Homemade Instant Pot Chili, made using ground beef and dried unsoaked beans, is the perfect comfort food for a fall or wintry evening. It’s also a great dish to feed a crowd, or for game day. The addition of Masa Harina (corn meal) in this chili recipe thickens the chili and gives it a corn flavor. Add your choice of toppings to take this homemade Instant Pot chili recipe over the top!
Did you know that October is National Chili Month? It’s not yet October, but the leaves are changing color, the weather’s turning cooler and I’m starting to make soups, stews and other comfort foods. I love the advent of fall and I thought it would be appropriate to post an Instant Pot Chili recipe to observe this occasion!
Ladle the Instant Pot Chili into bowls and provide your choice of the following toppings:
- sour cream
- shredded cheddar cheese
- diced shallots or red onions or green onions
- sliced jalapenos
- hot sauce
- cilantro
- corn bread to crumble over top
- my personal favorite: Fritos corn chips!
Tips
– The dried beans should be pre-soaked, but I’m going to show you a shortcut. I sometimes always forget to soak my beans, so here’s a tip for you that works like a charm with any recipe that uses pre-soaked dried beans. I do a quick Instant Pot pre-soak while I’m cutting up the vegetables and gathering up my ingredients:
- Put the beans in the Instant Pot and add water that’s 1-inch above the level of the beans.
- Cook in ‘Manual’ or ‘Pressure Cook’ mode for 5 minutes of high pressure.
- Do a Natural Pressure Release (NPR).
- Proceed with the recipe as usual.
– This recipe calls for masa harina (pronounced ‘maasa areena’) which is a finely ground Mexican corn flour used to make tortillas. Added to the chili after pressure cooking, the masa harina will thicken the Instant Pot chili and give it a slight corn flavor.
– Masa Harina can be found in the Latin/Mexican section of your grocery store or at a Latin grocery store. If you can’t find it, you can either substitute corn meal or take a few corn tortillas and powder them in a blender.
– If you’ve never cooked homemade chili before, it’s important to note that the chili powder called for in this Instant Pot Chili recipe is American chili powder which is a mixture of different spices including cumin and garlic.
– Please don’t use cayenne pepper or ground chili powder that you get from Asian, Mexican, ethnic markets – you won’t be able to eat this chili; it’ll be too spicy! So be sure to check the ingredient list. I like to use McCormick Chili Powder.
– If you have leftovers, you’ll find that the Instant Pot Chili tastes even better the next day, once the flavors have had a chance to meld.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, please read the Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Quick Start Guide or the Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Quick Start Guide first and then come back here to learn how to make Homemade Instant Pot Chili.
Instant Pot Chili with Dry Beans Ingredients
Quick Instant Pot Pre-Soak of Dry Beans Step by Step Instructions
(What to do if you haven’t pre-soaked your beans for 4 to 8 hours)
- Rinse pinto beans and drain.
- Add beans to inner pot of the Instant Pot.
- Pour in enough water to be 1 inch above the level of the beans.
- Close Instant Pot Lid, and make sure steam release handle is in the ‘Sealing’ position.
- Press ‘Manual’ or ‘Pressure Cook’ and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until display reads ‘5’ (5 minutes)
- Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down from 5 to 0; it will then switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0:00’.
- Do a Natural Pressure Release: wait for the float valve to drop on its own, about 12 minutes.
- Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.
- Drain the beans and set aside.
Instant Pot Chili with Dried Beans Step by Step Instructions
- Press ‘Saute’ button.
- Once Instant Pot is hot, add vegetable oil to inner pot.
- Add ground beef to inner pot.
- Stir with a wooden spoon to break up the meat into smaller pieces and saute until meat is browned, about 3 minutes.
- Add onions to beef and saute until soft, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in bell peppers.
- Stir in garlic.
- Add chili powder, oregano, cumin powder, cocoa powder, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper.
- Stir well and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add beef broth, tomatoes and pre-soaked dried beans (whether using quick Instant Pot pre-soak or countertop pre-soak).
- Close Instant Pot Lid, and make sure steam release handle is in the ‘Sealing’ position.
