Meaty, spicy and full of flavor, this awesome Instant Pot chili recipe is a delicious, hearty meal. Loaded with boneless beef chuck, black beans and fresh veggies, this easy recipe can be ready to enjoy in about an hour.
The Instant Pot pressure cooker excels at so many things, and some of my favorite recipes for it are chili recipes. Whether making a vegetarian chili recipe or one that’s loaded with hearty beef chuck, chili can be done in a fraction of the time it takes by traditional means.
What is Instant Pot Beef Chuck Chili?
Beef chuck chili is a simple recipe where we use chunks of beef chuck, such as stew meat, in a traditional chili recipe in place of ground meat. The result is a delicious, full flavor chili recipe with tender chunks of beef which are loaded with flavor. The pressure cooking process makes the whole dish come together in about an hour, compared to an all day event with traditional chili cooking methods. The dish eats more like a beef stew with delicious chili flavors.
Simple Ingredients
The star of the show is, of course, the beef chuck. You can purchase a chuck roast and cut it into chunks and you’re all set to go. Many supermarkets also carry “stew meat”, which is the same thing and the cutting into chunks is already done for you. I like to go that route, as it saves additional prep time. We’ll also need some fresh vegetables including an onion, one or two bell peppers (colors of your choice – I like yellow and red) and a jalapeno pepper. Our seasonings will come from a mixture of chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. We’ll use a mixture of canned ingredients to round everything out including tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, chicken broth, 2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chiles, and a can of black beans.
Preparation
Chop up the onions and peppers and set aside. With the jalapeno, be sure to remove the seed and the ribs of the pepper. Then cut the chuck roast into chunks of approximately 1 inch in size. You don’t need to be perfect here. You can do smaller chunks if you like. If you’re using store cut stew meat, this step will already be done.
We’ll then use our Instant Pot in sauté mode to brown the meat. This step is important as it brings out so much additional flavor of the meat, as well as locking in the juices and giving the meat the texture we want. It’s best to do this in 2 batches. If you overcrowd the meat it won’t brown properly. Once the meat is browned, set it aside on a plate. With the Instant Pot still in sauté mode, add the diced onions and peppers and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Then press cancel to stop the sauté process
Deglaze the Pot
After we’ve sauteed our meat and veggies, add about ¼ cup of broth to the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. This step is called deglazing. The “stuck on bits” are called fond. There’s a load of flavor in that fond and it becomes an integral part of the flavor profile.
Add Remaining Ingredients
After deglazing the bottom of the pot, we’re ready to add our ingredients together. Pour in the broth first, followed by the meat and Worcestershire sauce. Add all the spices and give it a good stir. Then add the diced tomatoes right on top, followed by the tomato paste and then the beans. Don’t stir at this point. Let it all sit just the way it is. Secure the lid and pressure cook on high for 30 minutes.
When the pressure cooking time is complete, you don’t have to do anything for 15 minutes. The pressure inside the pot will be naturally releasing during this time and the magic of pressure cooking is still occurring. You’ll see the counter on the display counting up at this point. After the 15 minutes, you can quick release the remaining pressure. Carefully remove the lid and gently stir it all together.
Serve and Garnish
After a few minutes, the chili will begin to thicken. You’re then ready to serve this delicious chili with some awesome toppings. Some of my favorite toppings include: green onions, diced red onions, fresh cilantro, jalapeno slices, shredded cheese, sour cream or Greek yogurt.
PrintRecipe
Best Damn Instant Pot Beef Chuck Chili
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings
Description
A hearty Instant Pot Beef Chuck Chili that’s loaded with beef, fresh veggies and a little heat. Easy recipe that’s ready in under an hour.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. boneless beef chuck, trimmed of excess fat and cut into one inch pieces (or stew meat)
- 1 tbs vegetable oil
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 1 medium bell pepper (orange, yellow, red or green), diced
- 1 medium jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed, diced
- 1.5 tbs chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles (not drained)
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1.5 cups chicken broth
- 1 (6oz) can tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Season meat with salt and pepper. Turn instant pot to “sauté” mode and add the oil to the pot.
