This EASY Instant Pot chili recipe with canned beans and ground turkey tastes like it has been simmering on the stove all day and yet took about an hour to cook. But let me notify you that your time investment was 15 minutes.
There are a handful of recipes that make sense to be made in a pressure cooker and Instant Pot turkey chili is one of them. I’m including recipe for both, 6 quart and 8 quart models (I own 8 quart IP-DUO).
MY LATEST RECIPESWhat Are The Best Beans for Chili
Red kidney beans, white beans or pinto beans because:
- Large in size.
- Contain more starch.
- Meaty.
How to Avoid Burn with Chili in Instant Pot
Do not stir! Because Instant Pot’s heating element is located at the bottom and may cause sugars in tomato products caramelize and Burn (happened to me twice with this recipe). Therefore, we add diced tomatoes and tomato paste on top and do not stir.
What Are Best Tomatoes for Chili
There is a reason I call this easy Instant Pot chili because I made it with an array of canned tomato products:
- Tomato sauce
- Diced tomatoes
- Crushed tomatoes
- Leftover marinara or pasta sauce (mixed with other tomato products).
Can I Use Frozen Vegetables with Instant Pot Chili Recipe
Yes! For chili, I often use frozen vegetables: chopped pepper, corn and frozen cooked beans (how to cook dried beans and freeze them for later).
How to Make Instant Pot Turkey Chili Thicker
Cook for 30 rather than 20 minutes and do Quick Release. Or cook for 20 minutes and do Natural Release – chili will thicken as pressure is coming down.
What to Know About Browning Turkey in Instant Pot
Meat won’t get browned, so don’t waste your time waiting for that. Original stainless steel pot that comes with Instant Pot doesn’t really brown ground meat, end of story. Our goal is simply to create as small pieces of meat as possible for every spoonful of chili. We are not performing this step for flavour enhancement (pressure cooking takes care of that) but rather aesthetic reasons.
How to Cook Chili Without Instant Pot
I have our favourite healthy turkey chili recipe I got from the Biggest Loser years ago that I make in a slow cooker or on the stove.
More One Pot Healthy Recipes to Try
- Quinoa chili
- Instant Pot beef stew
- Buffalo chicken chili
- Crockpot chicken chili queso
- Instant pot cabbage rolls
- Instant pot chicken and rice
How to Make Instant Pot Chili
- Press Sauté and let pressure cooker preheat for a few minutes.
- Add ground turkey and cook for 4 minutes, constantly breaking meat into small pieces.
- Add remaining ingredients in exact order listed in the recipe. Do not stir.
- Close the lid and set pressure vent to Sealing. Press Cancel to turn Sauté off. Then press Pressure Cook on High for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes your chili is ready. Pressure cooker needs to bring pressure down before you can open it, which will be indicated by a dropped down float valve. You can let it do it on its own which will take 20-30 minutes – Natural Release. OR you can do Quick Release by turning pressure valve to Venting position, which takes 2-3 minutes. I recommend doing so outside to avoid smell and mess in the house.
- Enjoy!
Instant Pot Chili Recipe
Easy Instant Pot Chili Recipe with canned beans and ground turkey with many tips how to make the best chili in Instant Pot. This healthy chili tastes like it has been simmering all day.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 24 minutes
- Total Time: 29 minutes
- Yield: 7 (6 Qt.), 10 (8 Qt.) servings
Ingredients
6 Quart Instant Pot
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 3 cups water + 1 bouillon cube (or stock)*
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup corn, canned or frozen
- 2 x 14 oz can any beans*
- 2 tbsp chili powder*
- 1 tsp cumin
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes, low sodium
- 6 oz can tomato paste, low sodium
- Avocado oil
- Green onion, cilantro, cheese, plain yogurt (for toppings)
8 Quart Instant Pot
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 4 cups water + 1 bouillon cube (or stock)*
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 bell peppers, diced
- 2 cups corn, canned or frozen
- 3 x 14 oz can any beans*
- 2 1/2 tbsp chili powder*
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes, low sodium
- 6 oz can tomato paste, low sodium
- Avocado oil
- Green onion, cilantro, cheese, plain yogurt, for toppings
Instructions
- On Instant Pot, press Sauté and let appliance preheat until display says Hot. Swirl a bit of oil to coat, add turkey and cook for 4 minutes, constantly breaking into small pieces with spatula. Meat won’t get browned and some pink pieces are OK – our goal is just to create small pieces of meat for every spoonful of chili.
