grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, chopped green or red onion, fresh herbs, etc.for serving (optional)
Instructions
Set Instant Pot to "sauté," and cook the peppers, onions, and garlic in the olive oil (1 tablespoon) and 1 teaspoon kosher salt for about 5 minutes, or until softened.
Add the chili powder (4 tablespoons), cumin (1 tablespoon), coriander (1 tablespoon), oregano (1 tablespoon), and cocoa powder (1 tablespoon). Stir and continue sautéing for about 30 seconds to a minute- just enough time for the spices to become slightly toasted.
Add the ground beef and continue cooking until browned.
Add the water, tomatoes, drained and rinsed beans. Stir. Turn "sauté" setting off, cover the Instant Pot and set the pressure to manual/high for 15 minutes.
Allow the pressure to release naturally for 15-20 minutes. If it hasn't released fully at this point, you can unseal the valve manually. Open once the float valve has depressed.
Season with more kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
If the chili seems too thin, turn Instant Pot to "sauté" setting and allow to simmer uncovered until it reaches desired consistency. Alternatively, you can use a potato masher to mash some of the chili/beans, which will help thicken it.
The chili is ready! Serve with sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, chopped green or red onions, hot sauce, or any other fixings you desire :-)
Notes
For a richer flavor: Instead of water, chicken or beef broth can be used, alone or in combination with dark beer.
Slow cooker instructions: Sauté the peppers, onions, and garlic in a skillet as directed. Add the spices and beef as directed. Transfer to slow cooker and add the water, tomatoes, and drained/rinsed beans. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Spice it up! I purposefully made this chili mild tasting since I was feeding it to my one-year-old daughter and wanted it to be family friendly. If you like tons of spice, feel free to add more chili powder, some cayenne pepper, or even a fresh jalapeño pepper in with the other peppers.
I made this recipe in my 6 qt. Instant pot. It should work the same in an 8 qt., but you may need to cut the ingredients in half for a 3 qt. mini.
The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.