- Press ‘Manual’ or ‘Pressure Cook’ and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until display reads ‘20′ (20 minutes).
- Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down from 20 to 0; it will then switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0:00’.
- Do a Natural Pressure Release: wait for the float valve to drop on its own, about 15 to 18 minutes. *
- Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.
* After 15 minutes, if you wish to, you can release the remaining pressure by moving the pressure release handle to venting position.
- Press Saute.
- Stir in masa harina.
- Cook until chili is thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.
- Allow the Instant Pot chili to rest for 5 more minutes before serving, it will thicken some more.
- Ladle chili into serving bowls and serve with your choice of toppings: sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped red onions, shallots or green onions, sliced jalapenos, hot sauce, diced avocado, or Fritos chips (my favorite!)
Homemade Instant Pot Chili (with dried beans)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups dried pinto beans
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 2 cups onion chopped
- 1 cup bell pepper chopped
- 2 Tbsp garlic minced
- 3 Tbsp Mexican chili powder
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes or 2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 1/4 cup masa harina e.g. Bob's Red Mill brand
- Your choice of toppings: sour cream shredded cheddar cheese, chopped red onions, shallots or green onions, sliced jalapenos, hot sauce, diced avocado, or Fritos chips
Instructions
To pre-soak pinto beans on countertop:
- Rinse pinto beans and drain.
- Place beans in a medium bowl and add enough water to be 1 inch above the level of the beans.
- Let bowl sit on countertop for 4 to 8 hours.
- Drain and set aside.
To do a quick pre-soak of pinto beans in Instant Pot:
- Rinse pinto beans and drain.
- Add pinto beans to inner pot of Instant Pot and pour in enough water to be 1 inch above the level of the beans.
- Close Instant Pot Lid, and make sure steam release handle is in the ‘Sealing’ position.
- Cook on ‘Manual’ or ‘Pressure Cook’ mode for 5 minutes.
- Do a Natural Pressure Release (NPR), about 12 minutes.
- Press 'Cancel' and open the Instant Pot; drain the beans and set aside.
Instant Pot Chili Instructions:
- Press ‘Saute’ button.
- Once the Instant Pot is hot, add oil to inner pot.
- Add ground beef to inner pot.
- Stir with a wooden spoon to break up meat into smaller pieces and saute until meat is browned, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in onions and saute until soft, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in bell peppers and garlic.
- Add chili powder, dried oregano, cumin powder, cocoa powder, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in beef broth, tomatoes and pre-soaked pinto beans (use either countertop or Instant Pot quick pre-soak method from above).
- Close Instant Pot Lid, and make sure steam release handle is in the ‘Sealing’ position.
- Cook on ‘Manual’ or ‘Pressure Cook’ mode for 20 minutes.
- Do a Natural Pressure Release (NPR), about 15 to 18 minutes. **
- Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.
- Press 'Saute'.
- Stir in masa harina.
- Cook until chili has thickened, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
- Press 'Cancel'.
- Allow the Instant Pot Chili to rest for 5 more minutes before serving, it will thicken some more.
- Ladle chili into serving bowls and serve with your choice of toppings: sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped red onions, shallots or green onions, sliced jalapenos, hot sauce, diced avocado, or Fritos chips (my favorite!)
Notes
Nutrition
I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
If you loved this recipe, please give it a 5 Star rating in the comment section below and please share it on social media using the social media share buttons at the top and bottom of this post. Thank you so much!
You might also like to try:
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Sheena
I’ve tried many instant pot chili recipes, and this was my favorite so far. I didn’t have masa harina so I used corn meal, it gives the chili such a great texture! And I love that it uses dried beans instead of canned. It drives me nuts that so many of the IP chili recipes use canned beans, it negates one of the huge benefits of using an instant pot!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks so much, Sheena. I do love the secret ingedient of masa/corn meal. I used to crumble corn tortillas, and that works well too.
