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This healthy instant pot chili recipe is versatile, low carb, and easy. It's a one pot weeknight dinner that lends itself well to batch cooking and freezer meals, also. This healthy chili recipe can be made with no beans for low carb/keto followers, or with some beans and still fit well into THM S guidelines. Enjoy this versatile and simple pressure cooker chili recipe tonight.

Chili is really the perfect dinner. You simply can't go wrong with a bowl full of spicy, mouth watering beef topped with shredded cheddar, sour cream, and some scallions. And this healthy instant pot chili is one of the best chili recipes out there, because it takes practically no meal prep and only dirties one pot. It's a clear winner for a busy weeknight meal idea.

And if you like the idea of this simplicity, you can check my Trim Healthy Mama Energizing Instant Pot Sweet & Sour Chicken and Energizing Instant Pot Applesauce for even more inspiration...but not until after you've made this healthy chili recipe.

Don't have an Instant Pot yet? GET ONE NOW!

Cooking With An Instant Pot

If you're new to using a pressure cooker, prepare to be amazed. You'll enjoy all the rich flavor goodness you'd get using a slow cooker, but dinner is ready quickly! You can actually toss frozen ingredients in and get a soft, savory, rich meal in less than an hour.

The Instant Pot is a fabulous tool and every kitchen needs one. They save so much time, give you minimal clean up, and are ridiculously easy to use. Plus, there's no end to the recipes you can enjoy with one.

Instant Pot Chicken & Rice is one of my favorites, with practically no time required for preparation and a flavor and texture you just couldn't get from a slow cooker. And then there's this low carb meatloaf...incredible! In fact, there are entire low carb, keto meal plans just for the Instant Pot.

Tips For Making Easy Healthy Instant Pot Chili

Chili doesn't have to be hard to make. This recipe is one of the easiest Instant Pot ground beef recipes in my collection. Here are some cooking tips, depending on if you're starting with frozen or thawed beef.

You Can Use Frozen Ground Beef In The Instant Pot

Did you know you can just add frozen ground beef to your Instant Pot recipes? It's one of the reasons every busy woman needs one. For real.

We actually process our own venison, store it in freezer bags that we press flat, and just add it to the recipes when we're ready. No pressure to thaw it out at all! Gotta love it. You can do the same when you buy ground beef in bulk!

All you do is add 20 minutes to your cooking time (for this recipe, that's 35 minutes instead of 15) to account for the frozen meat.

You Can Sauté The Beef In The Instant Pot

If you've got a little more hands on time and your beef is already thawed, you can take this recipe up a flavor level by sautéing the beef in the Instant Pot. It's so great that you're not dirtying another pan...plus it really does make it taste even more delicious.

Simply add your seasoning blend to the beef as you're cooking and get those flavors blending before adding in the the rest of the ingredients.

Traditional Chili or No Beans Chili?

You can make this healthy Instant Pot chili recipe without beans, too, if you don't want a traditional beef and bean combo.

If you opt to add them in, 1 can for the whole recipe still keeps you within the Trim Healthy Mama guidelines for an "S" meal (after all, you're not eating the whole pot at once...even though you'll want to, because it's so delicious). You can see more notes about the nutritional information in the recipe card below.

However, if you aren't a fan of beans or you are a strict low carb and/or keto adherent, simply make up this chili recipe with no beans.

Storing Instant Pot Chili

This chili is absolutely delicious served piping hot out of your pressure cooker. Top it with some shredded cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and some chives...mmm. Seriously amazing.

But it's also great reheated. You can store it in mason jars (or your favorite leftover containers) in your fridge and enjoy it for lunches throughout your week, if you'd like.

Batch Cooking For Freezer Meals

You can also freeze this Instant Pot chili recipe, which makes it ideal for batch cooking. Make up your batch and have it on hand for a busy night when you need a last minute dinner or just set aside for surprise company.

Simply let it cool first and decide whether you will use freezer bags, plastic storage containers, or mason jars.

If you opt for bags, simply fill them about ⅔ full and remove all the air before you seal them shut. Lay the bags flat in the freezer. When you're ready to have your chili, just pull the bag out. You can thaw it in the fridge, or pull the frozen chili out of the bag and heat in the microwave, on the stove top, or even put it back in the Instant Pot for several minutes.

If you use a plastic storage container or mason jar, be sure to leave some room for expansion. Also, adding a layer of plastic wrap under the lid on the surface of the chili will help prevent freezer burn. Be sure to pull out a day ahead of time for it to thaw and reheat it however you'd prefer.

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Yield: 8 Cups

Healthy Instant Pot Chili Recipe

Ingredients

1 ½ Pounds 80/20 Hamburger
1 28 Ounce Can Diced Tomatoes
1 8 Ounce Can Tomato Sauce
1 15.5 Ounce Can Light Red Kidney Beans (optional)
1 10 Ounce Bag Frozen Seasoning Blend
1 Cup Frozen Riced Cauliflower
3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
2 Teaspoons Cumin
½ Teaspoon Oregano
½ Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper (optional)
1 ½ Cups Water

Instructions

Add all ingredients to Instant Pot, adding beef last.
Close Instant Pot lid and seal.
Process at manual pressure for 35 minutes if using frozen beef, or 15 minutes if using thawed ground beef.
Quick Pressure Release.
Remove beef and crumble it (break it up), then return it to the chili.
Serve with optional toppings of sour cream, shredded cheese, and green onions.

Notes

You can use frozen ground beef for this recipe - simply add the ground beef on top of all the other ingredients, and process for 35 minutes. I freeze my burger flat in quart size bags, so it is fairly thin. If your burger is in a roll or a larger chunk, you may need to adjust the cooking time by a few minutes to ensure the beef is thoroughly cooked.

The carbs in the tomatoes, cauliflower, and onion are all included in the final carb count. Omitting the beans will result in a much lower carb count, if desired.

Seasoning blend is a pre-mixed bag of frozen diced onions, peppers, and celery. If you do not have the seasoning blend, you can simply add ½ cup each of chopped onions, bell peppers, and celery.

The nutritional information is calculated with the can of beans, but feel free to leave them out if you like. This will, of course, change the nutritional information.

You could likely make this in a regular slow cooker, as well. I would place all the ingredients in the slow cooker, and cook on high for 6-8 hours.