This easy ground beef chili recipe is made with beans, and a homemade blend of chili seasonings. Make it on the stove, slow cooker, or instant pot.
Beef Chili Recipe
Beef Chili RecipeIf you have ground beef, this classic chili is a quick dinner idea! This easy beef chili recipe is healthy and hearty, with a high-fiber content, thanks to the beans. This dish is my go-to chili because it’s mild enough for the whole family and ready in less than 30 minutes. Plus, the leftovers freeze well. More chili recipes we love are this Chicken Taco Chili (a fan favorite!) and White Bean Turkey Chili. And if you prefer chili soup, try this Turkey Taco Chili Soup.
I modified this chili recipe from this recipe on the Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. website. It’s low in calories and uses lean ground beef to lower the saturated fat. I changed it by adding some tomato sauce and my own blend of chili spices. I think it’s the best chili recipe when you want a quick dinner, and it’s easy to modify for your family’s taste. It’s thick and hearty, without flour or cornstarch.
What’s The Secret To Great Chili?
A few things! Lots of spices like cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, etc. And the secret ingredient, Beer! Beer adds flavor to the chili. I use a light beer but you can try a local beer, an ale or lager if you want something milder. Or an IPA or rich stout for a bit more flavor. If you prefer to make this without alcohol, feel free to substitute the beer with beef stock or broth!
Beef Chili Ingredients
- Lean Ground Beef: You can use ground turkey if you prefer.
- Vegetables: Chopped red bell pepper and onion.
- Black Beans: Beans are high in fiber which helps lower cholesterol. A good source of iron and protein and contain folic acid and potassium. Swap the black beans for red kidney beans or white beans if you prefer.
- Tomatoes: Canned mild diced tomatoes with green chilis and canned tomato sauce. You could also add some tomato paste in place of the canned tomato sauce.
- Beer: I used Corona Light, but any light beer will work or even an ale, IPA or local beer. It is optional, so swap it for beef broth if you prefer.
- Spices: Cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper
How to Make Beef Chili
You can make this beef chili three ways: stove top, Instant Pot, and slow cooker. The directions are similar for each method. My favorite way is the pressure cooker – the lean ground beef comes out much more tender than it does on the stove.
- Start by browning the meat in a pot or Instant Pot and seasoning it with salt. Cook it for about five minutes until it crumbles.
- Sauté the onion and bell pepper for a couple of minutes, and then pour in the remaining ingredients. If you’re using the crockpot, skip this step, throw the beef and the rest of the ingredients into the appliance and stir, and cook on low for eight hours.
- If you’re cooking it on the stove, simmer the chili for 30 minutes. For the Instant Pot, set it on high pressure for 20 minutes and then do a natural release.
Beef Chili Tips And Variations:
- Spiciness: If you want to spice up things, add jalapeño or cayenne pepper and more chili powder.
- To freeze, transfer the chili to a freezer-safe airtight container or bags and freeze for up to three months. To defrost, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. Then reheat it on the stove or in the microwave.
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months.
What do you top chili with?
What makes a chili complete, in my opinion, are the toppings – a dollop of sour cream, some diced red onions, and fresh cilantro are a must for me! Lime wedges, green onion, cilantro, cheddar cheese, and avocado are other ideas.
What goes well with chili for dinner?
Corn or tortilla chips are good to dip in or crush on top of bowls of chili. This dish can be a complete meal since it’s full of protein and fiber and has complex carbohydrates and veggies. But if you’re looking for a side dish idea, try a side salad or cornbread.
Also, there are so many ways to serve this ground beef chili recipe. I’m obsessed with cutting open a small avocado, removing the pit, and filling it with chili and some toppings. Folks, it is SO good! You could also put it in acorn squash, baked potatoes, and stuffed peppers.
More Ground Beef Recipes You’ll Love:
- Slow Cooker Beef Ragu
- Madison’s Favorite Beef Tacos
- Italian Beef and Spinach Meatballs
- Chunky Beef, Cabbage, and Tomato Soup
- Baked Beef and Cheese Manicotti (Cannelloni)
Quick Beef Chili Recipe (Instant Pot, Stove or Slow Cooker)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground Beef, 93% lean
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 15 ounce can reduced-sodium black beans, rinsed, drained
- 1 10 ounce can mild diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained
- 1/2 cup canned tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup light beer such as corona light, Or swap for 3/4 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- black pepper, to taste
Optional Toppings:
- chopped red onions, cilantro leaves, lime wedges, sour cream, cheddar, avocado
Instructions
Pressure cooker chili recipe:
- Press saute on the Instant Pot, brown the beef and season with salt. Cook breaking beef into 3/4-inch crumbles and stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
- Add the onion and bell pepper and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, beer and spices.
- Cover and cook on high pressure 20 minutes to blend the flavors. Natural release. Taste for salt and adjust as needed, serve with toppings, as desired.
