Low Carb Chili

This low carb chili is thick, meaty and full of smoky, warming spices, and it doesn't miss the beans one bit. Ground beef and ground pork simmer with red bell pepper, cumin, paprika and tomato sauce in the slow cooker or Instant Pot, so dinner pretty much makes itself. Each hearty bowl has just 7g net carbs and 41g of protein before toppings.

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When the weather turns cold, chili is one of those meals my family asks for again and again, right up there with low carb lasagna. The trouble is that a regular bowl of chili can carry a surprising amount of carbs. Beans are the biggest culprit, but added sugar, lots of chopped onion and sweetened tomato products all add up too. This version fixes all of that without losing the cozy, spoon-it-up comfort that makes chili so good.

Key Ingredients & Substitutions

Why no beans? Beans are what push most chili recipes out of low carb territory. Half a cup of cooked kidney or pinto beans has around 13 to 15g net carbs on its own, which is more than this whole bowl of chili. Instead of beans, this recipe uses two pounds of meat and a chopped bell pepper, so every spoonful is filling and full of texture. If you really miss the look of beans, see the FAQ below for a couple of low carb options.

• Ground beef and ground pork. Using both gives the chili a richer, juicier flavor than beef alone. An 80/20 beef works well. You can use all beef, or swap in ground turkey or chicken (see Variations).
• Red bell pepper. It adds color, a little sweetness and the chunky bite you would normally get from beans. Green or orange peppers work too; green ones are slightly lower in carbs.
• Onion powder instead of chopped onion. Onions are lovely, but the carbs in a whole chopped onion add up quickly. A teaspoon of onion powder gives you all of the flavor for a fraction of the carbs.
• Garlic paste. A tube of garlic paste saves you mincing, but two or three fresh garlic cloves, finely chopped, are a perfect swap.
• Canned tomato sauce. Use plain, unsweetened tomato sauce or passata, never ketchup or a sauce with added sugar. Check the label, because carb counts vary a lot between brands.
• Cumin, paprika and cayenne. Cumin brings the classic chili flavor and paprika adds warmth and color. The heat comes only from the cayenne pepper, so start with a quarter teaspoon and add more at the end. A tablespoon of chili powder is a nice addition if you have it.
• Worcestershire sauce. Just a tablespoon gives the chili a deep, savory backbone. Coconut aminos work if you prefer.

How to Make Low Carb Chili in the Slow Cooker

Start by browning the pork, beef and garlic in a little olive oil in a large skillet until there is no pink left. Drain off most of the fat, then tip the meat into a slow cooker. Add the bell pepper, Worcestershire sauce, spices and tomato sauce, give everything a good stir, and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours. Like most slow cooker meals, it will make your whole house smell amazing.

How to Make Low Carb Chili in the Instant Pot

The Instant Pot gets this chili on the table in well under an hour. Brown the meat and garlic right in the pot on the Sauté setting, drain off most of the fat, then pour in half a cup of water and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom. That little bit of water is what stops the pot from showing a burn warning, since tomato sauce is thick and loves to stick.

Stir in the pepper, Worcestershire sauce and spices, then pour the tomato sauce over the top without stirring it in. Seal the lid and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Give it a stir, and if you like a thicker chili, let it bubble on Sauté for a few minutes. You can also use the Slow Cook setting with the valve on Venting and follow the slow cooker times instead.

Helpful Tips

Brown the meat well. Don't rush this step. Letting the meat get some real color in the pan builds a lot of flavor, and it means the chili tastes like it simmered all day, even when it came out of the Instant Pot.

Season at the end. Chili concentrates as it cooks, so wait until it's done before adding extra salt or cayenne. Taste, adjust, and taste again. This is also the easiest way to keep the heat friendly for kids.

Use a large enough slow cooker. Two pounds of meat plus the sauce fills a small crockpot right to the top. A 6 or 7 quart slow cooker gives the chili room to cook evenly.

Thicken it without flour. If your chili is runnier than you like, simmer it with the lid off for 10 to 15 minutes. It reduces naturally, so you never need flour, cornstarch or masa.

Low Carb Chili Toppings

Toppings are half the fun of a chili night. Set out a few bowls and let everyone build their own. These all keep the carbs low:

• Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
• Shredded cheddar, pepper jack or Monterey Jack
• Sliced green onions or chopped fresh cilantro
• Diced avocado or a spoonful of Low Carb Chunky Guacamole with Cumin
• Pickled or fresh jalapeño slices
• Crumbled crispy bacon
• A squeeze of fresh lime

Variations

• Turkey chili. Swap both meats for ground turkey for a lighter bowl. For a version built around turkey from the start, try my Low Carb Turkey Chili.
• Chicken chili. Use ground chicken, or shred cooked chicken thighs and stir them in for the last 30 minutes so they stay juicy. Add an extra teaspoon of cumin, since chicken is milder than beef.
• White chili. Leave out the tomato sauce and paprika. Cook chicken with a cup of chicken broth, a can of diced green chiles, cumin and garlic, then stir in 4 ounces of cream cheese at the end until it's thick and creamy.
• All beef. Use two pounds of ground beef, or swap one pound for cubed chuck steak for a chunky, Texas-style bowl. Chuck needs the full slow cooker time to get tender.
• Extra veggies. Stir in diced zucchini or chopped mushrooms with the pepper. They soak up the sauce and stretch the chili further for very few extra carbs.
• Smoky chipotle. Swap the cayenne for chipotle powder, or add a chopped chipotle pepper in adobo, for a deep, smoky heat.

