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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.
This is my favorite chili recipe and My time finally came last year and work had a chili cookoff. so I knew what I was going to make.
I usually add some custome blend spices that have ghost pepper, I still did that but much less so it was just a littel on the spicey side
the day comes and I make everything in the pot the night before, and plan to pressure cook it the morning of. I set it up set it to 20 minutes and went back to work.
I got a burn error… of course because the cold refrigerated ingredients were too thick… so it heated up but it never pressure cooked. and it was too late the cook off was starting when I realized what had happened.
I won second place. Second place on a chili that never had a chance to cook together and form the flavor profile that provides. I think that says a lot about this recipe.
Our chili cook off is next week again, and I think with it being cooked this year Ill get my first place.
Brandi! Oh man, that’s a bummer but what a good learning experience! That is a great tip though about the refrigerated ingredients being too thick. Good luck this year! You’ll have to let us know how it turns out!
Won 2nd place in a highly competitive chili cookoff with this recipe! It tasted great! People were raving about it. I’ll definitely be using this recipe again. 🙂
Yes, love to hear this Ellie!! Congratulations!
Hi! I’m new to the Instant Pot (literally made my first meal in it yesterday lol) and I’m still unsure how the cook times work–is the 18 to 20 minutes in addition to the time it takes the pot to heat up and come to pressure? Or is that time including the preheating? Thank you!! Excited to try this!
Hi Em! You set the Instant Pot to 18 to 20 minutes, so that will be in addition to the time it takes to come to pressure. I hope this helps!
My go to chili recipe. It is always a hit with family and friends.
Yay! Thank you Kait!
WOW! This is the best chili recipe I’ve ever had. (Shhh! Don’t tell my mother!) How can it be so quick and easy and taste so good? Now, I had to adapt a bit. I live in Tokyo. Cured bacon isn’t readily available here, and it’s nearly $30/lb at the few stores that import it. Fire-roasted diced tomatoes are not to be had, only unseasoned. So I nearly tripled the smoked paprika to get more flavor. I couldn’t get pinto beans, either—that substitution was chickpeas. (I know, I know. But when you live overseas, you sometimes have to punt.) Still tasted fantastic, and I can’t wait to share it! Thanks for this recipe and your effort to perfect it. Once I move back to the US, I’ll follow it to the letter. LOL!
I love all your adaptations!! Thank you so much for the feedback! And ps…chickpeas is a great substitute for pinto beans! I might use them for a substitute the next time I make this chili now that you mention it! Yummm!
We’ve been making this recipe for years now. I already had a soft spot for it because it’s one of the only dinners my picky 5-year-old reliably eats. It was also the last meal I ate before my youngest was born and it carried me through labor! Anyway, today we made the chili for our church chili cookoff and took home first place. Another medal for this recipe’s hall of fame! Thank you for sharing it with us!
You’ve made my day Jenna! Thank you so much for the support!
If I were to double this should I cook twice as long? Please give me advice😊
Hi Starlin! Nope, no need to cook longer. If you are using an Instant Pot, be sure it’s an 8 qt pot or doubling the recipe won’t quite fit. Enjoy!
I just doubled in my 8qt and it’s about 1/4 of an inch from the line. Fits literally perfectly 🙂
Thank you so much for the feedback Brandi!
This was excellent. Thank you.
Yay! Thank you!
Excellent chilli! However it did turn out as a chilli soup to start. I read comments before and was cautious to drain the beans completely so I’m not sure where the extra water came from. Next time I will just half the beef stock.
Thanks for the recipe!
Hey George! That’s interesting! Did you add the tomato paste? The tomato paste is the real thickener for this recipe. You could even add a little more tomato paste if you want. I’m glad you enjoyed it still!
Please consider your readers with the amount of ads you post. The amount of Walmart, online gambling and allergy medicine ads I had to get through isn’t worth trying to make this recipe. I understand you have to make money but after three times of accidentally clicking on an add it pop up banner I gave up on the recipe. As someone who does marketing, you have other options that don’t frustrate people to the point of wanting to leave a review and disregard the recipe.
I’m surprised you don’t just use an adblocker. A fairly simple, frustration-free option that likely would have taken less time to install on your device than writing this post. If you hadn’t written a complaint post, I’d never even known there were any ads or pop-ups. I only see the recipe.
Thank you for the support Bella!
Thank you for your feedback! My ad partner is Raptive, and they care about reader experience and would value hearing from you. Please go here (https://raptive.formstack.com/forms/reader_feedback_form_06) to fill out a quick one-question survey.
This is the absolute best chili I’ve ever had in my life. My entire family loves it and requests it often. My daughter, who hates chili, can’t get enough of this. To the readers that said it was too liquidy…did you add enough tomato paste? The first time I made this, I forgot the tomato paste all together and it was still a super delicious soup. The paste definitely thickens it up! Anyway, thank you for this recipe! It’s phenomenal!!
Thank you so much Heidi!! Your feedback means the world to us!