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Lamb Lentil Chili (Instant Pot Recipe)

Ground Lamb Lentil Chili is an easy comfort meal that comes together quickly. Made in an instant pot makes this Lamb Chili recipe a one-pot, 30-minute meal.

Top down photo of a bowl of lentil chili garnished with sour cream, sliced jalapenos, cilantro and cheese.

Making Lentil Chili with ground Australian lamb creates a flavorful dish that’s lean and healthy.

Like our other ground pork chili verde, pulled pork green chili, and our amazing pork stew meat and rice recipes, you’re in charge of how spicy you want it.

Best of all you can make this Lentil Chili in an electric pressure cooker so it’s done before anyone can ask what’s for dinner!

Close up of a bowl of lentil chili topped with sour cream and jalapenos

Why we love this recipe

Using an electric pressure cooker for this lentil chili recipe makes it a one-pot meal so clean-up is a breeze.

Ground Australian lamb is naturally lean. That allows us to brown the meat with the onion and bell pepper without having to drain it.

This recipe makes a large batch which is perfect for entertaining. And, using the warm function on the instant pot allows us to keep our chili warm so people can help themselves!

This lentil chili also freezes well. We freeze our leftover chili in quart-sized containers so we can take out just what we need for a quick delicious meal.

Ingredients you’ll need

Top down view of ingredients including ground lamb, lentils, jalapenos, onions, green pepper, chili powder, cumin, tomato juice, and crushed tomatoes
  • Australian Ground Lamb – This lamb is so lean and tender that we didn’t have to drain it. That made this a no-fuss easy peasy recipe that was done in no time.
  • Crushed tomatoes – We bought a good canned variety. You can also use homemade canned tomatoes and crush them in a food processor.
  • Tomato juice – Again, we’re talking about convenience, so we bought the canned tomato juice.
  • Spices – We used chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Feel free to add more or less chili powder according to what you like.
  • Green pepper – You could also use a yellow or orange bell pepper. They all have a little bit different flavor. You could leave it out as well.
  • Onion – We use yellow onion most of the time. They are less likely to be “hot” and become a little sweeter when cooked.
  • Jalapeno – One large jalapeno, seeded with the ribs removed is what we used. You can add more or use a smaller one depending on your tastes.
  • Green Lentils – These lentils work well in the instant pot.
    • If you don’t have lentils or choose not to use them, beans make a great substitute.
  • Garnishes – We believe that garnishes are another opportunity to add beauty and flavor to almost any recipe. We used cilantro, sour cream, jalapeno, and grated cheese.
    • You could substitute the sour cream for plain Greek yogurt and diced tomatoes would also make a great garnish.

What are Lentils? Lentils are considered legumes like beans and peas. They work so well in a recipe because they can take on the flavors that you add instead of taking over the flavor.

Best of all, they’re loaded with protein and fiber just to name a few. This article talks more about their health benefits if you’re interested.

How to make Lamb Lentil Chili

  1. Brown the ground lamb with the diced onion and bell pepper using the saute function.
Browned ground meat with onion and green pepper in a pot.
  1. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the garnishes). Make sure the pressure valve is set to seal. Set the instant pot to the manual function on high for *10 to 15 minutes.
Lentils, spices, and tomato juice in a pot.

We like to garnish our lentil chili with sour cream, cheese, and cilantro. We also serve sliced or diced jalapenos for those who like their chili spicier (John likes the inferno heat level).

*Instant Pot cooking rates can vary. What is cooked in mine may be undercooked or overcooked in yours. Please see our tips below for the perfect bowl of Lamb Lentil Chili!

Tips for the perfect lentil chili

  • The lentils in this recipe don’t need to be soaked or pre-cooked. It’s important to rinse and sort them, however.
    • Lentils can have pebbles or debris mixed with them. Rinsing and sorting them will prevent any of this from getting into your chili.
  • We use green lentils in our chili recipe because we know that they cook well in the Instant Pot. Red lentils are more delicate and can turn to mush cooked this way.
  • You may want to set your Instant Pot to 10 minutes and if the lentils are undercooked, set it for another 5 minutes which is what we did the first time we made this recipe.
    • 15 minutes with a 10-minute natural release cooked our lentils to perfection.

What we used

We used an Instant Pot which is another name for an electric pressure cooker. We were able to brown and saute our ingredients and then just add all of the other ingredients for cooking.

How to store instant pot lamb chili

Like any soup, lamb chili should be refrigerated in a covered container and eaten within 3 to 5 days.

