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square white bowl full with crumbled browned ground beef.
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5 from 2 votes

Frozen Ground Beef in the Instant Pot

Learn how to cook frozen ground beef in the instant pot: it’s easy and takes less than 30 minutes. Then, serve the ground beef as it is, or use it for other recipes.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Course: Beef, Pork and Lamb, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 298kcal
Author: Adina

Equipment

  • Instant pot

Ingredients

  • 1 lb frozen ground beef 500 g, Note 1
  • 1 cup water 250 ml
  • fine sea salt and ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon seasoning of choice optional, Note 2

Instructions

  • Pour 1 cup (250 ml) of water into the pot. Use more water if required by the instructions of your instant pot. Fit the trivet and lay the block of frozen ground beef on top.
  • Pressure cook: Close the lid and seal the pot. Press High Pressure and select the time - 20 minutes (Note 3). The pot will need about 7-10 minutes to come to pressure.
  • Natural release: Once the cooking time is up, allow 5 minutes of natural release. Release the remaining pressure by turning the steam release knob to the Venting position.
  • Transfer the meat to a large plate and crumble it with a fork. This will allow you to see if it’s cooked through. If it’s not, don’t pressure cook it again! Instead, sauté it lightly in the instant pot until it’s cooked through.
  • Add salt and pepper and/ or seasoning to taste.

Optional steps

  • Remove the trivet. Reserve 2-3 tablespoons of the cooking liquid and discard the rest.
  • Press Sauté, add the oil, and let it get hot for about 1 minute. Add the crumbled meat, the seasoning of choice, and 1 tablespoon of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten the meat. If necessary, add a bit more liquid. Sauté the beef breaking the lumps with a wooden spoon until nicely browned and cooked through.
  • Alternatively, you can sauté one finely chopped onion and one chopped pepper first and then add the ground beef. You can also brown the meat in a pan.

Notes

  1. Ground meat: You can use these instructions to cook other types of frozen ground meat in the instant pot (mixed ground meat, pork, chicken, or turkey).
  2. Seasoning: I use Homemade Ground Beef Seasoning. Use other seasoning blends you like, for instance, Cajun, Italian, or taco seasoning, curry powder, garam masala, ras-el-Hanout, etc. Or add your favorite spices like garlic, onion powder, paprika, cumin, coriander, chili, or dried herbs.
  3. 2 lbs of ground beef (900 g) will need about 23 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion from 4 | Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 670mg | Potassium: 354mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 64IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 4mg