5-Ingredient Instant Pot Chili with Ground Beef
Quick pressure cooker chili made with soaked kidney beans, ground beef, chili powder, beef broth, and salsa. Minimal ingredients deliver robust flavor in under an hour with the Instant Pot. Top with cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions, jalapeños, and hot sauce to taste.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry kidney beans, sorted, rinsed, soaked
- 2 pounds ground beef, preferably 70/30 lean-to-fat ratio
- ¼ cup chili powder
- 4 cups beef or chicken broth, store-bought, not low sodium
- 32 ounces salsa, mild, medium, or hot
- shredded cheddar cheese(optional)
- sour cream(optional)
- minced green onions(optional)
- diced red onion(optional)
- pickled jalapeños(optional)
- hot sauce(optional)
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt, for soaking and pressure cooking
Instructions
- 1
Sort kidney beans, discard stones and broken beans. Rinse thoroughly.
- 2
Soak beans overnight or use quick soak method: cover with 8 cups water, add salt, soak at least 8 hours. Drain soaking liquid.
- 3
Add drained beans and 8 cups fresh water to Instant Pot with salt. Pressure cook on high for 1 minute, then quick release. Let beans soak in pot for 30 minutes. Drain and discard liquid.
- 4
Switch Instant Pot to sauté mode on high heat. Add ground beef, cook and break apart until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- 5
Sprinkle chili powder over beef, stir to coat evenly. Cook for 1 minute to toast.
- 6
Pour in broth, scrape pot bottom to release browned bits. Stir in drained beans and salsa.
- 7
Lock lid. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes (Instant Pot) or 12 minutes (stovetop pressure cooker). Quick release pressure.
- 8
Carefully remove lid away from body. Ladle into bowls and top as desired.
Tips
Use broth that is not low sodium for better seasoning.
Quick release pressure by moving the valve away from body to avoid steam burns.
Toasting chili powder in fat releases its oils and deepens flavor.
Good to Know
Refrigerate in airtight container up to 4 days. Freezes up to 3 months.
Prepare through bean soaking step up to 2 days ahead. Chili tastes better after flavors meld overnight in refrigerator.
Top each bowl with shredded cheddar, sour cream, green onions, jalapeños, and hot sauce.
Common Mistakes
Use low-sodium broth to avoid oversalting the chili
Skip draining the beans between pressure cooking steps to prevent mushy texture
Open pressure cooker lid toward yourself, risking steam burns