Make this Instant Pot Chili Recipe under an hour! Loaded with layers of umami & spicy flavors & textures, this simple beef and beans chili will satisfy your cravings for hearty comfort food. Perfect for the cool winter days.

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The thick red hot bowl of chunky beef – Texas Chile Con Carne dates as far back as the 1800’s. There’s a constant debate on what belongs in the Real Texan Chili. Many argue that Chili should never include beans, let alone tomatoes. But mainly – beef chuck, chilies, and spices. First and foremost, this Hearty Instant Pot Chili Recipe is not your Classic Texan Chili. But, with our own twist, this simplified Chili will be great for dinner parties, yet easy enough for a weeknight dinner. 😀 Moist ground beef with perfectly cooked firm beans, soaked in thick umami sauce, bursting with deep layers of flavors, brightened by diced jalapeno, green onions and grated cheddar cheese. Let’s get the Instant Pot Chili Party started!

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE RECIPES + TIPS Tried & True Recipes Delivered To Your Inbox Weekly. 100% Free! SUBSCRIBE! Please check your inbox (sometimes Junk Box) and confirm your subscription! Then, add our email address to your contact list to ensure you will receive our recipes, tips, and giveaways! You’ll Enjoy this Instant Pot Chili Because: Simple hearty chili done in 45 mins – great even for weeknight dinners!

Thick spicy stew, loaded with layers of spicy & umami flavors

Filling & satisfying to eat – a warming comfort food for cool weather

Great for entertaining guests or host a Chili party!

Can make ahead and reheat before serving

Instant Pot Chili Ingredients First, let’s address some unusual suspects… Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – No, it will not make your Chili tastes like chocolate. This secret ingredient is actually a base to lots of great Chili. Just a small teaspoon increases the chili’s complexity and gives it a more earthy tone. Fish Sauce and Soy Sauce – Fish Sauce doesn’t taste fishy at all! Both Fish Sauce and Soy Sauce are extremely umami-filled. A few spoons of these will truly kick your Chili game up a notch. Give them a shot…and you’ll never look back! 😉 1 pound – 1 ½ pound ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes

2 cans (540ml/19oz) red kidney beans, drained & rinsed

1 – 2 tablespoons (8g – 16g) chili powder (depends on your chili powder’s spiciness & preference)

1 tablespoon (6g) cumin seed, ground

1 teaspoon (1g) dried oregano

1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil

Optional: 1 tablespoon (15ml) apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon (15ml) apple cider vinegar Brown sugar, kosher salt, black pepper to taste Umami Chicken Stock Mixture 1 cup (250ml) unsalted chicken stock

2 tablespoons (30ml) fish sauce

1 tablespoon (15ml) regular soy sauce

3 tablespoons (49g) tomato paste

1 teaspoon (2.5g) unsweetened cocoa powder Optional Garnish Lime

Sour cream

Jalapeno pepper, diced and seeded

Green onions

Cheddar cheese

Preparation for Instant Pot Chili First dice the onion, mince the garlic cloves, and dice + seed the Jalapeno pepper. Then, ground the cumin seed. Love the smell of freshly ground cumin seeds~ mmmm… Finally, drain & rinse the red kidney beans. Now, you’re ready to get cooking! 😀

1 Brown Ground Beef in Instant Pot First, heat up your Instant Pot: press Sauté button and Adjust once to Sauté More function. Make sure your pot is as hot as it can be (Instant Pot: wait until indicator says HOT) before adding ingredients. As the pot is heating up, season the ground beef generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. When the pot is hot enough, add 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil in Instant Pot pressure cooker. Swirl your pot around to make sure the oil is coated over the whole bottom of the pot. Then, add the ground beef in Instant Pot pressure cooker. The ground beef will start to release moisture. At the 5-minute mark, remove the ground beef juice and reserve it in a small mixing bowl. Allow the ground beef to brown. Stir occasionally until they are slightly crisped and browned (~5 – 7 minutes). Taste and adjust the seasoning with more kosher salt and ground black pepper.

2 Mix Chicken Stock Mixture While the ground beef is browning, mix unsalted chicken stock, fish sauce, regular soy sauce, tomato paste, and unsweetened cocoa powder in measuring cup.

3 Sauté Onion, Garlic and Spices Add diced onions, minced garlic, 1 tbsp ground cumin seed, 2 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp dried oregano in the pressure cooker. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the spices start to release their fragrance. Stir frequently.

4 Deglaze Instant Pot Pour in ½ cup (125ml) of the Umami Chicken Stock Mixture, fully deglaze the bottom of the pot by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits with a wooden spoon (as shown in photo below). Mix the brown bits with the stock mixture.

5 Pressure Cook Chili Add in the reserved beef juice. Pour in the remaining Umami Chicken Stock Mixture. Add 2 cans of drained red kidney beans. Mix well. Pour in 1 can of crushed tomatoes with all the juice on top (as shown in photo below). Do not mix. Close lid and pressure cook using the “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” button: Cooking Method: High Pressure for 10 minutes + Natural Release Open the lid carefully.

6 Reduce and Season If the chili is too runny, give it a quick stir and cook for another few minutes over medium heat (Instant Pot: Press Sauté button). Taste and season with brown sugar (we used 1 tbsp), kosher salt and black pepper. Optional: Add 1 tbsp of Apple cider vinegar. Note that the vinegar will significantly change the flavor profile. We made one batch with apple cider vinegar and another without. They each had their own character, but both tasted great. Totally unbiased opinion. 😉

7 Serve Instant Pot Chili YES! Garnish the Chili with your choice of toppings. Serve over your favorite side dishes. Enjoy!!~

Cooking Tips for Instant Pot Chili What? Fish Sauce in a Chili? If you’ve been following our recipes, you’ve probably noticed our love for Fish Sauce. 🙂 It might sounds fishy, but don’t worry! It doesn’t make a dish taste fishy at all! Contrary, it enhances the overall flavors of the dish and kicks it up a notch. In fact, it’s a common secret ingredient used by chefs in restaurants. 😉 Try it for yourself and you’ll know what we mean. Which Fish Sauce Brand to Use? The Red boat 40N fish sauce is thus far our favorite not only from our blind taste-test. It also comes out on top in many other blind taste-tests documented online. Red Boat did not sponsor this. We just think this Fish Sauce is awesome. 🙂 Red Boat Fish Sauce, 17 fl oz 100% Pure with only 2 Ingredients - Anchovy and Sea Salt

Does not contain added water, preservatives, or MSG

Watch: How To Make This Instant Pot Chili Recipe! Can’t see the cooking video? Watch it here.