Instant Pot Chili Cheese Rice—beefy chili, rice and cheddar together in one dish. Made easy (and fast) with your electric pressure cooker.
Instant Pot Chili Cheese Rice
After looking at a recipe for chili mac I was inspired to make chili rice. It’s a mash up between rice and chili with some cheese thrown in. It’s a good one pot meal that everyone will enjoy!
Can I use another type of rice? I used brown rice for this recipe but you can use another type of rice. Just use the liquid to rice ratio in the green chart below along with the change in cooking time. I increased my cooking time for brown rice from 22 minutes to 25 minutes because the pot was “pre-heated” when I used the saute setting to brown the beef. You may want to increase the rice cooking time by a couple of minutes since it’s not going into a cold pot.
Can I use a different kind of cheese? Yes! Pepper jack, mozzarella, colby jack, Mexican blend and many other types of cheeses will work great with this recipe.
Can I use a different kind of bean? Sure! Use pinto beans, cannellini beans, black beans. Really whatever kind of bean you want.
We don’t like beans. Can I leave them out? Yes you can. The final product will still taste great!
Can I used dried beans? Yes. Cook the beans separately as they will not get soft with acidic ingredients like tomato sauce and tomato paste. Then stir the cooked beans in as stated in the recipe. You will need about ⅓ cup of dried beans to equal the amount of beans in 1 can.
We don’t like spice. Is this spicy? Not really. Leave out the cayenne pepper if you don’t like spice.
We like meat. Can I double the amount of beef? Yes. Add in double the amount of seasonings. Keep all other ingredients the same.
Can I make this dairy free? Yes. Leave out the half and half and the cheddar. It will still taste good!
Is this gluten free? This recipe can easily be gluten free. Just make sure your broth and tomato products are labeled gluten free.
What should I serve on top of Instant Pot chili cheese rice? I topped my rice with Chili Cheese Fritos and it was amazing. Add some diced green onion and a dollop of sour cream.
How do I store the leftovers? Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Or store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Try these other Instant Pot Recipes…
Instant Pot Chili Cheese Rice
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Description
Beefy chili, rice and cheddar together in one dish. Made easy (and fast) with your electric pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 1/2 cups beef broth
- 2 cups uncooked brown rice
- 1/2 cup warmed half and half or heavy cream
- 1 (14.5 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting. When the displays says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Add in the onions, salt, chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper. Brown the beef for about 5 minutes. If there is excess grease, drain it off. Add in the garlic and saute for 20 seconds.
- Stir in the brown sugar, tomato sauce and tomato paste. Pour in the beef broth and scrape the bottom of the pot well. Add in the rice. Turn off the saute setting.
- Cover the pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 25 minutes on high pressure. When the time is up let the pot sit for 10 minutes and then move the valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir in the half and half, kidney beans and 1 cup of the cheddar.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Scoop into serving bowls and top with additional cheddar.
Notes
I used my 6 quart Instant Pot*. You can use your 3 quart or 8 quart pot with no changes.
- Category: Beef
- Method: Instant Pot
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Will the ‘time’ be changed for white rice?
Yes, if you scroll up you’ll see a green chart that will indicate type of rice and how long to cook as well as water to rice ratio. Hope this helps!
is it possible to leave out the tomato paste? unfortunately it’s the only ingredient i’m missing and i want to make this for dinner tonight! thoughts or suggestions?
Sure! Add in some ketchup instead…should be fine.
This was really good! It tasted like a casserole! Next time I’ll add more beans and a jalapeño!
Both great ideas! 😊
Just made this tonight. It was delicious and very simple to make. I added more beans because i like more beans. Next time i’m gonna add some heat.
Glad you liked it! And yes add heat if you are a spice lover 😊
Karen can I sub pasta curls for the rice? What adjustment do I need to make?
You could do that. I would use 16 ounces of pasta and 4 cups of broth in the place of the rice and broth in the recipe above. I would pressure cook for 4 minutes with a 10 minute natural pressure release.
Karen,
I want to thank you for such a wonderful enjoyed dish. First bite tasted like chili with crackers, which is how I ate my mom’s chili when I was at home. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Linda Cull
★★★★★
Nice! I like that it brought back old memories. Food is awesome like that 😊