No Bean Chili (Beanless Chili)
This no bean chili is so hearty, savory and flavorful! It is easy to make and can be made on the stovetop, in the Instant Pot or in a slow cooker. This beanless chili is thick, saucy and so comforting. Great for a quick weeknight dinner, leftovers and meal prep!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This no bean chili is healthy comfort food!
- It can be made in as little as 30 minutes or can simmer all day long.
- This is the best beanless chili and has the perfect spicy kick!
- Commonly referred to as Texas chili, this is made without beans.
- The chili is even better as leftovers!
- As written, this recipe is Whole30 approved, Paleo, gluten free, dairy free, nut free and sugar free.
- Check out this Whole30 Sweet Potato Chili or this Ninja Foodi Chili for more great recipes!
What is No Bean Chili?
Chili is made with ground meat, tomatoes, onions, chili peppers, beans, peppers and a multitude of spices. It is commonly spicy, thick, saucy and savory.
No bean chili is oftentimes called Texas chili or chili con carne. It is made without beans. Beanless chili still has all of the traditional flavors of chili, but made without beans.
Ingredients & Substitutions
These are the ingredients and substitutions for beanless chili. Scroll down to the recipe card for full ingredients list and instructions.
Lean ground beef is at the heart of this dish. I suggest using 85% lean or 90% lean. This beef has enough fat to be flavorful without yielding an excessive amount of grease. Ground turkey, ground pork, or even ground chicken can be used in its place.
The chopped sweet onion adds a hint of sweetness and flavor. White onion or even red onion can be substituted if necessary.
Chopped poblano pepper brings the heat! Feel free to use as much or as little of the pepper as desired. It is spicy! For a more mild taste, replace poblano pepper with a green bell pepper.
The spices add a spicy and hearty flavor to this chili. Cumin, chili powder, paprika, cayenne powder, salt and pepper combine for one delicious spice blend! Feel free to adjust the spices to suit your taste. I usually end up adding more spices for an extra flavorful chili.
The fire roasted diced tomatoes are spicy and flavorful. Do not drain this can. For a much more mild flavor, use diced tomatoes.
Tomato sauce adds both flavor and liquid. I used a canned tomato sauce (just tomatoes) that was very thin and it worked well.
Type of Meat
Chili is typically made with ground beef. Both 85% and 90% lean beef work really well. They have some fat which adds flavor, but they are not overwhelmingly greasy or fatty.
If desired, ground pork, ground turkey or ground chicken can be substituted.
Taste & Texture
This beanless chili has the taste of regular chili. It is bold, a little spicy, flavorful and savory. It slightly resembles these Whole30 Sloppy Joes in taste.
The texture is thick, rich and saucy. For a thinner chili, add water, chicken broth or more canned tomato sauce to chili.
How to Make – Stovetop Method
Step 1
First, add ground beef to a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Cook until meat is brown and crumbly, breaking apart with spatula.
Step 2
Then, drain all grease from pot. Remove beef to a plate. Add in chopped onion and pepper and all spices to pot. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until onions have softened, stirring occasionally.
Step 3
Add cooked ground beef, fire roasted diced tomatoes and tomato sauce to pot. Stir to combine.
Step 4
Bring chili to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Then reduce heat to medium and simmer for at least 20 minutes, up to 3 hours. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
Step 5
Finally, ladle into bowls and serve!
Instant Pot Method
This is how to make no bean chili in an Instant Pot.
- First, press sauté. Add ground beef to Instant Pot. Cook until brown and crumbly, breaking apart with spatula.
- Press cancel. Then, drain all grease from pot and remove beef to a plate. Add in chopped onion, chopped pepper and all spices.
- Press sauté. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until onions have softened, stirring occasionally.
- Press cancel. Add in cooked ground beef, fire roasted diced tomatoes and tomato sauce to pot. Stir to combine.
- Secure lid. Press pressure cook and set timer for 15 minutes. Once the timer goes off, allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes. Then manually release any remaining pressure.
- Finally, ladle into bowls and serve!
Slow Cooker Crockpot Method
Here is how to make beanless crock pot chili.
- First, add ground beef to a skillet over medium heat. Cook until brown and crumbly, breaking apart with spatula.
- Drain all grease from skillet and transfer beef to slow cooker.
- Add in chopped onion, chopped pepper and all spices to skillet. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until onions have softened, stirring occasionally.
- Then, add veggies, fire roasted diced tomatoes and tomato sauce to the beef in slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours. Check occasionally and stir if needed.
- Finally, ladle into bowls and serve!
Expert Tips & Tricks
Use a high quality ground meat for best results.
Drain grease from ground meat completely.
The longer this chili simmers on the stovetop, the more rich in flavor it will become. I highly suggest simmering at least an hour if you have time.
Taste as you cook. Then, adjust seasonings to suit your taste preference.
