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Instant Pot Chili that is award winning and bringing home cook-off victories across the country. You don’t want to miss diving into a bowl of our best chili!
If you want chili from scratch, this traditional chili is your answer. It took us 10 years to discover an award winning recipe and this is finally it, plus it’s an instant pot recipe which means it’s all done in less than 1 hour (with instructions for cooking on the stove top or crock pot as well)!! It is full of bacon, ground beef, beans, classic chili spices and all the toppings you want!
Let’s talk about how to make this homemade chili step by step, discuss what goes well with it, and how to freeze it to eat later. So much to talk about, so let’s get going!
We attended a chili cook-off and brought this awesome Cheesy Ground Beef Enchilada Chili. It was so good, but soooo many arteries were clogged that night. It’s pretty unhealthy, but I heard a rumor that if you don’t eat it alone the calories don’t count.
If you want a healthy chili recipe, you should definitely try our award winning healthy turkey instant pot version, which uses ground turkey instead of beef.
Chili is good year round, but we especially love it for Halloween. Well, chili or our melt-in-your-mouth buttermilk pancakes depending on our mood. Both are easy and perfect for the family. Now on to this award winning instant pot chili recipe…
Chili Cook-Off Idea!
Muffin Tin Trick
Listen to this, at the chili cook-off we went to a couple of people brought muffin tins and then placed a sample scoop of each kind in the well so they could try them all and vote without going back or over-eating. GENIUS. That’s seriously the smartest thing ever.
Ingredients for Instant Pot Chili
This chili recipe uses all the traditional chili ingredients in just the perfect ratio. Here is everything you will need:
- Meat: Ground Beef and Bacon
- Canned Beans: Kidney Beans, Pinto Beans, and Black Beans
- Tomatoes: Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes and Tomato Paste
- Vegetables: Red Onion, Red Bell Pepper, Garlic, and Jalapeño
- Broth: Beef Broth and Worcestershire Sauce
- Spices: Oregano, Ground Cumin, Kosher Salt, Ground Black Pepper, Smoked Paprika, Chili Powder
- Toppings: Sour Cream, Cilantro, Cheddar Cheese, Corn, Limes, Chips, Green Onions, etc.
The measurements and all the details for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to Make Chili in an Instant Pot
Making this recipe in an instant pot is really easy because there’s an actual setting for chili and beans (if you don’t have that setting, you can totally use “manual”). That pretty much takes all of the thinking out of this, and everything can be done in the instant pot, which means only one dish to clean!!
Let’s go through it step by step:
- Sauté: Turn your instant pot to “sauté” and cook the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon and sauté the bell peppers and onions until tender.
- Brown: Add the ground beef and cook until browned and drain any excess grease. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir everything together.
- Cook: Place the lid on the instant pot and set to “chili” mode with the vent in seal position (“manual high pressure” can be used too). Cook for 18-20 minutes and allow the valve to natural release for 10-15 minutes.
- NOTE: If you get the burn notice, please see the section below.
- Serve: Once it is cooked, serve it up and top with all your favorite toppings.
All these instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
What to Eat with Homemade Chili
Really any sort of bread will get the job done beautifully, but if you are making this in an instant pot, then you probably want dinner done in a hurry, so these 1 Hour Rolls are your answer! I often like something light and fresh with my chili like this garden balsamic avocado salad.
I’ve also heard that people eat cinnamon rolls with chili, and I fully endorse this! Try our World’s Best Cinnamon Rolls! And imho, all chili tastes the best with a side of cornbread or our crazy easy 7-Up biscuits!
Burn Notice FAQs
We’ve had a lot of questions, comments and concerns about the burn notice on the instant pot. We really think it just depends on your Instant Pot. Some are more sensitive than others. We have not ever had a burn notice on ours, but if you are getting them, here are a few tips and tricks…
Prior browned bits on the pot- If your pot had previous food stuck to the bottom of the pot it will continue to cook and confuse the pot to thinking that something is burning. Clean your pot well after every use. Bar Keeper’s Friend is my go-to cleaner for browned bits in pots and pans.
– PROBLEM: Is your bacon extra thin or lacking fat? Both of these can cause the bacon to stick to the bottom of the pot and cause a burn notice. Those browned bits stuck to the pot because of the lack of fat can make the pressure cooker think that you’ve walked away and left meat to burn.
– REMEDY: To counter this, please use a good quality bacon and stir often to keep it from sticking. You can also add a little oil to the pot if not much fat is rendering off the bacon.
If your chili has been combined and then you get the burn notice you probably didn’t thoroughly stir everything together or something is stuck to the bottom of the pot. This is why that bacon step is important. If you added those heavy ingredients and added the lid something will probably stick and burn. Stir well, make sure you measured properly.
If none of these tips work, you should contact instant pot as you may have a model that needs to be replaced.
Chili FAQs
This recipe is too big to be doubled in both a 6 qt Instant Pot and an 8qt. It can be one and a halved in an 8qt Instant Pot. We have also been told you can double it in an 8qt Instant Pot if you take out 1 or 2 cans of beans.
1. Start with your bacon. Always. See our How to Cook Bacon post for all the details on bacon! Whenever bacon is going in a dish we crisp it first, drain the fat and leave the browned bits in the pan. It adds extra flavor to whatever comes next.
Start by pressing the “sauté” button and once you can feel the heat, add the chopped bacon, stirring occasionally until crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and drain the fat.
2. Next, grab your ground beef. Any kind is fine for chili since other flavors are in there, but there’s more flavor in an 80/20 versus 90/10, though you will need to drain out the fat before continuing on.
Make sure you stir occasionally in order to crumble the meat instead of having big chunks. Chili shouldn’t be big and chunky.
Scroll down to the Notes section of the recipe card for all the details.
Toppings for Homemade Chili
The toppings you choose for your chili is totally up to you! You can add more crunch, creaminess, heat, freshness, acidity…really anything that makes you happy! Here are a few of our favorite chili toppings:
- Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Sliced Jalapenos
- Green Onions
- Cilantro
- Tortilla Chips or Corn Chips
Storage Tips
Leftover chili should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It will keep for up to 5 days.
If you want it to last a little longer, classic chili is really easy to freeze. Cool your chili completely and store in ziplocs with all the air pressed out, or we prefer to use our Food Saver. You can store individual servings to eat for lunch or larger portions to feed the whole family later. They will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat the chili, let it thaw in the fridge overnight and then warm it up in a pot on the stove top. Warming up a single bowl in the microwave works great too!
Our Favorite Cheat Sheet
P.S. Have you seen our Instant Pot cheat sheet? Head there are all our tips for cooking all the basics in your Instant Pot!
When it comes to classic chili, I want it to be full of flavor, bold and comforting! Friends, this recipe is the result of me making dozens of recipes in order to find the greatest of all time. So I tell you hands down this is the VERY BEST CHILI!
Here are some more CHILI RECIPES that you’ll love:
- Instant Pot Turkey Chili
- Best Stove Top Chili
- Ground Beef Enchilada Chili
- Brisket Chili
- White Chicken Chili
- All our Chili, Soup, and Stew Recipes here!
Looking for more Instant Pot recipes?
Watch How this Chili Recipe is Made…
Thank you for all of your love and support with making this the #1 chili out there!
Instant Pot Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Pounds Ground Beef
- 6 Strips Bacon, good quality, chopped
- 1 Can Kidney Beans, 15 ounces, drained
- 1 Can Pinto Beans, 15 ounces, drained
- 1 Can Black Beans, 15 ounces, drained
- 1 Can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, 15 ounces, with juice
- 1 Can Tomato Paste, 6 ounce
- 1 Red Onion, chopped
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 Jalapeño, seeded and minced *optional
- 2 Cups Beef Stock
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano
- 2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
- 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic, minced
For Garnish
- Sour Cream
- Cilantro
- Cheese, shredded
- Lime, fresh, optional
Instructions
- Turn your instant pot to sauté and add the bacon.6 Strips Bacon
- Cook until crisp, stirring often to cook evenly.
- Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate.
- Add the onions and peppers and cook until tender.1 Red Onion, 1 Red Bell Pepper
- Add the meat and cook until browned.1 ½ Pounds Ground Beef
- Drain off any excess grease, we just tilt the pot and use a large spoon.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients and 3/4 of the bacon and stir to combine.1 Can Kidney Beans, 1 Can Pinto Beans, 1 Can Black Beans, 1 Can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, 1 Can Tomato Paste, 1 Jalapeño, 2 Cups Beef Stock, 1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano, 2 teaspoons Ground Cumin, 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt, 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper, 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika, 2 Tablespoons Chili Powder, 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce, 1 Tablespoon Garlic
- Turn the instant pot to chili (if you don't have a "chili" setting, use the "manual" setting) and cook for 18-20 minutes (see note). Allow pressure to release for 10-15 minutes or quick release with the vent.
- Serve with limes, sour cream, cheese, and a little bacon!Sour Cream, Cilantro, Cheese, Lime
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ive attempted this twice. The first time was exactly as written. Of course I got the burn notice. So I emptied the pot cleaned re-attempted. Yep burn notice. Did that twice, same results. Ate some uncooked chili. Second attempt cleaned the pot after cooking meat. Threw everything back in…burn notice. Emptied cleaned, repeat times 3…and yep, burn notice. Rage and threw it away.
lol I don’t think i could have thrown my food away. If I was desperate I would have just put on the saute function and cooked it. I mean its not as fast os using the pressure cooker, but its better than wasting ingredents. plus the flavor would have been the same.
