Nothing beats a warm, hearty bowl of chili, especially when it’s made effortlessly in the instant pot.
This easy instant pot chili recipe is packed with bold flavors, tender beans, and savory spices, all coming together in a fraction of the time.
No need to stand over the stove for hours—just toss in the ingredients, set it, and let the magic happen.
Perfect for cozy nights, meal prep, or feeding a crowd, this chili is a guaranteed winner.
Grab your favorite toppings and get ready to enjoy a bowl of comfort with minimal effort!
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large green bell pepper diced
1 large white onion coarsely diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 large jalapeños minced
2 15 ounce cans pinto beans
2 15 ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
1 cup parsley chopped
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 stick salted butter
2 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground sausage I used Jimmy Dean in roll
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
1/3 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
Garnish
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped green onions chives or parsley (I had parsley on hand so used that)
Instructions
- Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat. When hot, saute onions, green bell pepper, and minced jalapeno. Cook for about 10 minutes until tender. Add pinto beans, diced tomatoes, 3/4 cup parsley, water and broth. Reduce heat to low to simmer.
- In a separate medium pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add ground beef and sausage. Season with salt and pepper, cooking until browned.
- Drain most of fat, leaving a little still in meat. Season with chili powder and cumin, stirring to combine.
- Transfer cooked beef/sausage to vegetable pot, carefully stirring. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Place chili into soup bowls and top with shredded cheddar cheese, fresh diced tomatoes and sour cream drizzles.
TRICKS TO MAKING INSTANT POT CHILI
If this is your first time making chili, or any soup for that matter in the Instant Pot, we have a few suggestions to make sure it turns out perfect every single time.
Brown and Flavor Ground Meats
Cooking the meat before throwing it in the Instant Pot may not be the case for all soups, but we’d recommend browning ground beef, turkey, or sausage before tossing it in the Instant Pot.
This not only helps with the flavor of your soup, but it also prevents large chunks of meat from cooking together. You’ll have perfectly ground beef in your chili if you take this step.
We love to brown our meat with onions in this recipe, giving the meat great flavor. Other soups may have you throw in some garlic, spices, or even a packet of taco seasoning.
You can also pre cook your ground beef in the Instant Pot.
2. Drain and Rinse Your Beans
Avoiding this step could be detrimental to your chili! We’ve listed which cans need to be drained in this recipe, but you can almost always assume that beans in any recipe will be drained and oftentimes rinsed (especially black beans!).
Without draining your beans, your chili will be turn out runny and a little too “soupy” to be considered chili. We know it’s an extra step, but it’s definitely worth it.
3. Add Enough Liquids
While draining some ingredients is important, it’s also important to make sure you have enough liquid in your Instant Pot so it will pressurize.
The best part about this Instant Pot Chili is the delicious flavors that combine together.
Don’t have an Instant Pot? No problem! You can make this Chili on the stove top!
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT CHILI INTO A FREEZER MEAL
Here’s how you do it:
- Brown your meat and onions according to directions in original recipe.
- In a large Zip-Loc or freezer safe bag, combine remaining ingredients.
- Place laying flat in your freezer to save the most space. We like to label our bags before hand so we know what’s in the bag.
- Place freezer bag in the refrigerator the night before cooking to allow it to partially thaw.
- Cook according to the directions in original recipe. It’s that easy!
