If you’re anything like me, you love a hearty bowl of chili. And if you’re anything like me, you’re not always great at planning ahead.
So what’s a girl to do when faced with a lack of dinner plans, a craving for chili, and a pantry of dried beans?
Make this instant pot chili recipe, that’s what! It uses dried beans without any pre-soaking or cooking required. MAGICAL, I TELL YOU.
I developed my chili recipe years ago, and published it here on the blog in 2012. (So basically in the jurassic era of blogs.) I took a better photo a few years ago, but otherwise it’s the same post from five years ago. I’ve been making it for my family in regular rotation all of these years, and it remains a crowd favourite.
It’s also the best chili in the entire world, in my super humble opinion.
Truth be told, there are a couple of unusual ingredients that make all the difference – like the cocoa powder that brings out the flavours of the tomatoes, and the honey that adds a touch of sweet to contrast the acidity of the dish. There are some pretty happy comments on that original recipe to prove my point. And whatever you do, don’t leave out the coriander. Mmmm, coriander.
Of course, I jumped on board the Instant Pot bandwagon at Christmas, thanks to my parents. I have this 8-quart model, and I LOVE it. We’re a family of five (soon to be six), I love to cook double and eat leftovers, and I most definitely would go for the 8-qt again. It’s worth every penny.
I remember my mom using a stovetop pressure cooker from time to time when I was a kid. It was a 70’s mossy green and the top handle whistled and wiggled like it had ants in its pants. They fell out of style though (from fears of nutrient loss due to the high pressure, I think?) and she hasn’t owned one since.
When the Instant Pot (an electric pressure cooker that sits on your countertop, much like a slow cooker) came onto the scene a few years ago, the discussion reopened, and well-respected health bloggers, like Katie at Wellness Mama, published their researched opinions that pressure cooking is actually a healthy way to cook our food.
So the Instant Pot craze has now reached new heights. Every real foodie blogger is either pining for an Instant Pot, experimenting with the Instant Pot, developing recipes for the Instant Pot, or even publishing Instant Pot ebooks. For a crowd who typically spends hours in the kitchen making food from single ingredients rather than boxes and cans of processed junk, the ease and convenience of the Instant Pot is straight from heaven.
I’m in the process of adapting many of my recipes to be done in the Instant Pot, and naturally chili was the first up. It’s easy enough to throw the ingredients in just like with a slow cooker (browned ground beef, cooked beans, tomatoes, spices, etc.) but to be honest, that still requires forethought. Which is fine and all for Other People.
But I needed to develop the ultimate Oops I Did it Again (I forgot to plan dinner) version. And that needed to involve dried beans. So I googled around, found that a few others had done it successfully, and set out on a mission.
By following this recipe, I’m hashtag-blessed with perfectly cooked instant pot chili in just 40 minutes of cook time in the Instant Pot. Now, to be clear, that 40 minutes doesn’t include the time that it comes to pressure (probably 15-20 minutes in this case), and this recipe also calls for browning the ground beef (in the Instant Pot on sauté, no need to dirty extra pans) beforehand. Plus there’s a bit of time to let the pressure release afterward.
But still, all things considered, this is a pretty fast version of chili since you don’t have to prep your beans ahead. If you do have time and forethought to soak your beans for any amount of time, it may help reduce the chance that one or two will be slightly undercooked in your bowl (nobody complained, but I had one bite with a slightly undercooked bean, so, ya know, full disclosure and all) but again, it’s not necessary.
Go ahead and try it. You won’t be sorry!
Best Ever Instant Pot Chili Recipe (Using Dried Beans without Pre-Soaking or Cooking!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup of diced sweet peppers red, yellow, and/or orange
- 2 medium onions diced
- 6 cloves of garlic finely diced or pressed
- 1 pound ground beef I use 2, but might use less if I needed to be a bit more frugal
- 2-3 large cans diced tomatoes
- 4 cups dried kidney beans pre-soaking optional
- 1 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder
- a few shakes of black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons coriander
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
Instructions
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Using the sauté function on your Instant Pot, brown the ground beef.
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Halfway through browning, add the diced peppers and onions. A few minutes later, add the garlic.
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When beef is browned and peppers and onions are softened, add the rest of the ingredients.
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Add lid and set Instant Pot to 40 minutes on manual.
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Allow for natural pressure release (I've done quick release when in a hurry, and it's fine in a pinch.)
