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.

1. Brown the Base: Sauté your ground beef in the bacon fat, then add your two diced onions and cook them until they are soft.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

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Instant Pot Beef Chili

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!

Course Main Course, Soup, Stew

Cuisine American, Tex-Mex

Keyword best Instant Pot chili recipe, chili with cocoa powder, easy ground beef chili, homemade chili with dry beans, Instant Pot beef chili, thick pressure cooker chili

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings 10 servings

Calories 540kcal

Equipment

• Instant Pot Pro (8 QT) This recipe was made with an 8 QT Instant Pot Pro in mind.

Ingredients

Beef & Fat:

• 2.68 lb ground beef we used 85/15
• 1 ½ tbsp bacon fat

Beans (cooked from dry):

• ~1 cup black beans we used dry beans
• ~1 cup pink beans we used dry beans
• ~1 cup kidney beans we used dry beans
• beef bullion for beef flavor
• water to cover

Base:

• 29 oz can tomato sauce
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups beef bone broth
• 2 onions diced

Spices:

• 2½-3 tbsp chili powder
• 2½-3 tsp cumin
• 2½-3 tsp smoked paprika
• 2½-3 tsp cocoa powder
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• garlic powder to taste

Instructions

Beans:

• Pressure cook on high for 50 minutes, covered with water and some beef bullion.
  ~1 cup black beans, ~1 cup pink beans, ~1 cup kidney beans, beef bullion, water

Chili:

• Sauté bacon fat and brown the beef
  1 ½ tbsp bacon fat, 2.68 lb ground beef
• Add the onions and cook until soft
  2 onions
• Add in the black, pink, and kidney beans.

  Add in the beef bone broth

  Add in the garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, black pepper.

  Add in the tomato sauce and diced tomato cans.
  ~1 cup black beans, ~1 cup pink beans, ~1 cup kidney beans, 29 oz can tomato sauce, 2 cups beef bone broth, 2½-3 tbsp chili powder, 2½-3 tsp cumin, 2½-3 tsp smoked paprika, 2½-3 tsp cocoa powder, ½ tsp sugar, 1½ tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, garlic powder to taste, 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• Pressure cook for 25 minutes, natural release for 10, and then quick release.
• Sauté 15–30 min to desired thickness
• Rest 10 min (the chili will thicken as it cools)
• Serve with sour cream, cheese, chips & hot sauce

Video

Loaded with fresh vegetables and a rich tamarind flavor, it is the ultimate cozy, warming Filipino soup.

It is best enjoyed by pouring that deliciously tart broth over a mountain of steamed white rice!

What is Sinigang?

Sinigang is a pillar of Filipino cuisine.

It is a savory and deeply sour soup traditionally flavored with tamarind (sampaloc). The tartness of the broth is incredibly refreshing and balances perfectly with the richness of the meat and the hearty vegetables.

While it can be made with seafood or beef, pork belly is a massive favorite because the fat renders down and creates a wonderfully luxurious, comforting broth.

Key Ingredients for Instant Pot Pork Belly Sinigang

You will need a mix of rich meat, specific aromatics, and plenty of fresh vegetables to bring this soup together.

• The Pork: We use 2 pounds of pork belly cut into 1-inch cubes. Cutting them into smaller bite-sized pieces ensures they get perfectly tender in the pressure cooker.
• The Sour Broth: For that classic tart flavor, we use 1 packet of sinigang seasoning mix. If you prefer a more sour sinigang, feel free to use another packet. You will also need about 7 cups of water, which should be just enough to barely cover the pork.
• The Aromatics & Seasoning: You need 2 to 3 quartered medium onions and 1 quartered beefsteak tomato to build the base of the broth. To finish the dish, you will use 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, black pepper, and an optional squeeze of lemon, all adjusted to your own taste.
• The Vegetables: We love a hearty mix of veggies! You will need half a sliced daikon radish, 8 to 10 ounces of string beans cut into 2 to 3-inch pieces, and one full bag of spinach.

A Highly Flexible Comfort Food

The absolute best part about cooking Sinigang at home is how incredibly flexible it is. You can customize this dish and add pretty much any vegetable you want, or completely omit the ones you do not like.

If you are not a fan of daikon radish, simply leave it out.

If you want to make it even more traditional, you can toss in some sliced eggplant (talong), okra, or taro root (gabi). Taro is actually a fantastic addition because the starch naturally thickens the sour broth as it cooks, making it even richer.

If you cannot find traditional water spinach (kangkong) at the Asian market, the regular bagged spinach we used here, baby bok choy, or even regular green beans work perfectly.

This soup is meant to be a personalized comfort meal, so feel free to raid your crisper drawer and make it exactly how you like it.

