This Instant Pot Beef and Bean Chili recipe is a pure comfort food! It's loaded with ground beef, kidney beans, and a dash of smokiness, and ready in under an hour. You can tailor each bowl with various toppings or use the chili as a delicious base for chili cheese dogs, nachos, and burritos.
Instant Pot chili with beans combines ground chuck and red beans in a spicy, rich sauce, for a nourishing meal that tastes like it cooked all day, yet is ready in under an hour. It's perfect for almost any occasion.
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What's an Instant Pot?
An Instant Pot (IP) is an all-in-one electric appliance that serves as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, and more, allowing for fast meal prep.
The Instant Pot significantly reduces cooking time compared to traditional methods.
It uses high pressure to cook food quickly, so you can have a flavorful pot of chili ready in a fraction of the time that it would take on the stove or in a slow cooker.
Chili Ingredients
- Here's what you'll need to make our award-winning chili at home:
- Meat: Use fresh extra-lean ground beef (I like 90/10 ground chuck). You can also use ground venison or bison. You can use ground turkey if you prefer.
- Oil: Olive oil.
- Aromatics: Yellow onion, garlic.
- Tomatoes: Tomato paste is used as a thickener. No tomato paste? Use ketchup. You'll also need one 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes or 2 cups of chopped fresh tomatoes.
- Beans: I use two 15-ounce cans of red kidney beans. You can substitute black beans, white beans, or pinto beans.
- Broth: The liquid I prefer is homemade bone broth. Or, use beef broth or water.
- Seasonings: Chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How To Cook Dried Beans for Chili
Canned beans are much easier to use for chili but you can also cook chili with dry beans. Beans often take a long time to cook but using this time-saving method, you can speed up the process.
- Rinse half a pound of uncooked kidney beans under cold running water to remove dust and debris. Sort through the beans to remove any small stones or damaged beans.
- Cover the beans with water in a large pot until the water reaches 3 inches above the beans. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to a simmer (just below the boiling point) and cook for one hour or until the beans are tender, stirring every 15 minutes.
- Add a teaspoon of salt to the [pot when they are almost tender, about the 45-minute mark.
How To Make Instant Pot Chili
This recipe makes 2 quarts (8 cups) of chili.
- Open the Instant Pot and add oil. Press SAUTÉ mode and adjust to Normal/Medium heat.
- Add onions and sauté until softened about 4 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Stir in tomato paste.
- Add ground beef, a little salt, and pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until no longer pink.
- Add beans, water or broth, tomatoes, and spices; stir to combine. Press CANCEL. Make sure the sealing ring is in place. Lock the lid into place. Set the pressure release valve to SEALING.
- Set to PRESSURE COOK and adjust to high pressure for 15 minutes. Place the valve in the SEALING position, and the KEEP WARM button off.
- When the bell rings and the cooking time is up, slide the quick-release valve to the OPEN position, allowing steam to escape, for 2-3 minutes.
- Unlock the lid, press the SAUTÉ function on NORMAL/MEDIUM HEAT, and simmer the chili, scraping the bottom of the pot to release the browned bits. Stir occasionally with the lid off until it reduces slightly, about 5-6 minutes. Then press CANCEL.
- The pot is very hot, so remove when cool enough to handle.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle into serving bowls.
- Garnish hot with chopped red onions, sour cream, shredded cheddar, parsley or cilantro, and hot sauce.
What Makes Chili Spicy?
Cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, which gives it its spicy heat. In this recipe, you have complete control over the heat level.
The recipe includes 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper for a bit of spiciness.
For a milder chili, reduce the cayenne to half a teaspoon. For hotter chili, use more to taste.
