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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.
Agree with Melody, these ads are a nightmare. 5 star for the recipe, 1 for the website experience.
We’ve used this recipe before and today I came to the website to view the recipe on my phone. Nearly a third of the screen on mobile is covered with ads, there’s an ad between EVERY instruction, and if I scroll too fast the website fails on me and I have to restart from the beginning – even on the latest and greatest iPhone 16. And yes, I use the “skip to recipe” button.
While I am not against ad revenue, especially on a food/recipe blog, this is not a good experience.
Hi Devon! I’m so sorry for the frustration and I appreciate your feedback! There is a convenient button at the beginning of every post to “Jump to Recipe” which will take you straight the recipe card. If you click “Print” there, it will open a new window that is ad free. I know it can be very frustrating, especially on mobile.
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.
Have you actually tried this yourself? Clicking the “print” button reduces the recipe down to text but is far from ad free.
This should be enough feedback to know Raptive is not doing you any favors and destroying the experience on your site.
Hi Devon! I actually went and tried it this morning and saw all the ads on the print screen. It didn’t used to be that way. I appreciate your feedback and will see how we can improve reader experience!
Agree with ads being a nightmare, page is failing constantly, jump to recipe isn’t working, I started over 500 times in hopes of getting to the recipe. Very frustrating. Love the recipe but was frustrating to get too.
Hi Cindy! So sorry for the frustration! 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 to fill out a quick one-question survey (https://raptive.formstack.com/forms/reader_feedback_form_06).
Best chili ever! My mom refuses to make chili now that she has tried this one. Have been making it for 4 years now! Thank you!
Also, for the nutritional information, what is serving size “1bowl” in grams, ml or whatever measurement you used?
Hey Chantel! I’m so glad you love this recipe! One serving is about 1 cup, maybe a little more.
Made this chili last night. Didn’t put in the bacon, pepper or jalapeno as I didn’t have them on hand. Used 2 lb ground beef, I always half the salt, used a can of Italian diced tomatoes and a can of Rotel, added in some celery and chopped up (very fine) mushrooms as I’m trying to incorporate more veggies for my son. Very good, spicy, but not too spicy. Will definitely make again. Thank you!
Yay! Love to hear this! Thanks Kristine!
I have been making this chili recipe for a year now and it truly is the best. I did all the steps except I like to cook mine in the crockpot, so I sauté the ingredients in the beginning on the stove, then transfer to the crockpot and cook on low for about eight hours. the flavor is phenomenal. I get so many compliments. Thank you for sharing the recipe
Yay! Thank you so much Amanda! I also love making this recipe in the crockpot! Thank you so much for taking time to leave a comment!
The ads are actually a nightmare to navigate. I shouldn’t have to install extra software on my phone just to read about chili.
Hey Melody! So sorry for the frustration! Thank you for your feedback! There is a convenient button at the beginning of every post to “Jump to Recipe” which will taken you straight the recipe card. If you click “Print” there, it will open a new window that is ad free.
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.
They weren’t an issue for me at all. I just clicked on the jump to recipe button and off I went. This was delicious. I wouldn’t change a thing!
I might already have commented on this chili, but I made it again last week and it is reliably crazy good. The only change I made is to add sausage. This is a lifetime keeper recipe. Thanks.
Love to hear this!! Thank you Dean!
I have used this recipe for over 6 years now. While I have always used canned beans, I am wondering if it would be OK for me to use dried beans that you cook on the stove?
Hi Brooke! Dried beans work great in this recipe! You have a couple of options. You could soak and then cook the beans beforehand can then follow the recipe as written. The other option is to add the dried beans to the recipe and increase the cooking time…probably 30-35 minutes on the instant pot. Enjoy!
Love this recipe!! I’m going to use it for my office chili cookoff! Hope it wins, but even if it’s doesn’t, it’s a winner in my book! Quick question though: can I cook it the night before in the Instant Pot and just let is simmer overnight? Or would you recommend waking up early to cook in the morning the day-of? I plan to bring the whole Instant Pot into work that day.
Hi Angela! I would make it the day before and store it in the refrigerator overnight. Then reheat it in the instant pot just on the “Keep Warm” setting. It will just need 20-30 minutes to heat through. Hope you win your chili cook off!!
I made this recipe for my son’s swim meet chili cook off, WON 1st place. Only addition was 2 TBS of brown sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon!
Yay! Congrats Megan! I’m so glad this recipe was a hit!
I made this 3 days ago. I subbed ground turkey, and turkey bacon!
It was incredibly delicious. I paired it with a Mexican cornbread recipe I found. My family still can’t stop talking about it!
Success!!
Hello! Yes! We have a healthier turkey version on the blog where we do that exact same thing! It’s so yummy! https://ohsweetbasil.com/award-winning-healthy-turkey-instant-pot-chili-recipe/ So glad you enjoyed it!
Hi, just wanted to say thank you for this awesome recipe!! I made it today and entered it for the chili competition and I took home THE prize. Everyone loved it, I used the crockpot method. Thank you!
We hear this so often and it brings a smile to my face every time! Thank you so much for taking time to leave us a comment and congrats on the victory!!