Instant Pot Steak Chili. Chili with bite-sized cubes of chuck, ready in about an hour thanks to pressure cooking.
When I make Chili, I go big or go ground. My Texas Red Chili uses big chunks of beef - 1½-inch to 2-inch cubes. Or, I use ground beef for wimpy weeknight chili with beans.1. This Instant Pot Steak chili splits the difference, with small cubes of beef.
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I got the idea from Chef Michael Ollier when I visited Certified Angus Beef® Brand to make chili live on their Facebook channel. Much to my surprise, Chef Michael uses small, ½-inch cubes of beef in his Game Day Steak Chili. I filed the idea away for later…and promptly forgot about it.
I remembered it when I was planning my annual work ChiliFest potluck. It has a few advantages over my real-deal Texas Red chili. The smaller chunks of beef cook quickly under pressure, and the shorter cooking time lets me add cans of beans without turning the beans to mush. (Yes, I add beans to this chili. If this offends you, don't go any further - check out the Texas Red Chili recipe mentioned above. I warned you. There are Beans ahead.)
All that said, this is my standard Instant Pot chili technique. It will look very familiar if you've made any of my other chili recipes, like my Instant Pot Ground Beef and Bean Chili, Instant Pot White Turkey Chili Recipe, or my Instant Pot 5 Ingredient Chili.
Ingredients
- Beef chuck roast
- Fine sea salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Vegetable oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Jalapeño peppers
- Chili powder
- Ground cumin
- Dried oregano
- Brown sugar
- Beef broth
- Canned black beans
- Canned chopped green chiles
- Canned petite diced tomatoes
See the recipe card for details
How to make Instant Pot Steak Chili
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Sear the beef (on one side) in three batches: Heat the vegetable oil in an Instant Pot over Sauté mode set to high until the oil shimmers. Sprinkle the beef cubes with 1½ teaspoons salt and ¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper. Brown the beef in 3 batches, only on one side; each batch will take about 3 minutes. Move each batch to a bowl as it finishes browning.
Sauté the aromatics, toast the spices, and deglaze the pan: Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño to the pot, and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté until the onions soften, about 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally to loosen any browned bits of beef. Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and brown sugar, and cook for 1 minute to toast the spices. Add the beef broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to make sure nothing is sticking.
Stir everything into the pot: Add the beef and any juices back into the pot. Stir in the black beans, chopped green chilies, and diced tomatoes.
Pressure cook for 12 minutes with a natural release: Lock the lid. Cook at high pressure for 12 minutes ("Manual," "Pressure Cook," or "Pressure Cook - Custom" mode set to 12 minutes in an Instant Pot). Let the pressure come down naturally, for about 30 more minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.) Remove the lid, tilting it away to avoid the hot steam.
Season, thicken, and serve: If you used store-bought beef broth, add ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt; if you used homemade beef broth or water, add 1½ teaspoons of fine sea salt. Whisk the water into the cornstarch to make a slurry, then stir it into the chili. Serve and enjoy!
Substitutions
Other beef cuts: Bottom Round and boneless short ribs are also good cuts of beef for this recipe; they cook the same as chuck roast.
Mix in some pork: If I want to save a little money, I replace half of the beef with pork shoulder. I like the mix of meats, and pork shoulder is usually cheaper than beef chuck roast at my local grocery stores.
No beans: Don't want beans? You can leave them out.
More beans: Want more beans? Go ahead and throw in another can or two. They'll work in the recipe.
Dry beans: Want to use dry beans? Sort and rinse 1 cup of black beans, pinto beans, or small red beans. Soak the beans overnight, covered with water by a few inches. Increase the amount of beef broth in the recipe to 2 cups. The rest of the recipe stays the same, including the cooking time.
Equipment
Scaling
This recipe doubles easily, but you need an 8-quart pressure cooker for it to fit. Cut all the ingredients in half, and this recipe will fit in a 3-quart pressure cooker. The cooking time does not change; it takes the same time to cook the chili, no matter how much you're cooking. (The cooking time is determined by how long it takes to cook each individual piece of beef and bean. So, the cooking time is determined by the size of the beef chunks, not how many there are in the pot.)
