Instant Pot Crack Sausage Chili–sliced smoked sausage, crispy bacon pieces, three types of beans and plenty of seasonings make this chili super addicting! An easy dump and go Instant Pot recipe!
SLOW COOKER instructions are in the recipe card below
Instant Pot Crack Sausage Chili
It might not look the most beautiful but this Instant Pot crack sausage chili is so flavorful and delicious! Besides the taste the best part about the recipe is that it is a dump and go recipe! No sautéing or extra prep steps to begin with.
A note about the ingredients:
Sausage–use a pre-cooked sausage like Cajun Andouille Sauage or Kielbasa or Beef Smoked Sausage. I find these rope sausages next to the hot dogs at the grocery store. I slice mine fairly thin so that there is more sausage pieces in each bowl.
Beans–I used 3 different types of beans: kidney, pinto and black. You can mix and match beans and use what you like. Whether that’s 3 cans of pintos or 1 can of kidneys and 2 cans of black, it’s up to you.
Smoked Paprika–if possible use smoked paprika instead of regular paprika! The flavor from smoked paprika makes a big difference. Normal paprika is crushed dried chilies, smoked paprika uses chilies that are smoke-dried and then crushed.
Sour Cream or Cream Cheese–I’ve made this with both sour cream and cream cheese and they are equally good in my opinion! Use which one you like best. I use full fat dairy but you can try a lower fat option if you’d like. Make sure to temper the dairy before adding it into the steaming hot pot or else it will separate.
Fritos–For best results serve Instant Pot crack sausage chili with Fritos! YUM! It made the whole meal experience even better. My favorite are the chili cheese Fritos.
More Popular Instant Pot Chili Recipes…
Instant Pot Crack Chicken Chili or Slow Cooker Crack Chicken Chili–Melissa said, “I made this the other night – OMG! It is soooo good! My husband loved it – said this recipe is a keeper. Made enough for us to have leftovers for lunch. Excellent recipe!”
Instant Pot Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Soup–WB said, “I just wanted to say that this is one of my favorite recipes ever. It’s so so good.”
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Chili–Kurt said, “Just made for a chili cook off…I won! what an amazing amazing taste… I’ll be making this for years to come.”
Instant Pot Creamy White Chicken Chili–Tiffiny said, “My whole family loved it!“
Down Home Instant Pot Chili–Linda said, “I made this recipe and won first place in a chili cookoff. Everyone wanted the recipe.”
Instant Pot Crack Sausage Chili
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
Description
Sliced smoked sausage, crispy bacon pieces, three types of beans and plenty of seasonings make this chili super addicting! An easy dump and go Instant Pot recipe!
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 diced onion (about one cup)
- 1 (14.5 oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (14.5 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (12 oz) package smoked sausage, andouille sausage or kielbasa, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes or fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 7 slices of cooked bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 ( 8 oz) package cream cheese or 1 cup of sour cream
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch + 1/4 cup water
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Add chicken broth, onion, beans, sausage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, chili powder and cumin to Instant Pot.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the SOUP button to 5 minutes. When time is up let the pot sit for 10 minutes. Move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- In a bowl add the cream cheese (or sour cream). Take about a quarter cup of hot broth and add it into the bowl. Whisk and repeat a few times so that the dairy is warmed up and does not curdle. Add the mixture into the Instant Pot and stir.
- To thicken the chili make a cornstarch slurry. Turn your Instant Pot to the sauté setting. In a small bowl stir together 3 Tbsp of cornstarch with ¼ cup of water, until smooth. Then pour the mixture into the Instant Pot. The cornstarch mixture will thicken up contents of pot quickly. Stir in the bacon crumbles.
- Ladle into bowls and serve topped with Fritos, green onions and grated cheddar, if desired.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Add chicken broth, onion, beans, sausage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, chili powder and cumin to slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours.
- In a bowl add the cream cheese (or sour cream). Take about a quarter cup of hot broth and add it into the bowl. Whisk and repeat a few times so that the dairy is warmed up and does not curdle. Add the mixture into the slow cooker and stir.
- To thicken the chili make a cornstarch slurry. Turn slow cooker to high. In a small bowl stir together 3 Tbsp of cornstarch with ¼ cup of water, until smooth. Then pour the mixture into the slow cooker and let chili thicken for 10 minutes without the lid on. Stir in the bacon crumbles.
- Ladle into bowls and serve topped with Fritos, green onions and grated cheddar, if desired.
Notes
I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. Make in the 8 quart with no changes. Halve in the 3 quart with same cooking time.
- Category: Soup
- Method: Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
*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.
Where does the bacon come in during the recipe?
Oops! Thanks for letting me know. I just added the info into the recipe card.
Have you used the precooked bacon crumbles?
Yes they are great!
Made this for dinner last night! It was amazing. Thank you for a great recipe that will be a new staple in our home!
★★★★★
Thanks Wendy! So glad you liked it!
I have Adele’s sausages which are not precooked. What’s your recommendation for this substitution?
You could brown them beforehand. But honestly they will cook in the chili so you don’t HAVE to if you don’t want to.