Instant Pot Chili Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is chili better on stove or Instant Pot? ›

Our testers really liked the stovetop method because of its consistency. Being on the stove allowed for it to really thicken and for the spices and flavors to meld together well.

What Is the Instant Pot Chili/Bean Setting? The bean/chili setting on the Instant Pot cooks at high pressure and can be set to "more," which is 30 minutes, or "less," which will cook for 25 minutes. You may choose the bean/chili setting and do a quick release after 15 minutes.

Add the broth and beans and stir well, scraping the button to remove any stuck on bits on the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add the tomato paste and crushed tomatoes on top, but do not stir. This will help to prevent a burn message during pressure cooking!

The Instant pot can work like a slow cooker and when you leave it on a warm setting it will keep the food around 140 F so bacteria won't multiply. There would be a problem if they turned off the instant pot and left it over night. As long as the food stays warm out of the danger zone (40-140 degree F.)

Another tip, taken from an Instant Pot Facebook group, is to open the valve all the way on your Instant Pot lid when slow cooking. This allows some moisture and steam to release and keeps the Instant Pot from overcooking your slow cooker recipes.

To Thicken the Chili:

OR, create a slurry by combining 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water. Turn Instant Pot on to SAUTE. Once chili begins bubbling, add the slurry a little bit at a time while mixing until chili reaches desired consistency.

The liquid in the Instant Pot is too dense.

If you have a thick sauce or something similar, it may not be able to pressurize correctly. The Fix: Thin out any thick liquids to ensure the Instant Pot can properly pressurize and cook the food without scorching it.

Double-check your parts before you close up the pot for cooking. An improperly sealed lid can cause the Instant Pot to just cook and cook your contents as it attempts to reach pressure. This will lead to scorching and then a burn notice. Make sure that you're using enough liquid.

Fill the Instant Pot insert with two cups of white vinegar or the same amount of water and a lemon rind, seal the lid, and run the appliance on the “steam” setting for two minutes. Remove the ring from the lid and let it air dry completely. It should be clean and smell as good as new.

What happens if you don't seal Instant Pot? ›

First make sure (if you're using the Instant Pot as a pressure cooker), the knob is set to, “Sealing.” If not, the liquid in the pot escapes through the top of the lid (because it's not sealed) and burns the food.

When starting your cook, you want this lever pointing toward "sealing" and not "venting." Sealing means the Instant Pot is going to hold all the pressure created inside the pot, while venting is what you'll likely do to release the pressure when the food is finished cooking.

Equipment. A large, heavy-bottomed wide pot or Dutch oven. Enameled cast-iron is maybe best, because if you find yourself making chili with tomatoes in a plain cast-iron pot, the fruit's acidity may react poorly with the metal, leaving the chili with an off taste.

Instant Pots are more versatile with multiple cooking functions, but traditional pressure cookers are simpler and usually more durable.

Chili is perhaps the ideal slow-cooker dish because its flavor improves with a long, slow simmer. This makes a big batch, perfect for a cold-weather get-together, but if you're making it for a smaller group, the leftovers freeze well.

Time: The pressure cooking function of the Instant Pot allows it to cook food much faster than a slow cooker. For instance, a pork shoulder in a slow cooker takes at least 6 hours on high to become shreddable. In an Instant Pot, you can have pulled pork in an hour.