This is the best 5 minute Instant Pot chili mac recipe that you and your kids will love! A classic old fashioned goulash style dinner packed with ground beef and noodles with that chili flavor you love. Dump all the ingredients into your Ninja Foodi or Crock Pot Express pressure cooker too and have a complete meal done in less than 15 minutes.
Our easy 5 minute Instant Pot chili mac recipe rocks! Chili mac and cheese is so easy to do and a perfect addition to our long list of Instant Pot recipes. (originally posted 3/17, participant in the amazon program, affiliate links present)
We have three kids which means macaroni is always in the house.
- We’re also huge chili lovers so it would only be reasonable to combine the two to make an easy dinner idea. That’s what we did and made this!
Let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then LIKE our IP Facebook page for new ideas daily.
- This is a great InstaPot cookbook to grab too.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot. It is easier to clean and will avoid the burn message too.
- For reference, this is the pressure cooker I have and use for all recipe creations.
Of course we add cheese to the top when it was done. That part is totally up to you though. We think everything is better with lots of cheese though y’all! 😉
We have made this 5 ingredient dump chili recipe for years and years you’ll have to make this week too.
If you don’t have this multi cooker kitchen appliance it is genius I tell you and I use it every night. That’s why I have so many recipes to share. lol
It is so simple and perfect to use in this cheesy chili mac recipe.
- I just added macaroni noodles and enough water for them to cook all together in the Instant Pot and it only took 5 minutes to cook!!!
- Seriously the easiest Instant Pot pasta recipe you will ever make.
- You can use the ingredients you love, make it spicy or mild so you love every bite.
Enjoy pinto beans more than kidney beans? Use those! Have a lot of ground turkey you want to use? That’s a great protein choice to use too!
Love diced bell peppers in anything called chili? Throw those in with everything else! I always say “use what you have on hand”!
Chili Mac in Instant Pot
- Pressure cooker
- If you have an Instant Pot I HIGHLY suggest you get a non stick pot for this and future recipes.
- Ground beef
- this is how to defrost Instant Pot frozen ground beef in case you need it.
- I often times use 1/2 lb. beef and 1/2 lb. spicy ground sausage for LOTS of flavor and a bit of heat
- Onion
- Diced tomatoes
- Tomato sauce
- Kidney Beans
If I have a small can of diced green chiles I will usually add those too. Not to make it spicy but just add flavor.
- Elbow macaroni noodles
- or any small pasta works, I use what I have on hand really
- 1 pkg. chili seasoning (can use a pkg. of taco seasoning instead…still great)
- Chili powder
- just a bit for some heat, if you use spicy sausage I would omit this
- Cheese
- to top with, optional but so yummy
- we like Mexican blend
- Salt and pepper optional
Instant Pot chili mac
You can spice it up or add as much seasoning you’d like once you add the ground beef. Alternatively, you could use spicy ground sausage or 1/2 lb. of each for a medium spice level!
- Another version we’ve made is to make this cheesy chili mac too in our Ninja Foodi!
- If you only have an Instant Pot you can do something very similar by just stirring 1 cup of cheese in at the end.
For EXTRA cheesiness, you can then sprinkle another 3/4 of a cup of shredded cheese on to the top, put lid on ajar for 5 minutes so it can melt on top.
For us one packet of chili seasoning is just right! Of course you could use your own spice combinations but this makes it easy. My kids love it and it is a warm comfort food that’s perfect when it’s “chilly” outside or really year round.
I love easy recipes like this especially during the summer when the last thing I want to do is turn on my oven when it is 100 degrees outside!
Looking for more cheap Instant Pot recipes?
- Instant Pot orange chicken is a healthier version, not breaded but with tons of flavor
- 5 ingredient Instant Pot chili leaves the noodles out and is great on rice or baked potatoes for dinner
- Easy Instant Pot white chicken chili is a fun dish too the kids love
Want to make Crockpot chili mac?? We do that too!
If you like your noodles more al dente then set the time to 3 minutes, a bit softer for 4-5 minutes.
- Note – I have NEVER had issues with stirring everything (other than noodles) together. Others have had false burn notifications.
- If your pot is super sensitive like this I highly suggest you get a non stick pot for this and future recipes.
