Sweet and Spicy Chili (Instant Pot)

Recipe updated: April 3rd, 2024

This sweet and spicy chili recipe is made using an instant pot. We used to make this exact same recipe in the slow cooker, but using the instant pot takes just a fraction of the time and it is still just as flavorful and hearty.

Chili is the perfect dinner to warm up the tummy on a gloomy day, but chili isn’t just for the wintertime, we have chili all through the summer too. However, for those cold, rainy, and snowy winter months, this easy recipe for chili becomes the best part of your day! Just about everyone loves chili, and for those real chili lovers, this hot and spicy chili is for you. Our chicken dumplings soup and hamburger soup recipes are also perfect for those cold winter night meals.

🌶️ What’s in this Chili Recipe?

This chili recipe has ground beef in it along with four different kinds of beans, diced tomatoes, and lots of spices. This chili is hot because of the cayenne pepper added, but it’s only 1 teaspoon so you can add more cayenne pepper, or less. The level of hotness and spicy flavor depends on how much cayenne pepper is used in the recipe. The sweet flavor of this recipe is from the addition of brown sugar. Sometimes we’ll add a diced onion to this recipe and sometimes we don’t. I like the added flavor of the onion added, but it just depends on if we have an onion at the house when it’s time to make the chili.

🥣 Key Ingredients for this Sweet Chili Recipe

• 2 pounds of lean ground beef
• 1 can of dark red kidney beans (15.5 ounce can)
• 1 can of light red kidney beans (15.5 ounce can)
• 2 cans of black beans (15.25 ounce can)
• 1 can of chili beans (15.5 ounce can)
• 3 cans of petite diced tomatoes (14.5 ounce can)
• 1 can of chili-ready tomatoes (14.5 ounce can)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar
• 1 yellow onion, diced (optional)

👩‍🍳 How to Make Sweet and Spicy Chili

These step-by-step instructions are accompanied by detailed photos for enhanced clarity and guidance.

Step 1. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté

An instant pot is used for this chili recipe, but you can make this same chili recipe in a big pot on the stove if you prefer.

Set the instant pot to sauté, it’s the bottom left sauté button on the instant pot. No timer set, just set to sauté on the “more” setting.

Step 2. Brown the Ground Beef

Put the ground beef in the instant pot and sauté on high until there is no pink showing in the ground beef.

Note: You would get the same results while frying the ground beef in a frying pan on the stove.

Step 3. Drain Excess Fat (Liquid) from Ground Beef

After the ground beef has been browned and no pink is showing, drain any excess fat (liquid) from the ground beef.

Step 4. Add All the Beans and Diced Tomatoes

Add the kidney beans, chili beans, black beans, and diced tomatoes together with the ground beef. Stir the ingredients together. If you want to, you can also add any of your favorite beans to the chili at this time.

Step 5. Add the Seasonings

Next, add all the remaining ingredients. Add 1/4 cup chili powder, 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar together with the chili mixture. Stir the ingredients.

After that, add 1/2 cup of water, but do not stir the ingredients after adding the water. Leave the water sitting on top.

Step 6. Pressurize the Instant Pot

Put the lid on the instant pot, then pressurize it by pressing the manual button and setting it for 11 minutes. Make sure the knob on top of the lid is set to “sealing.”

Step 7. Release the Pressure

After the 11 minutes are up, release the pressure on the instant pot by moving the knob on top of the lid to “venting.” After the pressure has been released, remove the lid and give the chili a good stir.

Step 8. Serve up a Bowl of Chili

The chili is now ready to eat. If you aren’t ready to serve dinner yet, put the lid back on the instant pot, but don’t pressurize it. Press the slow cook button and let it slow cook until you are ready to eat.

🌟 Recipe Variations and Toppings

We like to add sharp cheddar cheese and corn chips to our chili, but you can add whatever toppings sound good to you. This chili is also good by itself without adding any toppings at all. It is a much healthier alternative to eat this chili without chips and cheese, but more fun for your taste buds when you make it your favorite way.

Variations:

• Use shredded chicken breast instead of ground beef.
• Chop up a bell pepper and/or an onion and add to the chili when it’s cooking.
• Make some hot dogs and pour some of this perfect chili over the top to make a chili dog.
• Try adding some ground sausage in with the ground beef.
• Cook up some white rice and serve the chili over the top.
• Serve over the top of some macaroni noodles.
• Use some maple syrup instead of brown sugar to make the sweet chili sauce.

Favorite Toppings and Sides:

• Garnish green onions on top.
• Hot peppers such as Mezzetta golden Greek pepperoncini medium heat peppers.
• A dollop of sour cream.
• Avocado.
• Crushed tortilla chips or saltine crackers.
• Olives.
• Greek Yogurt.
• Side of cornbread.

❓ FAQs

💭 Final Thoughts for Sweet and Spicy Chili

This homemade chili recipe is full of flavor with just the right amount of seasonings to make it hot and spicy, but not overwhelming. It is a great meal for the whole family and an absolute favorite for ours. Not to mention, it also has a variety of different kinds of beans added, which provides lots of protein and fiber to your diet. It is the perfect chili for game day or chili cook-offs because it is so full of flavor yet so easy to make. Most of the time when we want to make this recipe, we don’t even need to make a trip to the grocery store because we already have all the ingredients ready to go! I usually keep the pantry stocked with cans of beans and tomatoes.

This recipe makes enough to feed a family of six for two nights. We just leave the leftover chili in the instant pot cooking pot and cover it with some plastic wrap or aluminum foil. The next day, just set the instant pot to slow cook on high for a few hours before you are ready to eat.

📄 Recipe Card

🥰 More Ground Beef Recipes You Will Love

• Korean Style Ground Beef – Made with lean ground beef and minced garlic with sliced green onions and sesame seeds added, then smothered in a sauce of brown sugar, minced ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
• Ground Beef Tacos – A simple, quick, delicious, and easy to make beef tacos using La Victoria Salsa, ketchup, and cayenne pepper.
• Ground Beef Enchiladas – These easy ground beef enchiladas are filled with lean ground beef, fire-roasted green chiles, a Mexican cheese blend, and topped with enchilada sauce and more cheese.