Warm, comforting Instant Pot Chili is the perfect cool weather meal and this is the ABSOLUTE BEST CHILI I have ever eaten! Packed with fiber and nutrients, covered in cheese and sour cream – get ready to fall in love!
This recipe was first published in 2017. I've updated the recipe, images, and text to make it even better!
I really hesitate to call any of my recipes “The Best.” It feels like I'm putting a challenge out there and heaven knows, I AM NOT a competitive person.
Don't tell my younger sisters, but I used to silently cheer when the opposing team made points at their volleyball competitions because that meant we could leave sooner. Feels so good to confess that!
I also recall faking a rolled ankle as a 13-year-old so I could go home and read a book I was really excited about.
So yeah, don't bother to compete with me, I'll probably just hand you the trophy.
By calling this amazing, deep, rich, flavorful, silky chili THE BEST, I'm simply saying it is THE BEST CHILI I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE! No restaurant or chili potluck has ever made me as happy as this bowl of chili right here!
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS AWARD WINNING CHILI (THE MARCI TIDBITS AWARD, THAT IS)
- No crazy, weird ingredients here. I didn't add bacon, balsamic vinegar, quinoa, or any other nontraditional ingredients to this beauty. Not saying all of those don't have potential, I'm just saying if you want glorious, traditional, feel-good chili, this is your baby
- Toppings! I theorize that it is the lack of toppings that kept me from trying chili as a kid. What kid would see chips, cheese, and sour cream piled high in their bowl, and say, “Oh don't even think I'm eating that!”
- And of course, the awesome trio that makes you feel good about eating to your heart's content, Healthy, Wholesome, Pretty. Yep, I said pretty. Food should be pretty
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT HOMEMADE CHILI, QUICK AND EASY
- Brown meat and spices directly in the Instant Pot using the saute function on HIGH (love a meat chopper for this task)
- Dump in the rest of your ingredients
- Stir, Pressure Cook, then Eat and let chili take away all your problems
TIPS TO MAKING THE WORLD'S BEST CHILI
I'm VERY picky about what goes into making a chili I call “THE BEST”. While these are all my opinions, keep in my mind, I'm always right. Just ask my husband . . . just don't ask him behind my back
- Heavily season the meat! All the spices are going right in alongside the meat while it gets browned. This will ensure the meat has flavor and will season the rest of the chili while it pressure cooks
- Use 93/7 ground turkey. Don't worry, no one will ever know you didn't use beef. I much prefer the texture of ground turkey and the lower fat content means your chili won't have a greasy film throughout
- Don't chop the meat too small. Do you want tiny pea-sized pieces of meat all through your chili that are hardly recognizable as meat? I THINK NOT! Leave your chunks a bit larger so you can enjoy each tender, flavorful bite
- Use a variety of beans. My favorite combo is kidney, cannellini, and pinto. You'll get a variety of bite and creaminess with each kind
- Speaking of beans, you're going to think I'm crazy when you see that the recipe doesn't call for draining the beans. I'm not just being lazy. That extra starch in the cans is what keeps your chili from going watery, as soups/stew/chilis tend to do in the pressure cooker
- Use the Best Chili Toppings, and yes, the order matters:
- First -Diced cheese (so it can get all melty and gooey), then pickled jalapenos (for crunch and briny heat), then sour cream (on top, not stirred in), and finally crushed corn chips right on top so they don't go all soggy. Perfection!
- Serve it with cornbread. Anyone else agree this is a must? Our family's favorite is this Zucchini Cornbread from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I make a few changes – I use white whole wheat flour, 1 cup flour to 1 cup cornmeal, and 1/4 cup sugar, It's amazing!
Get this chili in your menu plan ASAP! Don't worry about your personal “Best” chili feeling betrayed. As I endlessly tell my children when they ask who drew “the best picture” or “folded laundry the best,” we can all be the best, have the best, feel the best as long as we let those around us be their “best” too. Hopefully one day they'll figure out what that means.
Enjoy!
EXTRA TIDBITS: HOW TO FREEZE CHILI
This makes a big pot of chili, which is great because chili freezes perfectly. I like to freeze it in gallon size freezer safe ziplock bags, push out all the air, then freeze flat. The flat part is important here because it will take up less room in your freezer and also thaw more quickly.
CHILI VARIATIONS
Don't feel like eating out of a bowl or have a husband that stubbornly still says, “soup is not a meal”? Here are some great options:
- Serve the chili over a plate of chips and cover it with Butternut Nacho Cheese Sauce – HEAVEN!
- Serve over “baked” potatoes or sweet potatoes (so easy to do in the Instant Pot)
- Scoop it directly out of the pot with corn chips. Exception: any and all children who double dip, cough, or laugh over the big pot of chili
MORE SOUPS WITH EXCESSIVE TOPPINGS TO TRY
TOOLS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT CHILI
- Instant Pot
- Meat Chopper
- Trader Joe's Corn Chips – LOVE THESE!
