Learn how to make the best paleo chili ever with no beans using the Instant Pot for the most delicious, hearty, and quick family dinner!

Ingredients
I make this chili with ground beef, but you can swap it for turkey. For tons of flavor, the base of this recipe includes garlic, onion, celery, carrots, chili powder, ground cumin, and oregano. Cayenne pepper is optional for a note of heat. To bulk it up, you’ll add zucchini, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce.
How to Make Paleo Chili in the Instant Pot
- Prep.
Chop the veggies and measure all the spices into a small bowl so everything is ready when you need to add it to the pot. - Sauté.
Using the sauté button, brown the ground meat, then add the aromatic veggies and the spices. Keep sautéing until the onions are soft. - Cook the chili.
Add zucchini and tomatoes, and cook on high. This paleo chili is thick; if you want to thin it out, add a little water and stir.
How Long Does it Take to Make Instant Pot Chili
This paleo chili in the Instant Pot can be ready to serve in less than 30 minutes: 10 minutes of prep, 6 minutes to come to pressure, and 10 minutes of cooking time. You can save some prep time by chopping the veggies ahead of time.
How to Make the Chili Thinner
While I love the thickness of this paleo chili, you can make it thinner if that’s the consistency you crave. Once the chili is cooked, add 1 cup of water and stir. Keep in mind that adding any additional liquid will dilute the seasonings, yielding a less flavorful chili.
Paleo Chili | The Original in the Instant Pot

Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 ½ cups onion, diced, about 1 large onion
- ½ cup celery, chopped, about 1 stalk
- 1 ½ cups carrots, peeled and diced, about 4 medium carrots
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- 4 cups zucchinis, diced, about 2-3 medium zucchinis
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup water, optional
Instructions
Prep:
- Chop all the veggies before browning the meat and set aside. Tip: measure all the spices into a small bowl so when you're ready to add them during the sauté process, you're not measuring them out individually.
Sauté:
- Press the sauté mode button and let the pot heat up for about 30 seconds.
- Add the ground meat and brown it, breaking it up with a wooden spatula as it cooks.
- Towards the end, when the meat is mostly browned, add the garlic, onions, celery, carrots, and spices, and sauté them with the beef for 2 minutes. The onions should be soft. The rest of the vegetables will be cooked later. Push the cancel button to exit the sauté mode.
Cook:
- Add the diced zucchini, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes (with the juices) into the pot.
- Put the lid on and seal the valve. Cook on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes. Most pressure cookers take about 6 minutes to come to pressure; then, it will cook for 10 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, release the pressure by opening the valve. Once all the pressure has been released, open the lid.
- Give the chili a stir. This is a very thick chili recipe. If you want to thin it out, add 1 cup of water to the chili and stir. Adding any additional liquid will dilute the seasonings.
Serve & Store:
- Serve the chili immediately. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days or freeze them for up to 3 months.
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Kym Wallace says
This recipe worked perfectly. I came to make the slow cooker version but was so excited to find the instant pot version. Saves so much time. Delicious and nutritious with a little kick of heat. We used ground turkey and it was great.
Laura Fuentes says
Thank you for sharing how much you enjoyed this paleo chili in your instant pot!
Jenny says
I’ve loved your classic paleo chili for years, so excited to be able to make it in my Instant Pot now! This is awesome!