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    Home » Recipes » Pressure cooker

    Pressure Cooker Cincinnati Chili

    Published: Oct 24, 2023 by Mike Vrobel · This post may contain affiliate links · 20 Comments

    Jump to Recipe
    A plate of Cincinnati chili with cheese, oyster crackers, and hot sauce

    Cincinnati Chili Recipe (Instant Pot) - a taste of the queen city from your pressure cooker in about an hour.

    I'm an Ohio boy, but I've never been to Cincinnati. I don't care. I love Cincinnati chili, and I had to figure out how to make it at home.

    A plate of Cincinnati chili with cheese, oyster crackers, and hot sauce

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    We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

    Jump to:
    • What is Cincinnati Chili
    • Ingredients
    • How to Make Cincinnati Chili in an Instant Pot
    • How to Serve Cincinnati Chili (All 5 Ways)
    • Equipment
    • Notes
    • Storing Leftovers
    • Cincinnati Chili (Instant Pot) Recipe
    • Related Posts
    • 💬 Comments

    What is Cincinnati Chili

    Cincinnati chili is very a very saucy chili, made with ground beef and warm spices, some of which are not traditional chili spices. While it has chili powder and cumin, it also has cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and my favorite bit, a little cocoa powder. Think of Cincinnati chili as a thick, meaty sauce for pasta, closer to spaghetti sauce than a bowl of Texas red. That's because it served on top of spaghetti, topped with a pile of shredded cheese, and (optionally) beans and onions. (Or it's used as chili for coney dogs, which is also fantastic.)

    Ingredients

    Soaked Kidney Beans

    • 1 pound dried red kidney beans, sorted and rinsed
    • 2 quarts water
    • 2 teaspoons fine sea salt (or 1 tablespoon kosher salt)

    Chili

    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 2 medium onions, diced
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
    • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • ¼ cup chili powder
    • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
    • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
    • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
    • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
    • 1 ½ pounds ground beef
    • 4 cups water
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 14- to 16-ounce can crushed tomatoes
    • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
    • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
    • ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

    Other ingredients and condiments

    • 1 pound dried spaghetti, cooked according to package directions in salted water
    • 8 ounces (4 cups) shredded cheddar cheese
    • Minced onions
    • Oyster crackers
    • Hot sauce (I use Frank's red hot, but it's milder than what they serve at Skyline.)

    How to Make Cincinnati Chili in an Instant Pot

    Sorting kidney beans on a half sheet pan

    Sort and rinse the kidney beans

    Sort the kidney beans, discarding any stones, dirt, or broken beans. Rinse the beans, then do an overnight or a quick soak.

    Overnight soak

    Cover the kidney beans with 8 cups of water, and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt. Leave the beans to soak at least 8 hours, or overnight. Drain and discard the soaking liquid.

    OR: Pressure Quick Soak for 1 minute with a 30 minute rest

    Put the kidney beans and 8 cups of water in an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt. Pressure cook at high pressure for 1 minute (“Manual”, “Pressure Cook”, or "Pressure Cook - Custom" mode in an Instant Pot). Let the beans soak in the pot for 30 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure. Drain the beans and discard the soaking liquid.

    Sautéing onions and spices in an Instant Pot

    Sauté the aromatics

    Heat the vegetable oil until shimmering in an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode - High. (Use medium-high heat for a stovetop PC.) Add the onions, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt to the pressure cooker. Sauté until the the onions and garlic soften, about 5 minutes.

    Toast the spices and cook the beef

    Make a hole in the center of the onions and add the chili powder, cumin, coriander, cocoa powder, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves. Let sit for 30 seconds to toast the spices, then stir them into the onions. Add the ground beef and cook until the beef just loses its pink color, stirring and breaking up the beef, and scraping the bottom of the pot to make sure none of the spices are sticking.

    Instant Pot full of Cincinnati chili ingredients, ready to pressure cook

    Everything in the pot

    Stir the drained and rinsed kidney beans into the pot, coating them with the spices. Pour in the water, add the bay leaf, and then add the crushed tomatoes on top. (Do not stir; the tomatoes may burn if they get to the bottom of the pot.)

    Instant Pot set to pressure cook on high for 20 minutes

    Pressure Cook for 20 minutes with a Natural Release

    Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. and bring the cooker up to high pressure. (Read your fine pressure cooker manual for how to do this). Cook at high pressure for 20 minutes in an electric PC, 15 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes. (You can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.)

    Season and Serve

    Unlock the lid and fish out the bay leaf. Stir in the cider vinegar, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. To serve, put a layer of spaghetti on a plate, top with a generous layer of chili, sprinkle on the minced onions, then heap on the cheese. Pass the oyster crackers and hot sauce at the table. Enjoy!