- Once oil is hot add the meat and brown for 2-3 minutes. (Make sure not to overcrowd the pot, do this step in 2 batches)
- Remove the meat to a plate and set aside.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno to the pot. Sauté for 3 minutes, or until slightly softened.
- Add ¼ cup of broth to pot and use a wooden spoon to deglaze (scrape up the stuck on bits off the bottom of the pot)
- Add the remaining broth, meat, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and Worcestershire and stir.
- Pour in the tomatoes, beans, and tomato paste. Don’t stir.
- Secure lid and make sure the seal is set to “sealing”. Pressure cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. When the time is up, allow the instant pot to release naturally for 15 minutes then quick release any remaining pressure.
- When pin drops, carefully remove the lid and gently stir everything together. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Chili will thicken.
- Serve with your favorite garnishes and toppings!
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 30 min (+15 release time)
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Roni
This is the only chili my son will eat, now! Thank you! 😍
Betty Ann Peot
I have not made this recipe yet but plan to.
Since I have found your site just want you to know how anxious I am to try the many
recipes I have found. I especially like the format that you use (most recipes on one page). It is the best that I have found and I visit sites..
So, again, thank you!
RecipeTeacher
And I thank YOU, Betty! Let me know how the recipes work out for you.
Luke
I have made this 2x now & love it!
Both times I skipped the red peppers, not needed….
The 1st time i was following the recipe(except the red peppers), but needed to add more chicken broth as it was too thick. The 2nd time I doubled the recipe. It barely fit under the max line of my Instant Pot so I did not add any extra broth, but it was perfect, no need too!
I used stew meat & just cut the chunks smaller. They came out very tender & moist, not dry like a crock pot can do.
Definitely added this to my repertoire!
Bob
I made this chili last night, I followed directions exactly as written, however, I couldn’t find a 1.5 lb chuck roast so bought 1.5 lbs of boneless beef chuck shortribs. It was amazing, my wife says it is the best chili she has ever eaten.
RecipeTeacher
You made an excellent substitution, my friend. Beef short ribs are awesome. I’m so glad you both liked the recipe!!
Nicholas
Recipe Teacher,
I am working on a variation of this by using a crockpot, I will share with you how it comes out. Thanks for sharing
Jeanette
Fabulous chili! I won the chili cook off at our local pub. I doubled the recipe added 3 jalapeños and 1/2 tbs of Cayenne leaving out 1/2 tbs of chili powder. I did add 1 tsp of garlic powder.
Barbara
Thank you Jeanette! I doubled the recipe as well & used your spice variation but used fresh minced garlic. Fabulous recipe, nicely spiced & getting ready to make it again. This is definitely going to be my go to Chili recipe.
CentralCoaster
Your chili was awesome! I found it more then a little bit of heat and I choose to not add the jalapeno. Thank you very much for making such a tasty recipe for all the world to enjoy!
Roni
Lives up to its name!!! Thank you for sharing with the world!
I find no fault with the recipe. And it wasn’t difficult for me, even after having three strokes. My handy dandy son was there to help me with cutting the meat and cooking.
Seriously, y’all, if you need a good instant pot chili recipe, LOOK NO FURTHER! 🌶️❤️
RecipeTeacher
Roni, thank you so much for the kind words. I’m so glad you liked it! Wishing you the best of health and best of good cooking adventures!
Mike
My wife won’t eat it, but I LOVE it! I halved the recipe & followed it as written.
I DO have a question…For ease of preparation, how would this work with ground chuck? Would I use the same amount of meat? If it won’t work, I’m fine with this. It’s wonderful!!
RecipeTeacher
Hi Mike. Absolutely you can make many adjustments to this recipe. Ground beef will work fine. Stick with the 1.5 lbs of meat. You can also use ground turkey as well.
Connie
I made this yesterday with a few changes. I used a leftover pot roast but skipped the browning instructions. I live in a rural area and the convenience store only had stewed tomatoes but a 10 second stint in my Ninja personel blender did the trick. I forgot to get tomato paste but a quick Google said I could use tomato sauce with three tablespoons for one tablespoon of the paste. I “bloomed” the spices and herbs. I also added an extra can of beans. This chili had an amazing flavor. Definitely my go to chili recipe.