Instant Pot Chili Dog Sauce
Instant Pot Chili Dog Sauce is a classic all-American hot dog topper with juicy ground beef and pinto beans in a flavorful tomato sauce. It’s not too spicy and definitely kid-approved.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe: This hot dog chili is saucy and flavored with mustard, chili powder, cumin, and garlic for a complex flavor that compliments classic American hot dogs. It’s an ideal party food for barbecues and picnics.
This recipe originally came from a blog reader, Connie. She made the chili with dried beans, but we’ve adapted the recipe a bit to make it even faster with canned beans. The chili is every bit as flavorful and saucy. This is truly perfect for summer.
Update: I’ve updated this recipe with new tips to make it seamless in newer pressure cooker models and to use canned beans instead of dried.
How to Make Instant Pot Chili Dog Sauce
This Instant Pot Hot Dog Chili recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
In addition to using canned beans instead of dried, we also like to brown the ground beef for the chili before pressure cooking. This step takes just a few minutes but adds a rich, caramelized flavor to the hot dog sauce.
Then before pressure cooking, mash the pinto beans and ground beef in the beef stock. This builds the right texture in your chili that’s thick and creamy, not too watery. A good quality potato masher works wonders here.
Then the chili only needs to pressure cook for five minutes. The result is a wonderfully robust flavor and sauce for hot dogs.
Can I Use Dried Beans?
Absolutely! An Instant Pot is one of the best ways to cook dried beans.
To make the dried beans for this recipe, combine 2 cups of dry pinto beans with 6 cups of water. (Note that you’ll have more than enough beans for this recipe.) Cook the beans at High Pressure for 40 minutes, then use a natural pressure release. The beans will be perfectly tender without falling apart.
If you only want to cook the beans for your chili, use 2/3 of a cup of dried beans and cover them with water by 2 inches.
How to Serve Chili Dog Sauce
Of course, the natural way to serve this Instant Pot chili is on a grilled hot dog. But that’s not the only way! You can pour this meaty chili over:
- Nachos
- Hamburgers
- Tacos
- Burritos (or burrito bowls)
- Rice or other grains, including pasta
Or eat it all on its own. Feel free to add toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, shredded lettuce, or whatever you like.
More Instant Pot Summer Recipes
Try these other Instant Pot Summer recipes for your next cookout or barbecue:
- Instant Pot Hamburgers are a smoke-free way to make juicy burgers indoors.
- BBQ Chicken Legs are sticky, sweet and a bit spicy–perfect for a party.
- Fresh Strawberry Pie from Barbara Bakes is a sweet and bright summer dessert for sharing.
Do you LOVE this recipe?
Leave us a review below to tell us why!
Instant Pot Chili Dog Sauce
Make saucy and thick chili dog sauce with pinto beans and ground beef in an Instant Pot to top hot dogs or burgers.
Ingredients
- 1 can (14 oz) OR 2 cups cooked pinto beans
- 1 cup beef stock
- 8 ounces ground beef
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard (we use Frenches)
- 1/2 cup minced onion
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the beans, beef stock, and ground beef in the pressure cooking pot.
- Use a potato masher to mash the beans and ground beef to a very fine consistency.
- Add the tomato paste, mustard, onion, chili powder, cumin, garlic, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.
- Lock the lid in place and select High Pressure for 5 minutes. When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker and use a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
- Stir well, taste for seasoning adjustment and add kosher salt as needed. Stir in hot sauce if desired.
- Serve over grilled chili dogs, nachos, or your other favorite BBQ meats.
Notes
Canned beans may be used for this recipe. Rinse and strain the beans (canned or pressure cooked) before using in this recipe.
To cook dry beans for this recipe: Pressure cook 2 cups of pinto beans in 6 cups of water at High Pressure for 40 minutes. Allow the pressure cooker to naturally release.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 216Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 247mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 6gSugar: 3gProtein: 17g
Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.
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Hi Melissa – do you have an 8 quart pressure cooker? Did you see steam coming out around the sides of the lid? Were your beans canned or homemade?
you replied to her about the pot going to burn . I would like to make this but want to know what the difference would be to have made it burn. I have a 8 qt and wonder if that is enough broth or liquid?
HI Barbarann – an 8 quart pressure cooker requires a minimum of 2 cups liquid, so I would double this recipe when making it in an 8 quart pressure cooker.
I get that and I am going to try to do this tomorrow but if the beans hamburg and the broth are all mixed together wont the broth be absorbed and how then will it come to pressure?
Your beans if fully cooked, shouldn’t absorb all the broth, but if you find they do, you can add additional broth.
Was so excited to find this recipe. I dislike canned chili sauce, they all seem to have textured vegetable protein, I try to avoid anything soy. I followed your recipe to the letter. I had reservations about it, didn’t seem like it had enough liquid. I put on high pressure, cook time 5 minutes. Pot came up to pressure just fine and started the 5 minute cook cycle then beeped several times and the display read BURN. What did I do wrong.
Hi Melissa – do you have an 8 quart pressure cooker? Did you see steam coming out around the sides of the lid? Were your beans canned or homemade?
we ENJOYED your recipe for dinner tonight….I asked my dad and husband if they wanted chili dogs for Father’s Day dinner…YES was the reply…..I doubled the recipe and have 2 more freezer bags with 2 cups each in the freezer for another time….THANK YOU
we eat as natural as we can these days….so with our natural Simple Truth beef hotdogs and natural hotdog buns…I was VERY happy….nothing weird in any of it….
