Best Easy Instant Pot Chili is simple to make with a mouthwatering combination of beef and beans! You can have a bowl of cozy chili that tastes like it simmered for hours ready in about 30 minutes!
I have been wanting to try chili in my Instant Pot for months now! We are currently having a very cold start to spring, and there was no better time to give it a try.
My instant pot chili is made virtually the same way that I make my chili in a traditional slow cooker. I have a very specific assortment of beans that I like to use for MAX flavor.
Typically, I don’t post pictures of a particular brand of ingredient unless the post is sponsored. This post is NOT sponsored, however, the picture below is to show you what “Ranch Style Beans” are, just in case you aren’t familiar with them.
I am able to find this style of beans at any grocery store I go to. They are just pinto beans, but I happen to adore the spices that they use. They pack some seriously amazing flavor that takes chili to another level.
If you are unable to find them, you can simply use extra chili beans instead. I prefer this to plain kidney beans, again because chili beans are packed in a flavorful sauce and kidney beans are not.
Instant Pot Chili:
Chili is really easy to make in the Instant Pot. I tend to use VERY lean ground beef so that I don’t even have to drain any grease, and I can just keep on cooking.
For this recipe, you will brown your beef using the saute feature in a small amount of olive oil along with some chopped onions and seasonings. When your beef is no longer pink use your best judgment and/or preference on whether you need to drain any grease from the pot or not.
Then, you can simply add in your four cans of beans, tomato sauce, and beef broth and let the Instant Pot do all of the work! This will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure. Then, you will allow it to cook on manual for 20 minutes.
After your 20 minutes is up, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes then you can do a quick release. The next step is to add a cornstarch and water “slurry” to the chili to let it thicken. This step is optional, but it doesn’t affect the flavor at all and makes for a much thicker and hearty chili.
A couple of other tips and recommendations.
If you don’t have beef broth and/or like a nice strong tomato flavor in your chili, you can replace the broth with tomato juice!
This recipe has been tested as is in a 6 quart and 8 quart instant pot. You can double the recipe in an 8 quart.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
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Best Easy Instant Pot Chili
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Pound Ground Beef
- 1 Medium Onion, Diced
- 2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
- 1/2 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Tablespoon Cumin
- 1 Teaspoon Hot Pepper Sauce, Optional
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
- 2 14 Ounce Cans Chili Beans, Do not drain
- 2 14 Ounce Cans Ranch Style (Pinto) Beans, Do not drain
- 1 15 Ounce Can Tomato Sauce
- 2 Cups Beef Broth
- 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon Water
Instructions
- Turn instant pot to saute and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the ground beef, onion, and seasonings and cook until meat is no longer pink.
- Drain any excess grease if necessary.
- Turn the Instant Pot off and add the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine.
- Set the instant pot to manual, high pressure for 25 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release.
- OPTIONAL: In a small bowl mix together the cornstarch and water until smooth and immediately whisk into hot chili. Allow to thicken for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Good, bit please fix the directions for those of us who don’t read every step first! “3. Turn the Instant Pot off and add the REMAINING INGREDIENTS. Stir to combine. … 6. OPTIONAL: In a small bowl mix together the cornstarch and water until smooth.”
I added the remaining ingredients, which naturally included the cornstarch, since that was on the list of ingredients, and not marked as being special.
I typically try to refrain from responding to troll like comments on my blog. However, you’ve taken the cake, and I can’t help myself. Anytime that you find a recipe and go to make it, you should read through the whole thing in its entirety first! I give you a recipe, you, however, are responsible for what you do with it if you choose not to read ahead and follow the directions. Thanks for stopping by, and for the laugh. 🙂
I, got one, LOVED your reply. ?
I didn’t think it sounded like he was being rude at all.. He did have a valid point. I like to read the whole recipe first, but it’s not unreasonable to request some sort of notation if there is going to be a comment like “add the rest of the ingredients”. Professionally published recipes always do that. I also noticed that he gave you four stars, which was a compliment; it didn’t seem “troll-like” to me.
