This is the best (and easiest) Instant Pot Beef Chili ever. It’s packed with flavor and so easy to make… plus it’s a great way to get dinner on the table in 20 minutes. It’s healthy comfort food at it’s best!
This Instant Pot Beef Chili takes me back to my childhood. Seriously, growing up in Hawaii there was a local restaurant chain that served great plate lunches and the best chili – which was served on top of bowl of white rice. This is Hawaiian style. We serve EVERYTHING over white rice.
But since moving to California nearly 20 years ago, I’ve missed my Zippy’s chili. It was so comforting to eat on cold days – and heck, even in warm weather. Garnished with some freshly chopped onions and cheese… yep, I’m drooling now.
As much as I loved that chili, I don’t love all the ingredients in it. I don’t know where the beef is from. I have no idea where the spices or vegetables are sourced. And frankly, I’m always up for the challenge to make a real-food version of my favorite childhood recipes.
So What Makes This Best Instant Pot Beef Chili?
It took some testing, but I came up with a delicious, comforting – and dare I say – best Instant Pot Beef Chili recipe ever. It really comes down to spices and good-quality, grass-fed beef. I also added bone broth – because it’s so nourishing to the gut and I’m always looking for ways to get more bone broth in my diet.
We like to serve this Hawaiian style with white rice, but you can also serve it up with cauliflower rice or even spaghetti squash for low-carb options.
How to Make This Instant Pot Beef Chili – Step By Step
-
Set Instant Pot to saute mode. Add olive/avocado oil, onion, garlic, and beef. Stir for 2-3 minutes.
-
Add Coconut Aminos or soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, oregano and salt. Cook until beef is browned (doesn’t need to be fully cooked).
-
Add tomatoes and juice from can to a blender and pulse until it become tomato sauce. Add to Instant Pot with beef mixture.
-
Close lid and set to Manual high pressure / pressure cooking for 20 minutes. It will take about 8 minutes for the Instant Pot to reach high pressure, then it will cook for 20 minutes.
-
When timer goes off, let sit for 1-2 minutes. Then set to Quick Release to vent steam. Remove lid and add beans.
-
Serve with white rice, Cauliflower Rice, or cooked pasta noodles, and garnish with cheese, onion and sour cream.
An Easy Beef Chili
This instant Pot Beef Chili recipe is so easy to make. First, brown the meat with the saute function, and then add the chopped onions, garlic, apple cider vinegar, and spices. I have two secret ingredients with this recipe. My secret umami ingredient is gluten-free tamari (soy sauce) that gives it that special flavor that’s so yummy. My other secret ingredient is cinnamon (or even pumpkin pie spice). It gives the tomatoes a slightly sweet flavor without any added sugar.
It’s all done in 30 mins, no fuss and little clean up!
Can You Freeze This Chili?
To further extend the shelf life of cooked chili, you can freeze it; freeze in covered airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags. The freezer time shown is for best quality only – cooked chili that has been kept constantly frozen at 0°F will keep safe for at least 5 months.
What to Serve With This Instant Pot Chili
When the beef chili is done and beans are mixed in, add your favorite fixings like a side of rice (Hawaiian style), cornbread, tortilla chips, green onions, sour cream, cilantro, and shredded cheese.
Top Tips for This Instant Pot Chili
- You can use ground turkey or ground chicken instead of beef.
- When you saute the ground beef, you just need it to brown, don’t worry about cooking it through.
- For the canned tomatoes San Marzano tomatoes have the best flavor, and you can blend the tomatoes for a sauce instead depending on how you like the texture of your chili.
- Wait to add the beans after the chili is done so they don’t get too soggy… or you can opt to omit completely. I like to use a mix of black beans and pinto beans.
More Healthy Comfort Food Recipes You Might Like
Did you try this Instant Pot Beef Chili? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and comment below to let me know how you like the recipe. You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
Instant Pot Beef Chili in 30 Minutes
Ingredients
Chili:
- 1 lb grass-fed ground beef
- 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped (save 1/4 cup for garnish)
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Coconut Aminos or gluten-free soy sauce
- 1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt or Celtic sea salt
- 28 oz diced tomatoes (canned or jarred) San Marzano brand
- 1 cup canned kidney beans or black beans drained and rinsed
Garnish:
- 4 oz. cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to saute mode. Add olive/avocado oil, onion, garlic, and beef. Stir for 2-3 minutes.
- Add Coconut Aminos or soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, oregano and salt. Cook until beef is browned (doesn't need to be fully cooked).
- Add tomatoes and juice from can to a blender and pulse until it become tomato sauce. Add to Instant Pot with beef mixture.
- Close lid and set to Manual high pressure / pressure cooking for 20 minutes. It will take about 8 minutes for the Instant Pot to reach high pressure, then it will cook for 20 minutes.
- When timer goes off, let sit for 1-2 minutes. Then set to Quick Release to vent steam. Remove lid and add beans.
- Serve with white rice, Cauliflower Rice, or cooked pasta noodles, and garnish with cheese, onion and sour cream.
Nutrition
Instant Pot Recipes Made Simple
Are you struggling to find the time to cook healthy meals for your family? Do you wish you could find one-pot meals that are simple and easy to make… and your family will love? Learn how simple it is to make healthy, one-pot meals with your Instant Pot with my cookbook Instant Pot Recipes Made Simple. You can download it instantly to your phone, computer or e-reader, so it’s portable and can go with you anywhere!With this book, you’ll get:
- Tried-and-true recipes the whole family will love – including pot roast, spaghetti, tacos, carnitas, soups, and easy breakfast meals
- Instant Pot starter guide on how to use the buttons, tips and tricks, and more
- Printable shopping lists for ingredients
- Step-by-step video lesson on how to use your Instant Pot, pressure cooker safety, and some of my favorite tips and tricks
- Two-week meal plan that you can put into action for no-stress weeknight dinners
FREE real food guide
Eat healthier in just 7 days with my real food guide and email course. You'll learn how easy it is to go gluten-free and still enjoy the foods that you love.
Beside water or bone broth, What else can you use.
Chicken or beef stock.
How is this Paleo? Paleo is no beans or dairy products for garnish. Recipe sounds wonderful though!
Those are optional. You can omit to make them Paleo. It’s really delicious.
This is delicious! More savory than spicy–who knew cinnamon in chili could be so good?! I love beans, so I use a can of white and kidney. I also skip the crock pot and just let it simmer on the stovetop a couple of hours. Thank you for such a fantastic recipe!
You are so welcome. This is one of our family’s favorite dishes. And I’ve been using pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon and WOW! Even better.
This recipe is listed as paleo but beans are not allowed in the paleo diet.
You could omit the beans. Some Paleo folks do eat beans so I’ve left this in for them. 🙂
Try diced zucchini in place of beans. I have used zucchini in another chili recipe.
That sounds delicious!