Name: Instant Pot Chili with Pumpkin Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 red onion, diced; 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped; 1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped; 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 1 pound very lean ground beef; 1 pound ground pork; 1 tablespoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt; 1 cup gluten free beer; 1 16-ounce can BUSH’S Kidney Chili Beans, undrained; 2 15-ounce cans pureed pumpkin; 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained; 1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes and chiles, undrained; Shredded cheddar cheese; Sliced green onions; Your favorite hot sauce

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Last Updated on October 11, 2021 by Anne-Marie

This Instant Pot Chili with Pumpkin recipe tastes like it's been cooking all day.

Why this recipe works

This delicious Instant Pot Chili with Pumpkin is one of the first things you’ll want to make when you get an Instant Pot.

My instant pot chili recipe is super simple to make even if you’re a beginner when it comes to using a pressure cooker.

This instant pot chili with canned beans combines ground beef, ground pork, fresh and canned vegetables, seasonings, plus a few special ingredients like pumpkin puree.

The smell of this flavorful instant pot chili will have your family running to the kitchen asking when dinner will be ready!

Instant pot chili with beans is easy to make

I made my chili with BUSH'S Kidney Chili Beans right from the can. You could also use BUSH’S Hot Pinto Chili Beans for a spicier flavor. Or a combination of the two!

I love the convenience of beans from the can since there’s no need to soak dried beans overnight.

Since they’re already precooked and pre-seasoned with a blend of chilies, spices, garlic and onions, these beans give this instant pot ground beef chili an all-day cooked flavor.

Best of all, BUSH’S Chili Beans are gluten free for those of you who need to watch that sort of thing.

Why instant pot chili is so easy to make

This is the part where I convince everyone who doesn’t already have an Instant Pot that they need to get one. So if you’ve already an pressure cooker devotee, skip to the best instant pot chili recipe below!

Seriously, I knew Instant Pots were trendy, which is why I asked for one for Christmas. But did you know there’s an Instant Pot Chili Setting?

It’s perfect for making the best instant pot chili you’ll ever cook up.

Also, you can sauté the ground meat for your chili right in the Instant Pot. Talk about one pot cooking and easy clean up!

Now besides the fact this chili in the instant pot is delicious and takes only an hour to make, now you have a couple of other reasons to buy an Instant Pot!

How to make chili in instant pot even better

Don’t worry about the chili being too pumpkin-y. It does NOT taste like a pumpkin spice latte! If you’re worried about that, omit the pumpkin spice.

For more veggie goodness, add extra carrots or try a cup of diced butternut squash. You can also substitute pureed butternut squash for the pumpkin, if you like.

In a pinch, you can use frozen vegetables instead of fresh ones. Adjust cooking time accordingly.

Use the leanest ground beef you can afford since you’ll also using ground pork, which usually is pretty fatty.

Use a ground meat chopper utensil to help you break up the chili meat and cook it quickly.

If you’re not gluten free, you can use a regular lager style beer.

If you don’t drink beer, use chicken, beef or veggie broth instead. Apple juice would be terrific, too.

More tips for making instant pot chili with beans

Remember that an Instant Pot needs to come to pressure before the 20-minute cooking countdown begins. How long this takes depends on a number of factors, like the size of your pressure cooker.

I haven’t added pressurizing (and Quick Release Time) to the cook time, so keep this in mind when starting dinner. (Give yourself another 30 to 45 minutes more time than the recipe calls for, just in case.)

Finally, if you get a Burn Message when cooking the chili in Instant Pot, read the Instant Pot Burn Message article from Paint the Kitchen Red for lots of great tips!

(I got one because of a teeny bit of onion in the rim that was preventing my unit from sealing.)

Get more Instant Pot Tips at When is it Safe to Open my Instant Pot?

How to serve pressure cooker chili

Serve chili from your Instant Pot over pasta, rice, or quinoa.

You can also serve it over spaghetti squash or some zucchini noodles from the freezer section of your grocery store.

Some people, like my son, love spicy chili. Make sure to place bottles of your favorite hot sauce next to your Instant Pot during serving time!

Chili goes great with cornbread. Try these two recipes:

Try some Vegan Cornbread. Don’t worry about it being vegan, it’s also perfect if you’re dairy free.

This Easy Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread recipe is made with molasses and bits of cooked corn.

Yield: 8 SERVINGS