Instant Pot Beef & Bean Chili is one of our favorite meals. Ground beef, beans, onions, and spices are blended perfectly in this easy-to-make recipe for restaurant-quality chili that tastes like it cooked all day. Serve it topped with shredded cheddar and chopped onions for a quick weeknight dinner.
For Mother's Day, my kids gave me an Instant Pot Duo. I decided to make a pot of chili for my first pressure-cooker meal. I had to watch a how-to video on how to use the pot. There are a lot of buttons on an Instant Pot, such as venting, sealing, and keep warm. It was confusing for about 5 minutes. It's very easy to use.
Much to my surprise, my Instant Pot Beef and Bean Chili cooked in an hour, and it was fabulous!
What's an Instant Pot?
An Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker that cooks with high pressure speeding up the cooking times of soups, stews, roasts, and even eggs. It even has a slow cooker setting.
To learn more about the Instant Pot, check out this article from Melissa Clark at the New York Times that sums up the appliance's advantages and drawbacks. I haven't used my Instant Pot enough to give my opinion on cooking more than this pot of chili as of today.
What You Need
- Oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Tomato Paste (canned without preservatives)
- Ground beef, look for grass-fed, 90/10 or 85/15
- Kidney Beans (canned without preservatives)
- Homemade Bone Broth or water
- Diced Tomatoes
I use homemade Beef Bone Broth as the liquid in this recipe. It gives the chili a deeper flavor. Plain filtered water works too! I don't recommend using beef broth in a carton.
Which Beans Should I Use For Chili?
You can use a combination of dark or light kidney beans, black beans, white beans, or pinto beans.
If you are buying beans in a can, try organic brands such as Whole Foods Market 365, Iberia, and Goya which do not contain citric acid and calcium chloride, which are preservatives.
There is also tomato paste and diced tomatoes in this recipe. Canned and jarred tomato-based products are also commonly preserved with citric acid so look for a brand, such as Cento.
How to Cook Dry Kidney Beans Quickly
Rinse a half pound of uncooked kidney beans under cold running water to remove debris and discard the wrinkled and shriveled beans.
In a large saucepan, cover beans with water until it reaches about 3 inches above the beans and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer (right below the boiling point) and cook for approximately one hour, or until beans are tender, stirring every 15 minutes.
You can add a teaspoon of salt to the beans when they are almost tender, about the 45 minute mark. If you do not use salt in your cooking, you can leave it out.
How to Cook Chili in an Instant Pot
- Sauté onions and garlic.
- Stir in tomato paste.
- Add beef and brown with onion mixture.
- Add beans, diced tomatoes, spices, and water or bone broth.
- Seal Instant Pot and cook on high for 15 minutes.
- Allow steam to escape and saute another 10 minutes or so until liquid is reduced and chili is thickened.
- Portion into bowls or soup crocks and add your favorite toppings.
This recipe makes 2 quarts (8 cups) of chili.
Chili Toppings
Top your chili with any or all of these:
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- White or red diced onions
- Scallions
- Sour Cream
- Chopped parsley
How to Store Leftovers
The chili will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days. You can freeze the chili in an airtight container or one-cup portion size containers for up to 2 months. Re-heat on the stove in a small pan over medium heat for ten minutes.
Try These Florida Keys Favorites:
- Shrimp Cocktail
- Pico de Gallo with Faux Corn Chips
- Sauteed Skirt Steak
- Italian Sausages with Peppers and Onions
Instant Pot Beef and Bean Chili
Equipment
- Instant pot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or other neutral oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste ketchup can be substituted
- 1 ½ pounds lean (90%) ground beef (grass-fed is best)
- 2 (15 oz.) cans organic kidney beans drained and rinsed, or 3 cups cooked kidney beans
- 1 ½ cups homemade bone broth or water
- 2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced or (1) 15 oz. can of organic chopped tomatoes, with liquid from can
Spice Blend
- 2 tablespoon 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
- siced onions or scallions
- sour cream
- parsley 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.1 tablespoon avocado oil, 1 medium yellow onion, 4 garlic cloves, 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- Add ground beef 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.1 ½ pounds lean (90%) ground beef, 2 (15 oz.) cans organic kidney beans, 1 ½ cups homemade bone broth or water, 2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced, 2 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 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.
- Ladle into serving bowls. Serve hot with chopped raw onions, sour cream, shredded cheddar, parsley, and a side of hot sauce. Enjoy!shredded cheddar cheese, siced onions or scallions, sour cream, hot sauce, parsley
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and it comes from online calculators. Although we try to attempt to provide accurate information, these figures are estimates only.