Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chili Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How does the chili setting on instant pot work? ›

What Is the Instant Pot Chili/Bean Setting? The bean/chili setting on the Instant Pot cooks at high pressure and can be set to "more," which is 30 minutes, or "less," which will cook for 25 minutes. You may choose the bean/chili setting and do a quick release after 15 minutes.

Add the broth and beans and stir well, scraping the button to remove any stuck on bits on the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add the tomato paste and crushed tomatoes on top, but do not stir. This will help to prevent a burn message during pressure cooking!

Mix in a scoop of cornstarch, all-purpose flour, or oats.

Rather than adding it directly to the chili (which can create clumps) make a slurry. In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water, then stir this into the pot of chili.

Once your stew is prepared and you're ready to thicken it up, mix in about 1/8 cup of instant mashed potatoes and stir well. Depending on your desired amount of liquid, add more instant mashed potatoes incrementally, making sure to not go overboard.

SOLUTION: Open the Instant Pot and make sure there's enough liquid. If too much liquid has evaporated, the Instant Pot won't pressurize, so add more liquid if necessary.

Chili should be thick and hearty enough to be a meal on its own, but sometimes there's just a bit more liquid than you want in the pot. While you can simply keep simmering the chili, that method risks overcooking softer ingredients like the beans, losing all your nice texture to mushy monotony.

Using Cornmeal to Thicken Chili

Cornmeal is one of our go-to thickening agents for chili. Unlike all-purpose flour, this Southern pantry staple adds a subtle earthy flavor to the chili in addition to thickening it up. You can use white or yellow cornmeal that is fine to medium-grain.

You know the saying, “save the best for last?” To keep your beans nice and plump, add them about 20 minutes before you finish cooking. This will give them plenty of time to impart that perfectly seasoned chili flavor to your recipe without overcooking.

Why put flour in chili? ›

All-purpose flour and cornstarch are useful for thickening chili, as well as sauces, soups, and stews. However, you'll want to avoid adding these ingredients directly to your recipe, as this will result in clumps. Instead, create a slurry and add it slowly to help the thickener fully incorporate.

You can use what you have on hand: Flour, cornstarch, or powdered milk are all solid options that are probably already in your pantry. Potato flour and potato starch would work as well. Stir in the thickening agent gradually, about a tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes have reached your desired consistency.

Reheating Beef Chili on Slow Cook Setting

Alternatively, you can set the Instant Pot to SLOW COOK on HIGH and let it warm up for about 45-60 minutes to get warm.

The Less mode is suitable for softer texture meat, while the Normal mode is for very tender meat, and the More mode is for fall-off-the-bone texture [2]. The Meat/Stew setting is specifically tailored to achieve optimal results when cooking meat and stews [2].

The Soup button is programmed with a longer cooking time and higher pressure level compared to some other functions like the Manual or Pressure Cook buttons. This is to ensure that soups and broths are cooked thoroughly and develop rich flavors.