A super-duper easy instant pot chill recipe: Just a few ingredients, 5 minute pressure cooking time and turns out SO good. Definitely a keeper for those crazy busy weeknights!
I’m beyond excited to share this recipe, because is there anything better than those extremely quick and easy to prep instant pot dinners? Rhetorical question, because duh, foolproof instant pot meals are the Romeo to my Juliet.
How to make chili in the instant pot
This chili is most definitely a quick and easy meal:
1 – Just quickly brown the beef…
2 – … stir in seasoning and liquids then pressure cook for 5 MINUTES (yes your read that right)…
3 – … stir in a can of beans and some corn and cook on sauté for 5 minutes…
4 – … then serve up with all the toppings!
And just like that, you’ve got a comforting, steaming, cozy bowl of chili in front of you.
All that’s left to do is to grab a spoon and start digging in.
Ingredient notes
Spiciness
- Make a mild chili: For a very mild chili, definitely use all ground paprika. Make sure your ground paprika is mild.
- Make a spicy chili: Use all chili powder and add ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper as well. You can also use hot sauce or a chopped chili pepper if you prefer. OR use a can of chili beans instead of plain kidney beans. Your call! Just be mindful that it might turn out spicier than you intend.
- To add spice to individual portions: When I make this very mild (because of the 3 young kids we have), my husband finds it a bit boring. I’m a baby and hate spicy food, so I don’t mind, but he likes to add either hot sauce or chipotle chili flakes over his portion.
Other ingredients
- Beef: Feel free to use extra-lean beef or even ground turkey. Note that the chili will be less rich, so you might want to stir in a tablespoon or two of sour cream right before serving.
- For a creamy chili: Stir in a few tablespoons of refried beans, or blend about ½ can of plain kidney beans to a puree and add that. You might need to thin with a bit more beef broth.
Cooking tips
Burn warning
To make sure you don’t get the BURN message on the instant pot, do the following:
- scrape the bottom of the pot REALLY well to remove any stuck pieces
- measure the cup of beef broth EXACTLY. if you don’t have enough liquid in the pot, the burn warning comes on faster
- make sure the lid is sealed correctly, otherwise the cooker takes too much time to come to pressure and the ingredients are more likely to get stuck and burn on the bottom
Serving ideas
Try my chili with a side of Honey Butter Cornbread, or serve it over rice if you prefer!
We also like a big bowl of Tomato Cucumber Avocado Salad on the side, or a Chunky Avocado Salsa – a nice contrast to the hearty flavors – and the kiddos love it, so I consider that a huge win.
And wasn’t that just as ridiculously easy as I said it would be? See, no need to make a big fuss about dinner.
Now go forth and maketh chili! Or, you know, just go and make chili. The Shakespearean touch is entirely optional (and, quite frankly, I don’t think Shakespeare ate chili; let alone made in the instant pot…)
Full video
Printable recipe
Printable recipe
Ridiculously Easy Instant Pot Chili
Recipe details
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion chopped (about ½ cup)
- 1 green pepper diced (about 1 cup; use a red pepper if you’re not a fan of green pepper)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili powder use ground paprika for younger kids – I always do and it works out really well
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 (16-oz) can kidney beans rinsed and drained
- ½ cup sweet corn
- Your favorite toppings: Corn chips, sour cream, shredded cheddar, cilantro… to serve
Instructions
- Brown beef and vegetables: Press "sauté" button on 6-quart instant pot. Add oil, then add onion and green pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add beef and cook until no longer pink.
- Stir in seasoning and liquids: Switch off instant pot, then stir in beef broth. Scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot (do this well, or you may trigger the "burn" warning). Stir in tomato sauce, chili powder, ground cumin, oregano, salt and pepper.
- Pressure cook: Lock lid. Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes. Do a natural pressure release for 5 minutes (just leave the switched off instant pot alone). Then release any remaining pressure naturally.
- Finish and serve: Open lid and stir in kidney beans and corn. Press sauté button and simmer for 4-5 minutes, until heated through and thickened to your liking. Serve with toppings of choice.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Spiciness: For a very mild chili, use all mild, ground paprika. For a spicy chili, use all chili powder and add ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper as well. You can also use hot sauce or a chopped chili pepper if you prefer. OR use a can of chili beans instead of plain kidney beans. Season individual portions with hot sauce.
- Beef: Feel free to use extra-lean beef or even ground turkey. Note that the chili will be less rich, so you might want to stir in a tablespoon or two of sour cream right before serving.
- For a creamy chili: Stir in a few tablespoons of refried beans, or blend about ½ can of plain kidney beans to a puree and add that. You might need to thin with a bit more beef broth.
Cooking tips
- scrape the bottom of the pot REALLY well to remove any stuck pieces to avoid the burn warning
- measure the cup of beef broth EXACTLY – do not skimp on liquids
- make sure the lid is sealed correctly to avoid a prolonged cooking time
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