Mastering the Instant Pot Method

The secret to the perfect Instant Pot Sinigang is knowing when to pressure cook and when to simmer. If you pressure cook the vegetables with the pork, they will completely disintegrate.

Step 1: The Pressure Cook Start by adding your pork belly, quartered onions, and beefsteak tomato to the Instant Pot. Add your water, seal the lid, and pressure cook on high for 25 minutes. Once it is done, let the pot do a natural release for 10 minutes before carefully doing a quick release for the remaining pressure.

Step 2: Cooking the Vegetables in Stages Once the pot is open, switch the Sauté mode to High and stir in your sinigang seasoning mix. We add the vegetables in stages based on how long they take to cook. First, add the sliced daikon and cook for 3 to 6 minutes. Next, add the string beans and cook for another 3 to 6 minutes until they reach your desired doneness.

Step 3: The Residual Heat Trick To keep your leafy greens vibrant, turn the Instant Pot completely off. Stir in your spinach and black pepper, letting the residual heat gently wilt the leaves without overcooking them. Add your fish sauce to taste, and serve hot!.

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Instant Pot Pork Sinigang

This Instant Pot Pork Sinigang delivers that signature, crave-worthy sour broth and fall-apart tender pork in a fraction of the time. Loaded with fresh vegetables and a rich tamarind flavor, it is the ultimate cozy, warming Filipino soup. Best enjoyed by pouring that deliciously tart broth over a mountain of steamed white rice!

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Asian, Filipino

Keyword easy sinigang recipe, Filipino tamarind soup, Instant Pot pork sinigang, pork ribs sinigang, pressure cooker sinigang, sinigang na baboy, sour pork soup

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 450kcal

Equipment

• Instant Pot Pro (8 QT) This recipe was made with an 8 QT Instant Pot in mind.

Ingredients

Meat

• 2 lb pork belly 1-inch cubes

Vegetables

• 2-3 medium onions quartered
• 1 beefsteak tomato quartered
• ½ daikon radish sliced
• 8-10 oz string beans 2-3 inch pieces
• 1 bag spinach

Seasoning

• 1 packet sinigang seasoning mix
• 1 tbsp fish sauce adjust to taste
• black pepper adjust to taste
• optional: lemon adjust to taste

Liquids

• 7 cups water just enough to cover the pork

Instructions

Prepare Ingredients:

• Quarter tomato and onions

  Cut pork belly into 1-inch chunks

  Slice daikon radish

  Cut string beans into 2-3 inch pieces
  2 lb pork belly, 2-3 medium onions, 1 beefsteak tomato, ½ daikon radish, 8-10 oz string beans

Pressure Cook:

• Add pork belly, onions, and tomato to the Instant Pot.

  Add enough water to barely cover the ingredients.

  Pressure cook on high for 25 minutes.

  Natural release for 10 minutes, and then quick release.
  2 lb pork belly, 2-3 medium onions, 7 cups water, 1 beefsteak tomato

Saute:

• Turn Saute mode to High.

  Add in sinigang mix.

  Add the vegetables in stages:

  – Add daikon and cook for 3-6 minutes until desired doneness.

  – Add string beans and cook for 3-6 minutes until desired doneness.
  ½ daikon radish, 8-10 oz string beans, 1 packet sinigang seasoning mix
• Turn Instant Pot OFF.

  Stir in spinach + black pepper and wilt with the residual heat.
  1 bag spinach, black pepper, 1 tbsp fish sauce

Finish:

• Add fish sauce to taste, and serve hot with rice.
  1 tbsp fish sauce, black pepper, optional: lemon

Video

The Instant Pot makes it weeknight-friendly!

Using a mix of beef chuck and beef feet, this easy Instant Pot Beef Nilaga delivers deep flavor, tender meat, and a nourishing broth in a fraction of the time. Corn, potatoes, cabbage, and chayote soak up that savory beefy goodness while the pressure cooker does the heavy lifting.

If you’re looking for a simple, authentic pressure cooker nilaga recipe that tastes slow-cooked without the all-day wait, this is it.

Just don’t forget the white rice.

What is Nilaga?

Nilaga (which literally translates to “boiled” in Tagalog) is a staple soup in the Philippines.

It is the dish you crave on a rainy day or when you are feeling under the weather.

While it can be made with pork (Nilagang Baboy) or chicken (Nilagang Manok), Beef Nilaga (Nilagang Baka) is highly prized for its incredibly savory, rich, and beefy broth.

By boiling tough, bone-in cuts of meat with whole peppercorns and onions, the broth transforms into something deeply nourishing.

Why make Instant Pot Beef Nilaga?

Traditionally, achieving perfectly tender beef and a broth rich in collagen takes at least two to three hours of babysitting a pot on the stove.

