Does your family have any recipes that were staples in your house growing up? This Instant Pot Chili has been around our family for as long as I can remember.
Every year on Halloween, my mom would whip up a pot of this chili. It would cook all day in the slow cooker and the smell of the chili would fill the entire house.
Don’t have an Instant Pot? Try our Slow Cooker version!
But now, you can make it in the Instant Pot in a matter of minutes.
Even today when I smell chili cooking, it takes me back to my childhood and having a warm, full belly before heading out to go trick-or-treating.
Before we get into the recipe, you’re going to need an Instant Pot! We love the 6 quart Lux or Duo. You can make this in the 8 quart, 6 quart or 3 quart. If you are using the 3 quart, just be sure to half the recipe!
Looking for more Instant Pot soup recipes? Click here for our top 100 Instant Pot Soups, Chilis, and Stew recipes!
TRICKS TO MAKING Instant Pot CHILI
If this is your first time making chili, or any soup for that matter in the Instant Pot, we have a few suggestions to make sure it turns out perfect every single time.
- Brown and Flavor Ground Meats
Cooking the meat before throwing it in the slow cooker may not be the case for all soups, but we’d recommend browning ground beef, turkey, or sausage before tossing it in the Instant Pot.
This not only helps with the flavor of your soup, but it also prevents large chunks of meat from cooking together. You’ll have perfectly ground beef in your chili if you take this step.
We love to brown our meat with onions in this recipe, giving the meat great flavor. Other soups may have you throw in some garlic, spices, or even a packet of taco seasoning.
You can also pre cook your ground beef in the Instant Pot. Watch I how cook 3 pounds of frozen meat HERE
2. Drain and Rinse Your Beans
Avoiding this step could be detrimental to your chili! We’ve listed which cans need to be drained in this recipe, but you can almost always assume that beans in any recipe will be drained and oftentimes rinsed (especially black beans!).
Without draining your beans, your chili will be turn out runny and a little too “soupy” to be considered chili. We know it’s an extra step, but it’s definitely worth it.
3. Add Enough Liquids
While draining some ingredients is important, it’s also important to make sure you have enough liquid in your Instant Pot so it will pressurize.
The best part about this Instant Pot Chili is the delicious flavors that combine together. The liquid from the diced tomatoes, the Worcestershire sauce, and the water should be enough to keep those flavors infusing all day long.
Don’t have an Instant Pot? No problem! You can make our Mom’s Chili in the slow cooker and on the stove top! Get the slow cooker recipe HERE. Watch how to make the stove top recipe HERE.
How to make Instant Pot Chili into a Freezer Meal:
Cook the ground beef and onion and place in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag or other freezer-safe container.
Dump in the remaining ingredients into the bag.
Let the bag cool down (if still hot from the cooked ground beef). Place in the freezer for up to 90 days.
When ready to eat, remove frozen soup from the bag (if it won’t come out, run the bag under hot water so that you can remove/peel off the frozen bag).
Place the frozen soup into your Instant Pot (if it froze in a shape that won’t fit into your Instant Pot, you may need to defrost it for a few minutes or break it into pieces to make it fit).
Add 1/2 cup water or beef broth your Instant Pot.
Place the lid on the top of the Instant Pot. Move the valve to SEALING (not venting).
Press the MANUAL (or PRESSURE COOK) button and set timer for 14 minutes.
When the timer is finished, let the soup do a natural release (this will take about 20 minutes).
Serve and enjoy!
Looking for more freezer meals just like this? Click here for our top 100 Instant Pot Freezer Meals!
Wanting more Chili? Try this Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Chili!
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WHAT TO SERVE WITH Instant Pot CHILI
We love to serve our chili with homemade bread and green salad. Here’s a few we’d suggest:
Watch how to make Instant Pot Chili Here:
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