This chili recipe freezes wonderfully. We recommend using meal-sized covered containers. There’s nothing better than a pre-made meal when you can’t (or don’t want to) cook.

Still looking for Lamb recipes? Here are some of our favorites!

We love lamb and you can find all of our lamb recipes here!

A spoon heaped with lentil chili

I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe as much as we do. Drop me a comment below, and don’t forget to give it a star rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Your comments and ratings help others decide if this recipe is for them too.

Close-up top down photo of a bowl of lentil chili garnished with sour cream, sliced jalapenos, cilantro and cheese.

Instant Pot Ground Lamb Lentil Chili

Author: Julie Menghini
Ground Lamb Lentil Chili is an easy comfort meal that comes together quickly. Made in an instant pot makes this Lamb Chili recipe a one-pot, 30-minute meal.
4.89 from 17 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American, Australian
Keyword: Chili recipe, Lentil Chili
Servings: 32

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 lbs Australian ground lamb
  • 28 oz crushed tomatoes
  • 46 oz tomato juice
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • cup dry green lentils sorted and rinsed
  • 1 bell pepper chopped
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 jalapeno chopped with seeds and ribs removed

Instructions
 

  • Using the saute function on the Instant Pot, brown the ground lamb with the diced onion and bell pepper.
  • Select the off or cancel button.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato juice, jalapeno, chili powder, cumin, and lentils to the browned lamb mixture.
  • Place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the pressure release valve is set to sealing. Set the manual function to 15 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release pressure for 10 minutes and then set the pressure release valve to venting.
  • Optionally garnish with cheese, jalapenos, and cilantro.

Nutrition

Calories: 129kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 8gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 63mgPotassium: 337mgFiber: 4gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 512IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

Pin it!

Two photo collage for Pinterest of a bowl of Lamb Lentil Chili instant pot recipe garnished with sour cream, sliced jalapenos, cilantro and cheese..

This post was originally sponsored by True Aussie Lamb and has been updated for easier reading. No changes were made to the lamb chili instant pot recipe.

What is Aussie Lamb?

I used to think that True Aussie Lamb was a brand. It’s not. They support all of the lamb producers in Australia.

Why look for Australian Lamb?

  • Australian lamb is raised on natural pastures which produces a mild and flavorful lamb.
  • Lamb is tender, lean, and healthy!
  • As you will see in our recipe, it’s so easy and versatile to use. You can substitute ground lamb in any recipe that has ground meat as an ingredient.
    • Say goodbye to the same ole-boring recipe. Punch up the flavor by switching it for lamb!
  • It’s readily available in the United States. Australian lamb is actually the #1 source of lamb in the US and you may have already seen it in your local supermarket.
    • You can go to their website to see who carries it in your area and to learn more about True Aussie Lamb.
    • Or, just #askforAustralian!

If you’re still looking for amazing lamb recipes, jump on over to the True Aussie Lamb website.

They have some chef creations using all of the lamb cuts available and more tips to cook lamb. There is also an interactive cooking tool that shows you how easy it is to cook lamb and will help you create your own dish.

4.89 from 17 votes (3 ratings without comment)
Recipe Rating




Erin

Tuesday 27th of April 2021

We absolutely LOVE this chili recipe! My husband is a huge lamb fan (and so are our kids), and that Australian lamb combined with lentils and spice is absolutely amazing! We'll be making this again and again... and especially when the weather cools off!

Julie Menghini

Wednesday 28th of April 2021

Thank you, Erin!

Nikki

Wednesday 21st of April 2021

This was delicious! We love using our instant pot and I usually can't get the kids to eat lamb! They loved it!

Julie Menghini

Saturday 24th of April 2021

Thank you, Nikki! We love our Instant Pot too.

Madi

Monday 19th of April 2021

I make lentil chili all the time but adding lamb to it has been life changing! A new favorite meal at our house!

Julie Menghini

Tuesday 20th of April 2021

Thank you, Madi! We don't use lentils nearly enough!

Kathleen P

Friday 16th of April 2021

I like beans, but oddly not in my chili, love that you added lentils, it added great flavor, texture and nutrients! My hubby didn't even realize it was ground lamb!

Julie Menghini

Saturday 17th of April 2021

Thank you, Kathleen! We loved the lentils in this chili too!

Liz

Monday 12th of April 2021

I'm pinning this one, I''m always on the lookout for different recipes to serve at our annual chili party on NY Day. It looks delicious and a fun new rift.

Julie Menghini

Thursday 15th of April 2021

Thank you! We loved this recipe, Liz! I'm forecasting that you'll be the winner!

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