Best Ever Instant Pot Wendy’s Chili Copycat Recipe

Did you know you can make copycat Wendy’s chili in an Instant Pot? You can, and you can make this famous copycat recipe in no time at all.

a bowl of homemade Wendy's Chili and Fritos


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Wendy’s Instant Pot Chili Recipe

One of my favorite types of chili is my copycat Wendy’s Chili. It’s flavorful, not too spicy, and full of meat, beans, and veggies.

Now unlike Wendy’s, we are not starting off with meat patties that have been on the grill. We are starting from ground beef. I think this is more sensible for the home cook.

If you want a really authentic experience, you can fry up 2 pounds of ground beef in meat patties if you desire.

What Makes Wendy’s Instant Pot Chili So Good?

This chili delivers the ultimate harmony of savory, smoky, and slightly spicy flavors. Since it contains protein-rich ground beef and two types of beans, this dish exemplifies a well-made chili and reminds you of the famous Wendy’s recipe.

The combination of spices ensures that the chili isn’t overly spicy but also gives you room to experiment if you prefer your chili to have more heat.

Moreover, since you can make it in the Instant Pot, all of the flavors meld together so impressively and with little effort; the appliance does the work for you.

Why This is the Best Wendy’s Chili Instant Pot Recipe

What makes this Instant Pot Wendy’s copycat chili recipe so special? I think it is the tomato juice in the recipe. For me, by adding tomato juice, and not water, the final chili is intense and perfect to warm up your soul.

What makes cooking copycat Wendy’s chili so awesome? You can customize the recipe, my base recipe is how to make it taste like theirs.

You can customize it any way you like. For me, I like to add a teaspoon of chipotle powder to my batch of chili. You can also use your favorite chili seasoning instead of the combination of spices in the recipe.

You can use lean ground beef, ground chicken, or ground turkey for a lower-fat chili.

Wendy’s Chili Ingredients

Here’s a list of what you need:

  • Ground beef
  • Tomato juice
  • Canned tomato purée
  • Canned red kidney beans, drained
  • Canned pinto beans, drained
  • Onion
  • Celery
  • Green bell pepper
  • Chili powder
  • Ground cumin
  • Garlic powder
  • Salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • Dried oregano
  • Sugar
  • Cayenne pepper
Ingredients for homemade Wendy's Chili.

How to Make Wendy’s Chili in an Instant Pot

  1. Use the sauté feature to brown the ground beef.
  2. Cook the beef until it is 90% or more done. Drain excess grease if desired.
  3. Add all remaining ingredients.
  4. Cover the pot and make sure the valve is set to “sealing” (the vent is closed).
  5. Cook on the manual high setting for 6 minutes.
  6. Perform a quick release when the cooking time has ended. Wait until all of the remaining pressure is fully released before removing the Instant Pot lid.
  7. Serve immediately.
a bowl of Instant Pot Wendy's chili and a spoon

What to Serve with Wendy’s Chili

Serve this chili with Fritos, cornbread, or over rice. It’s great for dinner on a cold day or to enjoy while watching football on game day.

Some great chili toppings are sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and sliced jalapeno peppers.

How to Store Leftover Chili

Place the leftovers in an airtight container. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

For longer storage, place them in freezer-safe containers or plastic freezer bags. Freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight.

How to Reheat Leftovers

There are two methods for reheating chili:

  • Microwave the chili in a microwave-safe bowl on high for 1 minute. Stir and continue microwaving in 30-second increments until heated through.
  • Stovetop – Put the chili in a pan over medium-low heat and cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Don’t have an Instant Pot? You can make it on the stove top or in a crockpot slow cooker with my copycat Wendy’s chili recipe.

I know you are going to love this Instant Pot Wendys Chili when you make it at home.

closeup of copycat Wendy's chili in a bowl.

Are you looking for other famous restaurant recipes for chilis? Be sure to check out these chili recipes.

More Wendy’s Copycat Recipes

Be sure to check out more of my hearty soup recipes and the best fast food copycat recipes here on CopyKat.com!

a bowl of homemade Wendy's Chili and Fritos

Instant Pot Wendys Chili

You can make an amazing pot of Wendy’s Chili in your Instant Pot. 
5 from 33 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Instant Pot Recipes, Wendy’s recipes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 250kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds fresh ground beef
  • 1 quart tomato juice
  • 1 (29-ounce) can tomato purée
  • 1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained
  • 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained
  • 1 medium-large onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
  • 1/4 cup chili powder (use less for milder chili)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

  • Using either a 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot, use the saute feature to brown the ground beef. Cook the beef until it is 90% or more done. Drain if desired.
  • To the pressure cooker add all remaining ingredients.
  • Cook on the manual high setting for 6 minutes.
  • When the chili is done perform a quick release.
  • Serve immediately.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 250kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 307mg | Potassium: 486mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 575IU | Vitamin C: 22.2mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 2.3mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. D. Smith

    5 stars
    I detest cumin so I left that out and made it in a regular kettle on the stove because I don’t have an instant pot nor do I want one, but otherwise followed the directions and it came out fine. Very tasty.

  2. G-Dad

    5 stars
    I love chili but usually it gives my acid reflux problems. I made this last night and wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out for me and my acid reflux issues and so much tomato juice/puree but I have to say that it didn’t give me much trouble at all so really pleased. And the recipe is really good. I’ll will be adding this to my chili recipes and will certainly make it again.

  3. Terri

    My Husband loves Wendy’s Chili as do I but we both thought this recipe was alot better than Wendy’s. Will Definitely make this again. It is Amazing

  4. Mary D

    5 stars
    Love Wendy’s chili and I made some adjustments as I’ve done this before. Used red, yellow and green bell peppers. I like heat so I used closer to a cup chili, lol. I couldn’t find tomato juice, substituted spicy V8. Will serve with chopped green onions, sour cream, shredded cheese and corn bread. Yumm! Hubby’s favorite dish for Valentines Day 💝

5 from 33 votes (13 ratings without comment)

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