Amber
This is my go to for instapot chili. It’s simple, easy, quick and the fact it uses dry beans instead of canned is a plus for me! This is second time I have made this recipe and my hubs and I love it. Kids are not biggest fans of chili but they get over ruled for it, lol. Thanks!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you, Amber. I do love this chili too – haven’t yet made it this fall, need to get on that 🙂
Pat
Loved this chili! It will be my new go to recipe when a pot of chili is calling. Nice rich flavour and more economical using the dried beans instead of canned. I added corn to it just cause I like corn in my chili.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you so much, Pat. I’m happy you liked the recipe!
Al
I made a pot of your beans and it’s the best!
Becky
This was delicious! I didn’t have any masa harina and neither did my local grocer, so we topped each serving with crumble tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and a dollop of sor cream. Next time I go to Kroger, I’ll get some masa harina.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Becky, you could also use corn meal, finely chopped corn tortillas too. Thank you for the comment and rating – much appreciated!
Amber Hutchingsq
Absolutely delicious. I did not have masa harina and didn’t have time to run buy some so I used what I had on hand–arrowroot powder and a little coconut flour. Strange, I know, but I didn’t want it to taste like a gravy (adding regular all purpose flour) and I didn’t have corn flour. It was still so yummy! I like that substituting still produced a delicious turn-out. Hopefully that helps someone else needing to substitute with odds and ends they have on hand.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Amber, I’m so glad you liked the recipe. I love this chili so much too!
Terence Tchen
The chili was fine, but was not something that the family raved about. There is another Instant Pot chili recipe out there that I made before this one, and the family raved about that chili. As a result, a 4 star rating.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Terence, fair enough – you gotta keep the fam happy always 🙂 Thanks for the feedback – much appreciated.
Janet
This chili was so good that my family ate the whole batch the first night and insisted that I make it again the next night. I used the quick method for preparing the beans. What a time saver!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Great! Thank you for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe – it means a lot to me 🙂
D sanders
Outstanding, very, very detailed instructions on preparing this dish! I haven’t tried this dish yet but will tomorrow.
Ingredient list and process seems legit!
Oh and I was born and raised in Texas. Those that say beans and tomatoes don’t belong in Texas chili are contestants in a competition!
I was raised here eating chili my Mom made that included those two taboos! Chili ain’t chili without them!……..except at a Texas chili cook-off with their rules and stuff
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hope you liked the recipe – yes, I’ve committed the ultimate Texas sin haven’t I? Thanks for your kind words.
JoanS
Love this recipe! Tasty, easy and quick.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you for your comment, Joan. I’m happy you liked the recipe.
Cheryl
Great. Added Guiness for some of the broth and jalepenos and poblanos.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Cheryl – oh, that’s a really interesting addition – I don’t think I’ve ever added beer to my chili before – I’ll have to give it a try!
Carol
This is my all time favorite instant pot recipe… follow it exactly and you will have Chile that everyone raves about!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Awww, thank you Carol, for your kind words! I love it that you’re making the recipe for others!
Felicia
Very tasty. Alterations: 4 cups fresh tomatoes, regular corn meal, 1 lb ground turkey, 2 Tbl. Chili powder, a dash of red cayenne. I used Beef Better than bouillon. I would have made it with the amount of spice called for but Mom doesn’t like things too spicy. I think it’s the best chili recipe I’ve tried yet. The corn meal makes it interesting, I like it. Thanks!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks for the comment, Felicia, and for sharing your modifications – that’ll be useful to others.
Terence
I’m a little confused about the chili powder. The TIPS section says “… it’s important to note that the chili powder called for in this Instant Pot Chili recipe is American chili powder …” but the recipe itself calls for “3 Tbsp Mexican chili powder.” Is American chili powder the same as Mexican chili powder? If not, which should I use?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Terence, in all this time you’re the first to mention this. Yes, that is confusing! I was trying to distinguish between Indian chili powder (since I have many Indian readers), and the Mexican chili powder found in the US. I will change the tips to be more clear. So to answer your question, it’s the Mexican chili powder 🙂 Thanks for your comment.