    How to Serve Cincinnati Chili (All 5 Ways)

    Cincinnati chili is served in five different "ways", depending on the toppings you want. The ingredients, listed from bottom to top:

    • One way - chili (usually called "a bowl of chili")
    • Two way - spaghetti topped with chili
    • Three way - spaghetti, chili, cheese
    • Four way - spaghetti, chili, onions, cheese
    • Five way - spaghetti, chili, beans, onions, cheese

    I like to cook the beans in the chili. My favorite Cincinnati Way is 5-way chili, so why cook the beans separately when I can cook them with the spices, and add to the flavor? This makes me a Cincinnati chili heretic, of course. In Cincinnati, the beans are kept separate until someone orders a 5-way. (Watch out for the angry mob coming up I-71, straight towards my house.)

    Equipment

    A 6-quart instant pot (or other 6-quart pressure cooker)

    Notes

    • No pressure cooker? No worries: Cook the recipe in a dutch oven, following the instructions. In step 3, instead of pressure cooking on high, bring all the ingredients to a boil, cover the pot and move it to a 350°F oven for 2 hours, or until the beans are tender. Remove from the oven, and season to taste.
    • Canned Beans for even quicker pressure cooker chili: If you have canned or pre-cooked beans, you can use them instead of dry beans. If you have pre-cooked beans, don't cook them with the chili; rinse and reheat them (I use the microwave), and cut the water in the recipe from 4 cups to 2 cups. (And, obviously, skip the "Brine the Beans" step.) When you are making plates of chili, add the beans right before you add the cheese.

    Storing Leftovers

    Leftover chili will last for a few days in the refrigerator, or for months in the freezer. I just freeze the chili, not the cooked spaghetti. I make fresh pasta when I want to serve it again.

    Print
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    A plate of Cincinnati chili with cheese, oyster crackers, and hot sauce

    Cincinnati Chili (Instant Pot) Recipe


    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    4 from 1 review

    • Author: Mike Vrobel
    • Total Time: 8 hours 45 minutes
    • Yield: 6-8 1x
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Cincinnati Chili Recipe (Instant Pot) - a taste of the queen city from your pressure cooker in about an hour.


    Ingredients

    Scale

    Soaked Kidney Beans

    • 1 pound dry red kidney beans, sorted and rinsed
    • 2 quarts water
    • 2 teaspoons fine sea salt (or 1 tablespoon kosher salt)

    Cincinnati Chili

    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 2 medium onions, diced
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
    • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • ¼ cup chili powder
    • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
    • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
    • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
    • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
    • 1 ½ pounds ground beef (85/15 or leaner)
    • 4 cups water
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 14- to 16-ounce can crushed tomatoes
    • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
    • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
    • ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

    Other ingredients and toppings

    • 1 pound dry spaghetti, cooked according to package directions in salted water
    • 8 ounces (4 cups) finely shredded cheddar cheese
    • Minced onions
    • Oyster crackers
    • Hot sauce (I use Frank's red hot, but it's milder than what they serve at Skyline.)

    Instructions

    1. Sort and rinse the kidney beans: Sort the kidney beans, discarding any stones, dirt, or broken beans. Rinse the beans, then do an overnight or a quick soak.
    2. Overnight soak: Cover the kidney beans with 8 cups of water, and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt. Leave the beans to soak at least 8 hours, or overnight. Drain and discard the soaking liquid.
    3. OR: Pressure Quick Soak for 1 minute with a 30 minute rest: Put the kidney beans and 8 cups of water in an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt. Pressure cook at high pressure for 1 minute (“Manual”, “Pressure Cook”, or "Pressure Cook - Custom" mode in an Instant Pot). Let the beans soak in the pot for 30 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure. Drain the beans and discard the soaking liquid.
    4. Sauté the aromatics: Heat the vegetable oil until shimmering in an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode - High. (Use medium-high heat for a stovetop PC.) Add the onions, garlic, and ½ teaspoon  salt to the pressure cooker. Sauté until the the onions and garlic soften, about 5 minutes.
    5. Toast the spices and cook the beef: Make a hole in the center of the onions and add the chili powder, cumin, coriander, cocoa powder, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves. Let sit for 30 seconds to toast the spices, then stir them into the onions. Add the ground beef and cook until the beef just loses its pink color, stirring and breaking up the beef, and scraping the bottom of the pot to make sure none of the spices are sticking.
    6. Everything in the pot: Stir the drained and rinsed kidney beans into the pot, coating them with the spices. Pour in the water, add the bay leaf, and then add the crushed tomatoes on top. (Do not stir; the tomatoes may burn if they get to the bottom of the pot.)
    7. Pressure Cook for 20 minutes with a Natural Release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. and bring the cooker up to high pressure. (Read your fine pressure cooker manual for how to do this). Cook at high pressure for 20 minutes in an electric PC, 15 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes. (You can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes.)
    8. Season and Serve: Unlock the lid and fish out the bay leaf. Stir in the cider vinegar, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. To serve, put a layer of spaghetti on a plate, top with a generous layer of chili, sprinkle on the minced onions, then heap on the cheese. Pass the oyster crackers and hot sauce at the table. Enjoy!

