Instant Pot Frito Pie recipe - cut open a bag of Fritos, add a scoop of pressure cooked chili and a handful of cheese, sprinkle with chopped onions, and dig in with a spoon. Enjoy!.
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No, I'm not sponsored by Frito-Lay this week. No matter how much it looks like it. (Pepsi! The choice of a new generation!)
I figured if I did Walking Tacos, I had to do Frito Pie. Two meals served in chip bags? My kids thought they were in heaven. (And I took full advantage. "Kids, do you want Frito pie? Great! Empty the dishwasher and sweep up the floor before dinner.")
Frito Pie is a Southwestern standard, with both Texas and New Mexico claiming the dish - a base of Fritos topped with cheese. Walking Tacos came later on as Southwestern food spread into the Midwest. The recipes are obviously related; if you make one, you can make the other. The only real difference is in the toppings. (And, of course, the bag of chips you use.)
I'm probably breaking all sorts of Texas rules by using beans in my recipe…that's right, I'm not from Texas…but I like beans in my ground meat chili. (If you want real Texas chili, try my Easy Texas Red Chili (Pressure Cooker), but make sure to shred the meat after cooking to make it fit in the Frito bags).
Want to know more about Frito pie? Robb Walsh, my go-to historian for all things Texas, has all the details: The Complicated History of Frito Pie.
No pressure cooker? No worries. See the Notes section for stovetop instructions.
Ingredient suggestions and substitutions
- Use lean ground beef. I suggest 85/15 ground beef for this recipe, and it is fine with anything 80/20 lean to fat or leaner.
- Or, use a different ground meat. This recipe works great with ground turkey or ground pork. (Or, if you're into game meats, ground buffalo, ground venison, ground elk…)
- Make-ahead beans. If you have a pressure cooker, you really should be cooking dry beans - they taste so much better than canned, even after freezing. Check out my Instant Pot Pinto Beans, Instant Pot Kidney Beans, or Instant Pot Mexican Black Beans.
- Big Bag of Fritos.If you don't want to mess with individual serving bags, get a big bag of Fritos and serve in bowls. Start with a base of Fritos and build from there. It won't look as impressive, but it tastes just as good.
- Tortilla chips. I like the extra-corny taste of Fritos with chili, but any corn chip will do. I recommend round chips (especially small round chips) or tortilla scoops, though - the smaller chips work better with chili.
- Bring the heat. I made this recipe mainly for my kids, and one of them can't handle the heat. For more heat, add a minced jalapeno with the onions and garlic. (For extra heat, also add a ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper with the chili powder.)
How to make Instant Pot Frito Pie
Sauté the aromatics and toast the spices
In an Instant pot set to Sauté mode - high, heat the vegetable oil until it starts to shimmer. (Use medium-high heat in a stovetop pressure cooker). Add the onions, garlic, and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt. Sauté until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes, then make a hole in the middle of the onions and add the chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Toast until you smell the spices, about 1 minute, then stir them into the onions.
Simmer the beef until no longer pink, stir in the beans, top with the tomatoes
Pour in 1 cup of water, then scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen any stuck onions or spices. Add the beef, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, and brown sugar. Cook, stirring and breaking up the beef, until the beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans. Pour the tomatoes with green chiles on top of the beef mixture, but don't stir - the tomatoes may burn if they sink to the bottom of the pot.
Pressure cook for 12 minutes with a natural pressure release
Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Cook at high pressure for 12 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC, or for 10 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook- Custom mode in an Instant Pot). Let the pressure come down naturally, about 15 minutes. (You can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes if you're in a hurry.
Serve in the Fritos bags
Unlock the lid, add the fresh ground black pepper, and stir, breaking up any large clumps of meat. To serve: Cut open a single-serve Frito bag, cutting lengthwise across the side of the bag (the top of the bag is kind of small, making it hard to eat out of that side). Spoon a ladle or two of chili into the bag, then top with the shredded cheese, diced onions, and (optional) the hot sauce. Grab a spoon and eat straight out of the bag. Enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
- No pressure cooker? No worries. Cook the chili in a large pot or Dutch oven. Increase the water in the recipe to 2 cups. Follow the recipe up to step 3, then instead of pressure cooking, simmer the meat on the stovetop until everything thickens up, about 1 hour. Continue with the serving step.
