Easy Instant Pot Chili

This time-saving, budget-friendly, easy Instant Pot Chili is the perfect blend of ground beef, beans, tomatoes, and spices. Or make our amazing Stovetop Chili instead.

Using just one pot, you’ll brown up the meat and pressure cook all of the ingredients until you have a flavorful soup. It’s perfect for groups of people or a weeknight family meal. Use our freezer meal instructions to turn it into a make-ahead meal for later. You can even cook chili straight from frozen in the Instant Pot!

What Ingredients Do I Need?

Great chili has to be packed with a depth of flavor. That doesn’t come with just a few ingredients. Don’t be intimidated by this long list though. You likely have the majority in your pantry!

• Cooking oil (we prefer avocado oil)
• Onion
• Garlic
• Ground beef (sub: ground turkey)
• Kidney beans
• Black beans
• Tomato sauce
• Beef broth
• Tomato paste
• Petite diced tomatoes (sub: regular diced, crushed tomatoes, or fire-roasted tomatoes)
• Chili powder
• Cumin
• Cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper

How Long to Cook Chili in the Instant Pot

Now here’s the key to delicious Instant Pot Chili: Great timing! If you follow our recipe, you’re good to go. But…be sure to download and print off our Instant Pot Cooking Times Chart that we spent two years developing for our cookbook.

This guide will help you pressure cook both fresh and frozen meals perfectly! It’s our gift to you!

Since the ground beef is already browned, similar to our Mexican Soup Recipe, the chili will only need 7 minutes at high pressure to cook.

Can You Freeze Chili?

It’s no secret we are big fans of freezer meals around here. In fact, we have 2 freezer meal cookbooks, 1 Hour Freezer Prep Sessions, and even a round-up with 70+ freezer meal recipes that you will love!

So, we definitely have freezer meal instructions for this recipe.

Freezing soups is one of my favorite ways to save my future self time. Chili is no different. Here is how to make it a freezer meal…

Option 1: Fully Cook and Freeze the Chili

Freeze For Later: Fully cook and cool the chili as instructed. Freeze in an airtight freezer bag or in smaller containers if making a freezer meal for 1-2 people.

Prepare From Frozen: Thaw chili completely. Warm it up on the stovetop, in the microwave, or in the Instant Pot using the lowest “Saute” setting.

We like freezing chili and soups in 2 cup portions in Souper Cubes (see pic below). After freezing, you can easily pop out the cubes and store them in a large freezer bag to have on hand for quick lunches.

Option 2: Prep the Meal to Be Fully Cooked Later

Freeze For Later: Follow Steps 1-3 (stop before pressure cooking it). Freeze the uncooked chili in gallon-sized freezer bag and place it in a round container while freezing (so it freezes in the shape of the Instant Pot). You can remove the container once it’s frozen.

Prepare From Frozen: If it wasn’t fully cooked, then Saute the soup in the Instant Pot for 5-10 minutes to release some liquid. Turn off the Saute function. Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes, and then quick release the pressure.

Can I Cook Chili Straight from Frozen in the Instant Pot?

Instant Pot freezer meals. This is what we do! Not only have we written an entire cookbook of freezer meals for the Instant Pot, but we have tested and re-tested hundreds of recipes over the years. 

When you combine the magical powers of the Instant Pot AND freezer cooking, you practically set yourself up for hands-free cooking. That’s because you can dump your frozen meal directly in the Instant Pot and cook it from frozen! Like we mentioned above, here’s how to cook chili straight from frozen in the Instant Pot:

1 – Be sure your chili is frozen in a circular form. This will help it easily fit into the pot when you want to cook it. I oftentimes use my Instant Pot steel bowl as a mold for my freezer meal. See the picture below of our Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce as an example of an Instant Pot Freezer Meal.

2 – Once you’ve dumped your frozen chili into the Instant Pot, saute it for 5 minutes to help it release some liquid.

3 – Cook for 12-17 minutes on high pressure. If it’s not fully thawed after this time, break it up with a spoon and pressure cook it for a few more minutes.

What to Serve with Chili

Topping Ideas:

• Diced avocado
• Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Crushed corn tortilla chips
• Thinly sliced green onions

Side Dish Ideas:

• Cornbread (or try this gluten-free, dairy-free cornbread recipe)
• Avocado Lime Salsa or Guacamole with Tortilla Chips