Easy, Instant Pot Chili Con Carne with Shredded Beef – everything is sautéed and stewed all in the pot for a fraction of the time it would normally take to get juicy, shredded beef pieces soaked in a delicious chili sauce! | Gluten Free + Dairy Free
This is the type of recipe that you have got to try if you want to get the most value out of your instant pot. I mean, how else could you get beef this juicy and shreddable in such a small amount of time?
What else to love about it? It’s:
- thick & hearty
- spicy but not too spicy
- cooked all in one pot
- super easy to make
How to Make this Instant Pot Chili Con Carne Recipe
Prep then brown beef.
Start out by seasoning all sides of the beef with a little salt and pepper. Once down, add the beef pieces to a warm up Instant Pot on the “Sauté” function, then cook each side for about 3-5 minutes to brown. You don’t need to full cook the beef through at this time. Just cook the outsides then briefly remove from the pot to prep the remaining ingredients.
Sauté the aromatics & spices.
Once the beef has been removed from the pot, add the onion and garlic to the pot with a little more oil and cook until soft and translucent. After the onions have softened, add the spices and tomato paste and cook another few minutes. Like the onion, it’s important to give the tomato paste a chance to cook before adding in the liquids so that it has a chance to sweeten and deepen in flavour.
Add the liquids, beef then cover & Cook
Finally, stir in the tomatoes and stock. Mix and stir everything together until well combined, then add the beef back to the pot. Make sure to submerge the beef pieces in the liquids as much as you can, then cover and cook on high for 50 minutes.
Add beans then simmer once more to thicken
Once the time goes off leave the pot alone for another 10 minutes to give it time to naturally depressurise. Switch the venting valve to ‘release’ to let out any remaining steam and open. Use a pair of tongs or a couple of forks to shred the beef and mix it back into the sauce. The meat should be falling apart without much effort at all.
Add the beans to the pot then switch the instant pot function “Sauté” one final time. This will help to warm the beans through and reduce the liquids in the pot to make for a thicker stew. The longer you sauté the thicker the chili will be. How long is up to you!
Questions & Tips
Why do I have to brown the beef first?
- Browning the outside of the beef lightly caramelises the surface. Caramelisation basically just means that you’re going to end up with a richer, more complex flavour in the end.
Can I make this chili con carne low carb and omit the beans?
- Absolutely! If you’re observing a low carb or paleo-like diet you can skip the beans altogether. Keep in mind that the beans help thicken the end product. If you’re looking for a thick chili sans beans just take a little more time at the end simmering the chili so it reduces down to your preferred texture.
Can I make this chili con carne with ground beef?
- Yes! To do so – saute your onion and garlic first. After the onion has softened, add the beef to the pot and brown with the onions. Once the beef has browned and the spices and tomato paste and continue with the recipe until it’s time to cook.
- Cooking time will be only 20 minutes and you can add the beans to the pot before cooking.
Can I make this in the slow cooker instead of the Instant Pot?
- Yes, but with alterations. Keep in mind that the chili won’t get as thick in the slow cooker.
- I recommend browning the beef in a skillet/ pan first. I also recommend sautéing the garlic, onion, spices and tomato paste in a skillet/pan as well. Add 1/2 cup of the stock to your pan and simmer for a minute or two then add to the slower cooker with the remaining ingredients.
- Cook on low for 6 hours then shred the beef, add beans, cook another 30 minutes and enjoy.
When in comes to serving suggestions – sour cream and shredded cheese are always great chili options. I personally love any excuse to pull out some guacamole and salsa and pile on with some freshly fried tortilla chips. You also can’t go wrong with fresh chilies, diced onion and chopped cilantro.
Serve this chili over a bed of rice or quinoa to soak up all the juices. Make some cilantro lime cauliflower rice if you’re interested in adding more veggies to your meal.
Load up a few baked potatoes, serve over chips, sweet potato fries, mix in to pasta or serve along side your favourite cornbread. Is this making you as hungry as it’s making me??
However you decide to serve it – enjoy!