- Add water + bouillon cube (stock), onion, garlic, pepper, corn, beans, chili powder, cumin, salt, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Do not stir.
- Close the lid, set pressure vent to Sealing and press Cancel to turn Sauté off. Then press Pressure Cooking on High for 20 minutes. Display will say ON, Instant Pot will take about 20 minutes to come to pressure, you will see a bit of steam coming out from a valve, then float valve will rise and countdown from 20 minutes will begin.
- After 20 minutes, display will say OFF and Instant Pot needs to bring pressure down, which will be indicated by a dropped down float valve and takes about 20-30 minutes (Natural Release). I recommend you do it with chili as it will thicken and become more flavourful.
- OR you can do Quick Release (if you are in a rush) by turning pressure valve to Venting position, which takes 2-3 minutes. I recommend doing so outside to avoid smell and mess in the house. You can also increase cooking time to 30 minutes with Quick Release (if you have time). Open the lid, stir and serve hot with your favourite toppings.
Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Fully cook, cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw on a stovetop covered on low.
Notes
*I used mostly kidney beans + black beans. Try to find organic bouillon cubes. This amount of chili powder makes kid friendly mild one, use more to taste.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating in the comments.
I have only made chili 2 times prior because it gives me horrible indigestion. I found this recipe and decided to try it with my new IP. It was a HUGE hit in my house tonight. I soaked 1 cup of red kidney beans last night and cooked them today in the IP. I was trying to keep the sodium lower. The cooking of the beans was so easy and worth it!! I did 3 C water with 1 C chicken bone broth I had left over from Christmas cooking. I changed the seasoning only a tad because I used canned chili tomatoes (Wal-Mart brand) and since I am new at this I didn’t realize it was already seasoned with chili powder. I thought it meant they were just cut small and puree for the chili texture. LOL…I said I was a Chili Newbie!! I did add only 1/2 of the recipe chili powder and cumin for that reason. I did add more ground turkey that was already fully cooked prior to add more consistency to the mix. Thank you for posting this recipe!!! It was amazing and def making it again!!!!!!!
★★★★★
Well that was a pretty great success for a chili newbie. Too funny. I know the name “chili” can be confusing. Was to me for a while too. Good job!
This looks great! I have a Wolfgang Puck pot that works similar to the Instant Pot. Can I follow the same time requirements to cook this? Thank you!
★★★★
Yes for sure. Just make sure it’s on high pressure.
Thank you so much! I am a new IP cooker, so I looked for an simple and delicious recipes with a proper directions.
This one is my whole family favorite!
★★★★★
Awesome!:) Simple is best – makes you love cooking more.
Finally an Instant Pot chili recipe that doesn’t burn. Thanks for the tip about tomatoes.
★★★★★
Now I had to buy an instant pot. Lol. You’re never allowed to take this blog down!! Lol (I ordered one of those lodge Dutch ovens that will be here tomorrow – hope I won’t be needing anymore kitchen ware. Haha)
OMG you are funny! That dutch oven is the last dutch oven you will own. In the kitchen, you need just a few BUT good appliances. All I use VERY often is dutch oven, blender, food processor, pots, ceramic skillet and slow cooker/Instant Pot. Everything else is kinda not necessary, just cool. You will love your new tools!
Well… gotta match you know!! Lol! I’d never even heard of an instant pot before Boxing Day when everyone was after them. But I think I can ditch my rice cooker/steamer now. Lol I use that ‘better than boullion’ goopy gel stuff from Costco not cubes – should I dissolve it first or just throw it in? (It’s mega low sodium. Love the stuff)
Haha. Yes, you can just throw it in. Just FYI even organic one has maltodextrin in it, a preservative. I didn’t know and was buying it. I was very surprised. Just so you know.
Huh. Wouldn’t you know it!! Sheesh! Thank you for that!
Thanks for the bouillon cube recommendation I’ve been looking for one that has no MSG forever!