- Great for leftovers.I don't usually make a dedicated batch of chili for this recipe. I use leftover chili for this, out of the freezer.
- Big Bowl of Fritos.If you don't want to mess with individual serving bags, get a big bag of Fritos and serve in bowls. Start with a base of Fritos and build from there. It won't look as impressive, but it tastes just as good.
Storage
This recipe is great for make-ahead meals, because chili will last for a few days in the refrigerator, or up to 6 months frozen. If anything, it tastes better the second day, because the flavors have a chance to mingle.
Print
Instant Pot Frito Pie Recipe
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Description
Pressure Cooker Frito Pie recipe - cut open a bag of Fritos, add a scoop of chili, a handful of cheese, sprinkle with chopped onions, and dig in with a spoon. Heaven.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup chili powder blend
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
- 1 cup water (or substitute beer)
- 1 ¼ pounds 85/15 ground beef
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 (15-ounce) cans red kidney beans, undrained (or 4 cups homemade red kidney beans with bean liquid)
- 1 (10- to 14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles (like Ro*Tel tomatoes and chilies)
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Fritos
- Single-serving bags of Fritos
Toppings
- Shredded cheese (cheddar or Mexican blend)
- Diced onions
- Hot sauce (I like El Yucateco Green Habanero, but use your favorite)
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics and toast the spices: In an Instant pot set to Sauté mode - high, heat the vegetable oil until it starts to shimmer. (Use medium-high heat in a stovetop pressure cooker). Add the onions, garlic, and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt. Sauté until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes, then make a hole in the middle of the onions and add the chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Toast until you smell the spices, about 1 minute, then stir them into the onions.
- Simmer the beef until no longer pink, stir in the beans, top with the tomatoes: Pour in 1 cup of water, then scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen any stuck onions or spices. Add the beef, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, and brown sugar. Cook, stirring and breaking up the beef, until the beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans. Pour the tomatoes with green chiles on top of the beef mixture, but don't stir - the tomatoes may burn if they sink to the bottom of the pot.
- Pressure cook for 12 minutes with a natural pressure release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Cook at high pressure for 12 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC, or for 10 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook- Custom mode in an Instant Pot). Let the pressure come down naturally, about 15 minutes. (You can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes if you're in a hurry.
- Serve in the Fritos bags: Unlock the lid, add the fresh ground black pepper, and stir, breaking up any large clumps of meat. To serve: Cut open a single-serve Frito bag, cutting lengthwise across the side of the bag (the top of the bag is kind of small, making it hard to eat out of that side). Spoon a ladle or two of chili into the bag, then top with the shredded cheese, diced onions, and (optional) the hot sauce. Grab a spoon and eat straight out of the bag. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
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Related Posts
Want a similar recipe but with Doritos? Try Pressure Cooker Walking Tacos. For other chilis, check out my Instant Pot 5 Ingredient Chili, Pressure Cooker Turkey Chili with Pinto Beans, or Instant Pot Steak Chili.
If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes.
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Lauren says
Love this easy recipe. Thanks!
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome!
stephanie says
chili powder blend 1/4 CUP? that seems like a lot is that correct?
Mike Vrobel says
Yes, 1/4 cup is correct. It needs the spice. I don’t want wimpy chili in my frito pie!
stephanie says
Thanks Mike! do you make that mix or do you buy it remade like just plain chili powder? I don't use a lot of spices .. so I am unfamiliar!!
Ellen Godfrey says
This is officially one of the best days ever. I love, Love, LOVE frito pie and haven't had a good one since (sadly) college. Okay, I'm nostalgic like that. But I wanted to thank you for the recipe, it's what for dinner tonight. I'm so excited. Keep up the great work, I love what your doing.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Probably not - it has a slight inward curve, to match the heating element in the Instant Pot. But it also has a "Saute" mode for browning, which I use to brown meat right in the instant-pot unit.
Chris Lukowski says
Is the insert on the Instant Pot PC stovetop safe like the aluminum insert in your All-Clad slow cooker?