A low carb chili recipe that’s easy to make and full of flavor. It’s a beanless chili suitable for a paleo or keto diet. Enjoy it mild or spiced up with more hot chili peppers.
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We grew some red hot chili peppers this year in the garden. I thought they’d be perfect in keto Mexican recipes.
Since we had so many, I used them to spice up a beanless keto chili. It’s difficult to come up with a no carb chili, but this recipe does have fewer carbs than my chili made with canned tomatoes.
The peppers I used were green on the plant most of the summer. It wasn’t until late summer that they all started to turn red. And I was surprised at how many peppers shot off the small plant we planted.
I was told that these peppers can be dried and used as a seasoning throughout the year. They are a hot pepper, though not the hottest you can get.
Since I wanted a beanless chili recipe, I omitted the beans and used canned black olives instead. I suppose I could have used black soy beans, but I didn’t have any on hand.
How to make low carb chili
To begin, about 1 to 2 pounds of ground beef is browned over medium high heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. But an Instant Pot can be used as well on the sauté setting.
While the meat is being cooked, it’s a good time to chop up the fresh peppers. I like to use a hand chopper to speed things up. With hot peppers, you’ll want to wear gloves when chopping to prevent getting the juice on your skin.
Keep in mind, when working with hot peppers, you need to be careful not to get the juice near your eye. I provide warning based on my own experience. It’s also important to practice safety in the kitchen!
I didn’t measure the amount of peppers I used, but it was around 1/4 cup, maybe a little less. In all, I used one regular sized pepper and two small ones in this low carb chili recipe.
Once the ground beef is brown, I add all the other ingredients. I also add a small amount of cinnamon because it enhances the flavor. I thought the amount of hot peppers used was just right, but feel free to adjust the amount to your own preferences.
Using an Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
You can make this easy low carb chili in an Instant Pot or Slow Cooker rather than on the stove top. It’s basically the same process with slightly different cooking times.
For the Instant Pot, you brown the ground beef on the sauté setting. Then you add in the remaining ingredients and lock the lid is into place.
Next, you set the pressure cooker on manual high pressure for ten minutes. When the time is up, I let it sit to naturally release pressure before opening the valve and lid.
To make the chili in a crock pot, just add all the ingredients into the pot. Then let it slow cook for about 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.
Thoughts on the beanless chili
My family absolutely loves this low carb chili recipe without beans. And there’s no need for beans anyway. They are just a cheap filler like rice. But most fillers are very starchy. The black olives add flavor as well as healthy fat.
I will definitely be making this beanless chili recipe again. That’s because it makes a fabulous low carb meal for lunch or a light dinner. And it’s a great recipe to make for game days or when gathering with friends or family.
How do you like your chili? With bean or without? Hot or spicy? Or, maybe you like Texas style chili.
Other Keto Chili Recipes
If you like this recipe, you may want to give some of my other keto chili recipes a try as well. So I listed some below:
- Crock Pot White Turkey Chili
- Low Carb Paleo White Chicken Chili
- Turkey Pumpkin Chili
- Texas Slow Cooker Beef Chili
You can also use this keto chili recipe to make zucchini nachos.
Kitchen Tools Used
I made the beanless chili in a Dutch oven, but a large pot works too for the stove top. But you may want to speed things up in an electric pressure cooker or slow things down using a Crock Pot.
- Dutch oven or large pot
- Instant pot (optional)
- Crock Pot (optional)
- Hand Chopper (optional)
I hope you enjoy this meaty stew. And be sure to leave a comment if you tried it to let us know how it turned out.
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Low Carb Chili (Beanless, Keto, Paleo)
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Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 cup onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce check ingredients for paleo
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 3 bay leaves
- 2.25 ounces sliced black olives
- 1/4 cup chili peppers finely chopped
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Instructions
- Brown ground beef in large pot and drain out fat.
- Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil. Then simmer about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Notes
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Nutrition
Additional Info
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Unauthorized use of this material without written permission from Lisa MarcAurele is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes.
Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
Post updated in March 2019. Originally published September 2010.
Lisa MarcAurele has been creating low carb recipes since 2010. She enjoys experimenting in the kitchen to create low sugar foods that taste like high carb favorites!
Bernadette says
Would like recipes for buns
Lisa MarcAurele says
Try this low carb hamburger bun recipe. It’s excellent for dinner rolls.
Ranie says
Thank you for the recipe, but, chili never has beans in it, though chili beans does have beans…*smile*…trying to change diet to a low carb diet, I don’t know why I didn’t think chili as a low carb….
Alisha Ross says
Hello! I stumbled across your blog some time ago and enjoy all the recipes! The Spaghetti Squash Bake looks yummy! Several in our family are on the GAPS diet right now and we are always looking for new recipe ideas! Thanks for sharing!
Lisa MarcAurele says
I do have a lot of GAPS recipes. Maybe I should make that a category. Thanks for getting me thinking about that. I’ll add it to a list of items I have to do later.
Jay says
OMG….. This makes a great chili…. my hubby is NOT a chili fan, but I am…. so, sometimes, I just have a “chili” craving and I try to make it in such a way that my hubby will like it too. Since he is a HUGE bacon fan, I added a lot of bacon in with the ground beef…. wowzers, he loved it and asked for seconds this time…. lol lol
I also found another use for left-over chili…. since our house is dealing with diabetic issues, we are trying hard to stick to low-carb meals, but every Friday is “pizza” night at our house. I found a great low-carb pizza crust recipe and now I use the left-over chili as the “tomato” base…. wow, what a great addition to the pizza. Of course, I add a little bit of other meat and cheese on top…. but it sure has upgraded the pizza from boring to super-good!
Thank you for such an amazing recipe – it should be 10 stars…… loveeeeeeeeeeeeee it!
