Now this is a true Texas Beef Chili.
No, I’m not from Texas nor am I a chili connoisseur (that’s a thing, right?)… BUT this recipe is from my friend Jennifer, who’s a true southern gal and knows her stuff. This flavorful and comforting Texas Slow Cooker Beef Chili is from her new cookbook, Down South Paleo.
I have to tell you how much Roby and I loved this meaty meal! It’s a hearty chili that’s packed with ground beef, fresh vegetables and savory spices. It’s definitely a family-friendly dish. Don’t worry, the chili isn’t spicy – unless you add the jalapeños (which were a must for my spicy food loving husband). You can make this recipe in a slow cooker, but if you’re impatient like me and own an Instant Pot (an electronic pressure cooker), then by all means use that! I’ll include directions for both methods below. Also, if you’re wondering where to find gluten-free worcestershire sauce, you can try this brand. Make sure that it says “gluten-free” on the back. You should be able to find it in most grocery stores – I found it at Whole Foods.
Okay, now back to this lovely book! The recipes are so creative and unique. Who doesn’t love soul food, Tex-Mex and Cajun cooking?! With recipes like pecan waffles, fried chicken, blueberry brisket, stuffed poblano peppers, churro doughnut holes, and tres leches cake – there’s no doubt that Down South Paleo will become a favorite in your kitchen!
Ingredients
- 1 lb grass-fed organic beef
- 1 green bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 large onion diced
- 4 large carrots chopped small
- 26 oz finely chopped tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch of cumin
For serving (optional)
- Dairy-free sour cream
- Diced onions
- Sliced jalapenos
Instructions
Slow Cooker Directions:
- Place the ground beef in a medium-size skillet over high heat and brown, stirring, until no longer pink. Spoon it into your slow cooker, including the fat. Now place the green bell pepper, onion, carrots and tomatoes into the slow cooker. Stir all the ingredients well, then add the remaining spices and seasonings. Stir once more, cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours. Top with dairy-free sour cream if desired, additional diced onions or jalapeños.
Instant Pot Directions:
- Press the “Sauté” button on the Instant Pot, and add the ground beef to the pot and cook until brown.
- Add the remaining ingredients, mix well, then cover and lock the lid. Press the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button on the Instant Pot, then press the “Meat/Stew” button to begin the pressure cooking. It will automatically be set for 35 minutes. Make sure the steam valve is closed.
- Once the chili is done, the Instant Pot will automatically switch to the “Keep Warm” mode. Allow the pressure to release naturally or use the quick release.
- Serve.
Nutrition
Looking for more Instant Pot Recipes? Try these:
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
Instant Pot Saag
Instant Pot Carne Guisada
Instant Pot Habanero Chili
Instant Pot Dal Makhani
Goat Curry in a Hurry
Instant Pot Ground Lamb Curry
Instant Pot Butter Chicken
Sarah says
I love this chili so much! I’m having a hard time adding it to MyFitness Pal. I know you stated above that it “serves about 4”, can you tell me what the serving size is? Thanks so much – this is a hit at our house!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Sarah, I just updated the post with nutritional info – I hope that helps!
Anna says
I was hunting for a good, not too spicy, beanless chili recipe for the instant pot and came upon this one. I am in love with this chili. I have never made my own chili before but now I have “my chili recipe”
My Heart Beets says
Anna, that’s awesome! I’m glad you liked this so much!
Bodynsoil says
Thank you for your recipe, my family loved it.
My Heart Beets says
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you and your fam!
Jon A. says
If I were to use canned tomatoes how much should I use with the instant pot? And would you drain or keep the liquid?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Jon, I would keep the liquid – you can always hit sauté at the end to reduce the chili if you decide you want it to be thicker.
Jon says
Thanks Ashley. And how many 14.5 oz cans should I use?
Nancy says
I love this! I made it last night for today’s “SOUPer” bowl at work, where we teachers all bring in our crockpots full of the dishes we made. I’ve made chili a lot, so many different versions, but I really wanted to find a good no-bean version.
After reading all of everyone’s comments, I did saute some bacon first in my nonstick crockpot. Removed the bacon and chopped it up. Sauteed my meat in the bacon grease, along with some honey! I doubled the recipe, so I used 1 lb of lean ground beef and 1 lb of ground mild sausage.
I had some fresh jalapeno peppers, so I chopped two of those and added them in. Gives it a little extra heat, which I like! I also added the chopped up bacon back into the mix.
Otherwise, I followed the recipe. It cooked overnight about 9 hours. Thickness is fine, taste is fine, heat is nice… not too spicy but enough to let you know it! 🙂
Thanks so much for this recipe! Definitely going into the “winners” section and will make again! 🙂
p.s. I hope I win!!!!
My Heart Beets says
Nancy, I’m so happy to hear that!! I hope you won the contest!!
Jess L. says
My son doesn’t like chunks of tomotoes, do you think I could use tomato sauce? If so how much?
Laura Wehrley says
Delish! I added 1-2 TBS of tomato paste as well, just to thicken it up.
My Heart Beets says
Laura, glad you liked it!
Audrey says
I followed recipe exactly but when I opened the pot, the chili was dry and burnt on the bottom. I will make it again because the flavor is good, but will add liquid.
Arlene says
It’s still cooking, but seemed very light in chili powder. Other family approved Texas Chili recipe I’ve been using uses Tablespoons of chili powder, not teaspoons. It’s missing something after tasting it, so will be adding more.