Chili Toppings List
There are many different ways to top a bowl of chili. Here's a list of our favorite toppings:
- Shredded cheddar or Colby-jack cheese
- A dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Diced white or red onions
- Sliced green onions (scallions)
- Jalapeno pepper, diced or sliced
- Fresh chopped cilantro or parsley
- Tortilla chips or saltine crackers for crunch and saltiness
- Hot sauce, such as Cholula (our favorite) adds more spice
- Avocado slices: Adds buttery and creamy flavor
- Lime juice
What Goes with Red Chili
Healthy sides like a fresh salad, steamed veggies, quinoa, or white rice make perfect companions for beef and bean chili.
Getting creative by using chili as a topping for burgers, baked potatoes, or nachos transforms these dishes into something new so much fun!
Consider making a pot of Spanish Rice. Seasoned with tomato sauce, onions, and bell pepper – it's the perfect complement.
Storage and Reheating
Leftover chili can be refrigerated for up to three days.
For freezing, opt for airtight containers or single-serving containers.
Frozen chili lasts up to three months. Reheat it in a small pan on the stove over medium heat for ten minutes.
Final Takeaway
Follow this recipe for the best instant pot beef and black bean chili!
Cooking chili in an Instant Pot is a great way to save time. IP chili is about to become your favorite one-pot meal.
With onions, garlic, peppers, and a blend of spices including chili powder, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper for heat, chili is a flavorful one-pot meal.
For a milder taste, a teaspoon of cayenne does the trick, but if heat is your thing, go ahead and double it.
Use dried kidney beans using the provided instructions, for an even more homemade touch.
Finishing the chili with fresh toppings like chopped cilantro, diced avocado, shredded cheese, or sour cream can add freshness, creaminess, and additional flavors.
FAQ
Yes, you can adapt the recipe for a slow cooker. Saute the beef in a skillet until no longer pink. Add the cooked beef and remaining ingredients to a slow cooker. Cook on low for 3-4 hours.
Absolutely! While kidney beans are classic, you can mix it with black beans, pinto beans, or any beans you prefer.
Yes, chili often tastes even better the next day. Prepare it in advance, refrigerate, and reheat when ready to serve.
If you use gluten-free ingredients, check the labels on items like broth or any of the tomatoes and canned beans to ensure they are gluten-free.
"📖 Recipe"
Instant Pot Beef and Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste, ketchup can be substituted
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
- 2 (15 oz.) cans kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups beef broth or water
- 2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced or (1) 15 oz. can of chopped tomatoes, with liquid from can
Spice Blend
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper use ½ teaspoon if you're sensitive to heat
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Topping Suggestions
- shredded cheddar cheese
- white or red diced onions
- sliced scallions
- jalapeño peppers
- sour cream
- parsley or cilantro, roughly chopped
- hot sauce
Instructions
- Open Instant Pot and add oil. Press SAUTÉ and adjust to Normal/Medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in tomato paste.
- Add ground beef, a little salt and pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until no longer pink.
- Add beans, water or broth, tomatoes, and spices; stir to combine. Press CANCEL. Make sure sealing ring is in place. Lock the lid into place. Set pressure release valve to SEALING.
- Set to PRESSURE COOK and adjust to high pressure for 15 minutes. Make sure the valve is in the SEALING position, and the KEEP WARM button is off.
- When the bell rings and the cooking time is up, move the valve to the OPEN position allowing steam to escape, 2-3 minutes. Unlock the lid and press SAUTÉ on NORMAL/MEDIUM HEAT, and simmer chili, stirring occasionally, with the lid open, until the chili reduces a bit and thickens up, about 5-6 minutes. Press CANCEL.
- The pot is very hot so remove when cool enough to handle. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle into serving bowls. Serve hot with chopped raw onions, sour cream, shredded cheddar, chopped parsley, and hot sauce.
Notes
- Rinse half a pound of uncooked kidney beans under cold running water to remove dust and debris. Sort through the beans to remove any small stones or damaged beans.
- Cover the beans with water in a large pot until the water reaches 3 inches above the beans. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to a simmer (just below the boiling point) and cook for one hour or until the beans are tender, stirring every 15 minutes.
- Add a teaspoon of salt to the [pot when they are almost tender, about the 45-minute mark.
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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