Instant Pot Chipotle Chili (Pressure Cooker Chili Recipe)
on Oct 30, 2017, Updated Aug 26, 2020
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Instant Pot Chipotle Chili is the easiest and fastest way to make chili at home. It’s spicy, homemade, comfort food that will keep you warm and makes for a great one pot family dinner. Leftovers taste even better the next day!
This right here is the BEST thing I’ve eaten last week and I’m seriously excited to have you guys try it. I’ve been trying out a ton of things in my Instant Pot after the amazing Thai Carrot Ginger Soup that I shared a few weeks ago, and this Instant Pot Chipotle Chili is seriously topping the list. Because this is true winter food. And I ate it at 5PM, 9PM and the next day for lunch. And I was heartbroken when it got over.
Confession: I’ve never had real chili before, and I started like any of us do – by googling the internet for chili recipes and there were so many fantastic ones, but most of them seemed a bit lacking in flavour. I’m a huge chipotle lover, because I find that chipotle peppers add a fantastic spice and smokiness to food that just screams comfort and homemade and yes please!
So I started by turning a basic recipe into my own version of the best Instant Pot Chipotle Chili that really blew us away!
After I made this version in a pressure cooker, I also made one on the stovetop and couldn’t really see any difference in flavour, except that the Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker chili was faster – much faster!
I’m still an Instant Pot noob but I have to share some tips here that I couldn’t find anywhere when I was doing my research about Instant Pots.
Top tips for Instant Pot Chipotle Chili
- The Instant Pot or any electric pressure cooker for that matter takes a few minutes to preheat when you put it in pressure cooker mode. This means that if you are pressure cooking something for 30 minutes, you should add an extra 5-10 minutes as pre-heating time
- If you seriously want to brown your ground meat, you will have to cook it in batches because the walls of the Instant Pot and the size of its base sort of start steaming the meat instead of browning it. But honestly, I didn’t have the patience to brown the meat in batches, and still loved this chili, and couldn’t see a major difference
- Use dried beans to make your chili because the pressure cooker does all the work. So you can skip the canned stuff and go natural. Its important though to soak your dry beans overnight and rinse them before making this Instant Pot Chipotle Chili because soaking beans makes them easier to digest
- I used a basic pasta sauce here because my chili recipe anyway called for some oregano, onions and garlic. I know thats really unconventional but trust me, the flavours were a bomb and the final chili didn’t taste Italian at all. You can absolutely substitute this with canned tomatoes or fresh tomatoes
- Manual Release vs. Natural Release: I let the pressure release naturally because I was in no hurry. I made this chili in the afternoon for dinner later that night because chili always tastes better after a few hours, but if you are in a hurry, you can do a quick release or manual release of pressure
I know everyone has their own version of homemade chili. For example, the cincinnati chili has a lot of spices and is served with pasta; some chilis are sans beans and some are more soupy. This Instant Pot Chipotle Chili is spicy, thick and tastes best as is. I add a few crushed nachos, some sour cream and a squirt of lime juice and we are all set to enjoy the best chili made so quickly in a pressure cooker.
More Mexican Recipes:
- Instant Pot Mexican Rice with Corn and Peppers
- One Pot Mexican Rice and Sausages
- Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Mexican Prawn Avocado Taco Salad
- Mexican Tortilla Bean Soup
Watch Instant Pot Chipotle Chili Recipe Video (Step by Step)
Here’s the Instant Pot that I use in case you want to check it out: Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1
Instant Pot Chipotle Chili (Pressure Cooker Chili Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- 500 grams Ground Beef
- 1 Onion, finely chopped (large )
- 6 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Chipotle Chili Powder
- 1 tablespoon Red Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder
- 2 Chipotle Chillies in Adobo Sauce, chopped roughly (this refers to two chillies from the can)
- 2 cups Pasta Sauce, or canned or fresh tomatoes
- 1 cup Dried Kidney Beans, soaked overnight
- 1 cup Water or Broth
- Salt to taste
- Avocados, Crushed Nachos, Lime Juice, Soup Cream, Cilantro
Instructions
- Switch on the saute function on your Instant Pot and heat oil. Once the oil is hot, add the ground beef and saute the meat for a 2-3 minutes. Work in batches to brown the meat. Spoon off any extra fat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chipotle powder, chili powder, oregano, cumin powder, chipotle chillies, pasta sauce, drained kidney beans, water (or broth) and salt. Mix well, close the lid and turn the valve to sealing. Use the manual setting to cook the chili for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes let the pressure release naturally.
