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.
Cheryll P
Definitely recommend some seasoning and/or using broth as the liquid - but this method is a lifesaver! I have forgotten to thaw something SO many times, and almost always have emergency backup ground beef.
My 1.5lb frozen vacuum sealed brick was still pretty rare when the time was first up, but instead of recooking it under pressure, I just switched the pot to sauté and finished it right in the same dish, breaking up and re-adding some of the hot broth I had already drained off. Easy, quick, and great texture - I will definitely fall back on this method again the next time I space out on dinner!
Joyce
If the ground meat isn't fully cooked to my liking, I just go ahead and use the saute function---I pretty much always want the meat browned, anyhow, and if there are any uncooked bits left, the browning takes care of it.
Kristen Chidsey
Great tip Joyce! Thanks for sharing!
Nicole Easton
Great, helpful post. Thank you! If you are seasoning your meat with spices, at what point do you recommend doing that (for thawed meat)?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Nicole, I would add seasoning on top of the meat before cooking and then break it up after cooking and taste to adjust seasoning.
Nicole Easton
Thank you!!
Rachel
How long to cook using the spaghetti sauce method using fresh beef? Dump it all in and cook for how long?
Kristen Chidsey
I don't recommend cooking raw ground beef with spaghetti sauce, as it may cause burn notice if not enough liquid added and the grease from the meat will permeate your sauce.
Linda G.
sounds like you are contradicting your earlier tip above regarding cooking the beef with ingredients for chili or sauce together.....could you clarify? This is all very helpful!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Linda. I am sorry for any confusion. It is fine to add dried seasonings to your frozen beef before cooking. I do not recommend cooking with sauce or in chili because the beef will drain grease into the sauce as it cooks which is quite unpleasant. Plus, the meat cooks up in a solid brick, so you would need to break it up after cooking anyways
Bryan
Your Third method above for cooking fresh ground beef states to put all ingredients for the sauce or the chili into the pot along with the meat and it will cook along with the sauce. You say to use a leaner beef for this method so as not to make the sauce too greasy. I believe this is why people are confused, as recommend in these comments to not cook the beef in the sauce.
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for that feedback Bryan! I do state that is NOT my preferred method, but possible. But I can see how confusing.
Rebekah
Can I combine this recipe with a burrito bowl recipe or do I have to do it in two separate pressure cook times? thaw anddrain the fat then add in the seasoning rice, beans corn etc and cook again?
Kristen Chidsey
Personally, I would pressure cook separately. The beef will drain off grease and that would not be pleasant in the rice. Plus, the meat cooks up in a solid brick, so you would need to break it up after cooking anyways and unless you are using brown rice, the cooking time will be vastly different.
Lesley
I bought the giant tray of fresh ground beef from Costco, just over 7 lbs. Cooked ½ tray for 15 mins, it was perfect!
Kristen Chidsey
It is such a time saver--and dinner saver!! I am glad you had success Lesley!
Barbara
Thank you Kristen for your simple guide to cooking ground beef. What if I want to season the meat prior to cooking in the instant pot? Also just a recommendation for your audience to wash the meat prior to cooking. Lol 🤗
Kristen Chidsey
You are welcome. As for seasoning, you can sprinkle over frozen meat OR when you break up your meat, add seasonings then.
Dom
Hello Ms Kristen,
This recipe is my go-to on a weekly basis practically. Grocery stores usually have a ground beef sale frequently, but it is usually in a value pack. I confess that I don't usually have as much freezer space available as I would like, so this is a good way to cook up the fresh beef and stage it for dishes during the week. I usually saute it after the cook to get those leftover bits in pot after draining. Thank you!
Tracy Winters
Im a newbie and was excited to try the steam method to cook a pound of ground elk for my dog. Followed you instructions exactly, yes the meat was fully thawed, after first round raw... after 6 more minutes... still bloody. And yes, im cooking on HIGH. So sad
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Tracy! I am sorry for your disappointment. If your meat was not frozen in an even layer (instead of in thick ball or oval) that may have been the reason the elk needed longer. It may also help to use a digital thermometer to see if the elk had reached a safe temperature to eat--sometimes a pink hue will still exist even once well-done.
Kita
This is a great method if you are using cooked ground meat. What if I just want to thaw it? Like for meatloaf or meat balls?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Kita! I don't recommend using this method for thawing meat--just like I don't recommend using the microwave for thawing meat. It can change the texture and cause bacteria to grow. I would instead suggest, placing the meat in a bowl of cold water in the fridge, that speeds up the thawing process a bit.
Martha
Tracy, I had the same experience with my first attempt but then I just put it back in for a few minutes. I think that block of meat may have been thicker than an inch. Today I tried it with meat of a different shape but put 10 minutes on the Instant Pot. The temperature was up to 190 degrees or so after that 10 minutes, so I definitely could have used less time.
Ann Isaacs
I just received my instant pot for Mother's Day! I am so thrilled to use it. I want to make chili tonight however my ground beef was frozen and your post about how to defrost the ground beef is awesome advice.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you found this post to save dinner--I am excited for you to use your instant pot as well. Please reach out with any questions!
Josh
I'm lazy and I don't care about excess fat (in fact I'd probably eat it purposely). Can I just put the meat directly in the pot without the trivet?
Also do you think it'd be problematic to add olive oil along with water?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Josh, I would let the meat sit up on a trivet. Ground meat cooked in water will absorb the water and lose flavor--but feel free to save the cooking liquid to use in soups, etc
Kristen W
Very helpful! Thanks so much!
Kristen Chidsey
So glad these tips helped 🙂
Kim
Do you think this would work with ground chicken as well? Or would the cook times differ?
Kristen Chidsey
It works perfectly with ground chicken and turkey if frozen in flat disk. If it is thicker, you can saute afterwards super quickly to finish cooking through.
Renee'
My husband likes 80/20 sauted with taco seasoning and that's it. He will eat that alone as a meal. He doesn't drain the fat. I want to cook this in the IP early in the day and let it sit on warm until he eats it about 4-5 hours later. How would you do this? Thank you!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Renee. I would then place 1 cup of liquid in the bottom of your inner pot. Season with 1-2 tablespoons taco seasoning and mix well. Add your frozen meat and cook as directed--you will just need to break it up before you eat it. Another idea is to saute fresh beef until just browned, pour in water and taco seasoning and cook for 5 minutes on high pressure. I hope that helps.
Jess
Unlike most recipes and blogs, I appreciate that in your printable that you explain approximately how many minutes to pressure before cook time starts. I think it can be confusing even for experienced pressure cooker folks To think somethings wrong when it takes 27 instead of playing 20. Thank you so much for adding this in your printables.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you find that valuable Jess! I know I do as well.
Martha Haley
I am new to ip. I tried it but after 12 minutes it still wasn't done. Came to read reviews to find solutions and found it was probably the big ball that caused my trouble. Lol. Might be good to add in the instructions to make a flat patty with your fresh meat (I broke 2 lbs off my 10 lbs chub) thanks! I'll try again next time.
Kristen Chidsey
Sorry that was not clear Martha! I state it must be a flat patty for frozen, but certainly need to add that for fresh meat as well--doing that now.
Karen
Thank you for the help. Turned out tasting fantastic.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you had success with this