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When we need a fast dinner that everyone will actually eat, this Instant Pot ground beef recipe is always the answer. It turns simple pantry ingredients—ground beef, rice, beans, salsa—into hearty burrito bowls that taste like takeout but cost way less.
The best part? Besides being done in about 10 minutes, everything cooks right in the Instant Pot for minimal dishes and maximum flavor. Add your favorite toppings and let everyone customize their bowl for a weeknight meal that’s equal parts easy and satisfying.
Table of Contents
- Quick and Easy Dinners
- Ingredients for Ground Beef Burrito Bowls
- How Do I Make Instant Pot Ground Beef Burrito Bowls?
- What Toppings Should I Put on My Burrito Bowl?
- Burrito Bowls FAQs
- Storing and Reheating
- More Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas:
- How to Make Quick and Easy Instant Pot Burrito Bowls
- Ground Beef Burrito Bowls Recipe
Family dinner ideas that are quick and easy are something that I am always on the hunt for! The flavor of this is fantastic but my very favorite part, aside from the fact that you can add in or substitute anything you want, it’s done in 10 minutes! Do you hear that?! DINNER IN TEN MINUTES!
Quick and Easy Dinners
Life is so busy especially with three kids who are all in completely different stages of life. We are constantly on the go. We need meals that are healthy, quick, and kid friendly. Some of our favorites are 20 Minute Cheesy Pesto Pasta, 20 Minute Cherry Tomato Basil Angel Hair Pasta, 15 Minute Chicken Stir Fry, 15 Minute Pesto Pasta, and 15 Minute Beef Stir Fry.
These Instant Pot Quick and Easy Ground Beef Burrito Bowls are being added to that list. They are so flavorful and my kids love them! They can put whatever toppings they want on their own bowl. It not only allows them to be creative in the kitchen, but they are also more likely to eat something they have helped cook.
Ingredients for Ground Beef Burrito Bowls
I always like to include a quick list of ingredients so our readers can get a glimpse of everything they will need ahead of time.
- Ground Beef: Provides rich flavor and hearty protein; the slightly higher fat content adds juiciness and prevents the beef from drying out during pressure cooking.
- Olive Oil: Helps sauté the onions and brown the beef evenly while adding a touch of richness to the base of the bowls.
- Onion: Builds savory depth and sweetness that enhances the taco seasoning and balances the spices.
- Taco Seasoning: Layers in bold, Tex-Mex flavor with chili powder, cumin, and aromatics—instantly giving the dish that classic burrito bowl taste.
- Rice: Cooks directly in the broth to absorb flavor while adding bulk and heartiness—turning this into a complete meal, not just a topping.
- Black Beans: Add creamy texture, plant-based protein, and extra fiber to make the bowls more filling and nutritionally balanced.
- Tomatoes with Diced Green Chiles: Bring smoky depth, mild heat, and acidity that brighten the dish and prevent it from tasting heavy or one-note.
- Frozen Corn: Adds pops of sweetness and color while contrasting the textures of the beef and rice.
- Beef Broth: Infuses the rice with savory flavor as it cooks and keeps the beef mixture moist without watering it down.
- Colby Jack Cheese: Melts smoothly over the hot bowl, adding creamy richness and tying all the flavors together with just the right amount of indulgence.
How Do I Make Instant Pot Ground Beef Burrito Bowls?
- Cook the Ground Beef: Put your instant pot in “sauté” mode and brown your ground beef.
- What Kind of Ground Beef Should I Use? Before you ask, we prefer to use 85/15 ground beef. It has just enough fat to have a deep, delicious flavor but not so much that your dish is greasy.
- Sauté: After ground beef has been browned, add the taco seasoning and diced onions with some olive oil and sauté them until the onions start to soften and the ground beef is cooked through. Then add some olive oil and the uncooked rice.
- PRO TIP: We have found that sauteing the rice for a minute or two gives it such a great flavor.
- Cook: Add the last four ingredients (black beans, canned tomatoes, corn and beef broth) and give everything a good stir with a wooden spoon. Put the lid on your instant pot, lock it and set it to “manual” high pressure for 7 minutes.
read more: Looking for ground beef dinner ideas? Try our Cheesy Ground Beef Casserole, too!
If you are new to the instant pot or you want a concise list of the cook times for all your basic foods, check out our Instant Pot Cheat Sheet!
What Toppings Should I Put on My Burrito Bowl?
You can dish up bowls for everyone and let everyone put the toppings on that they want. It’s like choose your own burrito bowl adventure! We like to sort of make a burrito bowl bar with all the toppings out so everyone can personalize their bowl. The kids go crazy for this! Here are some of our favorite toppings:
- cheese
- tomatoes or pico de gallo
- sour cream
- avocado
- sliced jalapenos (fresh or pickled)
- chopped fresh cilantro
- sliced olives
- tortilla strips
- lime wedges
- creamy cilantro lime dressing
Burrito Bowls FAQs
Now, I know that no one wants to think about getting meat out to defrost, but it really is best to use thawed meat. And just in case you don’t, I tried partially thawed ground beef and it totally worked. NOT frozen, but frozen in the center. Hope my efforts to test help a stressed out mom.
We have had a lot of questions about what instant pot is the best. We still love our 6 Qt 9 Function Instant Pot. It is the perfect size for our family of 5. If you’re feeding more people, you might want to look into the 8qt size. If you’re cooking for one or two people, then the 3qt will be just fine.
When the instant pot has done its thing, you will want to do a quick pressure release. When the pressure has gone down, you can open the lid and give the rice a good fluff. Add the cheese to the top and put the lid back on for a minute or two until the cheese has melted.
