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Home » Blog Recipe Posts » Instant Pot

Frozen Ground Beef in the Instant Pot

June 1, 2019 by Sandy 30 Comments

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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 Pressure Cooker

 

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.

Cooked Ground Beef on trivet in pressure cooker

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.

When the meat is cooked, I move it to a plate to break it up. This Farberware 5211438 Professional Heat Resistant Nylon Meat/Potato Masher (affiliate) is my favorite tool to use! You can also use it for uncooked meat that you are cooking in your pot.

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!

Cooked Ground Beef on gray plate in front of pressure cooker

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!

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5 from 13 votes
Frozen Ground Beef on trivet in a pressure cooker
Print
Frozen Ground Beef in the Instant Pot
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
32 mins
Natural Release
10 mins
Total Time
47 mins
 

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!

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: how to cook frozen ground beef in the pressure cooker
Servings: 6 - 8
Calories: 205 kcal
Author: Sandy Clifton
Ingredients
  • 1 cup Water (6-qt pot, 2 cups for 8-qt)
  • 1 - 2 lbs Frozen Ground Beef
Instructions
  1. Place the metal trivet /rack into the pot and add the water.

  2. Place the frozen block of ground beef on the trivet.

  3. Close the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. When the pin in the lid drops back down, open the lid.

  7. 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.

  8. Use a fork or chopper/stirrer utensil to break up the meat.

  9. Now you can use the meat in your recipe!

Recipe Notes

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.

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  1. FreyaFL

    November 06, 2022 at 3:56 am

    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!

    Reply
  2. Tori

    October 11, 2022 at 9:32 am

    Could you use a broth rather than water to flavor the steam, or is that useless?

    Reply
    • Sandy

      April 24, 2023 at 12:06 pm

      I wouldn't waste the broth on this unless I was going to use it in a soup or pasta recipe.

      Reply
  3. Tori

    August 03, 2022 at 12:46 am

    I found this technique so amazing. This is going to be a valuable resource for me. Thank you so much for creating it!

    Reply
  4. Georgia

    May 10, 2022 at 11:52 am

    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 🤣

    Reply
    • Sandy

      May 10, 2022 at 2:02 pm

      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!

      Reply
    • RBH

      April 22, 2023 at 3:22 pm

      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

      Reply
  5. kamoon

    March 28, 2022 at 12:19 pm

    would this work if I just put in in sauce w/o the rack?

    Reply
    • Sandy

      April 24, 2023 at 12:07 pm

      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.

      Reply
  6. Kaye M.

    August 12, 2021 at 1:29 pm

    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?

    Reply
    • Sandy

      August 13, 2021 at 7:40 am

      Try 10 minutes with a 10 minute natural release.

      Reply
  7. Natalie

    January 27, 2021 at 3:27 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Tisha Robbins

      July 08, 2022 at 11:42 am

      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.

      Reply
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Frozen Ground Beef in the Instant Pot
Frozen Ground Beef in the Instant Pot
How to cook Frozen Ground Beef in the Instant Pot