This habanero chili is crazy spicy, but it’s also delicious. If you don’t like habaneros, you don’t have to use them – this chili will still be good. Maybe try a jalapeno instead! The great thing about this recipe is that it’s so simple to make; brown some meat and put it in your crock pot along with a few other ingredients. A few hours later, you’ll have a steaming bowl of incredible paleo chili. Sprinkle some crumbled bacon on top for good measure and devour.
I made this habanero chili before leaving for NYC this past weekend. I wanted to make sure Roby (my husband) didn’t eat fast food while I was out of town. I swear he gets excited when he knows I’m leaving – his mind goes straight to chicken nuggets. The reason I traveled to NYC was because my college best friend’s boyfriend asked me to visit. He was planning to propose to her and wanted her close friends to be there to celebrate afterward. We surprised her at a bar in the city – it was amazing – I’ve never seen her so happy! It was such an awesome night.
While I was in NYC, I stayed with my younger brother, Rishi. He took me all around the city – including to the farmer’s market in Union Square. Let me tell you, that market is amazing. We drank freshly pressed apple cider and ate maple candy. I bought fresh cranberries, six pounds of pears and honey. You’ll probably see these things make an appearance on my blog next week. Oh, he also took me to the best macaron shop in the city (gluten-free macarons for the win!).
When I returned home, the habanero chili was gone. Apparently Roby ate all of the chili in one day – he said it was the best chili I’ve ever made. I had a bowl before I left and it really was good. The habanero pepper adds such a unique flavor – once you get past the insanely hot part. I like this chili with one habanero but Roby likes it with two. However many of these peppers you can handle – one thing is certain – this spicy chili will keep you nice and warm in this chilly weather. (See what I did there… chili and chilly? I just want to make sure you noticed my clever pun).
Enjoy 🙂
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or fat of choice
- 1 onion diced
- 4-5 cloves of garlic minced (used my garlic press)
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 5 medium carrots chopped
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 1-2 habaneros chopped (caution: habaneros are HOT!)
- 2 14.5 ounce cans organic diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- bacon crumbled
Instructions
- Add oil to a pan over medium heat and then sauté the onions and garlic.
- After a few minutes, add the ground beef and brown the meat.
- In a crockpot: add all of the ingredients including the beef mixture.
- Set it on low and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
- Serve with crumbled bacon on top.
Just for fun, here’s my original picture of this chili from 2013:
Leena says
So easy and delicious. I halved the recipe and followed directions exactly except for 1.5 tsp cumin powder, 1 cinnamon stick and 1 star anise because I used minced mutton. Turned out amazing!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Leena! I’m so glad you liked it!
sara says
wonderful! used fresh habaneros from my garden and whoa!! it was delicious!
My Heart Beets says
Sara, so happy to hear that!! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Hunter says
How much does the recipe serve near about?
My Heart Beets says
I’d say this serves about 5-6 people 🙂
Jacob says
Cant find habaneros anywhere at this time. How many jalapenos should i use to get a good tasting but really spicy chili?
My Heart Beets says
It really depends on your spice preference – you can also always add them at the end for extra heat. When you saute a hot pepper, it cuts the heat a bit so if you stir toward the end they’ll soften a bit but still maintain their heat.
Jacob says
Chili came out really good. Wish I could’ve used the habaneros to get that habero taste but the jalapenos weren’t bad. It still had a nice kick to it and very flavorful. Should have used less carrots because I wanted more soft flavorful beef rather than crunchy carrots. Very good.
My Heart Beets says
Jacob, glad you liked it!
Brenda says
We loved this! Doubled the recipe and used two habaneros. We are going to try it again this weekend with brisket. Can’t wait.
My Heart Beets says
Brenda, that’s great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂 Also, I’d love to hear how the brisket turns out!
Brenda says
We now make this with a brisket and it is awesome! We double the recipe and use 2 lbs of meat. We also cook it 10 hrs to make sure the veggies are all tender. Don’t like a crunch in my chili. 🙂
Derek S says
College student on a budget here. How many servings does this make?