That’s great – thanks Shelley! How nice to have some in the freezer for another day.
Batch of this wonderful recipe is cooking in our Instant Por now. Getting food ready for football watching tomorrow! What a wonderful, tasty recipe. Thank you and HaPPy 2018!!! GO CHIEFS ?
Perfect football food. Happy New Year!
The flavor was good, but the consistency was not. This is a personal preference – I do not like ground beef that is cooked, but not browned. I knew this going into the recipe, but wanted to follow the recipe to the letter first. So I am not surprised at this.
Next, my Instant Pot did not come up to pressure. I was wondering about this, as the ratio of liquid to solids indicated that I might have such a problem. I ended up cooking it on saute.
Finally, smashing the ground beef and beans to a fine consistency was not achieved. So, I will change the recipe in the following ways: 1) I will brown the ground beef; 2) I’ll smash the beans and then add the browned ground beef. I’ll cook it all on the stove, or on sautee in the IP. Pressure cooking just didn’t work for me.
I just wanted to drop a comment. I purchased a pressure cooker about 3 months ago when I stumbled on your recipe. We love it. I am a southern girl and good chili for hot dogs and hamburgers are a must! This hit the nail on the head. The only difference I made was instead of pintos I used a can of re-fried beans which is essentially the same thing. I did not use the cumin or the vinegar. It is really a great recipe. And FYI it freezes well too. I made two batches and successfully froze around 8 bags to get us started with summer grillings. Re-heats well in a pot on the stove after a few minutes as long as it is thawed if its not I just sit the Ziploc in some boiling water for a few minutes.
Thanks for sharing Christy!
I have a 8 quart instant pot if I wanted to double the beans do I add more water or the six cups is enough
I tried this recipe however my instant pot would not come to pressure as there does not seem to be enough liquid so I had to put on slow cook.
I’m looking for just a simple but good chili recipe, please help
Hi Gina – here’s a white chicken chili that is really easy and delicious https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/quick-white-chicken-chili/
Do you per cook the beef before adding to the pressure cooker
LOVE THE RECIPE. COULD I MAKE IT IN A SLOW COOKER?
DO NOT HAVE A PRESSURE COOKER. THANK YOU
Hi Wanda, I suppose you could make this in a slow cooker. Stove top would work as well.
Just made this (doubled the batch) and will definitely make again in the future. Nice flavor, and I love that the beans are in there (but one doesn’t really know it). Thanks for a great post and recipe!
PS-just saw that a reader asked about using a regular pressure cooker. I have a Fagor (not electric) and I brought it up to high pressure and cooked for 5 minutes…let it release on its own, it only took a minute or two to come off pressure. Seemed to work just fine!
Also, forgot to mention that my son isn’t into real spicy food, so when I doubled the spices, I didn’t double the chili powder–just put in 1.5 tsp. I’m glad I did that, because I think the extra .5 tsp would be too much for him…
That’s great Christine. I’m so glad you liked it. Thanks for the extra info <3
Made this Saturday night and had it for lunch yesterday on our hot dogs. We always eat Wolf Brand chili on our hot dogs, so I was a little worried that my husband would not like this, but he did! Thanks again for sharing!
I just finished making this delicious Old Fashioned Chile Dog sauce. It is delicious can’t wait to have it on our dogs for dinner.
So glad you liked it Robin!
We are total suckers for chili dogs! I just made a batch of pinto beans today, what luck. Can’t wait to try this, thanks for sharing!
Thanks Amanda! Enjoy!
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Garrick!
Claudia, it’s raw, check out the video up above.
If you are going to trouble to make this chili dog, buy good course ground skin on weiners. I worked in suausage factories and the fine ground skinless hot dogs have filler such as powdered milk and flout.
I just read this thank you for that tip. Boars Head seems good to me.
This looks fantastic and I have wanted a homemade recipe for this for a long time, will cut out the salt though. I have a question, is your ground beef cooked before you put it in the pressure cooker or is it raw? Can’t wait to try this out….Thank you….Claudia
Hi Claudia. The ground beef is raw and mashed with the pinto beans for the right consistency.
Can you freeze this? I am the only chili dog lover in the family and would love to have some on hand for me!
Hi Fran. Yes, you can freeze it. Just allow it to cool before doing so. I put mine in zip top baggies, press the air out and flatten them so they lay nice and thaw out quickly.
Thanks!
My pressure cooker is electric but doesn’t have a timer.. How would I adapt this recipe? Do I get the pressure up and then cook for 5 minutes only? And then do I let the pressure drop naturally or do a quick release with cold water? I couldn’t tell from the recipe….
Thank you so much, I look forward to trying this!
Hi Amy. I haven’t worked with a pressure cooker that doesn’t have a timer but I do believe you should let it come to pressure and only cook for 5 minutes. Ground beef cooks quick. I would do a quick release as well.
Hi Amy – you’d never want to do a quick release with cold water with an electric pressure cooker. They’re even discouraging it with stove top pressure cookers. What brand pressure cooker do you have?
This sounds and looks good, will definitely try this.
Great Bryan! Thanks for checking it out 🙂
Gonna make this tonight, you got me craving old fashioned Coney’s as they used to be
Terrific Dottie! Thanks for stopping by!
Oh yum – we love a good chili dog but always resort to canned chili – I can’t wait to try this! Thanks for sharing, and welcome to the best Pressure Cooking blog!
Thank you Brenda!