Ever wondered how to thaw ground beef in your Instant Pot? Your Instant Pot is great at thawing frozen Meat.
I cannot tell you how many times I have gone to cook dinner and realized I forgot to set out my meat. It is the worst feeling in the world. We’ve all done it once or twice..or if you are like me I am probably past the triple digits by now. You are not alone in the frozen meat struggle! We are all right there with you.
When I first got my Instant Pot, I was reading about all the things that it could do and it was amazed that it can thaw meat. It’s so simple too. All you need to do is get the meat out and put it in the Instant Pot. How easy is that? After that, there are so many different recipes you could make with the ground beef.
For delicious beef Instant Pot recipes, click here!
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How To Thaw Ground Meat In The Instant Pot
INGREDIENTS
2 lbs frozen Ground Beef
1/2 cup Water
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place 1/2 cup of water in the bottom of your Instant Pot Pressure Cooker and put the silver trivet that comes with the pot inside.
2. Place frozen ground meat on top of the trivet.
3. Place the lid on the pot and make sure the vent valve is in the sealing position.
4. Using the display panel select the MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK function, high pressure. Use the +/- arrows until the display panel reads 20 (or 10 minutes per pound).
5. When the pot chimes to let you know it’s finished move the valve from the sealing to the venting position, administering a quick release.
6. Press the CANCEL button and select the SAUTE function. Use a turkey baster to remove excess water and grease. Season to taste.
Does the meat taste the same? I find that thawing meat in other ways (like the microwave) makes it taste bloody and it loses it’s normal flavor.
I don’t find that it tastes any different. 🙂
Great tip! Thank you!
I assume the meat is all in one block when it’s done. Is it difficult to crumble it?
It is and it’s not. 🙂
i have an instant pot 6q ultra. The book says minimum 2 cups for pressure cooking. does that mean I have to add 2 cups water? or does the meat count toward the 2 c min. Insta beginner
Nah, not always. 🙂
After thawing the meat this way is it only good to use for crumbling and sauté ? Can it be used for meatballs or burgers?
Crumbling and sautéing. It doesn’t work well for meatballs or burgers as it cooks the outside a bit.
How long would you recommend pressure cooking FOUR lbs of ground meat just to thaw it?
Dottie
I like to prepare Taco meat and freeze in portions for quick meals.. This seems a simple way to prepare a large quantity of Taco seasoned HB.. Thank you for the tip..
I looked at this thawing recipe so that I could make burgers. For actually just thawing the meat and not browning the outside, I would try setting the instant pot to zero and then quick releasing. My meat was partially cooked after only 5 minutes inthe instant pot.
Can the meat then be used in making meatloaf?
Hi Diane! It can be!
Ally
Instant Loss Team