Storing and Reheating
Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep for up to 5 days.
We don’t usually end up with many leftovers of this recipe, but I tend to reheat individual servings in the microwave. They make a great lunch the next day!
If your weeknights are as packed as ours, keep this Instant Pot ground beef recipe in your back pocket. It’s budget-friendly, customizable, and great for meal prep lunches or taco night leftovers. Don’t forget to bookmark or pin the recipe so you can whip up these burrito bowls anytime your dinner plans fall apart—we won’t tell.
We recommend topping it with some of our Restaurant Style Salsa too!
More Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas:
- Smothered Honey Lime Chicken Burritos
- Chicken Stir Fry
- Cilantro Lime Chicken Burrito Bowl
- Sizzling Italian Spaghetti
- 20 Minute Tomato Basil Angel Hair Pasta
- Shortcut Chicken Parmesan
- 10 Minute Garlic Butter Chicken
How to Make Quick and Easy Instant Pot Burrito Bowls
Ground Beef Burrito Bowls
Ingredients
Bowls
- 1 Pound Ground Beef, 85/15
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- ½ Onion, yellow, minced
- 2 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning
- 1 Cup Rice, uncooked extra-long grain
- 15 oz Black Beans, drained and rinsed
- 14.5 oz Tomatoes, fire roasted with Diced Green Chiles, diced, drained
- 1 Cup Corn, frozen
- 2 ¼ Cups Beef Broth
- 1 Cup Colby Jack Cheese, shredded
Toppings
- Cheese
- Tomatoes, chopped
- Avocado, chopped
- Sour Cream
- Jalapeno, sliced
Instructions
- Press the Sauté button on the Instant Pot.
- Once hot, add ground beef to the pot, using a ground beef chopper to break up the meat.1 Pound Ground Beef
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the onions and taco seasoning and cook until onions start to soften.3 Tablespoons Olive Oil, ½ Onion, 2 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning
- Add an additional tablespoon of olive oil and uncooked rice and toast uncooked rice for a minute.3 Tablespoons Olive Oil, 1 Cup Rice
- Stir in black beans, canned tomatoes, corn, and broth.15 oz Black Beans, 14.5 oz Tomatoes, 1 Cup Corn, 2 ¼ Cups Beef Broth
- Lock the Instant Pot lid in place and set to Manual, High Pressure for 7 minutes.
- Use Quick Pressure Release, and once pressure drops, open Instant Pot and fluff the rice.
- Sprinkle with the cheese, recover and let set for 1-2 minutes to melt cheese.1 Cup Colby Jack Cheese
- Garnish with fresh tomatoes, sour cream etc.Cheese, Tomatoes, Avocado, Sour Cream, Jalapeno
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
No matter what I did, it kept burning. I tried 5 times. I even emptied the pot, scrubbed the bottom and put it back in to start from scratch. I added more liquid. It came to a boil but still stuck to the bottom and burned. Any idea what I did wrong?
We are finding that certain Instant Pots are more sensitive than other to the burn notice. I’m so sorry for the frustration!
I tried this tonight after having luck with my new instant pot. This was my first fail. I followed all of the instructions, but as soon as my meat hit the pot, I knew it was going to burn. I set the pot to saute and “more”, like instructed and it burned the CRAP out of my meat and rice. I didn’t even put the lid back on and cook it as instructed, I tried stirring it to keep it from burning, but no luck. This recipe looked really good and I’m pretty disappointed.
Absolutely delicious and super easy prep
Thank you so much!!
Very first recipe I’ve ever made in my instant pot! Such a hit in our family. Thank you for the great recipe!
Yahoo!! Love to hear this!! So glad you and your family enjoyed it!!
This is my first recipe in the instant pot and I keep getting the ‘burn food’ message 😭 what am I doing wrong!!!??
First time it happened I emptied everything into a bowl, ‘deglazed’ the bottom (had to google that term), added about a cup more broth, put ingredients back In and started over. After 10 minutes in ‘pre heat’ mode – I got the ‘burn food’ message again
Oh man…that horrible burn message! I haven’t ever had it happen with this recipe, so I’m not sure what might be happening. I’ve heard of some people stirring everything together except the tomatoes and just pouring the tomatoes on top. That might help. I’m so sorry!
I also keep getting the “food burn” warning. I took the lid off, stirred up the bits stuck to the bottom, and am not just cooking on “slow cook” for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. This should be enough to cook the rice, and meld all of the flavors…. I hope.
OMG !! This is very good flavor exactly like store or Mexican Restaurant meal !! I’ve been making like Mexican flavor meal for long time. But always flavor is not quite right like pro made. Even same ingredients recipe. I think amount of every spice combination are well balanced this recipe.
Thank you so much. Definitely keep as one of my favorite recipe !!
Yay! Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed it!
Just wondering if you rinsed the rice before adding to thcIP for toasting?
I don’t usually, but you definitely can!
I don’t have an instant pot, can this be done in a skillet pan?
Absolutely! Just saute the beef on the stove top and then the onions. Follow all the rest of the instructions and then cook on the stove for about 25 minutes on medium/low heat.
These look delicious!
Thank you!!
I see where it references adding “an additional tablespoon of olive oil” in step 4, but no reference to the first two. Where are the first two added?
Oopsies! Those other 2 tablespoons should go in with the onions in step 3. Thank you for letting us know! I’ll go in and fix that now.
Would this work with long-grain brown rice? Would it require extra cooking time?
Hi Aimee! Great question! Yes, it will definitely work. Add an additional 1/2 cup of broth and cook for 25 minutes. Enjoy!