Updated on October 18th, 2022
On cold nights, a warm bowl of chili is wonderful comfort food, and it would quickly become your go-to chili recipe when you taste instant pot chili once because of the great taste and ease of preparation. On the stove, chili takes at least an hour and a half to simmer, but with a pressure cooker, you can very easily cut that time in half!
This article was made for you if you’re unfamiliar with making chili recipes using a pressure cooker. You’ll also learn appropriate timing guidelines for desirable results and helpful tips to smoother the cooking process.
Tips for Cooking Chili in Instant Pot
Here are some tips for cooking chili in an instant pot that ensures an easy process and desirable results:
Cooking with an instant pot – Making chili in an Instant Pot is more difficult than making chili on the stove. You can sauté and simmer right in the oven, just like you would on the stovetop. Instead of turning a knob on the stove, the only difference is that you use the Instant Pot to press a few buttons.
The sautéing directions for another electric or stovetop pressure cooker model may differ somewhat. For proper guidance, consult your user manual.
Serving suggestions – One of the most enjoyable aspects of chili is the variety of toppings. Cheese, green onions, crushed tortilla chips, and a dab of sour cream are all excellent choices.
On the side, a batch of Southern cornbread or garlic knots could also work great. Chili is also delicious when served over rice.
Storing and freezing chili – This chili will keep in the refrigerator for at least five days and for up to three months in the freezer. Simply transfer the cooked and cooled chili to freezer containers or bags, pressing out as much air as possible before freezing. Heat while still frozen or thaw overnight in the fridge. Chili is best reheated in a saucepan on the stovetop over low heat.
Adapting the recipe or swapping ingredients – While making quick pot chili, there are several excellent techniques or ideas to adapt or switch ingredients, all of which sound fantastic. These are some of our favorites:
- For added protein, add 1 extra can of beans.
- Add a cup of frozen corn to the mix.
- Ground flank steak or ground chicken can be substituted for ground beef, and cumin is a great addition!
- Toss in some roasted tomatoes.
- Sliced mushrooms can also be added.
- A dash of BBQ sauce lends richness to the dish.
If you decide on the stovetop method, cook the bell pepper, onion, celery, and garlic in olive oil in a medium saucepan or soup pot over medium heat until the onions are cooked and translucent. Cook the mixture until the ground meat is not pink any longer. Along with a cup of water or broth, add the spices, tomato paste, tomatoes, and beans. Bring to a low boil, then reduce to low heat. Then reduce the heat to low, cover, and leave it to simmer for one hour.
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Cooking Time for Chili in Instant Pot
The guidelines in the table below work fine to time your instant pot chili recipes:
| Cooking method | Cooking time |
| Instant pot chili | 30 minutes |
Instant Pot Beef Chili (4 to 6 Servings)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of olive or vegetable oil
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 ribs of celery, chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 pound of ground beef (85% lean)
- 2 tablespoons of chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of oregano
- 3 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 1 (14-ounce) can of diced tomatoes
- Water or broth, as needed to make 1 cup of liquid with the tomato juices
- 1 (15.5-ounce) can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup of shredded cheese, any favorite mix, to serve
- 2 green onions, sliced thinly, to serve
- Rice, cornbread, or garlic knots, to serve
Instructions
- On your pressure cooker, select the “Sauté” mode and pour in the oil. (If using a pressure cooker on the stovetop, heat the oil over medium heat.) Combine the bell pepper, onion, celery, and garlic in a large mixing bowl. Sauté for about five minutes, or until the onions are softened and transparent.
- Break up the ground beef into small pieces and add it to the pot. Cook for about five minutes, or until the meat is no longer pink.
- Add in and combine the chili powder, salt, oregano, and tomato paste. Stir until the tomato paste is uniformly distributed throughout the other ingredients and there are no clumps.
- After straining the tomatoes, add enough water or broth to produce a total liquid of 1 cup. In a pressure cooker, combine the liquid, strained tomatoes, and beans.
- Cover the pressure cooker with the lid. Confirm that the pressure regulator is set to “Sealing.” If using an Instant Pot, choose the “Chili” program and set the timer for 20 minutes. If your pressure cooker doesn’t have a “Chili” setting, manually set it to “High Pressure” for 20 minutes if it doesn’t have one. Cook for 17 minutes at high pressure in a stovetop pressure cooker.
It will take about 10 minutes for your pressure cooker to reach full pressure, after which you may begin cooking. It takes roughly 30 minutes from the moment you seal the pressure cooker to the finished dish.
- When the timer goes off, either do a quick pressure release by turning the pressure release knob from “Sealing” to “Venting,” or wait for the pot to naturally depressurize (approximately 20 minutes; open the vent to “Venting” when you’re ready to serve the chili). Perform a rapid pressure release on a stovetop pressure cooker.
- If preferred, top chili bowls with shredded cheese and green onions. Serve on its own, over rice, or over cornbread.
Notes
This instant pot beef chili cooks for entire duration of 40 minutes, with a prep time of 10 minutes and a cook time of 30 minutes. It is quick and easy and delivers delicious chili onto your plate, one that you and your family are sure to enjoy.
There are more instant pot chili recipes available for dinner inspiration, one of such is this video recipe. You can check it out for more great cooking ideas.