This hearty healthy Instant Pot Chili recipe has a perfect blend of seasonings, ground beef and adzuki beans. It’s a delicious and comforting easy family meal. It’s one of my favorite budget meals that utilizes dry beans.
Originally published on November 14, 2018. Last updated on February 3, 2021.
Adzuki Bean Chili
The Instant Pot saves the day again with this super cozy and hearty Instant Pot Chili. There are a lot of ways to make chili but mine is a bit less than traditional. My go to chili bean is the adzuki bean! And oh I love them so. They are little and mighty and being the meat eater that I am I really like that these little beans don’t stand too far out in size from the rest of the chili ingredients. Great with my Gluten Free Cornbread Muffins too!
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Instant Pot Chili Dry Beans
There are many ways to make instant pot chili but I love using dry beans both because they keep well for long term storage and because I can soak them ahead and control the cooking process there by eliminating them being cooked in an aluminum can.
How long do dry beans last?
As best practice, I usually try to use the dried beans I have on hand within a year but are generally considered to have a shelf life of 1-2 years. After 2-3 years dried beans will start loosing their nutritional value and after 5 years they will have lost most of their vitamins.
Benefits of soaking beans
The benefits of soaking beans are many, some of the benefits include:
- Reduces anti-nutritional enzyme inhibitors
- Improves the body’s ability to absorb minerals
- Makes proteins more available for absorption
- Reduces phytic acids
- Promotes production of beneficial enzymes which serves to further reduce phytic acids and polyphenols
- Reduces tannins and polyphenols
Ingredients needed for Instant Pot Chili
- dried adzuki beans
- ground beef
- diced jared tomatoes or strained tomatoes
- bell peppers
- yellow onion
- garlic cloves
- coconut aminos
- avocado oil
- unrefined sea salt
- chili powder
- ground cumin
Substitutions for Instant Pot Chili with Dry Beans
- Beans – You can make this chili with any beans you like besides adzuki but will need to change the cooking time accordingly.
- Diced tomatoes – Strained tomatoes or crushed tomatoes also work in this recipe. Stained tomatoes are similar to a thickened tomato sauce so it should be noted that it is smooth and won’t offer any tomato chunks.
- Coconut aminos – I recommend sticking with the coconut aminos if you can, it adds a subtle sweetness that I enjoy in all savory tomato-based recipes but you can replicate it fairy closely by using a 1/4 cup of either gluten free reduced sodium tamari or low-sodium soy sauce plus 1 Tablespoon honey and only salt the recipe to taste.
How to make Instant Pot Chili with Dry Beans
This recipe essentially has two parts, soak and cook the beans and then cook the remainder of the chili. Working in two parts really helps all ingredients to be cooked for the right length of time.
To make this Instant Pot Chili with dry beans, we first begin by soaking the beans (preferably starting the day before you plan to use them). The recipe card below give you options for cooking both soaked beans and dry beans. Once cooked, set your beans aside.
After washing out the inner pot and drying, return it to the machine and turn on the Instant Pot to sauté mode. Add the avocado oil and diced onion and cook a few minutes before adding in the garlic. Cook an additional two minutes and then add in the ground beef. Break up the beef with a stainless steel or wooden spoon and cook until browned.
Add in the bell pepper, diced tomatoes, coconut aminos, salt, chili powder and ground cumin. Stir and then secure the lid, set the steamer valve to sealing and select high pressure or manual for 5 minutes.
Once the cooking finishes, allow the Instant Pot to naturally decompress for 10 minutes before quick releasing any remaining pressure. Remove the lid and stir in the cooked adzuki beans until warmed through. Serve as is or topped with avocado, olives and red onion as pictured. Eat and enjoy!
Best way to freeze chili
I hear the question, Can you freeze chili? a lot. Chili freezes beautifully and is one of my favorite meals to freeze. The best way to freeze chili is either in a wide-mouth quart sized mason jar with these lids or in large freezer zip lock bags frozen flat for easy stacking. When using mason jars, load the jars up, leaving an inch of head space (for expansion during freezing) and date the top of the lid. I first allow the jar to sit overnight in the fridge before transferring the mason jar to the freezer for long term storage. Technically you can move the jar directly to the freezer but I like to let them cool down completely in the fridge first if I am able, this helps the glass transition in temperature and I’ve never had a jar break on me using this method.
How long can you freeze Chili
You can freeze chili for up to 4-6 months. See packaging recommendations above.
More Healthy Instant Pot Recipes
- Paleo Pumpkin Chili
- Lentil Soup with Smoked Sausage
- Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup
- Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
- Healthy Chicken Pot Pie Soup
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Instant Pot Chili
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Lunch & Dinner
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Description
This hearty healthy Instant Pot Chili recipe has a perfect blend of seasonings, ground beef and adzuki beans. It’s a delicious and comforting easy family meal. It’s one of my favorite budget meals that utilizes dry beans.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried adzuki beans
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 36 ounces diced jared tomatoes (strained tomatoes would work also)
- 2 medium red bell peppers, diced
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
- Start by soaking your beans in water the overnight before you plan to cook them. (This step is not required but will result in faster cooking beans that are more easily digestible.)
- Drain the beans from their soaking liquid. Discard the soaking liquid and transfer the beans to the instant pot with 6 cups of fresh water. Lock the lid, set the steamer valve to sealing and cook on high pressure or manual for 9 minutes. (*For dried unsoaked beans, cook for 15 minutes.) Once cooked, naturally release pressure, drain the beans and set aside.
- Rinse the inner stainless steel cooking pot after cooking the beans and dry before returning the inner pot to the machine.
- Turn the Instant Pot to sauté mode and add the avocado oil and diced onion. Cook for 3-5 minutes before adding in the minced garlic. Stir to prevent the garlic from burning. Cook another 2 minutes.
- Add in the ground beef, break it up and cook until browned.
- Next add in the red bell peppers, diced tomatoes, coconut aminos, salt, chili powder and cumin. Give the mixture a stir and secure the lid, set the steamer valve to sealing and select high pressure or manual for 5 minutes.
- Once finished cooking, allow the Instant Pot to naturally release steam for 10 minutes before quick releasing any remaining pressure.
- Remove lid and stir in the cooked adzuki beans until warmed through.
- Serve as is or topped with avocado, olives and red onion.
- Eat and enjoy!
Keywords: instant pot chili, can you freeze chili, instant pot chili dry beans, adzuki bean chili, instant pot chili with dry beans, instant pot chili recipe,
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