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Serve with your favourite toppings, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Lately I've been replacing one of the cans of diced tomatoes for a can of plain tomato sauce (just pureed tomato, no other ingredients). My kids prefer it with less chunky tomatoes, but it totally works fine either way.
Beth
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So after reading the comments about the bean and liquid issue I decided to add extra water, 3 cups I think. Fabulous. . Spices are right on. This was seriously some good chili.
Thank you for the recipe, the flavor is amazing! I couldn’t fit all the beans in my pot, could only fit about 1/2 of the soaked beans, (used 2 pounds meat, also added 4 cups of water because there didn’t seem to be enough liquid, next time I will use 3 cups of liquid and try to fit in 3 cups beans).
This made my pot full, almost to the top and I know you aren’t supposed to fill it that full. I will make it again, I cannot get over how great the flavor is! I have been looking for a great chili recipe, and finally found it. THANK YOU!
Hey Lisa! Thanks for your comment. Glad you enjoyed the recipe! People seem to have varying experiences with the amount of liquid needed (the liquid from the tomatoes seems to be enough for me, but others have needed to add water like you did). Glad it worked out for you!
As others noted, some additional water seems to be needed for this recipe to work with dry beans. I added 5 cups (all my cooker would hold!) and it turned out great.
I’ve made this twice. I did a quick release the first time and my beans weren’t done. The second time I added seasoning to taste because it’s was not enough of a kick the first time. I also added water for the dry beans and cooked for an hour and did not do a quick release. The beans were still not soft enough. Moral, soak the beans or used canned.
I just got a pressure cooker for my birthday and everyone told me I had to try making a chili in it. I’ve worked for a long time on three styles of chili and this recipe was right up there with them. It could use some more heat but it can always be added after. Great recipe from the tomato lovers.
4 cups of dried beans and the only liquid in the recipe is from the canned tomatoes? How does that even work?
It doesn’t! I followed the recipe exactly and after 60mins on high pressure, I still have raw beans. I added water, as much as I could as my instant pot is already at the “max” line… and set for 30 more minutes… my family is starving so we’ve eaten all the corn bread that was supposed to accompany the chili 🙁
Soaking your beans is the best way to go. I had to add a little bit of water as well even though my beans were soaked because my instant pot was having a hard time coming to pressure. I actually used to large cans of crushed tomatoes since my family doesn’t like chunky tomatoes . However the flavor of this chili is amazing. I squeezed a little bit of lime juice at the end for a bite of acidity but other than that ….its really good!
Sorry it didn’t work well for you! It works for me when I make it, but small details can make a difference, and it can be tough to account for the many slight changes that people may make. One thought is that perhaps your cans of tomatoes are smaller than mine (thus giving less liquid)… mine are 798mls/28 fluid oz. Another thought is that perhaps the beans make a difference – how old they are.
I am going to make a note in the recipe to add more liquid to be safe, knowing that it can always be reduced down with simmering afterwards.
Thanks for the feedback!
28 ounces pet tomato can? Wow. Those are giant cans. A standard can is 14.5 ounces, which is probably why my beans, and others, were still raw after following this recipe. Lol. I even added 3 cups of water because I couldn’t believe no water was required with uncooked beans. Tastes good once cooked, but correct measurements could save people a lot of wasted time. Let me know if it’s ever updated.
Any suggestions on how to cut this down for a 6 quart instant pot. I’m going to try it with Anasazi beans which are a lot smaller that kidney or pinto.
I used pinto beans but cut it back to 1.5 cups. I didn’t have any bell peppers so I just went without though I’m sure the addition would be great. I only had one can of crushed tomatoes and added about a cup of water to compensate for the reduced moisture. In addition I added a couple Thai chilis to up the heat. This made about 5 portions of about .68 pounds each. The other spices seem pretty bang on.
Hi Beth –
As a new Instant Pot chef, I am trying all the recipes I can find for dishes that my wife and I enjoy. Thanks for the Chili recipe! I tried it this evening. I liked some aspects of it, such as sauteing the beef and onions first in the Instant Pot. I also did not have beans that had been soaked, so that was great, too! However, your recipe has WAY too much tomato in it for a Texas Chili lover 🙂 Also – I hate to break it to you, but as anyone from the Lone Star State will tell you, Chili should have NO BEANS in it, but if you must, they should be PINTO beans! Yay! Not sure who told you that kidney beans are the traditional bean for chili. I guess it might have been a Yankee like me – ha ha.
All the best with your blog!