Storage
Chili makes excellent leftovers and, if anything, tastes better if it's reheated the next day. I store chili in 2-cup containers, which last for a few days in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer. Then I can pull out a container for a lunch-size portion, to top chili dogs, or for a chili spaghetti or chili mac dinner.
Adapted from: Game Day Steak Chili - CertifiedAngusBeef.com by Michael Ollier
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Instant Pot Steak Chili
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 quarts of chili 1x
Description
Instant Pot Steak Chili. Pressure cooker chili, made with bite-sized cubes of chuck, ready in about an hour thanks to pressure cooking. Adapted from Game Day Steak Chili, Chef Michael Ollier, CertifiedAngusBeef.com
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chuck roast, trimmed and cut into ¾-inch cubes
- 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced
- ¼ cup chili powder
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 cup beef broth or water (homemade is best, but expensive)
- 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups homemade beans)
- 4-ounce can chopped green chiles
- 28-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- ½ to 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt (depending on the beef broth)
Cornstarch slurry (optional)
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Toppings (optional)
- shredded cheddar cheese
- diced scallions
- sour cream
Instructions
- Sear the beef in three batches: Heat the vegetable oil in the Instant Pot over Sauté mode set to high until the oil shimmers (medium-high heat in a stovetop pressure cooker). While the oil heats, sprinkle the beef cubes with 1½ teaspoons salt and ¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper. Add a third of the beef in a loose single layer and sear until well browned on one side, about 3 minutes. (Don’t crowd the pot or the beef will steam, not brown). Transfer the browned beef to a bowl, add half of the remaining beef to the pot, and sear until browned on one side, about 3 more minutes. Transfer the browned beef to the bowl. Add the rest of the beef to the pot and sear until browned on one side, about 3 more minutes. Transfer the browned beef to the bowl.
- Sauté the aromatics, toast the spices, deglaze the pan with broth: Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño to the pot, and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté until the onions soften, about 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally to loosen any browned bits of beef. Make a hole in the middle of the onions and add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and brown sugar. Cook for one minute, or until you smell the chili powder toasting, then stir the spices into the onions. Add the beef broth to the pot, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 1 minute. Scrape the bottom of the pot again to release any browned onions or spices.
- Stir everything into the pot: Add the beef and any juices in the bowl to the Instant Pot, then stir to coat the beef with the spices. Stir in the black beans, chopped green chilies, and diced tomatoes.
- Pressure cook for 12 minutes with a natural release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Cook at high pressure for 12 minutes in an electric pressure cooker (“Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode in an Instant Pot), or for 10 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 30 more minutes. (If you’re in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.) Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam.
- Season, thicken, and serve: If you used store-bought beef broth, add ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt; if you used homemade beef broth or water, add 1½ teaspoons of fine sea salt. Whisk the water into the cornstarch to make a cornstarch slurry, and then stir the slurry into the chili to thicken. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Bottom Round is also a good cut of beef for this recipe; it cooks the same as chuck roast.
If you have the patience to cut ½-inch cubes, or can get your butcher to do the work, cut the cooking time to 10 minutes at high pressure; everything else is the same.
Don’t want beans? That’s OK. You can leave them out. Want more beans, like my bean-loving son? Go ahead and throw in another can or two. I’m easy.
Want to use dry beans? Sort, rinse, and soak 1 cup of black beans overnight, and increase the amount of beef broth to 2 cups. The rest of the recipe stays the same, including the cooking time.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
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What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
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- I say “wimpy” with love - ground beef and bean chili is what I grew up with. ↩
Adam K says
This is my favorite chili recipe!
I make it as is here, but cut the chili powder in half. In it's place I put a small tin of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in the food processor untill smooth and throw that in the instant pot as well. Also use a little unsweet cocoa powder as others have suggested.
This adds a wonderful
Jeanie Shimmin says
Best damn pot of chili I've ever made!
Im in a studio apartment with no kitchen thus no tools. Just a mini fridge, a microwave, 1 sharp knife and a large spoon. I was given a pressure cooker to try, but no instruction booklet. This was my 2nd time cooking with it.
Following your cooking instructions and recipe, I used semi frozen bottom roast, 2 cans of beans, 1 can tomatoes, onion, beef broth and seasonings in estimated amounts (I have no tools).
It is THE best chili! Thank you
Brenda E Lange says
Love it. Flexible with meat (I used left over batches of sirloin steak and turkey sweet ital sausage). Taste was right on. Will make again.