- It is a game changer and you will likely never get the burn notice again.
And as always, when removing the lid face it away from your face so you aren’t overheated by the steam.
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***** If you LOVED this recipe give it 5 Stars below and let everyone know what you thought about it. 😉
Instant Pot Chili Mac Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 onion diced
- 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 can diced tomatoes 15 oz
- 1 can tomato sauce 8 oz.
- 1 can red beans 15 oz
- 1 c elbow macaroni uncooked
- 1 c beef broth or water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pkg. chili seasoning packet or 1 tbsp seasoning salt, or 1 pkg. taco seasoning
- 1 tsp chili powder optional – more or less depending on spice level desired
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute and add olive oil, onions, and ground beef.
- Brown meat until cooked. Turn off IP.
- Pour in your can of red beans (undrained), diced tomatoes, sprinkle in packet of chili seasoning, tomato sauce and stir together. Pour in your broth, then sprinkle noodles on top but do NOT stir!! Just gently push down to submerge noodles into the liquid but keep on top. (if you stir, you may get burn notice)
- Turn IP to manual, pressure, high, for 4 minutes (3 if you like noodles more al dente). Close steam valve.
- When done do a quick release and carefully open lid. Stir. Serve topped with cheese!!
Video
Suzanne says
This is such a versatile recipe! No elbow macaroni, but I had a box of Kraft Deluxe Mac & cheese! Mixed the cheese in after cooking. I used to make this on the stove but tonight it is in the pressure cooker. I sometimes add frozen mixed veggies but this time it was riced cauliflower ( get them veggies in where ever you can). Delicious, comforting, adaptable ( didn’t have tomato sauce so I used V8 juice). All those changes and it was still amazing. I have made it the “correct” way to and it rocks! Thanks for quick, yummy, every one cheers when you tell them what’s for dinner! You hit this one out of the park and I am going through the rest of your recipes with all the time I have saved on cooking tonight! Oh and the tip on defrosting the meat… Genius, sheer genius!
Carrie says
I have never loved chili, until I made this recipe! Thank you for sharing! I made this recipe in my crock pot minus the cheese & noodles which everyone poured chili over cooked noodles & added cheese if they wanted. It was delicious! Now, the leftover chili the next day tasted even better! Especially with a dollop of sour cream & crispy sour dough toast.
The Typical Mom says
I’m so glad I could help you love chili mac!!
Jean Hilbert says
Made this today with fire roasted diced tomatoes and Chile powder. Very good and so quick!
The Typical Mom says
Yay!!
Jessica Formicola says
I can’t believe how easy this was! Thanks so much for sharing such a great recipe!
The Typical Mom says
It’s one of our faves. 😉
Meagen Brosius says
I love this recipe…I can’t lie I’ll pretty much try anything that looks this delicious and can be made in my favorite kitchen appliance! The whole family loved this! Thanks for the great recipe!
Candice says
Do you have this recipe for the crockpot??
The Typical Mom says
Not yet, no. If you precook the beef and add in with all other ingredients on low to cook all day it should work just the same.
Meghan says
Can I use this recipe in my Ninja Foodi?
The Typical Mom says
Absolutely
wilhelmina says
This is such an easy and simple family recipe! Love it!
The Typical Mom says
Glad it’s a fave for you too.
Sandi says
I didn’t realize you can make pasta recipes in the Instant Pot. So excited to try!
Majorbeadlady says
Your narrative mentions adding water. Your recipe does not. Do you add
water before cooking?
The Typical Mom says
Yes in the recipe it states water, you add when it says add all other ingredients.
Charlene says
I’m cooking this as we speak, but mine keeps sticking to the bottom and saying “burn”. I followed the directions exactly! And idea what’s going on?
Barbie S. says
I looked up why the “burn” alert might happen, and a website said that recipes with tomatoes/tomato sauce etc. tend to burn easily. Only LAYER them!* This should help eliminate the “burn” warning. ?
Shannon says
Trying this now with venison and normal stove top recipe. Similar to yours but tomato juice.
The Typical Mom says
Oh let me know how it turns out, hope to have some venison ourselves soon.
Christine Fairchild says
If you increase the servings to you pressure cook it longer?