Lisa says
Bacon sounds like such a good add. Thanks for sharing that!
Saleha says
Oh my goodness. My husband LOVES chili, and since he isn’t feeling well, I wanted to make something warm and hearty. I realized I was out of beans, and I came across your recipe for no beans chili.
I just halved the chili powder, and followed the recipe to a T, otherwise. It was phenomenal!! I added in some leftover rotisserie chicken, added that in too.
The flavours, the smells, it was divine! =)
Lisa says
Hope your husband is feeling better and the chili helped comfort him.
Michele says
Any idea how long to cook in an instant pot?
Lisa says
I’d say about 10 minutes and then a natural pressure release (about 10-15 minutes) at the end.
donna whitener says
Could I make this chili in the crock pot?
Lisa says
It can definitely be put in the slow cooker rather than simmered on the stove.
Andi Hawkins says
Oh, and the olives add awesomeness!
Andi Hawkins says
I just made this today. I used a Pablano pepper and a whole medium onion. This is the best chili recipe ever! Spicy, sweet, savory, all rolled into one. 5 stars!
Judie says
I will definitely try this recipe looks yummy but will not be using hot red peppers using green chili peppers instead, I’m not a spicy girl. With that being said please don’t compare beans (legumes) to rice. Legumes are
full of protein, vitamins and minerals. You can substitute legumes for the meat and get the same affect only much
more fiber. They are not by any means a filler.
Julie says
I put 1/2 the amount of chilli peppers in and it was TOO hot. Can’t eat it 🙁
Lisa says
If you dislike spicy hot, you should not have put any chili peppers in.
Michele A says
Does this qualify for Paleo?
Lisa says
Yes. All the ingredients are paleo friendly.
Megan says
So good! I did mushrooms instead of black olives. Thank you for the great recipe
Lisa says
Mushrooms are a great replacement for olives!
Stephanie says
Made this yesterday; just adjusted spices/water for one pound meat (used ground turkey) and added the veggies from your Texas slow cooker recipe…slamming!!! Topped with a dollop of sour cream; leftovers today was even better. This will replace my current chili recipe. Thanks!
Lisa says
Sounds super delicious!
Megan says
This was so easy to make and absolutely delicious. I chickened out of putting a 1/4 cup of chopped chillies in though because I wasn’t sure how hot mine were so erred on the cautious side. Beautiful flavour. I made a second much larger batch so I could freeze meals.
Lisa says
I’ve found the chili freezes very well so I always make a double batch.
Carrie says
Will this freeze very good? Has anyone tried it?
Lisa says
I have and it freezes well for me.
Barb says
Added half a can of the black soybeans. Awesome chili! Definitely will be makimg regularly ?
Lisa says
If you like the beans, black soybeans are a great low carb option!
Loretta says
I’m making this now for the first time,but I am adding peppers and portobello mushrooms,and no olives since I hate them lol
can’t wait to freeze left overs for meal the rest of the week for me 🙂
Lisa says
I always add in extra peppers!
Jennifer says
I can’t quite imagine black olives in chili. Do they still taste like black olives after they’ve cooked in there for a while?
Lisa says
They do taste like olives. We often add them along with sour cream to top off chili. If you don’t like them, you can leave them out or use black soy beans.
Carly Koehn says
BallPark Hot Dogs and Hilshire Farms Lil’ Smokies are listed in links above. Are they part of the ingredient list? The Hot dogs are also listed in the “chunky” recipe version.
Lisa says
They are not ingredients for the recipe.
Paulina says
What would be the length to cook in the crockpot on low?
Lisa says
I’d say at least 3-4 hours.
HazelP says
Lisa, I’ve just found your website in a search and discovered your chili recipe (among others). I’m glad to see this recipe because other recipes I’ve tried have simply been not to our taste. I think this will be just right; the spices you suggest are ones that we like, and for us, the thicker the better. 🙂
Thanks.
Lisa says
This has been my most popular chili recipe for over five years. It’s also my personal favorite. I know you’ll love it!
Marilyn Fish says
If you use venison, do you add any other fat to make up for the leaness of the deer meat.
Lisa says
The ground venison I use does have some added fat so I don’t add any.
Megan says
When I enter the ingredients on myfitnesspal it gives me 24 carbs per serving! I’m trying to figure out why. If you’re familiar with the app, do you have any suggestions?
Lisa says
There are known issues with the MFP app. Try inputting into the Calorie Count recipe analyzer instead.
Mark H says
Absolutely delicious! I made this for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and will make a double batch this weekend. So good!
Lisa says
So glad it was a hit!
Josh says
Great recipe. I used venison and I didn’t have red peppers so I used some jalapeños. I started it on the stove, brought it to a ,”boil” the transferred. It to a crock pot. It came out awesome.
Amanda Zajes says
Looks good! Can I add all of this into a Slow Cooker instead and if so, would I add the ground beef raw or cooked?
Thanks!
Lisa says
Can be made in slow cooker if desired. It’s best to cook the ground meat first so it doesn’t cook into one large mass. I like to precook ground beef and freeze it for use in crock pot recipes.
Melody says
This was great tonight! A hit with the entire family. I did not have a fresh red pepper so put in a small can of Hatch green peppers. Also added in a can of tomato sauce. Let it simmer until it thickened. Those not LCHF ate over Frito’s but I had it without. In our rotation from now on….
Lisa says
Welcome Melody! Thanks for sharing your adapted version with us.
roclafamilia says
Helpful blog, bookmarked the website with hopes to read more!
Matt Kay says
This is right up my alley. I love that you used cinnamon in the recipe. It always gives a really nice boost to the other flavors in chili.
Cheers!
Matt Kay