Who doesn’t love a big bowl of chili on a cold winter night? Chili has always been a favorite of ours! Growing up, our mom served slow cooker chili every Halloween! We had to finish our bowl before we could go trick-or-treating. Not a bad incentive on getting your kids to eat their whole meal!
Did you know Texas Chili is not like regular homemade chili? This recipe originated from a friend in Texas, so we’ve always called it Texas Chili. After posting, we were surprised at how controversial the beans or no beans conversation was. Historically, Texas Chili is typically a chili with beef and a chili sauce base. Most Texas Chili recipes don’t have beans or tomatoes like regular chili.
About This Recipe
- A thick and delicious soup that fills you up! Anyone else’s husband complain about being hungry after you serve soup for dinner? Not with this recipe!
- I considered naming this Easy Texas Chili because of how quick you can throw it together. It takes a few minutes to brown the beef, but the rest is just dumping ingredients.
- Texas Chili is so easy to adjust! Don’t like it spicy? Leave out some of the chili powder or red pepper flakes. Want it more spicy? Add more! Everyone will love your homemade chili.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make our version of Texas chili, you need the following ingredients:
- Ground beef
- Onion
- Green bell peppers
- Diced green chili peppers
- Beef Broth
- Pinto beans
- Tomatoes
- Tomato sauce
- Tomato paste
- Garlic
- Cumin
- Chili powder
- Sugar
- Salt
- Ground pepper
- Red pepper flakes
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to Make Texas Chili
- In a large saucepan, brown ground beef and diced onion on medium heat. You’ll want to make sure your ground beef is completely cooked through for your slow cooker chili.
- Pour your remaining ingredients into the slow cooker and stir until well combined. Be careful! Your slow cooker will be very full at this point.
- Place your lid onto your slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours
- Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions, and a bag of Fritos corn chips – or any of your other favorite toppings.
Instant Pot Modification
Don’t have enough time to make this in your slow cooker? No worries! You can make Texas Chili in your Instant Pot. Here’s how you’ll do it.
- Preheat your Instant Pot to SAUTÉ.
- Cook ground beef along with your onions until your meat is no longer pink.
- Add other ingredients and stir until combine.
- Replace lid and set your top knob to SEALING.
- Now press MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK and cook for 25 minutes, then do a quick release.
Storage Suggestions
This recipe should serve around 7-8 people, but don’t worry if you can’t eat the whole thing. This chili recipe can easily be stored in the freezer and saved for another day.
To freeze this recipe, let the chili cool to a warm temperature (just turn off your slow cooker and leave the lid open for an hour or so!) and pour your extra chili into a large freezer bag. You may want to double up on bags, just to avoid any leaking in your freezer. You can keep it in your freezer for up to 30 days and it will taste as fresh as the day you made it.
To reheat, let it thaw in your fridge for 24 hours. Place your soup into the slow cooker and heat on low 2-3 hours until it’s hot and bubbling again.
Freezer Meal Modification
To make Texas Chili into a freezer meal, just follow the directions in the post below, but place all of the ingredients in the freezer bag and not the slow cooker. You’ll want to make sure you cook your ground beef before you place it in the freezer. We also recommend labeling your freezer bags with the date, name of the recipe, and cooking instructions so you know exactly what you need to do when you’re ready to eat it.
Explore More Delicious Chili Recipes
Explore our collection of delicious, homemade chili recipes that are easy-to-make and freezer-friendly. For more chili inspiration, check out our full list of chili recipes!
- BBQ Chicken Chili
- Cream Cheese Chili
- Creamy White Chicken Chili
- Ground Turkey and Pumpkin Chili
- Ground Turkey Chili
- Ground Turkey Taco Chili
- Homemade Chili
- Instant Pot Chili
- Mom’s Crockpot Chili
- Mom’s Easy Slow Cooker Chili
- No-Bean Chili with Ground Beef
- Shepherd’s Pie Chili
- Texas Roadhouse Chili
- Wendy’s Chili
Texas Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 green bell peppers, diced
- 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chili peppers, (drained)
- 14 ounces beef broth
- 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, (drained and rinsed)
- 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes, (do not drain)
- 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- 3 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon cumin
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- dash red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, optional
- 1 cup sour cream, optional
- 3 green onions, optional
- 1 (9.25 ounce) bag Frito corn chips, optional
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, brown ground beef and diced onion.
