5-Ingredient Easy Instant Pot Chili

Put comforting, smoky chili on the table in under 30 minutes. This easy instant pot chili recipe is full of Tex-Mex flavor and perfect for a chilly evening!

This easy recipe is full of flavor, easy to make, and ready to feed a crowd. This robust and satisfying instant pot recipe is ready in just a few minutes and requires minimal effort from you. The pressure cooking allow a few well-chosen ingredients to combine to create the best chili recipe around. It’s a meal the entire family can love!

5-ingredient chili is very versatile. It’s a perfect meal prep food — just portion it out and it will keep for up to a week in the fridge. It’s fantastic for potlucks or crowds, can be served in a baked potato bar, and is ready to dominate the age-old chili cook-off. It’s also a very healthy option for those looking to cut fat and focus on high-protein meals with tons of fiber and veggies. This is just all-around a great recipe!

What do I need for 5-Ingredient Instant Pot Chili?

Making delicious chili with minimal ingredients is not just a pipe dream. You can pull this recipe together with just a few pantry ingredients plus a little ground beef!

• Ground Beef or Turkey: You’ll need one pound of ground beef for this recipe. You can also use other ground meat, including ground turkey or even ground chicken for a healthier and lower calorie alternative. Where I live ground turkey is even cheaper than ground beef, something both my calorie counter and wallet just love!
• Kidney Beans: Dark red kidney beans are my bean of choice for chili. You can sub this with black beans, chili beans, or even pinto beans! While it’s not a bean, you can also add corn if you’re looking for more healthy starches.
• Diced Tomatoes: I like to use a can of chili-ready diced tomatoes, because they ad a ton of flavor. Rotel tomatoes are also delicious. You can use any diced tomatoes you’d like, so pick something whose flavor makes you happy!
• Tomato Sauce: Store-bought tomato sauce is perfect for this recipe, but if you’re looking to use up tomatoes, you can make your own. You can also use 6 oz of tomato paste plus 1 1/2 cups of water as a substitute. 
• Chili Seasoning: One packet of store-bought chili seasoning is perfect for this recipe. You can also use 2 tbsps of chili powder, 1 tsp each of garlic powder and onion powder, and 1-2 tsp of salt, depending on how you like your flavor. 

Making Pressure Cooker Chili

​Step 1 | Brown the Beef

Turn your instant pot to sauté, and brown your beef (or turkey). You can add a seasoning to your beef while you do this. Sometimes, I add a packet of  taco seasoning at this step. Sometimes I don’t. The flavor from the cooking is enough, but a little extra seasoning can kick it up a notch. 

When your beef is browned, you can choose to drain it or not. I never do, and this comes out every time!

Step 2 | Let it Cook

Drain your beans, and add all the remaining ingredients (beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chili seasoning) to the instant pot. Lock the lid and set the cooker to cook at high pressure for 8 minutes. Then leave it alone. I love to make cornbread at this time so that we have a delicious side ready when the chili is! While all instant pots have different timing, mine builds pressure in about 5-7 minutes, giving this approximately a 15 minute cook time. I hate it when pressure cooking recipes leave out how long it takes!

Step 3 | Release the Pressure

Once your pot beeps, let it natural release for 5 minutes, then quick release the rest of the pressure. Remove the lid and stir with a wooden spoon. 

Step 4 | Garnish and Serve!

Your last steps is the best part — add your favorite toppings and eat. I enjoy chopped ,yellow onion , red onion, or green onions, chopped red peppers, fresh cilantro, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, or even a dash of hot sauce!

Variations

While this easy chili recipe offers a ton of flavor with minimal effort, sometimes we just want something different, you know? These are some of the variations I’ve tried over the years. See if anything scratches that novelty itch!

• Slow Cooker Chili: Brown your beef, then put everything into a crock pot. Allow it to cook on low for 6-8 hours. 
• Vegetarian Chili: Replace the ground beef with a can of black beans and a can of corn. This make a bean-based chili that not only has gorgeous color, but tastes great too!
• Sweet Potato Chili: Add chopped sweet potatoes. This variation works well with ground turkey. 
• Pumpkin Black Bean Chili: Add a can of pumpkin puree, and switch the kidney beans for black beans. Instead of the chili seasoning, use 1 tsp nutmeg and 2 tsp paprika plus 1-2 tsp salt. 

Instant Pots vs Pressure Cookers

Are instant pots pressure cookers is a question I get a lot. The short answer is yes! Instant pots are a form of electric pressure cooker. They are significantly more safe and easier to use. You can leave an instant pot alone on the counter to do its thing, whereas a traditional pressure cooker must be watched, lest it explode on you (yes, that’s a real thing). I love the instant pot for this recipe because I can brown the ground beef in the same dish I use to cook the chili. Anyway I can save on washing dishes is a plus for me!

That said, you can make this recipe in a standard pressure cooker. Since standard pressure cookers typically cook at a higher pressure, you can reduce the cook time to about 5 minutes.

Other Quick ‘n Easy Dinners

• 5-Ingredient Ground Beef and Tater Tot Casserole
• 3-Ingredient Authentic Fettuccine Alfredo
• 3-Ingredient Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs