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!
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.
- 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.
How To Pressure Cook Fresh Ground Beef
You have two options when cooking fresh ground beef in your pressure cooker. You can opt to saute the meat using the saute function or you steam the beef for a hands-off method for cooking ground meat.
Option 1: Saute the Meat
Using the saute function on the Instant Pot is nearly the same as browning the meat on the stove.
- Hit the saute 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 saute 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
YES! This would work perfectly for any ground meat like pork, chicken, or turkey and the cooking times would remain the same.
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.
Tastes delicious, with no difference in taste.
Yes, that moisture allows the pressure to build up in your instant pot.
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.
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.
Instant Pot Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 1-2 pounds ground meat beef, turkey, chicken, or pork
Instructions
- Cover bottom of the pot with 1 cup cold water for a 3 or 6-quart instant pot and 1.5 cups of cold water for an 8-quart instant pot. Add in trivet and place frozen or fresh ground meat directly on trivet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper as desired.
- Put the lid on the Pressure Cooker and turn valve to seal.
- Set to High Pressure for 20 minutes if frozen, 6 minutes if fresh.
- Once finished cooking, let the pressure release naturally for 5 to 10 minutes and then do a quick release of any remaining pressure. Check the temperature with a meat thermometer--it should be 160-165 degrees. If it is not, seal again and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Carefully remove trivet from Instant Pot. Discard cooking liquid and grease and break up ground beef using a spatula into desired size. Use as desired.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- This method works best when your meat is in a ¾ to 1-inch thick brick so that the meat cooks uniformly.
- If your meat is frozen in a tube form, start with cooking on high pressure for 25 minutes. Check the middle of the meat after cook time to be sure an internal temperature of 160 degrees has been reached.
- 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.
- 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.
- Pro-Tip: Freeze your meat in 1 inch thick slabs so that the meat will cook evenly in the instant pot.
- 7-10 Minutes to get to pressure + 20 Minutes to cook+ Release pressure after 5 minutes.
Mel
I'm super new to the IP world and was going to attempt to make some "boiled" ground beef and rice for my sick pup. The IP process completely blows my mind and I understand nada!! Is it possible to make this in the IP without having to saute the fresh meat first? Like, plop some rice and water in there with the meat? It sounds like this is a no-no. I have the trivet thing it came with, but won't the fresh ground beef fall though??? I know I'm overthinking this... ha!!
Thank you!
Kristen Chidsey
Hey there! The Instant Pot can be so overwhelming, so you are not alone. If you want to cook rice with the meat, you have a few options.
You can place meat right on rice and cook.
You can place meat on tivet above rice and cook.
Remember that the grease will drain into the rice...which is tasty I am sure, but not sure you want that for yourself.
Also, if cooking frozen meat, be sure to cook brown rice as, frozen meat will not cook to safe temperature in time it takes to cook white rice.
Hope that helps.
Mel
Oh gosh!! I didn't even think of the grease.... geesh. I may need to rethink this. You're absolutely right, For the pup, that might be doable... not so much for me.... I've been wanting to do chicken and veggies for me, but that's a whole 'nother feat of opening/closing the IP I'm not sure I am qualified for.... Thank you so much for your super quick response!!
Kristen Chidsey
I have faith in you! Here check out my IP 101 (https://amindfullmom.com/instant-pot-101/) and Pot in Pot Cooking Methods (https://amindfullmom.com/pot-in-pot/) to help you feel more confident.
James
Recipe was simple and easy. I'm using this to defrost some beef for an instant pot spaghetti recipe. Thanks for your help!
Kristen Chidsey
YAY!!! I hope you enjoy the spaghetti pie--sounds delicious!
angela hitchner
WOW, I find the questions some of the people ask literally, offensive. I DO NOT understand how some people cant figure out: 1. calories (and why you should have to) 2. Amounts of ingredients if you posted wrong amount?? 3. Double or Tripling recipe 4. High altitude ???? Why cant people figure this out on their own??? Its called google! I'm sorry but this is so annoying!
Kristen Chidsey
Angela, I try really hard to put myself in people's shoes--and then answer all the questions I can on my post so I can be a one stop shop. The more questions people ask, the better I can write recipes that answer those questions 🙂
Jan
It worked for me. I was called away and came back at 1 hour + on warm. All I did was pull the meat out, put it in a pan and used a potato masher to break up the meat, I did turn over a piece that stuck together, and using the masher, it broke into pieces, I worked harder on top of the stove to get loose meat. I doubted that this would work!!! I am so glad I was wrong. Thanks for this short cut, I love my IP and use it often.
I used broth, garlic and onion powder to flavor the meat.
Kristen Chidsey
YAY JAN!!! I am so glad it worked--and I completely agree that it is so much easier than the stove stop.
JennT
I tried this with my instapot lux 6 qt tonight. One pound frozen ground beef. High pressure, 20 min cook time. The outside was over cooked, the inside was thawed but raw. I ended up just cooking it the old fashioned way in a pan on the stove. Not loving my new instapot yet at all 🙁
Kristen Chidsey
Oh Jenn, I am sorry this did not work out for you?
Was your meat in a round log instead of a flat rectangle? Did you use enough water? Those may be two reasons this did not work well for you. The one thing about the IP is that things need to be pretty exact--but once you learn it, you will LOVE it.
Barbara
Also - if you put all the ingredients in - for frozen or for fresh meat - do you still use the trivet? Thank you!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Barbara--here is my recipe for Instant Pot Chili and it walks you through how to use frozen or fresh ground meat (turkey or beef) and you won't need a trivet. Enjoy. https://amindfullmom.com/instant-pot-chili/
Barbara
Thank you!! 🙂
Kristen Chidsey
You bet!
Barbara
Can you cook frozen ground (turkey instead of beef) along with ingredients - like for chili - all together? I have tubes of frozen ground turkey and wondering best way to make chili in IP. Thank you!
Tina
Can you cook frozen without the rack?
Kristen Chidsey
Hey Tina,
I would NOT suggest doing that. First of all, the meat touching the bottom of the inner pot would likely burn before the meat cooks through and you need to have 1 cup of water in the pressure cooker, so the meat would be sitting on top of the water and get soggy. Sorry.
Kay Penn
I had 2 frozen 8 ounce patties that I stacked and put in my 8qt duo. I went in another room and didn't hear the timer ring. When I came back it had been on keep warm for 9 minutes and I had 2 solid hockey pucks. I couldn't break them up much with a fork so I got out my hand mixer and it worked like a charm. Just be sure you do it in a deep bowl. It tends to fly arpund
Kristen Chidsey
Kay--I use my hand mixer ALL the time for shredding chicken--why didn't I think of this before??? Thank you so much for sharing <3
Vickie
Thank you so much for this! Do you think I could add some seasonings (like salt, pepper, or onion flakes) to the frozen ground beef and then cook it?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Vickie! So yes, you absolutely could season before cooking. Sprinkle evenly over top of frozen meat and then after cooking, mix into the meat evenly. Happy Pressure cooking!
Mind
The recipe says cook for 20 min but in your notes it says it never took more than 11...how do I know how long to keep in in there?
Kristen Chidsey
Hey Mindy. Sorry for the confusion, the notes state it never took more than 11 minutes to come to pressure
...that is not the cooking time. So total time would be time to come to pressure plus cooking time. Hope that helps you 👍
Shauna
Hello Kristen! Could you cook higher quantities of frozen if using an 8qt?
Kristen Chidsey
Yes, as long as you don't fill your pressure cooker more than 2/3rd's full. However, when cooking frozen beef, if it is frozen in a solid 2-3 lb brick, it can take 30-40 minutes under high pressure with another 15 minutes time to release. I would start by adding 1 pound at time and increasing time by 5 minutes per pound.
Sunny
Hi! I have heard altitude can have an affect on cooking time, so I'm wondering what altitude you are at, and what size IP you have. Thanks! (I have the duo 8)
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Sunny! Yes, altitude can play a role. Here is a great guide for High Altitude Pressure Cooking. I am in North Carolina, so very "standard" altitude 😉
I test all my recipe with my 6 quart IP, but the recipe should be the same for you (just may take a bit more time to come to pressure).
