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Instant Pot Chili with Beans is a delicious dish with ground beef, onions, chili seasoning, beans, tomatoes, and beef broth. It’s the perfect camping meal or an easy dish to take with you to a backyard barbecue. Cooking it in an electric pressure cooker makes this comforting dish quick and easy.

Instant Pot Chili with Beans

This classic beef chili recipe is one of the best dishes to make from scratch when you don’t have to let it simmer all day. Cooking it in the instant pot considerably reduces the waiting time and lets you get dinner on the table quickly. You’ll love this flavor-packed dish all year long.

Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode and add the ground beef and onion.

Cook until the beef is brown and cooked through.

Turn off the Instant Pot and stir in the chili seasoning mix.

Add the chili beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with green chilis, beef broth, and water.

Stir to combine.

Place the lid on the Instant Pot and seal the vent.

Set to cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.

When the cook time is up, allow the pot to naturally release pressure for five minutes then do a quick release to remove remaining pressure.

Remove the lid and stir before serving.

Expert tips and variations 

Healthy instant pot chili with beans is easily adaptable. You can change the ingredients or cooking method to fit your preferences. 

 

• Leave out the beans if you’re not a fan of them. 
• Use the chili button on your instant pot!
• You can use dried or canned beans in this recipe.  
• Substitute other types of meat like ground pork, turkey, chicken, or stew meat for the ground beef. 
• Add tomato paste right before the beef is done cooking and stir for two minutes. This will make the chili richer.  
• Swap out the pinto beans for kidney beans or black beans. 
• If you’d like, you can cook this dish in the slow cooker or on the stovetop instead of the pressure cooker.   
• Make a homemade seasoning with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. 

I also recommend this delicious Instant Pot White Chili Chicken recipe from Whole Food Bellies. The whole family will love this scrumptious veggie-heavy Instant Pot White Bean Chicken Chili recipe.

How to serve 

Serve chili topped with sour cream, shredded cheese, diced green onions, or sliced avocados. 

Serve it with a side of oven roasted sweet potatoes with bacon, loaded smashed potatoes, roasted green beans, or fried okra. 

How to store 

To refrigerate: Keep leftover chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. 

 

To freeze: Freeze any extra chili in quart-size zip-top bags in the freezer. Start by laying them down flat until they’re frozen, and then you can stand them up to save room in your freezer.  

 

To reheat: Put frozen chili in the fridge overnight until it’s thawed, and then heat up in the microwave or a pot on the stove until heated through. 

FAQs 

What beans are the best for chili? 

Pinto beans are the traditional beans for chili, but you can use any type you’d like. 

 

What type of beef should I use in chili? 

Use 80/20 ground beef in your chili for the best flavor. 

 

How long should I cook chili in the instant pot? 

It only takes 30 minutes to cook chili in a pressure cooker.