Instant Pot Ground Beef (Fresh or Frozen)

Make perfectly cooked Instant Pot Ground Beef using fresh or frozen ground meat!

Forget to thaw out your ground beef to make Taco Meat, Homemade Sloppy Joes, or Instant Pot Hamburger Helper? No worries! Use the Instant Pot to cook up any type of frozen ground meat and get dinner on the table quickly!

Frozen ground beef on trivet in Instant Pot.

From Frozen to Cooked

If you go to make dinner and realize you have forgotten to thaw out your ground beef--YOU ARE NOT ALONE! I have done this more times than I care to admit.

As you most likely know, it is NOT safe to thaw meat out at room temperature, but what about safely cooking ground beef from frozen in an instant pot?

It works like MAGIC!

Just like the Instant Pot can cook frozen chicken breast, and frozen pot roast, The Instant Pot can be used to cook frozen ground meat effortlessly.

How to Pressure Cook Frozen Ground Beef

Pour cold tap water into the bottom of the inner pot. Use 1 cup for a 3 or 6-quart instant pot and 1.5 cups for an 8-quart model. Then place in a metal trivet or rack inside the inner pot.

Place the frozen ground beef on your trivet, and seal the instant pot closed with the vent closed. Be sure all plastic, styrofoam, or any other packaging is completely removed from the frozen meat. If not, run under cold water until you can remove the packaging.

Place the lid on the inner pot and seal. Set to high pressure and cook for 20 minutes for a 1-inch thick slab of frozen meat.
Once the cooking time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for 5 to 10 minutes.
Check the temperature with a meat thermometer--it should be at least 160 degrees. If it is not, seal again and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. *See my notes at end of the post to troubleshoot why your meat would need longer to cook.

Cooked ground beef inside of the Instant Pot on metal rack.

Carefully remove the meat from the instant pot and place it in a large mixing bowl.
Discard the cooking liquid and fat that drained off the beef.
Use a spatula to break up the ground meat and use it just as you would for any recipe calling for browned or cooked ground beef.

A clear bowl of perfectly tender ground beef cooked from frozen in Instant Pot.

How To Pressure Cook Fresh Ground Beef

You have two options when cooking fresh ground beef in your pressure cooker. You can opt to sauté the meat using the sauté function or you steam the beef for a hands-off method for cooking ground meat.

Option 1: Sauté the Meat

Using the saute function on the Instant Pot is nearly the same as browning the meat on the stove.

Hit the sauté function on the Instant Pot and then hit Adjust to change the heat to normal heat.
Let the Instant Pot heat for 2-3 minutes. Some models display Hot once heated, some do not, but after a few minutes of time, you can begin to sauté the meat.
Add in a couple of teaspoons of oil and let the oil heat for 1 minute.
Add the ground meat, and allow to cook, breaking the meat up into small pieces as it browns.
Once the ground beef is cooked thoroughly, which takes about 6-7 minutes, turn the Instant Pot OFF.
Drain off any excess grease and then use as desired. This works great for recipes like Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff, Instant Pot Chili, or Instant Pot Hamburger Helper.

A note to this method--it seems silly to get out your pressure cooker if you are just sauteing your meat (you can do that on the stove), but if you are using it to start another recipe you will finish in your Instant Pot, it is a great method to use!)

Option 2: Steam the Meat

Pour cold tap water into the bottom of the inner pot. Use 1 cup for a 3 or 6-quart instant pot and 1.5 cups for an 8-quart model. Then place in a metal trivet or rack inside the inner pot.
Place 1-2 pounds of ground beef on your trivet, seal the instant pot, and be sure the vent knob is closed. Be sure to form your meat into a thick patty/brick so that the meat cooks uniformly. Just the way meat comes in the Styrofoam tray.
Set to high pressure and cook for 6 minutes.
Once cook time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release for 5 to 10 minutes, then do a quick release of any remaining pressure.
Check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer--it should be at least 160 degrees. If it is not, seal again and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. *See my notes at end of the post to troubleshoot why your meat would need longer to cook.
Once your meat is cooked, carefully remove it from the instant pot and break it up and use it as you would for any ground beef recipe.
Discard liquid (and fat that drained off beef) from your Instant Pot Base.

FAQs on Instant Pot Ground Meat

Can you cook other types of ground meat in the Instant Pot using this method?

YES! This would work perfectly for any ground meat like pork, chicken, or turkey and the cooking times would remain the same.

What about the texture of meat being steamed over browned in an Instant Pot?

HA! I wondered that too. And I was hesitant to try out my test for a while due to the fear I would be WASTING ground beef. But let me assure you, the texture is amazing on ground beef cooked this way. It is soft but still firm--it is not mealy, mushy, or watery at all. There are no crispy brown bits in the meat, instead, everything is cooked perfectly.

What about the taste of the meat?

Tastes delicious, with no difference in taste.

Do you have to add water to the bottom of the Instant Pot?

Yes, that moisture allows the pressure to build up in your instant pot.

Do you have to use your trivet?

YES!! The trivet does 3 things: prevents the meat from getting watery, prevents the meat from scorching, and allows the fat to drain off the meat as it cooks.

Can you add seasonings to the meat?

Absolutely! However, I find it is best to season the ground beef after it has been pressure cooked and broken up for even flavoring.

Troubleshooting and Timing for Instant Pot Ground Beef

I have tested this recipe out with 1 and 2 pounds of ground beef that was frozen in a ¾ to 1-inch block (not a tube). If you want to cook meat from a frozen tube, you will need to increase the cooking time. I would start by increasing the time to 25 minutes.
I would not recommend cooking more than 3-4 pounds of frozen meat at a time. Doing so, would overcrowd your Instant Pot and therefore would cause it to take forever to reach pressure. Not only is this time-consuming, it potentially could be dangerous if you have frozen meat hanging out long waiting to cook.
To cook 3-4 pounds of meat, increase the time by 5 minutes per pound for frozen meat.
Be sure to completely remove packaging from frozen meat BEFORE cooking--you don't want any wax, paper, or lining left on the meat before cooking.
In all my tests, it has never taken longer than 11 minutes to reach pressure for this recipe for frozen ground beef in the instant pot. The average time was 7 minutes.
Pro-Tip: Freeze your meat in 1-inch thick slabs so that the meat will cook evenly in the instant pot.

Recipes using Ground Beef

If this method for cooking frozen ground beef in the Instant Pot saved your dinner, I would love for you to leave a comment and rating below.