How to cook frozen ground beef in the Instant Pot pressure cooker – I will show you just how easy it is to turn frozen ground beef into perfectly cooked meat in about 30 minutes for all of your favorite ground beef recipes.
This post is sponsored by The Beef Checkoff. As always, all opinions are my own.
Why This Recipe Works
It’s 4 pm and you just realized you forgot to take something out of the freezer for dinner. Don’t panic! I’ve got you covered.
Did you know you can cook frozen ground beef in the Instant Pot
pressure cooker in about 30 minutes? That’s right. From frozen solid to perfectly cooked in a little over half an hour.
The pressure cooker
is able to cook the meat quickly using steam pressure. The sealed pot builds up pressure which makes steam from the liquid inside. That steam pressure helps the food cook faster. It also forces moisture into the food so meats come out tender and juicy.
How to Cook Frozen Ground Beef in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
This recipe is really quite simple. There are only a few ingredients – frozen ground beef, salt and pepper (I use my homemade House Seasoning Blend for a more complex flavor) and water.
To begin, place a trivet
into you Instant Pot
or pressure cooker. You don’t want the meat to come in direct contact with the water.
Next, season the meat on one side, place it, seasoned side down on top of the trivet and season the other side.
Then, add the water to the pot. Set your pressure cooker
to cook on high pressure for the designated time and follow the release instructions. (See recipe.)
You can easily tell if the meat is cooked through by using a meat thermometer. It should register at least 160 degrees.
Not sure what temperature to cook beef to? I’ve put together this handy Beef Cooking Cheat Sheet with handy cooking tips, temperatures, cuts of beef and more!
>> Download my FREE Beef Cheat Sheet <<
When the process is finished, you’ll have perfectly seasoned and cooked meat to use in all of your best ground beef recipes.
How to Make Fresh Ground Beef in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
You can also cook fresh ground beef in the Instant Pot pressure cooker. You would simply adjust the cooking time. (See recipe.)
My Best Ground Beef Recipes
Once the ground beef is fully cooked in the Instant Pot pressure cooker, you can use it in a number of easy recipes.
Nutritionally, beef packs a powerful punch of many essential nutrients that help busy families go further when it comes to the chaos of back to school and maintaining overall health.
A 3-ounce serving of cooked lean beef provides:
- Approximately 25 grams of protein, which is essential for building and maintaining muscle mass, as well as helping you feel satisfied after meals
- About 44% of the daily value for Vitamin B12, involved in energy metabolism and brain function
- About 36% of the daily value for Zinc, which helps maintain a healthy immune system – important for back to school!
- About 12% of the daily value for Iron, which is key for transporting oxygen to your muscles
You can learn more about the nutritional benefits of beef here. You can also find more delicious recipes for beef here.
Here are some of my family’s favorite ground beef recipes:
Tools Used to Make this Ground Beef
Instant Pot
: This is pressure cooker is such a timesaver in the kitchen!
Meat Thermometer
: This is my all-time favorite digital thermometer. Never overcook meat again.
Meat Chopper
: This is such a handy tool for making perfect ground beef crumbles.
Looking for More Easy Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Chicken Marsala
- Best Instant Pot Recipes
Looking for more? Check out all of the best pressure cooker recipes on It Is a Keeper.
Instant Pot Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 1-2 pounds ground beef, frozen - (if using fresh, see notes)
- 1 teaspoon House Seasoning Blend
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Place the trivet in the Instant Pot pressure cooker pot.
- Add the water to the bottom of the pot.
- Season one side of the beef with 1/2 teaspoon House Seasoning Blend.
- Place the beef, seasoned side down on top of the trivet.
- Season the other side of the beef with the remaining House Seasoning Blend.
- Attach the lid to the pressure cooker and ensure that the vent is in the "sealed" position.
- Set to high pressure for 24 minutes (if using fresh ground beef see notes).
- Once cooking is complete, do a quick pressure release and carefully remove the meat from the pot.
- Discard any liquid and fat in the bottom of the pot.
- Break up the ground beef and use in your favorite recipes.
Notes
Nutrition
- Want to scale a recipe up or down? Simply type in a new serving amount and the recipe will automatically adjust!
- When a recipe call for House Seasoning Blend, you can use this recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- I always use unsalted butter in my recipes.
- I always use a meat thermometor to test for doneness when cooking meat. This one is my favorite.
- When a recipe is made in the oven, it should be pre-heated to the temperature in the recipe, unless otherwise noted.
- The nutritional information provided in this recipe is an estimate. Learn more on how I calculate nutritional information for my recipes.
Dissatisfied T says
March 9, 2019 at 6:11 pmChristina,
Using a brand new 12 quart instant pot beef came out at 140°. Fail.
Christina Hitchcock says
March 11, 2019 at 11:38 amI’m sorry you had trouble with this recipe. I’ve used it dozens of times and it comes out perfect every time. I even demoed it on TV using the exact recipe with the exact measurements in the recipe and it came out perfect.
Cassandra D says
September 30, 2018 at 11:49 pmI would say Roast beef.
Angelica Dimeo says
September 30, 2018 at 8:46 pmI like Hamburger so many things you can make with it.
Jennifer Adams says
September 30, 2018 at 7:46 pmGround beef is my favorite cut of beef to cook with because of the variety of things I can do with it.
Wendy McBride says
September 30, 2018 at 6:35 pmGround beef is my favorite to cook with! Everything from Hamburgers to Taco Spaghetti! Yes, you read right….Taco Spaghetti was a new, different, favorite that my family loved. I have many recipes awaiting to try in an Instant Pot someday when I get one. Funds have been tight since I have been staying home helping raise my granddaughter, but loving it!
Peggy Johnson says
September 30, 2018 at 5:11 pmRib Eye steaks are on our grill a lot!