Orit says
Just put this in the crockpot for tonight’s dinner. Excited and terrified it’ll be crazy hot.
My Heart Beets says
Awesome! Hope you love it!!
Andrew says
Would this work with only 14 oz of tomatoes? I tolerate them well in smaller amounts but try to limit my intake.
DT says
Loved the simplicity of this recipe and the mix of flavours. Just added a few more spices from the Indian spice box and topped it with a little cinnamon, brown sugar and bay leaves. Awesome taste and so easy. Helped me win the office chili cook off this afternoon.
Btw, have made your paleo butter chicken recipe many many times for friends and family all across the US, and its always a crowd pleaser.
Thanks for all your efforts.
My Heart Beets says
Wow, that’s awesome DT!! Congrats on winning the chili cook off!! And thanks for letting me know how this turned out for you 🙂
Mary says
Do i need to add any liquid?
My Heart Beets says
nope, there’s enough liquid in the canned diced tomatoes 🙂
Lisa says
Ashley,
Quick question..I plan to make this tomorrow. What size can tomatoes?
Thanks!
My Heart Beets says
Lisa, you’ll need two 14.5 ounce cans – I’ve updated the recipe to show that. Thanks for asking! And let me know what you think 🙂
Lisa says
Thanks so much! I just didn’t want it to come out too watery 🙂
Making it tomorrow…will let you know 🙂
My Heart Beets says
Awesome! Hope you like it 🙂
Paleo Teamster says
Best chili ever! I had to use 4 habaneros to k
Get a good kick, sooo good.. Thanks…
Darci says
I have this going in my crockpot right now and it smells divine! I had to switch things up because I didn’t want to run to the store and used what I had on hand. Turkey instead of beef, upped the veggie count, green chiles instead of habanero. Had to add chicken stock because I added so many veggies haha! I for sure want to make it with habaneros in the future because I LOVE spicy food (not so sure my kids would go for it though). I am on day 15 of Whole30 right now and this crockpot recipe is just what I needed. Thank you for your wonderful recipe! I will for sure post about it on my blog and link back as soon as I finish the day!
Lia Moran says
I made this tonight! I skipped the celery and added a second bell pepper and an extra carrot. It is SO good. Love the spiciness!
My Heart Beets says
Lia, so glad you liked the recipe! Loved the pic on Twitter 🙂
Julia says
This was really good and simple to make, I used two habanero peppers and though it was really spicy, the flavor was amazing. Can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow!
Thoughtful Cooking says
Looks great, I think I’ll get a chance to try this out in a few days. My brother in law just got a deer (hunting season just finished here, and I’m not a hunter) and he’s giving me some ground meat. I’m hoping that I can just swap out the beef for the deer and follow the rest of the directions as listed, I’ll let you know how it goes!
ashley says
can you make this with jalapeños peppers instead of the habaneros??
My Heart Beets says
Hi Ashley! Yup, you sure can. It won’t have that habanero taste but it’ll still be great! 🙂
P says
One question. How do you get tumeric stains out of the sink?
🙁
Pauline says
omg this is so good! And I can’t believe I could make it (if you ever had any of my cooking you would understand that comment!). I just used one pepper and couldn’t believe how hot it was but couldn’t stop eating it! I’m thinking my taste buds will adjust.
I was also interested in paleo cooking information. I’d not heard of it before but what is interesting is that for most of my life I haven’t been able to eat carbs. I also always walk around barefoot inside or outside when I can and love nature and being out in it. I must be a throwback of some type or my body just naturally knew what was healthy.
In any event I am so glad I found your blog and your recipes and I will be trying more of them this week. Thanks for sharing your recipes and your life story!
My Heart Beets says
Pauline – I’m so glad you liked this recipe! And yes, habaneros are super spicy & delicious! I’m so glad you found my blog and I hope you’ll continue to tell me what you think of my recipes 🙂