- Drain the grease from the meat and add meat to slow cooker.
- Pour remaining ingredients on top and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours.
- Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions, and a bag of Fritos corn chips – or any of your other favorite chili toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Real Chili does not contain beans so I don’t think this recipe originated in Texas.
John is right, real Texas Chili doesn’t have beans.
I wish people would stop saying this. We have clearly moved to a point in history where recipes can have minor differences and still be classified as the same dish. Especially chili. When you speak of chili without beans, you actually mean to reference chili gravy; meant to go on or with something, even beans. Do people even have any reason for this? Is a hamburger not a hamburger because it has ketchup on it? I just feel like people parrot this comment without reason. Do the beans fundamentally change the chili? Does it taste and appear completely differently? Then, why are people trying to say it’s something else and not chili?
I commented once but included a link and I guess maybe that isn’t allowed (comment isn’t showing). Anyhow, no one alive today was there when the first bowl of chili was invented so there should be no arguing as to whether or not beans were or were not included. Both are delicious in my opinion so who really cares? *shrug* Certainly not me!
Interesting read on chili cook off dot com backslash history backslash history_ of_ chili dot asp
Well, I am 100% from Texas and I eat chili both ways. I agree, surely we have evolved past certain stereotypes and “rules”. If you like beans, add beans. If you don’t, leave them out! The beans do not make or break a bowl of chili! Its all about the meat and the seasonings. Personally, I think adding beans just ups the protein without adding additional calories from meat.
To answer your Q, there is no reason to call this Texas chili. I was born, raised, live in Texas. If the folks did their research, they would find chili was born in Texas. On the cattle trail, they had plenty of beans and they had beans in the chili. Very seldom did they have tomatoes. No time to plant a garden. No ground beef. They used chunks of beef, dried peppers, onions, even added potatoes and most anything they had, such as prickly pear. Soaked the juices with campfire sourdough bread. Personally, I like beans in my chili.
Fred is absolutely right. His answer and reasoning for it are sound. I arrived in Texas in 1983 and I can assure you of this. If you mention ground beef in the same sentence as chili a true Texan will grab you up and tie you to the nearest whipping post until you can recite the Texas chili recipe, beans or not, flawlessly! Not too sure about the taters, but if not in the pot how about chili over hash browns instead of rice? Just thinking! By the way, Phil’s 1st. rule of cooking: You’re not really cooking until you mess with it and make it yours!
Just wanted to say I’ve made this recipe a few times and I absolutely love it. Is now my go to chili recipe. Thanks for sharing.
What would the serving size and calories be
Real Chili does NOT contain hamburger, it has only cut up pieces of the toughest cuts of beef. Beans are added to real and faux chile as an extender to mollify kids of all ages, including me.
will this freeze?
Yes, you could freeze any leftovers in an airtight freezer container for another meal later on.
I just wanted to thank you for being the 1st in the comments to actually talk about the recipe and not continue to bicker back and forth about the bean issue. It’s sad that today people always have to make something out of nothing, and people always have something to say about someone or something! When I came across this recipe it NEVER ONCE crossed my mind about the bean issue. Just simply looking for an easy crock pot “chili”! Thank you again!
I like any chili with bean but I mash them and r cut them up first.
As I read through this thread of super Texas Chili Chefs I find the only item left in the recipe is the bottle of beer during the building of this fine recipe.
I think I will double my recipe and have 2………….. Thanks guys
This recipe makes GOOD chili.
Thank you so much for the recipe. It was the perfect meal for a busy and rainy day!!
Hi Meg. Thanks for letting us know that you liked our Slow Cooker Texas Chili Recipe. It is perfect for a cold fall day!
I’m in Florida, the heat index today is close to 100 degrees, this recipe sounds so good it’s cooking up in my crock pot right now 😉😊
This is the best chili recipe I have EVER MADE!!!