Frozen Ground Beef in the Instant Pot is a fast and convenient way to thaw and cook a frozen block of ground beef. Use your pressure cooker to quickly cook frozen hamburger meat. Have cooked ground beef ready for your recipe!
Frozen Ground Beef in the Instant Pot
There are several Instant Pot® hacks that I really like. This is one of them. If you have ever forgotten to thaw out your pound of hamburger meat, and had your dinner plans messed up, then this hack is for you!
This method of cooking ground beef from frozen works with up to 2 pounds of meat (that I have tested so far). Go ahead and try it with more if you need to, though it may overcook the edges as the cook time will be longer.
Helpful Tips for Cooking Frozen Ground Beef in the Instant Pot
- Before you freeze the meat, remove the plastic pad thing on the bottom. They are a pain to take off while frozen!
- Use the trivet. Unless you want to boil the hamburger meat, set it on the trivet, up out of the water.
- Natural Release for a few minutes to help the meat retain more moisture.
Why Didn't My Hamburger Cook Completely?
- Possible reasons why your ground beef may not be completely cooked through after using this method:
- How thick was the frozen meat? If thicker than what I show in the photos, add some cook time.
- More than 2 pounds – Add some cook time if you are cooking more than 2 pounds.
- High Pressure – Be sure to set your IP to High Pressure.
- Natural Release – Don't skip the Natural Release time.
If your meat is still a little raw after cooking with this method, you can put the lid back on and cook a couple minutes more, or drain the water and add the meat back into the pot and sauté it for a few minutes, stirring and breaking up the meat.
This post contains Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
If you don't already have a trivet with handles, here is a good one: Steamer Rack Trivet with Heat Resistant Silicone Handles (affiliate).
See my Instant Pot Accessories post for more ideas!
Does This Work With Frozen Ground Turkey?
Yes it does! It is important to check the internal temperature if you are not going to cook it further after using this method. It should be 165° F.
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Watch the video to see how easy it is to cook frozen ground beef in the Instant Pot!
The Instant Pot is a fast and convenient way to thaw and cook a frozen block of ground beef. Use your pressure cooker to quickly cook frozen hamburger meat and have cooked ground beef ready for your recipe!
- 1 cup Water (6-qt pot, 2 cups for 8-qt)
- 1 - 2 lbs Frozen Ground Beef
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Place the metal trivet /rack into the pot and add the water.
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Place the frozen block of ground beef on the trivet.
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Close the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
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Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial, then the +/- button or dial to select cook time in minutes. High Pressure. The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.
For 1 lb of meat, cook for 28 minutes, for 2 lbs cook for 32 minutes. SEE NOTES.
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When the cook cycle has finished, turn off the pot and let it sit undisturbed for 10 minutes (10 minute natural release). Then turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to release the remaining steam/pressure.
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When the pin in the lid drops back down, open the lid.
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Remove the trivet with the cooked meat on it and move the meat to a plate. The meat will stay in the shape of a block.
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Use a fork or chopper/stirrer utensil to break up the meat.
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Now you can use the meat in your recipe!
In some cases, the meat may not cook all the way through, but it should be mostly thawed and you can drain the water, then sauté it if you need it fully cooked.
If your meat block is thick, you may need to add a couple more minutes to the cook time, and let it naturally release 5 minutes longer.
FreyaFL
This worked great! For a block of ground turkey (Butterball from Costco), 20 minutes was just a tad too little, which was perfect as I was able to finish cooking it while chopping it into pieces in the pot after draining the liquid. I was afraid the texture wouldn't be good, but it was. It even browned just a bit while chopping. Next time, because I will be using this method a lot, I'm sure, I'll set it for slightly less time to give the few minutes of chopping and sautéing a little more time. Thank you so much!
Tori
Could you use a broth rather than water to flavor the steam, or is that useless?
Sandy
I wouldn't waste the broth on this unless I was going to use it in a soup or pasta recipe.
Tori
I found this technique so amazing. This is going to be a valuable resource for me. Thank you so much for creating it!
Georgia
I tried this with a roll of ground venison this morning and it was still bloody when I removed the lid. It was easy enough to remove the trivet and saute until cooked. Not sure if it was due to being in a roll, or if venison would need longer to cook, but it thawed the meat easily 🤣
Sandy
Probably because it was in a roll as they tend to be thicker than the rectangle packages. I'm glad it ended up working for you!
RBH
I buy hamburger in 5# rolls which I divide into varying weights for different recipes.
This will be SO much quicker and easier than waiting for it to defrost. In fact I was going to use it tonight!
Got this right I the nick of time
kamoon
would this work if I just put in in sauce w/o the rack?
Sandy
I haven't tried it, but if you are using a sauce and not water or broth, the pot could scorch on the bottom and not come to pressure.
Kaye M.
I have frozen my 1 lb of ground beef in quarter lb portions. How long should I cook one of the portions in my 3 quart?
Sandy
Try 10 minutes with a 10 minute natural release.
Natalie
Such a great hack! I use this to cook my frozen solid blocks of local beef packed in plastic by my butcher. It always takes so long to defrost, and I frequently forget to take it out of the freezer ahead of time. This is a major timesaver!
Tisha Robbins
I had a half beef processed so I have ground beef in 1 pound chubs. I put 3 of them on my trivet and chose 30 minutes high pressure with complete natural release. It was cooked through. Then I set out the trivet to the side while I drained the pot of water and grease. I dumped the meat back in, then used my hand mixer to break apart. Turned on the saute function, added taco seasoning and water and viola! Taco meat in one pot without heating up the kitchen. Love being able to cook from frozen.