Instant Pot Chili
Instant Pot Chili
Ingredients
- 1 pound – 1 ½ pound ground beef
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes
- 2 cans (540ml/19oz) red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 – 2 tablespoons (8g – 16g) chili powder (depends on your chili powder’s spiciness & preference)
- 1 tablespoon (6g) cumin seed, ground
- 1 teaspoon (1g) dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil
- Optional: 1 tablespoon (15ml) apple cider vinegar
- Brown sugar, kosher salt, black pepper to taste
Umami Chicken Stock Mixture
- 1 cup (250ml) unsalted chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) regular soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons (49g) tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon (2.5g) unsweetened cocoa powder
Optional Garnish
- Lime
- Sour cream
- Jalapeno pepper, diced and seeded
- Green onions
- Cheddar cheese
Preparation for Instant Pot Chili
First dice the onion, mince the garlic cloves, and dice + seed the Jalapeno pepper.

Then, ground the cumin seed. Love the smell of freshly ground cumin seeds~ mmmm…

Finally, drain & rinse the red kidney beans.
Now, you’re ready to get cooking! 😀
1
Brown Ground Beef in Instant Pot
First, heat up your Instant Pot: press Sauté button and Adjust once to Sauté More function.

Make sure your pot is as hot as it can be (Instant Pot: wait until indicator says HOT) before adding ingredients.
As the pot is heating up, season the ground beef generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

When the pot is hot enough, add 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil in Instant Pot pressure cooker.
Swirl your pot around to make sure the oil is coated over the whole bottom of the pot.
Then, add the ground beef in Instant Pot pressure cooker.
The ground beef will start to release moisture. At the 5-minute mark, remove the ground beef juice and reserve it in a small mixing bowl.

Allow the ground beef to brown. Stir occasionally until they are slightly crisped and browned (~5 – 7 minutes).
Taste and adjust the seasoning with more kosher salt and ground black pepper.
2
Mix Chicken Stock Mixture
While the ground beef is browning, mix unsalted chicken stock, fish sauce, regular soy sauce, tomato paste, and unsweetened cocoa powder in measuring cup.
3
Sauté Onion, Garlic and Spices
Add diced onions, minced garlic, 1 tbsp ground cumin seed, 2 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp dried oregano in the pressure cooker.
Sauté for about 5 minutes until the spices start to release their fragrance. Stir frequently.

4
Deglaze Instant Pot
Pour in ½ cup (125ml) of the Umami Chicken Stock Mixture, fully deglaze the bottom of the pot by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits with a wooden spoon (as shown in photo below).
Mix the brown bits with the stock mixture.

5
Pressure Cook Chili
Add in the reserved beef juice.
Pour in the remaining Umami Chicken Stock Mixture.
Add 2 cans of drained red kidney beans. Mix well.
Pour in 1 can of crushed tomatoes with all the juice on top (as shown in photo below). Do not mix.

Close lid and pressure cook using the “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” button:
Cooking Method: High Pressure for 10 minutes + Natural Release
Open the lid carefully.
6
Reduce and Season
If the chili is too runny, give it a quick stir and cook for another few minutes over medium heat (Instant Pot: Press Sauté button).
Taste and season with brown sugar (we used 1 tbsp), kosher salt and black pepper.
Optional: Add 1 tbsp of Apple cider vinegar. Note that the vinegar will significantly change the flavor profile. We made one batch with apple cider vinegar and another without. They each had their own character, but both tasted great. Totally unbiased opinion. 😉

7
Serve Instant Pot Chili
YES! Garnish the Chili with your choice of toppings.