With umami enhancing ingredients, this hearty beef & bean Instant Pot chili hits all the right notes. Easy enough for busy nights, rich & flavorful enough to win any chili cook off- this is the best chili recipe you’ll want to keep on hand!
I have never, and will never, turn down a good bowl of chili.
Chili is quintessential comfort food in our house. There’s literally never a right or wrong time to serve it- chili is always a welcome addition to the menu.
That being said, not all chilis are the same or equal.
Take this chili for example, it cooks in a pressure cooker. Meaning you can throw it together and have it hot & ready in 30 minutes, but it will taste like it simmered on the stove top for hours.
Pretty dang convenient when you’re short on time, but don’t want to sacrifice deep developed flavors.
Speaking of flavors, this chili at first glance may also seem like a typical chili. It’s got meat, beans, tomatoes- all the traditional staples, but this Instant Pot chili doesn’t stop there.
Nope, this one includes some unique ingredients that give it UMAMI.
Why Add Umami Flavor To Chili?
The non traditional ingredients add ‘umami’ another flavor of our palette that often goes un-catered to.
They enhance and deepen the flavors or meat.
This is especially good when preparing a hearty chili. You want those flavors to deepen, to have a chance to develop so that they ready stand out.
Adding ingredients that enhance umami will really make your chili stand out. Trust me on this.
Want to win your next chili cookoff? This Instant Pot chili is the recipe to submit for the contest!
Ingredients
- Ground Beef – Lean ground beef is best.
- Aromatics – You’ll need a diced yellow onion and minced garlic. You can use freshly minced or the jarred variety.
- Canned Tomatoes – Both crushed & diced tomatoes, and a can of tomato paste.
- Beans – We recommend dark red kidney beans, although light red will also work. You can sub pinto beans, if needed.
- Seasonings – A blend of chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt & pepper.
- Jalapeno – Diced, you can leave the seeds in or out depending on if you want a more mild or spicier chili.
- Sugar – A small amount of brown sugar helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes and create a smoother flavor.
- Stock – Chicken stock or broth gives this chili it’s liquid base. If you don’t have chicken stock you can use water.
- Umami Ingredients – Fish sauce, soy sauce, and cocoa powder all serve to enhance the chili’s umami flavor profile.
While not the traditional ingredient list for a chili, trust the list and you’re well on the way to one of the best chili’s you’ve ever tasted.
How To Make
While the ingredient list may be a bit different than you’re used to, preparing this Instant Pot chili is pretty much the same as any other version.
To start, press the saute button on your Instant Pot. When it says HOT, add the ground beef to the pot.
Cook the ground beef, stirring and breaking it up as it cooks, until it’s completely browned & crumbled. Strain off any excess grease, then return the liner to the IP.
Stir the diced onion & minced garlic into the meat, continuing to cook until the onion has just begun to soften. This will only take a minute or two max.
While the onion an garlic are cooking, get out a mixing bowl.
To the bowl add the chicken stock, fish sauce, soy sauce, tomato paste, and cocoa powder. Whisk them all together until evenly combined.
Pour this stock mixture into the hot pot, and using a sturdy wooden spoon deglaze the bottom of the pot scraping up any stuck on browned bits.
Make sure to completely deglaze the bottom of the liner. Those stuck on bits are little flavor morsels, but if not dislodged they will cause a burn notice when cooking.
Hit the cancel button to turn off saute mode.
Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, and stir together just until combined.
Close the lid, and set the vent valve to the sealed position.
Pressure cook on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes. When done, let the pot sit for 20 minutes while the pressure naturally releases.
Carefully & quickly turn the vent valve to release any remaining trapped steam in a quick release.
Open the lid, and set it aside.
Give the hot chili a stir and ladle it into bowls.
Serve with your favorite toppings & enjoy a chili that truly hits all the right notes!
If the chili isn’t thick enough for your liking after cooking, turn the pot onto sauté mode again and cook stirring often until the liquid’s reduced to your liking.
Topping Ideas
No matter how much we love this Instant Pot chili recipe, and it is good y’all, no bowl of chili is complete without a bevvy of toppings.
Some of our favorites include:
- Shredded Cheese
- Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt
- Thinly Sliced Green Onion or Diced Jalapenos
- Sliced Avocado
- Corn Chips or Tortilla Chips
- Crumbled Corn Bread
- Diced Onions, red or white
- Oyster or Saltine Crackers
- Tater Tots (don’t knock it til ya tried it!)
Most importantly, make your bowl of chili your own. Mix & match your favorite toppings!
Storing
Store leftover chili in an airtight container, or ziplocking bag, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
When ready to enjoy again, you can heat leftovers on the stove top or in the microwave.
Can Instant Pot Chili Be Frozen?
Yes! This chili recipe freezes beautifully.
You can make it ahead of time with the intention of freezing for an easy meal on a busy evening later on, or you can freeze the leftovers after dinner.
Freeze in gallon sized ziplocking bags, squeezing excess air out as you seal.
When ready to enjoy, defrost and then heat in a pot on the stove.
Alternatively you could add the chili to a slow cooker and heat on low, just until heated through.
Can This Be Made In The Slow Cooker?
If you don’t have an instant pot, you can still enjoy this delicious chili with a little help from your slow cooker.
Sautee the beef, onion, and garlic in a large skillet on the stove top, cooking as instructed.
When done and the grease is strained off, transfer the meat mixture to the bowl of your slow cooker.
Add all of the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker, stirring them together to evenly combine.
Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours.
Stir and serve!
How To Best Use Leftover Chili
Our go to method is to ladle it into sturdy bowls and top with our favorite toppings, but what to do with all those leftovers?
I realize not everyone can crush this entire chili recipe in under 24 hours like my husband and I can.
Probably not something to be particularly proud of, but it is that good.
In that case, try one of these:
- Over hot dogs
- On top of crispy french fries or hash browns
- Over baked potatoes
- Over cooked pasta
- With tortilla chips for nachos
My Chili Always Ends Up Tasting Too Sweet, Help!
Some people find the taste of chili too sweet, usually due to the caramelization of the sugars in the tomatoes.
If you’re one of those people, add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar into the chili mixture before cooking.
It will naturally counteract the sugars.
TIPS & TRICKS
- Can substitute ground turkey for ground beef. Want to be fancier? Brown bone-in beef short ribs instead of the ground beef. Just remove the bones & shred the meat before serving.
- Wanting to get more veggies in? Carrots and green peppers both make yummy additions to this recipe.
- Recipe was tested in and recommended for an 8 quart Instant Pot. Can also be made in a 10 quart.
Other Hearty Chili Recipes
Instant Pot chili is a savory beef & bean chili with a couple secret ingredients that really enhance every flavor note.
This recipe is always a hit, and with minimal effort thanks to the convenience of a pressure cooker!
Looking for other savory beef & bean based chili recipes to try? Try one of these:
If you’ve tried this INSTANT POT CHILI, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Instant Pot Chili
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 - 2 lbs lean ground beef
- 1 yellow onion diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 2 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes undrained
- 4 15 oz cans dark red kidney beans drained & rinsed
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 jalapeno seeded & diced
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 2 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
- Turn your pot on to saute mode and when it says HOT, add the ground beef to the pot. Let the beef cook, stirring and breaking up as it does, until it's completely crumbled and browned all the way through. Strain off excess grease.
- Add the onion and garlic to the meat mixture, and let it saute for another 2-3 minutes- just until the onions have softened.
- To a medium mixing bowl add the stock, fish sauce, soy sauce, tomato paste, and cocoa powder. Whisk together until evenly combined. Pour into the pot, and using a sturdy wooden spoon scrape the bottom as need to deglaze. Turn off/cancel saute mode.
- Add the tomatoes, beans, jalapeno, and seasonings to the pot and stir together to evenly combine.
- Add the lid, turning to close, and set the vent valve to the sealed position. Pressure cook on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes.
- Let the mixture sit when done until the pressure has naturally released, about 20 minutes. Carefully open the vent valve to release any remaining steam.
- Open the lid carefully, and stir the hot chili.
- Ladle into bowls, and serve with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Can substitute ground turkey for ground beef. Want to be fancier? Brown bone-in beef short ribs instead of the ground beef. Just remove the bones & shred the meat before serving.
- Wanting to get more veggies in? Carrots and green peppers both make yummy additions to this recipe.
- Recipe was tested in and recommended for an 8 quart Instant Pot. Can also be made in a 10 quart.
Nutrition
recipe adapted from Amy & Jacky
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