    Equipment

    6-Quart Pressure Cooker

    Buy Now →
    • Prep Time: 8 hours
    • Cook Time: 45 minutes
    • Category: Pressure Cooker
    • Cuisine: American

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    Comments

    1. Mike says

      October 25, 2023 at 4:57 am

      You know what Ron White say's about Cincinnati chili.

      Seriously, this stuff is good. Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
      • Mike Vrobel says

        October 25, 2023 at 9:28 am

        Ha! You’re welcome, glad you like it!

        Reply
    2. Karina Sigler says

      September 03, 2017 at 6:14 pm

      Hello, my husband is questioning the amount of chili powder in the recipe. Does it really call for 1/4 cup. He was raised in Ohio and thinks it will make it too spicy. Please advise.

      Reply
      • Mike Vrobel says

        September 04, 2017 at 10:35 am

        Yes, 1/4 cup is correct. And I live in Ohio. 🙂

        Reply
        • Karina Sigler says

          September 04, 2017 at 3:08 pm

          Thank you.

          Reply
    3. Mike says

      July 27, 2016 at 1:55 pm

      I noticed you aren't draining the beef at all. What type of ground beef are you using? I would think standard 80/20 would come out pretty greasy. I guess since you sauteed in the spices in the meat the only thing you could do would be to chill the chili after cooking and then skim the fat off the top? Or maybe taking the fat out of the chili is considered sacrilege?

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        July 27, 2016 at 5:21 pm

        I use 80/20, and it works out fine for me. If you want to go with less fat, go ahead.

        Reply
    4. Kali says

      March 11, 2016 at 9:04 pm

      I grew up in central Kentucky, and left when I joined the military. I always get the craving for a 5 way and cheese coney when I've been away from home too long, and they don't have anything like skyline/gold star in Southern California. I made this for my family today, and we really enjoyed it. I tweaked it just a little by leaving out the water and instead using 2 cups of sweet red wine, and an extra can of tomatoes. It turned out a little too thin and didn't quite have the taste that I remember so next time I will just use 1 cup of dry red wine. Thanks for posting.

      Reply
    5. Renee says

      December 15, 2015 at 11:52 am

      My husband hates beans. If I want to skip them entirely, do I just cook at pressure for 5 minutes?

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        December 15, 2015 at 1:43 pm

        Follow the technique I have here: https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/pressure-cooker-walking-tacos/

        Reply
    6. Tiffany says

      December 06, 2015 at 5:45 pm

      Wow!! You nailed the recipe!! We just finished eating and it was a delicious blast from the past. I lived in Cincinnati for years, and I loved eating at Skyline!! It been 15-20 years since I enjoyed a 5 way!! Thank you for sharing, this will definitely be a family winter favorite from here on out in our family.

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        December 06, 2015 at 8:21 pm

        You're welcome!

        Reply
    7. Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says

      September 16, 2012 at 5:02 pm

      Skyliners! I forgot to mention that's another great use for leftovers - thanks for mentioning it.

      Reply
    8. Dan McGrew says

      September 16, 2012 at 4:58 pm

      Hope you make extra to put on a hotdog bun and top with mustard, onions and cheese.

      Reply
    9. Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says

      September 14, 2012 at 11:54 am

      You're right. Cut and paste will be the death of me. 1.5 pounds ground beef.

      Reply
    10. cj says

      September 14, 2012 at 11:09 am

      love your site! i assume its 1.5 lbs of grd beef and not 3 right? you have it listed twice.

      Reply
    11. Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says

      September 14, 2012 at 12:53 am

      Thank you! And the midwest says it missses you too...especially during a snowstorm in the middle of February. 🙂

      Reply
    12. willbakefortattoos.com says

      September 14, 2012 at 12:03 am

      Ok. So I love the recipes I try from your site. This one makes me miss the midwest. I can't wait to try it. I love my pressure cooker.

      Reply
    13. David Froula says

      September 13, 2012 at 10:39 pm

      oh yes gonna make this soon as it cools off a little more. My college roommate was from Cincy and we used to try and make the 5 way back in the day.

      Reply
    14. Doug Reichard says

      September 13, 2012 at 3:31 pm

      yum

      Reply

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    Welcome to Dad Cooks Dinner!

    I'm Mike Vrobel, a dad who cooks dinner every night. I'm an enthusiastic home cook, and I write about pressure cooking, rotisserie grilling, and other food topics that grab my attention.

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