How to Serve & Store
Serve chili fresh and hot! Top with chopped green onions, dairy free sour cream, and cheese if desired. It is great with Whole30 Sweet Potato Fries dipped in!
Store chili in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, add chili to a skillet or pot over medium heat until warm.
Freeze for up to 1 month.
Toppings
The toppings are endless when it comes to chili!
Chopped green onions
Sour cream
Cheese (I love this dairy free Vegan cheese)
Jalapeños
Chopped red onions
Sliced avocado
Crispy bacon bits
Variations & Add Ins
Here are some great ideas to add to your bean free chili!
Crispy bacon bits
Use two types of ground meat
Add in cubed sweet potaoes
Add in cubed butternut squash
Green chiles
Corn
Frequently Asked Questions
Chili without beans if often called Texas chili or chili con carne.
Yes! Ground turkey is great in chili.
This chili is somewhat low in carbs, but not Keto.
Yes! Freeze for up to 1 month.
Sure! Feel free to add beans to your chili.
You May Also Like
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate a review! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. I would love for you to follow along! For more ideas, check out these Lunch and Dinner Recipes.
Get the Recipe: No Bean Chili (Beanless Chili)
Ingredients
- 3 pounds ground beef, or ground turkey
- 1 sweet onion, chopped
- ¼ cup chopped poblano pepper, about 1 medium pepper
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne powder
- salt, to taste
- ground pepper, to taste
- 28 ounces fire roasted diced tomatoes, do not drain
- 28 ounces tomato sauce
Instructions
Stovetop Method
- First, add ground beef to a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Cook until brown and crumbly, breaking apart with spatula.
- Drain all grease from pot and remove beef to a plate. Add in chopped onion and pepper and all spices. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until onions have softened, stirring occasionally.
- Add cooked ground beef, fire roasted diced tomatoes and tomato sauce to pot. Stir to combine.
- Bring chili to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Then reduce heat to medium and simmer for at least 20 minutes, up to 3 hours. Stir occasionally. If chili becomes too dry, add in water, chicken broth or more tomato sauce.
- Finally, ladle into bowls and serve!
Instant Pot Method
- Press sauté. Add ground beef to Instant Pot. Cook until brown and crumbly, breaking apart with spatula.
- Press cancel. Drain all grease from pot and remove beef to a plate. Add in chopped onion and pepper and all spices.
- Press sauté. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until onions have softened, stirring occasionally.
- Press cancel. Add cooked ground beef, fire roasted diced tomatoes and tomato sauce to pot. Stir to combine.
- Secure lid. Press pressure cook and set timer for 15 minutes. Once the timer goes off, allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes. Then manually release any remaining pressure.
- Finally, ladle into bowls and serve!
Slow Cooker Method
- First, add ground beef to a skillet over medium heat. Cook until brown and crumbly, breaking apart with spatula.
- Drain all grease from skillet and transfer beef to slow cooker.
- Add in chopped onion, pepper and all spices to skillet. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until onions have softened, stirring occasionally.
- Then, add veggies, fire roasted diced tomatoes and tomato sauce to the beef in slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or low for 3 to 4 hours.
- Finally, ladle into bowls and serve!
Notes
- Ground turkey or ground pork can replace the beef.
- I used 85% lean beef. I recommend using 85% lean or 90% lean.
- Drain off all grease from pot, Instant Pot or skillet.
- This chili can be simmered on the stovetop for as little as 20 minutes, but I highly recommend at least an hour for best results.
- These spices are a great starting point! Feel free to taste and adjust as you go.
- I would classify this chili as medium heat.
- This freezes well!
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22 Comments on “No Bean Chili (Beanless Chili)”
This was my first time making chili since learning I can’t tolerate most legumes, and I was worried I would miss the beans – I did not! I had planned to use ground turkey since I rarely eat red meat but apparently all I had was ground chicken and it still worked great. I like my chili a little hotter so I added more cayenne and chili powder and then added about a tbsp of cocoa powder for a deeper flavor. I also added some minced garlic with the onion, pepper and spices at the beginning. I let it simmer on the stove for about 4 hours to really meld the flavors together and it turned out fantastic!
I am so glad to hear that, Melissa! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
What a great recipe – bold and spicy, with no beans for a hearty, delicious dish. Thanks for the detailed instructions, and I’m glad to know it’s freezable, too. Another winner from Organically Addison!
Hi Eliza! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. I really appreciate it! So happy you enjoyed this chili!
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it!
Great recipe
So simple….and also so tasty.
Yum! This sounds perfect for fall
This chili was amazing. I love the use of fire roasted tomatoes.
This recipe has so many levels of yummy! I will make it with ground turkey and I was looking for a recipe to prepare on my instapot, This is just perfect. Thank you for sharing.
Yes! I am loving this no bean chili! It is how we do it in Texas! This was so delicious!
so tasty and filling! glad I can make it on stove top too.