• Time-Saver: The pressure cooker slashes that cooking time by more than half.
• Locked-in Flavor: Because the Instant Pot is sealed, none of the aromatic evaporation occurs. Every ounce of flavor stays right in the broth.
• Set It and Forget It: Once you secure the lid, you are free to prep your vegetables, make your rice, and set the table without having to skim or stir continuously.

Key Ingredients & Substitutions

To get that authentic taste, the ingredients matter. Here is what you need and how you can adapt it:

• The Beef: We use a combination of beef chuck for meaty bites and beef feet (or bone marrow or shank) for that gelatinous, rich mouthfeel. If you cannot find beef feet, beef short ribs or beef shank (bulalo cuts) work beautifully.
• The Aromatics: Whole black peppercorns, a quartered onion, and a splash of fish sauce (patis) are non-negotiable for the classic flavor profile.
• The Vegetables: We love the traditional mix of sweet corn on the cob, potatoes, chayote (sayote), and cabbage.
• Veggie Swaps: Cannot find chayote? Green papaya or zucchini works in a pinch. If you prefer leafy greens, you can swap the cabbage for bok choy or pechay.

Pro-Tips for the Best Pressure Cooker Broth

1. Parboil and Rinse (Optional but Recommended): For the clearest broth possible, you can quick-boil the beef for 5 minutes on the stove, rinse off the impurities, and then add it to your Instant Pot.
2. The Two-Stage Pressure Cook: To keep your vegetables from turning into mush, cook them in a second stage. We wait to add the corn, potatoes, cabbage, and chayote until after the beef has finished its main pressure cook. Once the pressure is released, drop the vegetables into the hot broth, seal the lid, and pressure cook for an additional 6 to 7 minutes. This guarantees you get fall-apart tender beef and perfectly cooked vegetables in the same pot.

How to Serve and Store Leftovers

Beef Nilaga is never eaten alone. It must be served with steaming hot white rice!

For the true Filipino experience, serve it with a sawsawan (dipping sauce) on the side. Mix a little bit of fish sauce (patis) with a squeeze of calamansi or lemon juice, and optionally crush a spicy bird’s eye chili (siling labuyo) into it. Dip the tender pieces of beef into the sauce before eating them with your rice.

Storing: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. The broth will likely solidify like jelly when cold. That just means you extracted all that great collagen! It will turn right back into a rich liquid once heated.

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Instant Pot Beef Nilaga

Cozy, simple, and deeply comforting This is Filipino Beef Nilaga made in the Instant Pot. Rich beef broth, corn, potatoes, chayote, and cabbage.

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Asian, Filipino

Keyword beef and cabbage soup, easy beef nilaga, Filipino beef soup, FIlipino comfort food, Instant Pot nilaga, nilagang baka, pressure cooker beef soup

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 400kcal

Author Dan & Ash

Equipment

• Instant Pot Pro (8 QT) This recipe was made with an 8 QT Instant Pot in mind.

Ingredients

Meat

• 1.20 lb Angus beef chuck stew meat boneless
• 2.7 lb beef feet rinsed
• 1.07 lb beef round boneless, stir-fry cut

Vegetables

• 3 corn cut into fourths
• 3 russet potatoes cubed
• 1 chayote cubed
• 3-4 carrots 1/2 inch pieces
• ½ head cabbage cut into wedges
• 2-3 onions

Seasoning & Liquids

• 1 tbsp whole peppercorns
• ½ tsp salt adjust to taste
• fish sauce adjust to taste
• 7 cups water to barely cover during pressure cooking

Instructions

Prepare Ingredients:

• Dice your onions

  Quarter your chayote and potatoes

  Cut corn into fourths

  Wedge your cabbage
  3 corn, 3 russet potatoes, 1 chayote, 2-3 onions, ½ head cabbage

Pressure Cook 1:

• Place beef chuck, beef feet, salt, peppercorns, and onions into the Instant Pot.

  Add in enough water to barely cover the meat.

  Cover and pressure cook for 45 minutes on high.

  Natural release for 10 minutes, then quick release.
  1.20 lb Angus beef chuck stew meat, 2.7 lb beef feet, 2-3 onions, 1 tbsp whole peppercorns, ½ tsp salt, 7 cups water

Pressure Cook 2:

• Add the chayote, potatoes, corn, and carrots to the Instant Pot.

  Cover and pressure cook for 6-7 minutes and then quick release.
  3 corn, 3 russet potatoes, 1 chayote, 3-4 carrots

Saute:

• Switch your Instant Pot to Saute.

  Add in your Beef Round and cook until tender.

  Adjust seasonings here and add fish sauce to taste.
  1.07 lb beef round, fish sauce, ½ tsp salt

Finish:

• Serve with white rice.

Video