- I like to let the chili sit for an hour and then reheating it before serving. But you can always serve it immediately topped with your favourite toppings!
Notes
- The Instant Pot or any electric pressure cooker for that matter takes a few minutes to preheat when you put it in pressure cooker mode. This means that if you are pressure cooking something for 30 minutes, you should add an extra 5-10 minutes as pre-heating time
- If you seriously want to brown your ground meat, you will have to cook it in batches because the walls of the Instant Pot and the size of its base sort of start steaming the meat instead of browning it. But honestly, I didn’t have the patience to brown the meat in batches, and still loved this chili, and couldn’t see a major difference
- Use dried beans to make your chili because the pressure cooker does all the work. So you can skip the canned stuff and go natural. Its important though to soak your dry beans overnight and rinse them before making this Instant Pot Chipotle Chili because soaking beans makes them easier to digest
- I used a basic pasta sauce here because my chili recipe anyway called for some oregano, onions and garlic. I know thats really unconventional but trust me, the flavours were a bomb and the final chili didn’t taste Italian at all. You can absolutely substitute this with canned tomatoes or fresh tomatoes
- Manual Release vs. Natural Release: I let the pressure release naturally because I was in no hurry. I made this chili in the afternoon for dinner later that night because chili always tastes better after a few hours, but if you are in a hurry, you can do a quick release or manual release of pressure
Nutrition
Pin this to your Comfort Food Board
I can’t believe this recipe doesn’t have thousands of rave reviews. It’s my go-to chilli recipe. So, so good. Thanks for the great recipe.
Wohooo, am so so glad you loved it, Carolyn. Thank you for leaving a comment
One of the best chiles I’ve had. Thank you for the great recipe.
Yaay, glad you liked the recipe, Rob
This recipe looks amazing; however I do not have an Instant Pot. Considering you also made this on the stove top, do I need to approach the recipe any differently when preparing on the stove?
The time difference isn’t a concern for me as I have made regular chili on multiple occasions, but I am interested in giving this a go!
Hey Tonya, Absolutely, you may follow the same steps to cook this on stove top. cooking time may increase to 50-60 minutes, depending on the meat & the temperature at your place.
“Thank you, Great recipe!
You should join this Instant Pot Tips & Recipes Facebook group. I got a lot of new ideas and recipes. highly recommended! Here is a link to the group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/434020724110015/“
Thank you, Great recipe!
You should join this Instant Pot Tips & Recipes Facebook group. I got a lot of new ideas and recipes. highly recommended! Here is a link to the group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/434020724110015/
I work from home and prefer to cook on the stove, but my Instant Pot has always held a lot of fascination for me. I made this recipe one day when I had to cook several dinners at once for multiple families. It worked better than I could have imagined, was low on mess, quick and easy, AND it was very tasty too! Great combination! Also, I chose this recipe because it gave good instructions for the Instant Pot and used chipotles (one of my favorite chili ingredients).
One thing, I used dried pintos. I didn’t have time to soak my beans overnight, so I soaked them in boiling hot water while I prepped the rest of the ingredients. It worked like a charm! I think I did add 10 extra minutes to the cooking time, though I don’t know for sure that the extra time was necessary. The beans were creamy and overall the chili was a great consistency.
So happy you liked it Lisa! Thanks for your detailed feedback – I’m sure it’ll help other readers
This is such a good recipe, made this a few times. Great smokey flavor, the chiptole spices and adobo peppers are so good in this! My only chili recipe now going forward. Thank you!
Hey there! Happy to hear you liked this chipotle chili. The best dish for a cold winter’s day!
Super yummmmm. Didn’t expect the flavours to be sooooo good considering oregano and the pasta sauce in a chilli 😂 do suggest which pasta sauce brand you use. Fun foods is perfect but veeba got sweet 🤦♀️
Thanks for leaving a comment! Soooo glad you liked it Deepika. I usually use Barilla or Ragu – they are my go to pasta sauce jars
I had some chipotle in adobo paste to use, bought for a tortilla soup recipe, and someone in the Instant Pot Facebook group suggested this recipe… so I have made it today and loved it! I used black beans soaked overnight, as the only type I had, but it was wonderful and for sure I’ll make it again. ❤️
Thank you so much Felicia! So glad you enjoyed this recipe