Pressure Cooker Classic Beef Chili

By Melissa Clark

Updated Feb. 20, 2020

Pressure Cooker Classic Beef Chili
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
5(3,173)
Comments
Read comments

Chili in the electric pressure cooker is super fast and extremely convenient. This version is on the gently spiced side, so if you're looking for more heat, feel free to increase the chili powder or add a big pinch of cayenne – or throw a couple of extra jalapeños into the pot. Keep in mind that the leaner the beef, the less flavorful the chili. Eighty percent is a good bet here. You can also substitute ground pork or dark meat turkey. Leftover chili freezes like a dream.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 2tablespoons olive oil
  • 1pound ground beef
  • 2teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
  • 1large onion, diced
  • 1green bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 1jalapeño, seeded or not, diced
  • 4cloves garlic, finely grated or minced
  • 2tablespoons chili powder
  • 1tablespoon tomato paste
  • ½teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1(13.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 2(15-ounce) cans pinto or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • ⅓cup chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
  • Fresh lime juice, to taste
  • Sour cream, for serving
  • Cubed avocado, for serving (optional)
  • Pickled jalapeño, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

409 calories; 23 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 22 grams protein; 832 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oil in the pressure cooker (see Tip) set to the sauté function on high if possible. Add beef, spread it over the bottom of the pot over the oil, and let it brown without stirring for 7 minutes. Give it a good stir and sauté for 1 more minute, then use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a plate. Season meat with 1 teaspoon salt.

  2. Step 2

    Stir in onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, garlic and ½ teaspoon salt; cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Stir in chili powder, tomato paste, and cumin, cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in beef and any juices from the plate, oregano, tomatoes, beans and remaining ½ teaspoon salt, then cover and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Let pressure release naturally.

  4. Step 4

    Stir in cilantro and a squeeze or two of lime juice, then taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve with sour cream, avocado and pickled jalapeño if you like.

Tip
  • Some newer electric pressure cooker models have more sensitive burn indicators than the one this recipe was tested in. If you get the burn signal, add ½ cup water, beer, or stock to the pot.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
3,173 user ratings
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Comments

Canned beans?

I use only dried beans - they taste better, and you don't have a can for the recycle stream. These recipes should always list options for using dried beans. And if you are using a pressure cooker, there is NO REASON to be using canned beans. I used one cup of dried red beans, soaked in salt water for a few hours. It worked really well!

Laura

With no liquid added, the instant pot will not come up to pressure and the bottom will scorch. I added about a half a cup of beer before turning the pressure on in order to make it work (and taste yummy).

t

Can this be made in a regular slow cooker (after sauteing meat etc. on the stove)?

Lemans Winner

Made this many times, got my first "burn warning" last night. Not a big deal - open the cooker, add a cup or so of liquid, stir, and carry on. Lesson I learned was don't overreact, everything will be fine.

Paul

Would it be possible to make this without adding the beans (and adding in the 1/2 cup of water or beer so it doesn't burn)? I would rather serve the chili as is and serve it with beans and rice on the side so each diner can add one or both (or neither) as they prefer.

cocomero

Hmmm… this didn’t really work for me. Even though I added the extra liquid ahead of time, and stirred and deep, glazed everything before I started the pressure cooker, I still got the burn alert. So, I released the pressure, opening it up and stirred everything around. I couldn’t add more liquid because it was already very liquidy. After that, I re-pressurized everything and was able to cook without the burn alert. Also, the bigger problem was that even though I used only half of the amount of salt that’s in the total recipe, the chili was still much too salty for me. It may have been that the canned beans I chose were too salty. I am going to give this another attempt, I think, but with less salt. As a few other people have mentioned, you don’t really need to make chili in a pressure cooker, but I decided to do it because then I didn’t really have to pay attention to it (supposedly) while I went about doing other kitchen chores

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Credits

Adapted from "Instant Comfort" by Melissa Clark

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