Susie says
If I double this recipe, will the cooking Tim be the same?
Mike Vrobel says
Yes, the cooking time stays the same.
Anna says
I never comment on recipes but this was the best steak chili I've made, and I've made a whole bunch. Added a bit of unsweetened cocoa powder, otherwise made it exactly as the recipe states. Also, I used the "better than boullion" beef flavor, which adds a nice depth compared to the watery stuff in the cartons.
Stacy says
How much cocoa powder did you use? I've made this without, but I know cocoa will give it an ever better flavor!
Raekel Santos says
I used leftover top sirloin from a family gathering and omitted the jalapeños and green chilies for a more kid friendly dinner. I used one 15oz can of diced tomatoes and one can of tomato sauce with some diced green and yellow bell peppers and diced fresh tomatoes that I needed to use. Garbanzo and kidney beans instead of black beans. Everything else the same and it turned out amazing! With the cooked meat it made it a lot easier for a busy mom! Saving this recipe for sure!
Aaron Friedman says
Try putting the beef in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. That would make 1/2 cubes easier. I’m going to try this, nut with crushed tomatoes instead of diced.
Shannon says
Excellent recipe!! Can't wait to make it again! Thanks Mike.
Vincent C says
Used leftover choice sirloin i had grilled the day before ($4.99 lb weekly food city special) so that really cut down on the time...added 3 pieces of cooked chopped and trimmed bacon while sauteeing the veggies..used 3 10oz cans of rotel and omitted the can of green chillies 1 extra can of seasoned black beans with half the sauce...everything else as written except no corn starch....chili was amazing..spicier than i expected but really awesome flavor...definitely gonna be the new go to! Cooked 12 mins instant pot high pressure normal heat...let slow release for 20mins and then quick released til open (also turned off keep warm function). Thank you for an awesome recipe!
Melissa says
I made this last night. I realized that I forgot jalapenos so I added a little more chili powder. I also added about a half a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder. It turned out amazing. I absolutely love the flavor and so did everyone else who tried it. Thank you for sharing this fantastic recipe.
Stacey says
Wondering if anyone has left on keep warm for several hours?
Mike Vrobel says
I have many times for a potlucks at work. It keeps just fine.
Dave says
Great chili, fast and easy! I left the jalapeno and green chilies out because I'm feeding little kids but added fresh jalapenos after cooking to get the heat for me. Thanks for all you put into this site!
Kate says
This chili is terrific with bottom round roast! Since I was short on time, I skipped browning the meat yet it may be the most flavorful beef chili I’ve ever made. Thank you so much for an excellent recipe!
Mike Vrobel says
Red wine? Um...sure, if you really want to. Replace it 1:1 - 1 cup of wine for the beef broth. (I'm not sure red wine and chili powder are a good match. I'd use beer instead, if you really want some alcohol in the mix.)
Linda says
I thought the wine might tenderize the meat. However, beer is also a good idea. Thanks.
Missy says
1. I love the recipe... I used 3.5 lbs stew beef and cut it 1/2" I don't use broth - I use 2 cans (28 oz) Italian (Plum) Tomatoes - peeled in puree and then water with (frozen home made) concentrated beef stock cubes. I chunky tomatoes in our chili - we use Red and Black beans (not always) and serve with rice, warm corn tortillas (and tortilla chips too) Before the Instant pot I used ground beef simply because it was a quicker cook (Full time Mom and Therapist - 3 teens....) now we love this recipe.
Instead of wine or beer - the tomatoes and pressure tenderize the beef really.. I have also made this in a crock pot with chuck roast cubes. DELISH!!
Micaela says
This was excellent! Definitely adding to our regular rotation . Thank you!
Mike Vrobel says
You're welcome!
Linda says
Can I substitute red wine for part of the beef broth and how much?
Michelle C. says
Mike - what's your "go to" chile powder for this and the Texas Red?
Mike Vrobel says
My favorite is Penzeys Regular Chili Powder: https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/regular-chili-powder/c-24/p-55/pd-s
and I also get Frontier Chili Powder from the bulk section of my local grocery: https://www.frontiercoop.com/frontier-co-op-chili-powder-seasoning-blend-1-lb/