Instant pot beef chili recipe is ready in under an hour! This version is made with green peppers, onions, celery, ground beef, and tomatoes. Top with shredded cheese and sliced green onions, and serve some cornbread on the side.

Photography Credit: Coco Morante

A warm bowl of chili is such a comforting meal on cold nights. Beef chili usually takes at least an hour and a half to simmer on the stove, but you can cut that time down by half when you use a pressure cooker!

Video! How to Make Instant Pot Beef Chili

Making Instant Pot Chili

Using an Instant Pot to make chili isn’t any harder than cooking a pot of chili on the stove. You can sauté and simmer right in the appliance, just you would when cooking on the stovetop. The only difference here is that instead of turning a knob on the stove, you press a few buttons on the Instant Pot.

The biggest difference? Start to finish, this chili is ready in under an hour — compare this with stove-top chilis that take twice as long!

If you have another model of electric or stovetop pressure cooker, the sautéing instructions might be slightly different. Just check your user manual for guidance.

What to Serve with Chili

One of the best parts about chili is all the ways you can top your bowl! Cheese, sliced green onions, crushed tortilla chips, and a dollop of sour cream are all great options.

What about a batch of Southern cornbread or garlic knots to serve on the side? Chili is also great served over cooked rice.

How to Store and Freeze Your Chili

This chili will keep in the fridge for at least five days, or frozen for up to three months.

To freeze, transfer the cooked and cooled chili to freezer containers or bags, press out as much air as possible, and freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or heat while still frozen. The best way to reheat chili is in a sauce pan over low heat on the stove top.

Easy Ingredient Swaps and Additions

Since first posting this recipe, so many of you have made it and shared your success stories! You’ve also shared ways that you’ve adapted or swapped ingredients, which all sound so great. Here are some of favorite ideas:

Add an extra can of beans for more protein

Add a cup of frozen corn

Swap the ground beef for finely-chopped flank steak or ground chicken

Add cumin!

Use fire-roasted tomatoes

Add sliced mushrooms

Some BBQ sauce adds extra depth

New to Pressure Cooking?

Electric pressure cookers are having a renaissance these days. The newest models, like the Instant Pot, are programmable smart appliances that are safe and easy to use. They’re completely different than the traditional stovetop models many of us grew up with.

Check out this guide! How to Use an Instant Pot

The pressure cooker I use is an Instant Pot. I have both the 6- and 8-quart models, and I find that the 6-quart size is plenty big for most meals. It handles recipes making 4 to 6 serving recipes easily, including this beef chili.

More Favorite Instant Pot recipes!