Instant Pot Triple Bean Chili
Instant Pot Triple Bean Chili is packed with good for you foods and garnished with all the glorious, crunchy, spicy, creamy toppings you could ever want!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds lean ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 5 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 29 oz can tomato sauce
- 29 oz can diced tomatoes (undrained)
- 15 oz can kidney beans (undrained)
- 15 oz can cannellini beans (undrained)
- 15 oz can pinto beans (undrained)
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 4 oz can green chilies
- 2 stalks celery, diced
Toppings
- cheddar and pepper jack cheese cut into cubes, sour cream, diced jalapeños, and corn chips
Instructions
- Select saute on the pressure cooker and add oil. When hot, add ground turkey. Sprinkle with cumin, chili powder, black pepper, and salt. Brown and crumble until it's cooked through.
- Add tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, kidney beans, cannellini beans, pinto beans, diced onions, chiles, and celery; stir.
- Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. Note: It can take 10 minutes or so for this big pot of chili to come up to pressure.
- When cooking is complete, use a natural release for 10 minutes and then release any remaining pressure. If liquid sprays from the valve, switch it back to a sealed position and let it cool for another 5 – 10 minutes.
- Serve hot topped with cubes of cheese, sour cream, chopped pickled jalapeños, and corn chips.
Notes
- If your pot is sensitive to getting the BURN signal, add a 1/2 – 3/4 cup of water to the pot with the other ingredients.
- I prefer the taste and texture of ground turkey, but 90/10 ground beef will substitute great
- DO NOT drain and rinse the beans
- Leftover can be frozen flat in gallon size ziplock bags for up to 4 months
- Add a splash of cholula hot sauce to individual bowls for extra spice
Keywords: chili, winter food, healthy dinner
Has anyone else has an issue with the burn message coming on? I stirred it well, but it still settled down and started sticking to the bottom even before the valve popped up. I’m at a loss, and will probably have to put it on the stove. Looks like pizza tonight. 😕
Judi, dang, I’ve never had that problem here. What pressure cooker do you own?
Question:
How easy is this chili on the tummy? Its my understanding that rinsing the beans thoroughly reduces the gassy effect. So, is there something else going on here that makes the starches more digestible? Could one rinse the beans and just add a bit of thickener (cornmeal or cornstarch) at the end? Thanks so much and love your site!!
Twiisa, I definitely have a more sensitive gut, and I would say this recipe is about medium on the “easy to digest” scale. Saying that, I haven’t noticed that it is any different than any other chili or bean dish for me. I think you could definitely rinse the beans if you want to though, it might be a touch thinner, but the taste will still be amazing
VERY delicious recipe, yet simple. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Scott, It’s my favorite chili of all time:). I’m glad you liked it!
I made this chili and adapted the chili powder. I put a scant 4 Tbsp. in, otherwise, it was fantastic. Even plan on making it for our family when we get together next Wednesday night for pumpkin pie making. This is a keeper. Thanks.
Lornel, my mom likes a bit less chili powder as well. I’m glad you enjoyed it! I love it so much. That sounds like a cozy family moment 🙂
I’ve made this recipe a number of times now and everyone I’ve fed it to has loved it. Also I just saw your bit about faking a rolled ankle to go read a book…..SAME. haha, I hate competition and I did all sorts of things to get out of competing.
Anywho, off to make chili, again!
★★★★★
Susan, I love hearing that! This Chili seriously rocks! And I’m happy to hear there’s others like me 🙂
I’m pretty partial to my stove top chili but this recipe took it over the top! I had to substitute a couple of items…I mistakenly picked up a 29 oz can of whole tomatoes instead of tomato sauce and I didn’t have a can of diced chili peppers. So I used the juice from the whole tomatoes, a can of Rotel tomatoes, an 8 oz can of tomato sauce and 8 oz of beef broth to equal the 29 ounces of liquid from the tomato sauce. Kept the spices the same except I only used 4 T of chili powder. Pressure cooking really added a huge depth of flavor. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Glinda, you made my day with that comment! I love this chili more than any other I’ve ever tried. And genius work with the substitutions. Sounds like you know your way well around a kitchen!
I made your chili recipe last Friday, it was a hit with my family!!! Thank you! Now looking forward in making your new butternut soup I just received through email!! So thrilled I’m back on your website since I found you and your sister like a year and a half ago or maybe it’s been two years? Either way, thank you!
★★★★★
Nancy, I’m having it for dinner again tonight, haha! I’m so glad you guys loved it. This butternut soup is absolutely dreamy! Thanks for hangin around TIDBITS!
I love every single recipe of yours that I try. Not ONE has been mediocre. And this one? It knocks it OUT OF THE PARK. I had to make a couple changes due to what I could find but dear God your recipes are so perfect. I always check to see if you have what I want to make before I check anywhere else. I made a different chili recipe a few months ago and it was crap. This was perfection. Thank you for another great recipe.
★★★★★
Susan, Wow, you just started my day off right! That was a seriously sincere compliment and it meant the world to me, Thank you!
Wonderful! Wonderful! Recipe! Thank you!
★★★★★
Marilyn, I’m so glad you loved it 🙂
Great job on the television segment, Marci!
Karen, Thank you! Ive never been so nervous about something in my life!
Would you consider appending to your recipe instructions for using DRIED beans instead of canned?
Echo, I plan on doing a post all about beans at some point. It didn’t work so well to do it along with chili.
Just watched your tv segment. So proud of you! Fantastic job!!
Thank you Lyn! I’m so glad I did it, not sure I ever want to do it again though!