl topped with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, cilantro, and sliced scallions

Ingredients for Beef Chili in the Instant Pot

Time to see what ingredients we’ll need for our delicious beef chili in the Instant Pot! Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card for all ingredient quantities and the recipe instructions. The recipe card will also help you scale the recipe depending on how much chilli you want to make. If you’re looking to make a giant batch to freeze up so you have it prepped throughout the winter or you just want this to serve for a crowd one night, then you can make as much of the recipe as you want, and all the ingredient quantities are automatically adjusted!

How to Prepare the Best Chili in the Instant Pot

If Using Dried Beans

1. If using dried beans rinse the beans and add to the pot of the Instant Pot. Fill the pot with water such that the water covers the beans by 1 inch. Add 1 bay leaf and season with salt

Dried red beans and a bay leaf in an Instant Pot filled with water for soaking before cooking.

Dried red beans rinsed and soaking in water in an Instant Pot inner pot.

2. Close the Instant Pot lid and set the Instant Pot to Sealing mode. Select Pressure Cook setting and cook for 20 minutes. Let pressure release naturally once done cooking.

3. Transfer the beans along with half of the cooking water into a bowl and set aside.

Cooked pinto beans being strained in a slotted spoon over a pot of cooking liquid.

Prepare the Chili

Turn the Instant Pot on Sauté Mode at High Setting and heat the olive oil. Add chopped onions, jalapeño pepper and garlic and cook until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, sauté for 2-3 minutes.

Add in the minced meat and cook until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to break any chunks into smaller pieces. Select Cancel on the instant pot.

Raw ground beef being browned in an Instant Pot on sauté mode with cooked onions and garlic.

Browning ground beef in Instant Pot with sautéed onions and garlic, stirring with wooden spoon.

Olive oil and diced jalapeño pepper in stainless steel Instant Pot on sauté mode

Chopped onions, diced green bell pepper, minced garlic, and pink diced onions on a white plate for Instant Pot beef chili preparation.

Wooden spoon lifting browned ground beef mixed with green peppers from Instant Pot during chili preparation.

Ground beef being browned in Instant Pot with wooden spoon breaking up meat into smaller pieces.

Add diced tomatoes, all of the beans (add canned, rinsed beans if using), broth, sugar, tomato paste and all the spices. Season with salt, stir well and press cancel on the instant pot.

Pouring canned diced tomatoes into Instant Pot with cooked ground beef and spices for chili.

Instant Pot chili with red kidney beans and pinto beans being stirred into broth and tomato-based sauce.

Instant Pot with diced tomatoes, kidney beans, and pinto beans added to cooked ground beef mixture.

Red beans and ground beef cooking in an Instant Pot with broth being poured in.

Place the lid on the instant pot, make sure it is in Sealing Mode and select Bean/Chilli or Pressure Cook mode and cook for 18 minutes. Let Pressure Release naturally for 10-15 minutes, manual release any remaining pressure.

Spices measured in white bowl: cumin, chili powder, oregano, and black pepper ready to be added to chili.

Person selecting Bean/Chili mode on Instant Pot display showing "OFF" screen during beef chili cooking process.

Hand pressing the Bean/Chili button on an Instant Pot Duo Plus set to cook for 18 minutes on high pressure.

Stir well and check for seasoning. Serve over warm rice with shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions and cilantro.

Instant Pot beef chili with beans and diced tomatoes being stirred with a ladle during cooking.

Flour being sprinkled into a pot of cooked beef chili with beans in an Instant Pot.

Toppings for the Best Instant Pot Beef Chili

Feel free to top your chilli however you want! Whatever you do, a chili is a blank canvas to really load up your favourite goodies! Here, I’ll be topping with sour cream, chopped cilantro and scallions, and shredded cheddar cheese. Other options could be crushed tortilla chips, sliced avocado, chopped red onions, jalapeño, sliced tomatoes, chopped bell pepper, or even Homemade Guacamole or Pico de Gallo!

Scooping a dollop of sour cream into a bowl of beef chili, with garnishes of cilantro and shredded cheese on the side.

Bowl of beef chili topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions, and cilantro, with side bowls of cheese and garnishes.

Tips for a Mouthwatering Instant Pot Chili

Have fun with the beans, use your favourite kind and feel free to use any combination of beans.
Spice is nice to have, adjust to your personal preference by substituting jalapeño with serrano peppers for more heat, or with green peppers for less heat.
When it comes to chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, the more you add, the more heat you get. Add less instead of not using any at all.
Adjust to your preferred consistency after the pressure has released by setting the Instant Pot to Saute mode and simmering gently.
Substitute the meat and the base of the broth to your liking and preferences.

How to Store Instant Pot Beef Chili▼

To store any leftover chili, first let it cool completely. Then, transfer the chili into airtight containers in the refrigerator without any toppings. Because we have ground beef in our chili, it will last about three days in the fridge.

You can definitely freeze this Instant Pot Chili too! Divide the chili into individual portions in airtight containers that are freezer-safe. You can freeze the chili for up to four months.

Ensure to allow your chili to thaw naturally in the refrigerator the night before serving. To reheat, I recommend that you add it to a pot on medium-low heat with the pot covered. If you’re in a rush, reheat your chili in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes, occasionally stirring so that the chili is evenly warmed through.

OTHER DELICIOUS INSTANT POT RECIPES!

Got chili left over? It’s incredible loaded over a British jacket potato!

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!

Recipe by Anadi Misra