This one is for the folks who think that chili is sometimes "too beany," or for those looking for a low-carb chili recipe. This Instant Pot No Bean Chili has all the flavor and satisfying deliciousness of chili, but without the beans.
If you've never made chili in the Instant Pot, give it a try! The cooking and the cleanup steps are so easy, you're NEVER gonna go back to messy stove-top chili.
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Why make chili in the Instant Pot
There are 3 main reasons to make chili in the Instant Pot versus the stovetop or slow cooker method:
- It tastes great, it has a rich flavor like it's been simmering for hours.
- Easiest cleanup! The Instant Pot inner pot is tall, so there are no splatters everywhere.
- It's super fast and hands-off! 17 minutes of cook time, plus about 20-30 minutes of pressure buildup and release. But you only have to watch the pot for about 5 minutes, the rest of the cook time is completely hands-off!
More Instant Pot chili recipes to try: Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
Chili with curry powder
Curry?? Yes, curry! This chili has a bit of curry powder added to give it warmth and flavor. Because why not?? I am ALWAYS experimenting with different chili ingredients (see my sweet potato chili and my southwestern white bean chili), so when I tried adding curry powder to chili, I was hooked.
Curry adds a little heat and loads of savory flavor. And depending on the curry seasoning you use, curry has a lot of common ingredients with chili seasoning: ground cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder often make an appearance in both seasonings.
If you're unsure about the curry, you can stir it in at the end to taste, or use half the amount. Or try a Jamaican or Trinidadian curry seasoning to at least get you onto the same hemisphere as traditional chili seasonings.
I hope you give chili with curry powder a try!
More meaty Instant Pot dinners: Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (I typically use 90% lean so it's not too greasy)
- 1 small onion, diced
- ½ tablespoon olive oil, or olive oil spray
- 10-oz can of Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies (or substitute with an extra 10-oz can of regular diced tomatoes and add a bit of extra spice to taste)
- 14-oz can of crushed tomatoes or diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon curry powder (yes, trust me on this!)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2-6 oz tomato paste (optional, stir in at the end if you like a thicker, richer, more tomato-ey chili)
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Meat chopper (optional but helpful for breaking up ground meat. You can use a wooden spoon instead.)
- Wooden spatula or wooden spoon
More low-carb Instant Pot dinners: Instant Pot Creamy Buffalo Chicken
Instructions
Preheat the Instant Pot on the Sauté mode. Once the pot is searing hot, add the olive oil and add the ground beef and diced onion immediately. Sauté for about 5 minutes, breaking up the meat with a meat chopped or a wooden spatula. Try to brown as much of the ground beef bits as you can, but it's OK if the meat isn't cooked all the way through.
Cancel the Sauté mode and use the spatula to loosen all the burned on bits from the bottom of the pot. If any bits are still stuck, it might cause the "burn" notice on the Instant Pot.
Add the diced tomatoes, dry seasonings, and beef broth (everything except for tomato paste). Do not stir!
Cover with the lid and set the valve to the "sealing" position. Press the CHILI/BEAN button and adjust the time to 12 minutes (or cook on the manual setting at high pressure for 12 minutes). Let the Instant Pot release the pressure naturally.
Carefully remove the lid and stir the chili. Give it a taste (CAREFULLY!). If it is too thin or not tomato-ey enough, you can stir in tomato paste, to taste (make sure you stir it in well!). Adjust any seasonings, adding spice or curry if you like. Serve hot and enjoy!
Recipe tips
→ Make sure there are no stuck-on browned bits at the bottom of the Instant Pot. If anything is stuck on, the pot might give a "burn" notice. If you can't get the bits to un-stick, you can add the canned tomatoes and broth to soften the browned bits and loosen them from the pot. It's OK to stir a little if you really need to.
→ To prevent the meat from sticking to the pot while browning it, make sure the pot is super hot, then add the oil, then add the meat to the super hot oil.
→ As mentioned above—if you're not sure about the curry, start with less and stir in more at the end.
What to serve with Instant Pot chili
Top your bowl of chili with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt, shredded cheese, fresh cilantro leaves, fresh or pickled sliced jalapeños, diced avocado, or tortilla crisps. Whatever you like best!
You can also serve your chili over rice, macaroni, or mac & cheese (chili makes a GREAT topping for a mac and cheese bar!)
Other side dishes that go great with chili are cornbread (try this jalapeño leek cornbread or this cheddar herb cornbread) and garlic bread.
Either way, enjoy this easy chili!
More Instant Pot dinner recipes: Instant Pot Gumbo
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Instant Pot No Bean Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef - (use 90% or 93% lean)
- 1 small onion - diced
- 10 oz Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 14 oz canned crushed tomatoes - or diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2-6 oz tomato paste - optional, add after cooking
Special equipment
- Meat chopper (optional)
- Wooden spoon or wooden spatula
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot on to Sauté mode and preheat until very hot. Add the olive oil, or spray with cooking spray. Add the ground beef and diced onion. Sauté for 4-7 minutes to brown the meat, using a meat chopper or wooden spatula to break up the ground beef into small crumbles. Make sure that you use your wooden spatula to remove any browned bits from the bottom. Removing all the burned-on bits will make sure the Instant Pot won't give you a "burn" notice.
- Add the Rotel and canned tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, curry powder, and beef broth to the Instant Pot.
- Without stirring, add the lid to the Instant Pot and set the valve to sealing mode.
- Turn on the CHILI/BEAN BUTTON and adjust the time to set to 12 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to cook. Once cooked, wait for the pressure to release naturally.
- If the chili isn't as thick as you'd like or if you want a more tomato-ey flavor, add in the tomato paste and stir to ensure the tomato paste is thoroughly mixed into the chili. Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.