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!

instant pot chili with canned beans topped with cheese and sour cream

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.

Ranch style beans for instant pot chili

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.

Easy instant pot chili with beef and beans

 

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.

Chili in the instant pot

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.

The best instant pot chili with beef and beans topped with cheese

Enjoy!

~Nichole

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4.89 from 130 votes

Best Easy Instant Pot Chili

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!
Prep 5 minutes
Cook 25 minutes
Natural Release 10 minutes
Total 30 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients 

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

Calories: 243kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 53mg, Sodium: 609mg, Potassium: 342mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 790IU, Vitamin C: 1.9mg, Calcium: 36mg, Iron: 2.5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
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Hey! Nice to meet you! I'm Nichole!

Welcome to The Salty Marshmallow! I'm a mom, animal lover, photographer, & kitchen mess-maker. Here you will find the result of my decades-long passion for chasing the best flavors in the kitchen, all meant to be cooked by regular people with busy lives just like you and me.

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150 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I get the burn notice every time I make it following exact instructions. I use this recipe still, but I use my slow cooker. I add a few extras, a can of black beans, a can of diced tomatoes, I use 2 pounds of hamburger, and tomato juice instead of beef broth. If I need to thicken I use tomato paste. I also put extra seasons.

    1. I just made this and got the burn notice twice. Decided to just cook it in sautée mode vs. pressure cook.

    1. Kcal is kilocalories … it’s essentially just another way of writing calories. So it’s 243 calories per serving. 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    Amazing recipe! I have even tried it with beer instead of broth and it was delicious. I have made this many many times and it is a household favorite.

  3. 5 stars
    So satisfying! Okay, so I loosely interpreted the recipe for to being vegetarian and also not having it all in my pantry. I used Morningstar griller crumbles instead of meat, and I only had a can of pinto beans and a can of cannellini beans. I also used vegetable broth in place of beef. Everything else was more or less the same. My Instant Pot flashed the burn indicator twice, uurgh, but since no actual meat was involved, I wasn’t too worried. After it “cooked” for about a half hour, I let it natural release for five minutes, then added the water and corn starch. The result was so good, probably the best chili recipe I’ve used (and my usual vegetarian chili recipe for second place at a workplace competition, thank you very much). Thanks!

    1. 5 stars
      This is a fantastic starter recipe. I go a bit heavier on all the spices, along with adding cayenne, coriander and oregano to the mix. It’s all pretty unscientific, I just get all mixed together until it looks and tastes right. I usually will dice up fresh jalapeno and a habenero or two to toss in with the initial simmer. A little Worcestershire sauce, hot chili pepper juice, and chili oil from the Mexican market gets added in with after the summer stage for a solid 5 alarm experience. This turns out great everytime. Prefer to serve it up with chips, avocado, cilantro, diced onion, cheese, and a splash of hot sauce.

  4. I’m wondering if I could use a chili seasoning packet instead of the seasonings listed? Would it equal out to same measurements? Has anyone tried? Thanks