Serving Ideas

This chili is filling enough to enjoy on its own, but it's also great spooned over cauliflower rice or Miracle Rice, or wrapped up in crisp lettuce leaves. A wedge of Low Carb Cornbread with Bacon on the side makes it feel like a proper chili supper.

Leftovers make fantastic chili cheese dogs, a stuffing for baked bell peppers, or a topping for Cauliflower Nachos on game day.

Storing & Freezing

Let the chili cool, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Like most stews, it tastes even better the next day once the spices have had time to settle in, which makes it a great make-ahead lunch. Reheat portions in the microwave or in a pan over medium heat, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.

Chili freezes beautifully. Portion it into freezer bags or containers, leaving a little space at the top, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat on the stove until piping hot all the way through. Add the toppings fresh when you serve it, since sour cream and avocado don't freeze well.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is chili low carb?

Traditional chili usually isn't, because of the beans and sometimes added sugar. Chili made without beans, like this one, is naturally low carb. The meat, peppers, spices and unsweetened tomato sauce keep it at 7g net carbs per serving, so it fits easily into a low carb or keto way of eating.

How many net carbs are in a bowl of chili?

A typical one-cup bowl of chili with beans has roughly 18 to 25g net carbs, depending on the recipe and how many beans it has. A serving of this beanless low carb chili (a quarter of the recipe) has about 7g net carbs before toppings. Cheese and sour cream add very little, so even a fully loaded bowl stays well under 10g.

What beans are lowest in carbs?

Black soybeans are the best choice for a low carb chili. They have only about 1g net carbs per half cup, and they look and taste a lot like black beans. Lupini beans are another very low carb option. Green beans work too if you just want something bean-like in the pot. Regular kidney, pinto and black beans are much higher, at around 12 to 15g net carbs per half cup, so they're best left out.

With 41g of protein in every bowl, this is one of my favorite ways to stay full on cold nights. For more ideas, take a look at my list of 30 Low Carb High Protein Foods.

More Low Carb Comfort Food

If you loved this chili, here are a few more cozy recipes you might enjoy:

• Low Carb Turkey Chili
• Low Carb Taco Casserole
• Keto Turkey Soup
• Low Carb Lamb Stew

📖 Recipe

StepAwayFromTheCarbs.com

Low Carb Chili

4.72 from 14 votes

This hearty low carb chili skips the beans and piles on ground beef, ground pork, peppers and warm spices instead. Make it in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot for an easy, filling dinner with 7g net carbs and 41g of protein per serving.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Makes: 4 Servings

Net Carbs: 7

Calories: 663

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

• 1 tbs olive oil for browning the meat
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 red bell pepper deseeded and chopped
• 1 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 15 oz canned tomato sauce unsweetened, or passata (not ketchup)
• ½ cup water Instant Pot pressure-cook method only
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne / chilli powder or more to taste

Step-by-Step Instructions

 

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Brown the meat

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat (or use the Sauté setting on an Instant Pot). Add the ground pork, ground beef and garlic paste and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon, until it is browned all over with no pink left.
2. Drain off most of the fat, leaving about a tablespoon in with the meat for flavor.

Slow cooker method

1. Transfer the browned meat to a slow cooker. Add the chopped red bell pepper, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, onion powder, paprika, tomato sauce and cayenne (leave out the water). Stir well, then taste and add more cayenne if you want more heat.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours, until the peppers are soft and the flavors have blended. Stir, taste and adjust the salt and spice before serving.

Instant Pot method

1. After browning the meat in the Instant Pot, drain off most of the fat and turn off the Sauté setting. Pour in the water and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot so you don't get a burn warning.
2. Add the bell pepper, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, onion powder, paprika and cayenne and stir. Pour the tomato sauce over the top and do not stir it in.
3. Lock the lid, set the valve to Sealing and pressure cook on HIGH for 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then carefully release the rest.
4. Stir the chili. If it is thinner than you like, simmer it on Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often, until it thickens. (You can also use the Slow Cook setting instead: follow the slow cooker times above with the valve set to Venting, and skip the water.)

To serve

1. Spoon the chili into bowls and top with sour cream, shredded cheddar and sliced green onions, or any of your favorite low carb toppings.

Nutrition

Calories: 663kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 41gFat: 51gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 162mgSodium: 703mgPotassium: 1083mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1716IUVitamin C: 48mgCalcium: 71mgIron: 5mgNet Carbs: 7g

Notes

7g net carbs per serving, not including toppings. Nutrition is calculated without draining the fat, so the real numbers will be a little lower. The water is only needed for the Instant Pot pressure-cook method.

Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

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Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is my best approximation. Net carbs are calculated as the total grams carbs minus the total grams of fiber.