Hi Bob! I’ve never had anyone say that there was too much tomato in it. Chili is a tomato-based dish, so I’m not sure how you’d do less tomatoes. Just more meat, I guess? And yup, I’ve heard that about Texas chili + no beans… that actually came up in the comment section on the original (non Instant Pot) version of the recipe, and some Texans disagreed. 🙂 Thanks for the comment! (Here’s the original post w/ comments: https://redandhoney.com/your-search-for-the-perfect-chili-recipe-is-officially-over/)
Hi Beth –
For the Non-Instant Pot Chili that I have been making for over 30 years, there is ONE 8 oz can of tomato sauce for every 2 lbs of ground beef. So – yes, your recipe calls for a lot of tomato 🙂 – like 7 to 10 times as much. I normally make a double batch (4 lbs of meat) and use ONE 15 oz can of tomatoes or tomato sauce. I think the difference here (and I apologize if I am belaboring this) is that Texas Chili uses a LOT of Chili Powder – often 2 x what your recipe calls for. Along with a lot of water. There is always oregano and as much cayenne as you can handle in Texas Chili as well. Thanks again for the friendly online place :).
Thanks for explaining that! I love the regional differences and distinctions – as someone who loves food, I find it fascinating! Thanks for commenting 🙂 🙂 🙂
I think that Teas chilli is awesome and have absolutely no beans with that (is that actually a phrase?) but a good ol’ bowl of red is different to this chill recipe in so many ways. Both dishes are great – winners all round.
How many ounces are in a large can of diced tomatoes? I am making this tonight.
You said set the pot to manual. But my pot has low and high settings. Which should I use?
The chili is delicious! The first thing I made in my instant pot. However, my kidney beans were al dente, to say the least. They either need a) pre-soaking, b) a lot more liquid, or c) twice as much cooking time. Next time I will pre-soak and see if that dies the trick.
Hi Allison, so sorry that your kidney beans didn’t turn out great. I’m going to make this recipe later this week and see if I can do some troubleshooting, and maybe tweak it! Hopefully others will see your comment and tweak as they see fit until then.
Hi Beth,
I am dying to make this, but can you please tell us what size the large cans of tomatoes are?
Thanks!
I use the large cans – 798mls/28 fluid oz. Hope that’s helpful!
Thank you, this is exactly the answer for which I came to the comments to find. 🙂
This sounds good, although I also prefer pinto beans. You seriously add no extra liquid for the dry beans? I’m surprised that the liquid in the raw vegetables and the tomatoes is sufficient. I would just like to verify. Thanks.
I had to add extra liquid and had to cook for 80 min to get beans tender. Maybe my tomato cans were not big enough.
I’m currently making this and am concerned because it just doesn’t seem like enough liquid. I’ve made refried beans before from dry and they are great- but it seems like there is more liquid for that one. maybe my tomato cans aren’t big enough- what size should they be?
Big cans of diced tomatoes? 14.5oz cans? #10 cans? What size cans. I’m thinking #10’s would be too much and 14.5 oz wouldn’t provide enough liquid with the dry beans…..28oz cans?
Hi Beth, I just got my instant pot yesterday and can’t wait to try this chili! Just wondering about how many servings this recipe makes? I plan on making for a group of 10-11 people and wondering if in need to double? Thanks much!
Hi Becca, you can’t really double a recipe in the Instant Pot because it has a maximum fill capacity. You could easily modify the instructions to just cook it on the stovetop in two big stock pots if you’re worried about having enough. (That’s probably what I’d do.) But you can still cook the beans in the Instant Pot in case you don’t have them soaked or canned.
I have 2 questions- 1st do you think Pinto beans would work the same as kidney beans in this recipe, I was gifted many, many bags of those. 2nd I am planning on making a big pot of chili for my sons graduation party do you think this will double or triple well or would it be better to do it in smaller batches.?
Hi Erica,
Sure, you could sub pinto beans. Personally, I just love kidney beans, and that’s the traditional bean to use in chili, but if you like pinto beans – go for it!
And yup, you can totally double or triple it. I often do! 🙂
Thanks for your recipe! It worked like a charm. I have a chili recipe that I was trying to adapt to pressure cooking because I had forgotten to soak the beans. My original recipe only uses two small cans of diced tomatoes & that’s all I had on hand, so I added some tomato paste and about 4 cups of water to make sure the beans were covered. It was such a great tip to brown the beef & cook the onion with the sauté function–I love using all the functionality of the IP & only having one dish to clean!
Me too!! Isn’t it awesome?! 🙂 Glad it worked for you! 🙂