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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.
Hi I’m new to instapot. What does it mean when you say “allow pressure to release for 10-15 minutes”? Does that mean to turn the knob on top one way or the other?
Ok, so instead of turning the pressure valve you leave it on seal when it’s done cooking and it naturally, slowly releases pressure.
Then after 10-15 min you turn it.
Natural release means leave the knob sealed. After 10-15 min turn to vent
Hi, the serving size says one bowl. Is that one cup serving size or something else? This is our 2d time making this. It really is delicious.
Thanks Trish! Yes, about 1 cup serving size.
Great recipe. I read the comments before cooking so I was able to adjust as needed. I used a 6qt LUX pot.
I increased the bacon a couple slices only because I love bacon. Didnt have any issues during sauté. Veggies came out perfect. I also increased the beef because I didn’t want to waste any. Used 2.25lbs. Worked just fine. I like to season throughout the cooking process so I added salt and pepper to both the onions/bell pepper and ground beef above what the recipe calls for. For the spices I added 1.5tsp of cayenne pepper for spice, 1.5 tbsp of granulated garlic, and 1/2 tsp of red pepper flake. This brought the heat level up, but didn’t over power the dish. After I got the top on I used manual for 18min. It filled the house with an amazing chili smell. Ate with cheese,sour cream, and cilantro. Simple amazing!!! Thanks for a great dish.
Sounds delicious! So glad you enjoyed it Brian!
Made this for the second time tonight. EXCELLENT recipe! the family loved it.
Info for the folks that have problems with Burn message. The first time I made this I followed the instructions as written and got a burn message just after reaching pressure. I have two IP so I released pressure and carefully emptied the contents into a clean pot and restarted. Again just after coming to pressure burn message again. I just simmered on saute for 10-15 minutes and it turned out ok.
This time I followed the instructions EXCEPT I didn’t add the tomato paste until after pressure cooking was complete. I let the pressure natural release for 5 minutes then quick released the pressure. Added the tomato paste and simmered on saute mode low for about 10 minutes. No burn messages this time. Turned out wonderful.
I followed the recipe as written with one exception, in place of the jalapeno I put a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce into a mini food processor and processed until everything was chopped and added 3 or 4 Tbls , maybe a little more 🙂 . It added spice and a nice smokey flavor. Careful if you don’t like heat, chipotles (smoked jalapenos) can be quite spicy.
Thanks for the feedback on the burn message! I love the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce addition! I’ll have to try that next time!
Oh my goodness. My husband and I just finished our bowl and needed to post a comment because WOW! I’ll spell it for you backwards too…WOW! We made it with a tweek here and there because we were missing some ingredients and did it with homemade Worcestershire sauce…..SO GOOD! It is safe to say we will be using this for the chilli cook off this year.
Thank you!
Hahaha! I love this Crystal! Thank you!
I am trying this recipe for the first time tonight, but I have a question. I have a large family so without a doubt, I will need to double everything and we may have a little left over (I’m hoping)! I’m still new to IP cooking. With that said, does the cooking time remain the same (18 minutes) or should I add time for twice the amount of ingredients?
Cooking time will stay the same but we’ve had mixed reviews on a double batch fitting in the IP. You may want to consider cooking it stove top or in two separate batches.
You’re right. It doesn’t quite fit into a 6 qt. but I think if I had an 8 qt. it would. I went ahead and mixed up a double batch then took some out and set aside, which actually worked out perfect as my husband likes it spicier than the rest of the house, so I spiced his chili up with some red pepper flakes! I have a hard time getting all of my children to eat one meal, but loved this recipe! My 4 year old specifically told me that she does not eat chili, as she was watching me make it. I told her this was a different recipe than I normally make and she was at least going to try it. We topped it with sour cream and cheese and my 4 year old ate 2 bowls!
Now that is a reason to celebrate!! Any time the whole family likes a meal it is like a PARTY!! You’ve made my day Tanzi!!
for 30 minutes prep and 20 minutes cook time…NOT bad. I felt it was lacking in intense flavor I find in chili, I need to add more spice but not heat. Do not cook over 20 minutes or so, beans become to soft
Thanks Carl!
Made this tonight—4th thing I’ve made in the Instant Pot (still a novice). I followed the recipe exactly and it came out AWESOME!!! I’m replacing my old chili recipe with this—so much better! I had no issues with burning like other reviewers. I used the 8 qt pot and didn’t change a thing. Thanks for the great recipe!!!
Love to hear it Megan!! Your feedback is so valuable! So glad you enjoyed it!
Instant Pot success! I’m pretty new to the IP world and this is the first chili recipe I’ve tried. It is now filed away as the only one I need! I also used 2 pounds of beef, because I didn’t feel like splitting it up. I added a hair more stock because I was afraid of some of the other comments warning of burning or not enough liquid. In the end, I dont think it was needed. I also didn’t realize until it was too late that I didn’t have enough cumin and paprika on hand. I just used what I had and it was still delicious. Cant wait to see what it tastes like when I use the right amounts!!
I used an Instant Pot brand 6qt LUX. Cooked on manual set for 18 minutes. Saved the tomatoes and paste for the top and didn’t stir it in. No burn notice. 😊
Thank you for the feedback Meagan!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! The Instant Pot really works wonders!
I was going to complain about the absence of a ‘Jump to Recipe’ button, but the chili was so good, I’m no longer annoyed. ;-)) Awesome, you two; I stayed pretty true to your recipe adding only another half pound of meat, a second pepper, mushrooms, and 1 tsp. of Chipotle Chili Powder for a smokier flavour and a little heat. I did not add the Jalapeno or the bacon. Trying to limit my red meat intake, so I’ll try it with ground turkey next time. Many years ago I was part of a chili cook-off team, so I’ve made, and eaten a lot of chili; this one is up there with the best I’ve ever had.
Thank you Craig! We have a turkey version of this recipe too: https://ohsweetbasil.com/award-winning-healthy-turkey-instant-pot-chili-recipe/
We go back and forth on the “jump to recipe” button all the time! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! You’ll have to let us know what you think about the turkey version when you make it.