I was afaid of burn notice so I just put tomato products on top. It came to pressure and is counting down right now.
I made this with my 2, 4 and 6 year old kids tonight and it was brilliantly easy! We added a cup of chopped carrots and stirred in a cup of frozen corn once it was done cooking… I probably added extra broth but my son was pouring so who knows 😂 I decided to cook brown rice (in the rice cooker) at the same time and was really glad as the chili was a bit liquidy. It was AMAZING over rice!!! Most of us put shredded cheese on top but my 4 year old chef ate his pure and asked for seconds. Super yummy recipe and lots of leftovers. Thank you!
I love it! Thanks Jillian! I love the addition of the carrots! I’m going to have to try that!
Would I need to make any changes to the amount of liquid or the cook time, if I use dried beans instead of canned?
If you use dried beans, they will need to be soaked overnight and cooked completely before adding them into this recipe.
I had my husband cook the ground meat (used venison) in a skillet while I cooked bacon & veggies in the IP. Just to save time. I removed the bacon, but left the grease in there. Sautéed the veggies in it, and the liquid from the veggies deglazed the browned bits. So, maybe others getting a burn notice have lots of browned bits on the bottom of the pot? Just a thought. I mixed everything, but just dumped the tomatoes and paste on top…didn’t mix those up. I didn’t have a problem! I have the LUX version. No chili button on mine, so just used manual at 18 min. Great recipe!
Thank you for the feedback Patty! It is so hit or miss for everyone. We are working on a section to address the whole BURN message thing. Your feedback is so appreciated! Xoxo!
This is some of the best chili I have ever had in my entire life! My family loved it so much that my plan to have leftovers never came to fruition, haha.
I have one of the newer Instant Pots and also got the BURN message. Rather than take everything out of the pot and washing it as suggested by so many sites, I just went in there with a spoon (after turning it off) gave the bottom a good scrub and added a bit more broth. These newer pots apparently don’t like tomatoes very much so now I add the tomato products on top of everything else.
Thank you for the great info Maribel! No leftover is both a blessing and a curse! Haha!
Absolutely fantastic flavor!! Thank you!
Thank you Kathy!!
Can someone please help me with the burn issue? This is the second time I’ve tried making this recipe and it burns every time. I even cooked the bacon, beef, and veggies in a separate pan so the instant pot was 100% clean with nothing on the bottom. I even added extra beef stock. I never get the burn message for other recipes.
I added the tomato products on top and it came to pressure.
This is the only chili I will make anymore, since I discovered and fell in love with it six months ago. I am participating in the Whole30 this month, and decided to give a Whole30 specific chili recipe a try. Umm, I’m forever changed and that just won’t do, apparently! So tonight, I made homemade Worcestershire sauce and swapped out the beans for extra peppers, celery and jicama. And guess what – it’s still DELICIOUS! Bravo. You have a true fan over here!
You’ve made my day, Angela! Way to be creative and make it Whole30 approved! Xoxo!
Ok… so I always get upset with people who don’t give rave reviews about a recipe when they tweak it. But I am tweaking it tonight. I’m a Nurse at the VA in surgery and always cook a home cooked meal for my call crew (usually 4 people- but at least 10 people randomly show up when they know I’ve cooked something). I read nothing but positive things about this recipe! And for that purpose, I am attempting to double the recipe, using my instant pot not for an immediate dish… but to use the sauté mode for the bacon, veggies, and meat and then use as a slow cooker all night. I have an 8 qt. I followed this recipe EXACTLY with double ingredients, but after cooking the meat and veggies -and straining the fat off, deglazed the brown bits off of the bottom of the instant pot with 1 TB balsamic vinegar and a wooden spoon. Then I added all of the ingredients with the deglazed bits/balsamic vingegar. The instant pot is on low to simmer all night as a crock pot! You can easily double this recipe if you don’t use the pressure cook mode.
It hasn’t been cooking for even 10 minutes and it smells amazing! And I have zero pans to clean yet! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I can’t wait to serve it to my Veterans tomorrow night!
Yahoo!! How did it go tonight? Thank you so much for the feedback! It will be so helpful to our other readers!
I made this for dinner tonight, it was SOOO good! I had it with cheese, sour cream and some Fritos. My husband and sons had seconds! Will definately make this again.
Yessssss! Love to hear it! Thank you Jen!