Terence
Thanks! Sorry to be a pest, but just went to a Mexican supermarket. They had at least 4 kinds of chili powder (Chile Nuevo Mexico Molido, Chile California Molido, Chile Molido, and something like Pasillo Chile). Are all of these ok to use, or is there one that is preferable (or another that I didn’t list)?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Terence, if you go into the recipe card and click on the chili powder link it will show you the kind I use for this recipe – it’s a regular grocery store ‘Mexican chili powder’.
The ones you’re talking about are straight up chili powders without the other spices, so the taste will be different and they all have different spice levels. Good luck 🙂
Jane M
Wow, this is great! I just got my Instant Pot, and I’m not a cook — your instructions were so clear and made it easy. Thanks!!!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Jane, I try to always remember that there are Instant Pot newcomers trying my recipes all the time so I try to make sure they are written for new and experienced owners. Thanks for the feedback.
Prabha JAcob
Thank you for the wonderful easy recipe. My family loved it and enjoyed it until the last drop.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Prabha, thanks for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe – I’m so happy that your family liked the recipe!
EllenS
Made as written, very good and even rated a great alternative to Texas Chili by my snobby hubby! A high honor.
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I’ll take all the honors I can get, Ellen 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing your feedback.
Lisa
This chili was easy to make and delicious. Great flavors.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you, Lisa – glad you liked it!
Rachelle
There are WAY too much liquid in this! Not only that, it natural released for 40 minutes before I flipped the switch, so the times are very misleading! This seriously wasn’t much faster than cooking in the crock pot for me. It took me a little over 2 full hours to make this.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Rachelle – I’m sorry to hear that the recipe didn’t meet your expectations. My natural release time was as stated in the recipe, but it’s possible yours took longer. Keep in mind that you can release pressure after 15 minutes and still get pretty good results, similar to full natural release. Sometimes the float valve gets stuck in the up position and if you gently touch it with a chopstick, it drops. The chili thickens up substantially with the masa harina and by allowing it to boil in ‘Saute’ mode.
Jean Loran
This chili is just about the best I’ve ever made! I’ve never used dried beans because I never have time for pre soaking when I decide I want to make chili, but the instant pot made it super easy and gave a much better texture than canned. I followed the recipe to the letter using yellow bell pepper and the heat level was perfect for sensitive eaters. I added a dollop of sriracha to individual servings for more intensity and that blended nicely with the other flavors. I did omit the masa harina because we used fritos to top and that did the same thickening job and made the leftovers perfect for chili dogs the next day. Not that there was much left! This is my new go to chili recipe. Thanks so much for sharing it!
Paint the Kitchen Red
I love hearing this, Jean! I too have tried so many recipes and love this one the best. Thanks for taking a moment to comment and rate the recipe – I appreciate it!
Norma
Found this recipe when I was in A pinch and it turned out perfect. I did the instant pot quick bean soak since I started this late in the day. The mixture of spices is perfect and so much better than a packet. Although I usually make my chili much hotter, we had a guest who is not fond of heat, so others added additional spice or heat to taste. I love the addition of bell pepper and I added celery as well. I will make this again!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks Norma! I have been awed by how many people really love this recipe as much as I do. Thanks for your comment and review – I appreciate it.
Jo
This was perfect. Easy to follow and taste wonderful. Thanks
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Jo, thank you for taking the time to comment – I appreciate it 🙂
Joan Bitterman
I love this recipe! I’ve made it several times already to universal acclaim.
Since there are a fair number of vegans among us, I use soy crumbles instead of beef, and I use minced jalapeños and some little peppers from our local Indian grocery instead of cayenne powder. At the end, after cooking, I add sauteed zucchini chunks and frozen corn. The masa harina not only thickens, but it also adds a lovely soft flavor. I use a large can of tomato sauce and Better Than Boullion vegetable flavor for the stock. Thanks for a great, crown pleasing, fun recipe.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks, Joan, for giving us your modifications to make the recipe vegan. Good to know that soy crumbles work well. I used soy crumbles in the stove-top version of this recipe sometimes but never have in the Instant Pot. Good to know.