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This rich and hearty Instant Pot Beef Chili is the ultimate comfort food.

Packed with nearly three pounds of ground beef, a from-scratch three-bean blend, and a secret touch of cocoa powder, it develops an incredibly deep, simmered-all-day flavor in a fraction of the time.

Serve it thick with sour cream, shredded cheese, and a handful of crunchy chips!

🍅🥝

Why Make Chili in the Instant Pot?

A truly great bowl of chili con carne requires time for all the spices, tomatoes, and beef fat to meld together. Usually, that means keeping a heavy pot on the stove for hours.

The pressure cooker completely changes the game. By forcing liquid and spices into the meat under high pressure, you get that next-day chili flavor on the very first night.

Key Ingredients for Deep, Savory Flavor in Instant Pot Beef Chili

This recipe is all about building layers of flavor. We skip the generic canned chili and use specific, high-quality ingredients to create a robust base.

The Meat & Fat: We use a hefty 2.68 pounds of 85/15 ground beef to make this incredibly hearty. Browning that beef in 1 ½ tablespoons of bacon fat adds an unbeatable smoky richness.
The Dry Beans: Instead of mushy canned beans, we use about 1 cup each of dry black beans, dry pink beans, and dry kidney beans.
The Base Liquids: To create a rich sauce, we combine 29 ounces of tomato sauce and 28 ounces of diced tomatoes with 2 cups of savory beef bone broth.
The Secret Spices: Along with classic spices like chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika, our secret weapon is 2 ½ to 3 teaspoons of cocoa powder. The cocoa powder does not make it taste like chocolate. Instead, it adds a dark, earthy depth that pairs perfectly with the beef.

How to Cook Beans from Scratch in the Instant Pot

Cooking your own beans from dry is highly recommended for the best texture. We dedicate the first step of this recipe solely to the beans.

You will pressure cook the dry black, pink, and kidney beans on high for 50 minutes. Make sure they are covered with water and flavored with beef bouillon. This infuses the beans with a savory, meaty flavor from the inside out before they even hit the chili base.

The Layered Cooking Method

Once your beans are perfectly tender, it is time to build the chili.

Brown the Base: Sauté your ground beef in the bacon fat, then add your two diced onions and cook them until they are soft.
The Pressure Cook: Add in your cooked beans, beef bone broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and all of your spices. Pressure cook everything together for 25 minutes. When the timer goes off, let the pot sit for a 10-minute natural release before carefully doing a quick release.
The Thickening Process: When you open the lid, the chili will look a bit watery. Switch your Instant Pot back to the Sauté function and let it bubble for 15 to 30 minutes until it reduces to your desired thickness.
The Rest: Turn the pot off and let the chili rest for 10 minutes. Do not skip this! The chili will naturally thicken up beautifully as it cools down.

How to Serve Leftovers

Serve your chili piping hot in big bowls. We highly recommend topping it with a dollop of sour cream, plenty of shredded cheese, a few dashes of hot sauce, and crunchy chips for dipping.

If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Chili is famous for tasting even better the next day, making this the perfect meal prep recipe.