Kristin
You give instructions about how to lengthen the time if you are cooking from frozen. How would you lengthen the time if you were cooking from fresh? I often cook up the big Costco ground beef the day I bring it home then freeze it cooked rather than frozen. I just got an IP and have not experimented yet.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Kristin!
Be prepared to fall in love with your IP!
I would cook no more than 4 pounds of fresh ground beef in your IP at a time and I would increase cooking time by 2 minutes per pound. Therefore for 4 pounds of meat I would cook for 12 minutes. Hope that helps!
Michelle
I tried this last night in my new Instant Pot Duo Plus to cook fresh turkey chop meat.
It didn't work so good... 🙁
This was the first time I've used the IP and maybe I did something wrong.
The Duo Plus doesn't have a "manual" button just a "pressure cook" button. I used that and the pressure was set to high + 1 cup of water. I set the time for 6 minutes and manual released it. It was totally raw... I put it back on for another 6, still mostly raw. Another 10, not cooked. Another 15, finally cooked..
What did I do wrong? The only thing I can think of is maybe I need to use the "meat" button and change the mode to "more"??
Kristen Chidsey
Hi there Michelle!
I am so sorry you had an issue with this recipe.
So there are a lot of different things that could have occurred.
First, was your meat ground or was it in large chunks? Was it flat or in a tube form? This recipe is for ground meat that is in a thin layer, not a tube form.
Be sure your water was cold as well.
Setting your pressure button to high and normal function is equivalent to manual high pressure, so that should not have been the issue.
Also, have you done the water test before using your Instant Pot? I just want to be sure that your IP is fully functioning, as 37 minutes for fresh ground meat seems unbelievable! A full roast should cook in that time.
Let me know if that helps or if you have more questions
Heather
I just had the same issue and can’t figure out what went wrong. I had 1 lb of thawed meat in a regular package (not a tube) and mine was cooked on the Outsode but totally raw on the inside. I had to check and reset it three times, totaling 17 minutes to get it cooked.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Heather, So you say it totaled 17 minutes to get it cooked, did you mean 17 minutes start to finish or 17 additional minutes?? Because the recipe says it needs to be 20 minutes. Just want to be sure. Also, make sure it was set to high pressure. AND how many inches would you say your meat was--mine was about 1/2 inch. Again, I want to help you trouble shoot, so you can make this in future with NO issues 🙂
Chad
I also tried to cook frozen hamburger. Just over a pound and in the thickness you'd get from a butcher. Set it for 20 minutes. It was still raw on the inside. I'll set it for another 7 on high and more. If it doesn't work I'll just throw it on the stove in a skillet and finish cooking it.
Kristen Chidsey
It should be perfect after that additional 7 minutes.
Lauren
When I was first learning how to use my IP, I mixed up the “timer” button - which is to be used to delay the start of cooking - with the cooking time. I had the same experience. If you’re using that timer button, don’t, unless you want it to start cooking 10, 15, 20 minutes from now. Maybe that’s not what happened with yours, but I bet someone else may be having this problem! Good luck! Looks like a great how-to and I’m trying it tomorrow.
Kristen Chidsey
Lauren--thank you for your insight!!! That is something I never thought of. I truly appreciate you sharing your experience for others to help troubleshoot.
And I hope you enjoy this method for cooking frozen beef Lauren!
Debbie
Thank you for this article. Wanted to check on how much water to put in the bottom of the IP. The body of the article seems to say 1/2 cup and the recipe seems to say 1 cup. Did I read
incorrectly?
Kristen Chidsey
It is one cup. Let me make sure the recipe is correct now. Thanks for the heads up!
Cherrie Dreifurst
I'd like to print this off and don't see a "print" option.
Am I missing it?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Cherrie! To print the recipe, hit the button under the picture in the recipe card. It can be easy to miss but should be a light pink color 🙂