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Instant Pot Chili Con Carne with Shredded Beef
Easy, Instant Pot Chili Con Carne with Shredded Beef - everything is sautéed and stewed all in the pot for a fraction of the time it would normally take to get juicy, shredded beef pieces soaked in a delicious chili sauce! | Gluten Free + Dairy Free
Ingredients
Spice Blend
- 1 tablespoon chili powder (mild, medium or hot - your preference)
- 4 teaspoons ground cumin
- 4 teaspoons paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt and ground black pepper, each
Chili
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 pounds beef stew meat (like chuck roast, casserole steak etc) (about 900 g)
- 1 large onion (white, yellow or brown) diced
- 1 tablespoon (about 3 cloves) garlic, minced
- 4 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 14 oz/400 g cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup (240 ml) beef stock
- 1 tablespoon honey or sugar (brown, white or coconut sugar will all work)
- 2 14 oz/420g cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Whisk all of the spices needed for the spice blend together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot and press the "Sauté" button. Salt and pepper each side of the beef. Once the oil is warm, add beef to the pot and brown each side cooking 3-4 minutes. Work in batches to easily fit all of the meat.
- Once all sides of the beef, remove from the pot and set aside on a plate.
- Add a little more oil to the pot if it's looking dry, then add the onion and garlic. Stir and cook about 3 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and spice blend and cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
- Stir in the chopped tomatoes, beef stock and honey/sugar to the pot and mix everything together well. Add the beef back to the pot. Submerge in the liquids as much as you can - it likely won't fully be covered.
- Press the "Keep Warm/Cancel" button to stop the sauté function. Secure the lid and make sure the steam valve is set to closed. Press 'Manual' or 'Pressure Cook' and set the timer to 50 minutes.
- After the time is up the Instant Pot will automatically switch the keep warm. Let it keep warm for at least 10 minutes before releasing the steam valve.
- Once the steam has been fully released remove the lid of the instant pot. Remove the beef from the pot and transfer to a plate or bowl to shred. Add the kidney beans to the pot, and Press the "Sauté" button and bring the pot to a simmer. This will help warm the beans through and reduce the liquids down to make for a thicker chili. Simmer at least 10 minutes. If you want a thicker chili, simmer longer and smash up some of the beans.
- Taste and season with more salt if needed. Top with your favourite chili toppings and enjoy.
Notes
- Additional time is an estimate of about how much added time it will take for the instant pot to come up to temperature before the cooking time begins and how long it will take to depressurise before you can open it.
Make it in a slow cooker:
- Brown the beef in a pan or skillet over a medium heat - about 3-4 each side then remove from pan.
- Saute onion & garlic in pan 4-5 minutes. Add spices and tomato paste and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup beef stock to pan. Scrape the bottom of pan to unstick all the browned bits.
- Add onion mixture, remaining beef stock, tomatoes and beef to slow cooker. Submerge beed pieces. Cover and cook on low 6 hours. Remove beef from pot and shred. Add beef back to pot along with beans. Let cook another 30 minutes at least then serve. Mash up beans in pot to thicken.
Make with ground beef:
- Start out by sautéing the onion and garlic for about 4-5 minutes. Then add the beef to the pot and brown. Once the beef has browned add the tomato paste and spice blend, cooking 2-3 minutes.
- Add the beans to the pot along with the tomatoes, stock and beef. Cook for 20 minutes on high and that's it.
Mich says
Help I made this last night for tea tonight it has the worse after taste omg butter and horrible
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Mich! I’d love to help you troubleshoot here, but without too much info it’s hard to say what might have gone wrong. Did you change or add any thing? Do you have any specific questions on things you’d like clarified in the recipe? Also, what do you mean by ‘butter’?
Christine Chambers says
Can I make this with one pound of beef? If so do o just halve all ingredients?
Sarah Nevins says
That will still work! I wouldn’t worry about halving the remaining ingredients. Your chili won’t have quite as much bulk without the extra pound of beef but you can always simmer the pot another 5-10 minutes at the end (to reduce the liquids) or add another can of beans.
Tom Beifuss says
Hello!
I’m making it right now.
Do I need to drain the beans?
Thanks!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Tom! Sorry I couldn’t answer your question right away! Your comment came in at 1 in the morning my time so I’ve only just seen it. To answer your question though – yes, the beans should be drained and rinsed.
Shelly says
Delicious flavor but I had to add an extra cup of beef broth as I kept getting the ‘burn’ notice on the instant pot.
Sarah Nevins says
Glad you still enjoyed it!
Sabrina says
It’s hot but I don’t care, I crave a chili exactly like this, so much appreciated, and love the con carne too!
Sarah Nevins says
Thanks Sabrina!