Homemade Instant Pot Chili, made using ground beef and dried unsoaked beans, is the perfect comfort food for a fall or wintry evening. It’s also a great dish to feed a crowd, or for game day. The addition of Masa Harina (cornmeal) in this chili recipe thickens the chili and gives it a corn flavor. Add your choice of toppings to take this homemade Instant Pot chili recipe over the top!

Introduction

Did you know that October is National Chili Month? It’s not yet October, but the leaves are changing color, the weather’s turning cooler and I’m starting to make soups, stews, and other comfort foods. I love the advent of fall and I thought it would be appropriate to post an Instant Pot Chili recipe to observe this occasion!

Chili is derived from Chili con Carne (translated as ‘chili with meat’ in Spanish), which originated in Texas. During the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, the San Antonio Chili Stand helped popularize Texas chili to other parts of the United States. What’s Cooking America has a fascinating article about the origins of chili, in case you’d like to find out more!

Chili purists might say that chili should not include beans and/or tomatoes. Well, my recipe for Instant Pot Chili has both beans and tomatoes. Because I happen to like both in my chili.

You might be tempted to use canned beans because they’re convenient: no pre-soaking, no long cook times, just open the can and pour. But the Instant Pot allows you to use dried beans without the inconveniences.

The hands-on time for this Instant Pot Chili with dried beans recipe is about 10 minutes. For the rest of the time, the Instant Pot is doing the cooking while you get other important things done!



If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, you might find it helpful to first read one of the following guides and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe.

– Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Manual

– Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Manual

– Instant Pot DUO EVO PLUS Beginner’s Manual

– Instant Pot DUO NOVA Beginner’s Manual

Instant Pot Chili with Dried Beans – Ingredients

Bell peppers

Tomatoes

Pinto beans

Onions

Chili powder

Garlic

Beef broth Masa harina

Oregano

Cumin

Cocoa powder

Salt

Pepper

Ground beef

How to Make Chili using Dried Beans in the Instant Pot (Step by Step Instructions)

Soak Beans Turn on Saute Mode Saute beef Saute vegetables Add spices, broth Pressure cook Do a natural release of pressure Stir in masa harina Serve with your choice of toppings

Soak Beans

Soak dried beans for 4 to 8 hours or use my preferred method: Instant Pot Quick Soak Beans.

Turn on Saute Mode

Instant Pot DUO: Select the Saute function.

Select the function. Instant Pot ULTRA: Select the Saute function and press Start.

Saute Beef

Once Instant Pot is hot, add vegetable oil to the inner pot.

Add ground beef to the inner pot.

Stir with a wooden spoon to break up the meat into smaller pieces and saute until meat is browned, about 3 minutes.

Saute Vegetables

Add onions to beef and saute until soft, about 2 minutes.

Stir in bell peppers.

Stir in garlic.

Add Spices, Broth

Add chili powder, oregano, cumin powder, cocoa powder, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper.

Stir well and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add beef broth, tomatoes and pre-soaked dried beans (whether using quick Instant Pot pre-soak or countertop pre-soak).

Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 20 minutes

Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in ‘Sealing’ position

Press Manual (or Pressure Cook) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until the display reads ‘20′ (20 minutes).

Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 20 minutes

Close the lid.

Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 20 minutes ( 00:20 ).

mode and adjust the time to 20 minutes ( ). Press Start.

Pressure Cooking Process (Duo and Ultra)

Instant Pot display will change to On .

. Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.

The display will count down to 0; it will then switch to Keep Warm mode and display L0:00 or 00 00 and begin to count up the number of minutes since pressure cooking completed.

How to Naturally Release Pressure (NPR) on the DUO and ULTRA

Allow the pressure to release naturally (NPR). The float valve will be in the down position. This may take 15 to 30 minutes. [Find out more about the pressure release methods and how and when to use them. ]

Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.

* After 15 minutes, if you wish to, you can release the remaining pressure by moving the pressure release to the venting position.

Stir in Masa Harina and Add Toppings

Select Saute mode.

mode. Stir in masa harina.

Cook until chili is thickened, about 5 minutes.

Press Cancel .

. Allow the Instant Pot chili to rest for 5 more minutes before serving; it will thicken some more.

Ladle chili into serving bowls and serve with your choice of toppings: sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped red onions, shallots or green onions, sliced jalapenos, hot sauce, diced avocado, or Fritos chips (not the healthiest, but my favorite!)

I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use. If you loved this recipe, please give it a five ⭐ rating in the comment section below and please share it on social media using the social media share buttons at the top and bottom of this post. Thank you so much! BACK TO TOP

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