My Heart Beets says
You can adapt any recipe on the site to your taste
Deb L says
First time using my IP and this chili was a success! I substituted a small can of tomato paste and a small can of tomato sauce for the tomatoes (can’t eat the seeds) but used all of the other ingredients, modifying them slightly for my taste. I think my chili needed about 1/4 cup water added to it as it was a bit thick. This is the best Texas chili recipe I’ve found and will absolutely make it again. Thanks!
My Heart Beets says
Deb, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for sharing the tomato sub!
Garret says
I’m trying the IP for the first time with a slightly different recipe that calls for 3 pounds of meat and a quart of beef stock. 1. Can the IP handle that much? And, 2. Is a quart of fluid too much?
Azra says
Oh my gosh!! Sooo delicious! Wouldn’t change a thing! Yum yum yum!
Sristi says
Is this freezer friendly?
My Heart Beets says
Yes, you can freeze it 🙂
Andrew Glass says
Just won 2nd place in a local chili cook off with this recipe. I also added bacon and honey to the IP during sauté.
My Heart Beets says
That’s awesome! Congrats!
Stacey says
I don’t see any ingredients listed?
My Heart Beets says
I’m so sorry, my recipes are only showing up on desktop/laptop and not on mobile devices at the moment – I’m in the middle of a website update so this should be resolved asap!
Melanie says
Currently sautéing the excess liquid to thicken the chili. The flavor is fantastic!
Michael says
Any details on nutritional info? I can use my fitness pal but I’m feeling super lazy and don’t feel like it.
Michelle says
So you don’t any liquid? I just got my insta pot today. I usually cook chili on stove for several hours with beef bone broth
My Heart Beets says
Hi Michelle, nope – the meat releases liquid in the pressure cooker but you can always add broth to the pot then just press “saute” once it’s done to reduce the liquid if it ends up being too thin.
Shannon says
I made this tonight in my Instant Pot for a pot luck and it was a hit, everyone raved about it and it was the first thing gone. My kids even asked me to make it again tomorrow to serve over baked potatoes! They don’t like peppers and onions so I diced them really small in my Cuisinart and they melted right in so they didn’t have to pick them out. The carrots are a nice touch. I added a little fancy tomato paste. It came out perfect!
My Heart Beets says
Shannon, I’m so happy to hear that! Love the idea of serving it over baked potatoes, I’ll have to try that!
Nicole says
I sauted some sugar free bacon in the bottom of the pan before anything just to add a little extra smoky flavor! Excellent recipe! Pairs well with a little paleo “cornbread”!
My Heart Beets says
Ooh love that you added bacon, yum!!
Miguel says
I tried making this tonight, and I feel like I followed the directions exactly, but it came out more like a soup than a chili. Do you have any idea what I could have possibly done wrong? This was my first time using the instant pot.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Miguel! When you pressure cook, meat sometimes releases a lot of water. Once the food is done, just hit the saute button to boil off and reduce any excess water/liquid.
Shannon says
Weird, I followed it to a T and it was nice and thick. I used ground beef that was 90% fat free and I added a little tomato paste.
Soni says
Hi there! This looks like a good chili recipe, Thanks for posting it!
I’m going to give it a shot in my IP. I just wondered if adding beans would be ok? You think I can add a can of beans, drained as well? Thank you!
My Heart Beets says
Soni, I’m sure beans will be great in this 🙂 Enjoy!
Megan says
How much does this recipe yield? Thanks!
My Heart Beets says
I’d say it serves 4. hope that helps!
Jim says
Hi. Looking forward to getting an Instant Pot. Just curious. What happens if you don’t press the Keep Warm/Cancel button first?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Jim, if you don’t press it first then it won’t let you switch buttons… basically, you have to press it
t. says
if i wanted to double up the amount of meat, would i also double up all the other ingredients?
My Heart Beets says
yup!
t. says
thanks! if i was going to used canned diced tomatoes instead of chopping them up, what would you recommend in terms of ounces?
Shannon says
I used a 26 oz box of crushed tomatoes and added a little fancy tomato paste.
Juris says
Curious, what’s “a little” for the tomato paste?
Sally says
This was so delicious in my Instant Pot, thank you. I cobbled together my own version of a paleo type Worcestershire with honey and lemon juice, and it seemed to do the trick. I’m about to make this dish again, only a double batch this time!
I’m doing an MSG free diet, which is even a bit more restrictive than Paleo, and your website has so many great recipes, I really appreciate what you do. I have made 5 different things found here so far and they are all amazing!
My Heart Beets says
Ooh, I might have to try adding honey next time – yum! Glad you like the recipes on my website 🙂
Kay says
Thanks for the Instant Pot directions. I’m still getting used to it, so was looking for something good to try. This was delicious. Worcestershire sauce is not Whole30 compliant since it contains both sugar and molasses, but I found a recipe here. I was too impatient to make this, but added a little of all the ingredients in with the chili. Seemed to work fine.
My Heart Beets says
Glad you liked it!
Asha says
As soon as I saw this in an email from MyHeartBeets yesterday morning, I knew I wanted to try it (especially because I’m trying to use my Crock Pot more). It. Was. Awesome. My roommates and I wolfed it down with a side of cole slaw, and there was barely any left for leftovers. I didn’t have worcestershire sauce (although I’m sure that would have tasted amazing), so I added a couple of other spices, and it was still incredible.
Thanks for giving me something new to try, that was SUPER easy to do!
My Heart Beets says
Asha, happy to hear that you all liked it! Here are some more slow cooker recipes you might want to check out: http://myheartbeets.com/tag/slow-cooker/ 🙂