I just made this in my 6 qt Instant Pot. It was delicious. Maybe the best thing I’ve made in mine. I just went back for a little more after having eaten it like an hour and a half ago for dinner and it’s just a really good chili in my opinion.
My only observations are: This recipe filled my 6 qt Instant Pot completely to the brim but cooked fine. Also, there was a little more liquid than I normally like in chili. I did the cornstarch and it did thicken up very nicely but there was still a lot of liquid. In an effort to reduce the liquid and not have it completely fill my pot I’ll probably try it next time with 1 cup of the broth.
Thanks for the recipe! I really enjoyed it.
Thanks, Kevin! I’m glad you liked it 🙂
I made this again last night and it was just as great as last time. However, just a note since I did not see it mentioned here. I thought I had a 6qt instant pot but I have a 3qt. No wonder the full recipe filled my 3qt to the brim last time I made it. Last night I used half the ingredients called for and it was perfect. I also did not include the broth and I added the cornstarch after and the consistency was perfect for me. I also did not add the extra salt and it was still great for anyone trying to cut down on the sodium. Thanks again!
This is my first time trying chili in my new Instant Pot. This came out perfect, but I modified it a bit. I didn’t put any broth in it and added 6oz of chorizo in with the beef and a bit of cilantro on top. Very, very good recipe and it will be my base to play with going forward. Thanks for the recipe.
Yum, the chorizo sounds like a great addition 🙂
I don’t eat beef so I couldn’t try it, but I made this for my partner and he said it was the best chili he’s had! I added a bit more hot sauce. Thanks for this great simple recipe!
Hey Alex,
I don’t eat beef either but if you eat poultry, I used ground turkey and it came out delicious!
Delicious and simple chili recipe that my whole family loved. Found it a bit too watery the first time so used only 1 cup of beef stock the second time, resulted in the perfect consistency for us (and didn’t require corn starch). Have also subbed in ground turkey and the kids didn’t notice!
As with most chilis, I find its even better a day later once it’s had time to thicken and the flavours settle in.
Thanks for sharing!
Can you double the recipe and use chicken? Is it the same cook time?
Great tasting chili. Will be making again and again.
Thanks for sharing!
Just made this and LOVE it! The only substitution I made was beef bone broth Vs regular beef broth! Just put a big ladle full over 1/2 of a baked potato. So delicious.
Thank you for posting this recipe!
This chili was a huge hit for the entire family! Great flavor with lots of beans. I did not do the cornstarch (the kids were too hungry) so I just used a slotted spoon. I also like that it does not use tomatoes. My kids do not like them so this was an all around win. I will be putting this is my regular rotation.
If I use 2 cups of beef broth or tomato juice will it make my chili real soupy even if I use the cornstarch? If anyone could let me know I would be very thankful.
We’ve made this chili twice and it’s the best chili recipe I’ve ever had!
With that being said, I want to ask if anybody might know why I always get a “burn” notice almost immediately after my IP comes to pressure. I always make sure to de-glaze the bottom of pot with a little broth, before adding any other ingredients.
I am making this for the first time and did everything correctly according to the ingredients/pressure cook. I got a burn notice too – I repotted (spilling some on the kitchen floor lol) and scrubbed the bottom of the Instant Pot. Put it back in and instead of hitting “Pressure Cook” I hit the “Bean/Chili” button at high pressure. It’s working right. Maybe this is the issue? I have the 6qt. Instant Pot Duo Series. Hope this helps!
I just tried making it today and i was getting the burn error too. I took it out, and washed the pot and it did it again, total of 3 times. I’m putting it in the crock pot over night, and we’ll see what happens. I’ve never had the burnt error before, any idea why I couldn’t cook this chili? I copied the recipe including 2 cups of beef broth.