The Typical Mom says
For this one it should be fine to double it and turn out the same, just don’t ever fill more than 3/4 of the way full in your pot.
Mary Bley says
Hi. I never leave reviews but your chili mac recipe is our all time favorite! Our teenager asks for this at least once a week. We dont change a single thing. Thanks for the best family meal recipe ever!
The Typical Mom says
Thank you for sharing!! I love hearing positive reviews.
Amy says
I made this tonight for our family of 6 and it was a huge hit! We eat gluten and dairy free so I used the Barilla gf elbow pasta and it worked perfectly. We also didn’t even miss the cheese. Thank you for a delicious new family favorite recipe!
Do you have instructions for making this on the stove or in the crock pot? I’ve already started sharing your recipe with friends and some don’t have an IP.
The Typical Mom says
So glad you loved it!!
Shannon says
Made this tonight-it’s a keeper!
The Typical Mom says
So glad!
Marge says
This sounds so yummy
joseph miller says
as a 85 year old widower the instant pot and pinterest are the greatest. I have no patience for slow cookers I want something that at 4 or 5 or 6 o’clock that I can fix in a hurry not think at 10 in the morning what I will want at 6 that evening. This recipe fits me to a tee. if I can do it. my wife with her 50 years of cooking would have had a ball with this.
Loretta says
I love reading this so much! As a mom with a million things going on, I can so relate to being able to throw something together at 4-5 o’clock and the Instant pot does the rest for me. If you haven’t made this recipe yet, I can attest that its delicious and my family loves it. Wish we could have you for dinner, so glad even men cooking for themselves love the instant pot and pinterest! It’s the greatest!
Karl Schichtel says
This is going to be a go to meal for my family for sure
The Typical Mom says
Awesome!
Jeannie says
I wasn’t able to get it to print. But it sounds great!
The Typical Mom says
Hmmm, what did it do/say?
Jana Bikas says
This had great flavor, but mine stuck to the bottom. I followed the recipe except for draining the beans. I wonder what happened? I only high pressured in IP for 5 minutes and when I immediately went to do the steam valve release, no steam!! I made sure it was in the right position too before pressure cooking. This is the first time this has happened to me when using Instant Pot…
Amanda says
I have learned when cooking pasta put the pasta on top and do not stir. Make sure it’s covered in liquid though.
Isabelle says
I just bought my Instant Pot, and this is my very first trial recipe. It was a big success ! Yeah!!!! Noodles were not overcooked, it’s perfect! I trust you completly and tonight, I’m making the butter chicken ?
The Typical Mom says
OH yeah!! Let me know what you think of the butter chicken too…I have A LOT of recipes to choose from!
svballmom says
Silly question….do you drain the grease from the hamburger before adding the other ingredients?
Judy says
I drain mine even when I use lean ground meat.
Valerie says
Quick and easy I did drain the beans .
Great recipe for a family
V
Cindy says
Do you drain the beans or is liquid needed for pasta?
The Typical Mom says
It’s really up to you, would work fine either way.
Nancy says
How long should I set it for if doubling the recipe?
The Typical Mom says
I don’t recommend doubling as you don’t want to go over 3/4 full in the pot. If you have an 8 qt and it isn’t over that then I would probably keep time the same.
Alison says
The ingredient list calls for a chili seasoning packet, the directions say taco seasoning packet. I would imagine both are good! But it was a bit confusing! 😉
Cliff says
I don’t like any prepackaged spice packets, I used garlic sliced very thin, chili powder, cumin powder and some ground pepper. Don’t add salt. Never add salt! Plus used fire-roasted diced tomatoes.
Amy says
Yum! The only kind of tomato sauce I had in the pantry was El Pato spicy tomato sauce, which gave this super quick dish a nice kick. Will definitely make this again!
Peggy says
I have a glute intolerance. Would the GF elbow pasta work well with this recipe. I am finding out that it is not always just an easy 1 to 1 swap.
Nancy says
Yes
Liz says
This was a hit, home run, we love it, Thank you, from Texas,
Terri says
How large a can of diced tomatoes?
Maggie says
Do you drain the can of tomatoes ?
The Typical Mom says
I didn’t but if you wanted it a bit thicker you certainly could.