Classic chili recipe (stove):
- Heat a large pot on medium-high heat, brown the beef and season with salt. Cook breaking beef into 3/4-inch crumbles and stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
- Add the onion and bell pepper and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, beer and spices.
- Cover and cook low heat at least 60 minutes to blend the flavors, stirring occasionally. Taste for salt and adjust as needed, serve with toppings, as desired.
Slow Cooker Directions:
- Brown the meat then cook on low 8 hours. Taste for salt and adjust as needed, serve with toppings, as desired.
Last Step:
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Delicious chili! Best recipe I’ve ever used.
So good! Added some cayenne pepper, a little more chili powder, and a few cloves of crushed garlic. I never thought to add beer, I had Dos XX on hand and it was really good. I let it simmer on low for 3.5 hours and was so flavorful!
Amazing! Everyone loved it and went for seconds. I doubled the recipe, 2lbs of ground beef, two 15 ounces of tomato sauce and doubled all the seasonings. Also, added 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and tab bit power garlic powder. It was really good with no leftovers and the request to make this again. Thank you for a great recipe 🙂
This is my favorite chili recipe. I’ve been using it for years.
My tips:
1. If cooking for more than 2 people, definitely double the recipe- everyone will want leftovers the next day.
2. I double all the spices called for- and my dad still calls this a “mild” chili. I started experimenting with adding 2 1/4 tsp chili powder, and that seems to work well.
3. We love garlic, so I quadruple the amount called for.
4. I use more tomato sauce than called for- for a double batch, I use a 28 oz can, where the original recipe calls for 8 oz for a double batch. So essentially quadrupled the amount of tomato sauce.
5. Red kidney beans instead of black beans- much better and helps if you tend to bloat.
Double the spices and tomato sauce and this makes one of the best chilis I’ve had. I’ve dubbed it ‘Busch Light Chili’ and my husband (and kids!) love it! You never disappoint, Gina! Thank you!
I used a bit more chili powder and cumin. I have made it twice. It’s excellent and easy.
This was amazing! I doubled the spices and used ground bison. Will definitely be making it again. Did the slow cooker method.
Great!!
Yes, you definitely need to double the spices. I actually quadrupled the amount of garlic powder- yum!
This chili is very good. It’s been my go to for years. I use ground chicken
solid recipe that is great for a week night meal
I add a cubed sweet potato to this for a little more “something” and it’s PERFECTION.
Yumm!
This recipe was simple, quick, and delicious! It was the best chili recipe I’ve made for my family. Mild enough for kids, but still flavorful enough for adults. Will definitely be adding this to my dinner rotation!
Thanks Erin!
Made this this AM before going to work. So simple
Came home to a delicious, ready to eat meal. Put some extra onions on top, a dollop of sour cream and a few slices of avocado
Only thing different I did was brown up the onions after cooking hamburger while adding spices. Had some nacho chips on the side. Bonus: hubby really liked it (he isn’t a big chili fan) Highly recommend for a quick, tasty meal.😊
Have you made this with turkey? Is it just as tasty? Trying not to eat red meat for next few weeks. Thanks
Yep! Have done that to accommodate friends that don’t do beef.
This chili recipe is great! I’ve never really made good chili, so I’m excited to find a recipe I can keep on hand. I made a few slight modifications based on what I had on hand. I think anyone could take this recipe and do the same thing with great results. This almost tastes like the chili at my favorite restaurant!
I made this dish tonight. It was simple and quick. Such a great chili for these cold days in Michigan. I used some stewed tomatoes that I canned over the summer. I added the small cans of the black beans, pinto beans and kidney beans. So good and filling.
We love this recipe in our house and it’s become the go-to chili! I normally make it as written, but tonight when I made it in the slow cooker I subbed 1/2lb ground beef for 1/2 cup brown lentils and increased the broth to 1 cup. It was great! My family didn’t miss the other 1/2lb beef. Thanks Gina!
I’ve been making chili for 15+ years. This recipe is by far the best I’ve made. I even shared with my neighbor who is 85 and she agreed. It’s perfect!
Thanks Krsitine!
This recipe is a staple in our house! It’s amazing. I usually double it so we have leftovers and we love spicy so I usually add some heat with either a habanero pepper or a couple jalapeños. I follow everything else as the recipe states and it is so good! Tonight was the first fall weather night so we broke this recipe out 🙂
Excellent! I used the Stove Method, and let mine simmer on very low for @ 1 hour. The only ingredient change I made was to use a can of “Trio Beans” (black, kidney & pinto mix) instead of all black. Spice blend was spot on perfect for me – full of flavor, but not overly spicy (can’t handle that anymore). I offered Chipotle Tabasco Sauce on the side for others than wanted more heat. Served with cornbread and Mexican Street Corn.