How to cook Instant Pot Frozen Ground Beef in 25 minutes or less. Then you have ground beef ready to use in any recipe. No more “forgot to thaw meat” and dinner is saved!.
I can’t tell you how many times frozen ground beef in the Instant Pot has saved the day! It’s so great! No more missing dinner because you forgot to thaw the meat!
It takes 25 minutes or less to cook frozen ground beef in an Instant Pot. This is one of my favorite Instant Pot recipes or hacks. Once cooked, use it to make tacos, chilis, quesadillas, or spaghetti.
For other stress free weeknight dinner savers, check out these other tutorials to quickly cook frozen meat.
Cooking frozen ground turkey in an Instant Pot is a game changer for easy weeknight dinners. With the pressurized environment, you can cook frozen meat from solid to fully cooked and seasoned in less than 30 minutes. No more waiting around for meat to thaw!
As someone who relies on my Instant Pot for quick and healthy meals, I love that I can dump frozen meat straight from the freezer into the pot. It saves me when I’ve forgotten to plan ahead and defrost meat in the refrigerator.
Through trial and error, I’ve honed in on the perfect timing to cook frozen ground turkey in the Instant Pot. Here’s what you need to know about how long to cook frozen ground turkey in an Instant Pot plus tips for seasoning and using it in recipes.
How Long to Cook 1 lb Frozen Ground Turkey in an Instant Pot
For a 1 pound package of frozen ground turkey, cook at high pressure for:
- 15 minutes to thaw and partially cook
- 20 minutes for fully cooked
The timing differs based on if you need the meat just thawed or ready to eat.
For thawing only:
- Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes
- Quick release pressure
- Finish cooking in sauté mode
This leaves you with thawed ground turkey you can crumble and finish cooking with sauté The meat will be safe to eat but not fully cooked through
For fully cooked meat:
- Cook at high pressure 20 minutes
- Quick release pressure
- Turkey will be fully cooked and ready to use
The extra 5 minutes ensures the meat reaches a safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F
How Long to Cook 2 lbs Frozen Ground Turkey in an Instant Pot
For larger packages of ground turkey, extend the cook time. For 2 pounds of frozen ground turkey, the timings are:
- 20 minutes to thaw and partially cook
- 25 minutes for fully cooked
Adding more meat to the pot means it takes a bit longer for the center to heat through. But it still cooks lightning fast compared to thawing in the refrigerator!
Follow the same steps of pressure cooking then quick releasing before checking your meat. Cook an extra 5 minutes if you need the turkey fully cooked rather than just thawed.
Tips for Cooking Frozen Ground Turkey in an Instant Pot
Cooking frozen meat in the Instant Pot takes a little finesse. Follow these tips for best results:
- Use cold water: Add 1⁄2 cup cold water before pressure cooking. Hot water can start cooking the meat early.
- Wait to season: Add most seasoning after cooking. Otherwise it’ll wash off into the water.
- Use a trivet: Keep the turkey up off the bottom to prevent burning.
- Quick release: Vent pressure immediately after cooking to keep moisture in.
- Sauté after: Brown and crumble meat after cooking using sauté mode.
With these tricks, the ground turkey turns out juicy and infused with flavor.
How to Use Cooked Ground Turkey
The possibilities are endless for how to use Instant Pot ground turkey once it’s cooked. Here are some of my favorites:
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Tacos: Season with taco spices for turkey tacos or taco salads.
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Chili: Make turkey chili by adding chili powder, cumin, garlic and diced tomatoes.
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Pasta Sauce: For a meaty bolognese, season ground turkey with Italian herbs.
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Fried Rice: Turkey fried rice is a lighter option with cauliflower rice.
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Stuffed Peppers: Fill bell peppers with Instant Pot ground turkey and cheese.
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Lettuce Wraps: Top lettuce leaves with ground turkey and fresh veggies.
The meat breaks up into perfect little crumbles after cooking. It’s so fast and easy to throw together weeknight dinners.
More Tips for Cooking Frozen Meat in the Instant Pot
Ground turkey isn’t the only frozen meat you can cook in the Instant Pot. Try these times for other frozen cuts:
- Chicken breasts – 15 minutes
- Beef roast – 50 minutes per pound
- Pork tenderloin – 15 minutes
- Sausage links – 6 minutes
For each, add 1⁄2 cup cold water or broth and quick release pressure after cooking. Then shred, slice, or brown further in sauté mode.
The Instant Pot is a busy cook’s best friend when it comes to cooking frozen meat fast. No more waiting around for meat to defrost! Just dump it in and get your pressure cooker to work its magic.
In 20-30 minutes you can have fully cooked, seasoned meat ready to use in tacos, pasta, chili, or anything else for dinner. Give cooking frozen ground turkey in the Instant Pot a try the next time you forget to thaw meat from the freezer.
Can I Brown Frozen Ground Beef?
Unfortunately not. Meat will stay frozen inside and become overcooked outside.
Tips for Cooking Frozen Ground Beef In Instant Pot
- When you buy fresh ground meat in a tray, it’s usually lined with a plastic or paper pad. To peel off the pad from frozen meat, To take off the plastic pad, run the frozen meat with the pad on it under warm water for a few seconds. The pad should come off easily. I just cook meat on the paper one, and it peels off so easily.
- In any other case, you might end up with boiled meat. Most pressure cookers come with a trivet, which can have handles or not. Or you can buy my favorite trivet on Amazon.
- Season the meat after it’s cooked. If you put seasonings into frozen ground beef in an Instant Pot, they will just get mixed in with the water you throw away.
Store: Let it cool completely, then put it in the fridge in a container that won’t let air in for up to five days. When you’re ready, use it in your favorite ground beef recipes.
Freeze: Since it has already been frozen, thawed and cooked, I do not recommend to freeze it again. Meat sauce made from cooked ground beef, on the other hand, can be frozen for up to 3 months in a container that keeps air out.
You can cook up to 2. 5 lbs at a time. So, 2 packs. Any bigger than 2. 5 pounds single pack will not cook through or defrost.
Meat doesn’t come out dry because steam does not escape the pot. If meat is a bit dry, add a few tablespoons of liquid from the bottom of the pot. You won’t be able to tell the difference between cooking frozen ground meat in the Instant Pot or on the stove once you add it to a recipe.
When you are pressure cooking Instant Pot ground beef, a lot of fat drains into the water. With lean poultry, cooking water stays quite bland because meat is sitting on the trivet. I discard both.
If you are going for thawed meat, this is OK. Take the ground beef out of the Instant Pot and drain off the liquid if you want it fully cooked. To finish cooking the ground meat, put it back in the Instant Pot and use the Saute mode to break it up into crumbly pieces.
BEST HACK EVER: Cooking Frozen Meat in the Instant Pot
FAQ
How long does it take to cook frozen ground turkey?
Can frozen ground beef be cooked in an Instant Pot?