Easy Keto Chili
This hearty Keto Chili recipe features tons of meat, peppers, spices and tomatoes! At about 8 net carbs per serving this low carb, no bean chili will become a family favorite!
Recipe published on October 2, 2019 and updated on August 2, 2023
This keto chili recipe is going to be a new favorite! It’s hearty, loaded with flavor, and exactly what you want on a chilly day. At about 8 net carbs per bowl, you can enjoy this without worrying about that keto diet. This chili is made on the stovetop and can be easily frozen and reheated for easy meal prep. If you prefer a quicker soup, try this Instant Pot No Bean Chili – It’s just like this one, except it’s faster with the pressure cooking!
You can also use this chili to make some other great dishes! Some of my favorites include Keto Chili Dogs, Chili Cheese Chaffles, and Keto Chili Cheese Pie!
Reasons You’ll Love this Recipe
- Budget-friendly: Traditional chili is known for being an economical dish because it is made with affordable ingredients like canned beans and tomatoes. This keto-friendly chili recipe is no different! It’s an excellent option for feeding a family or a group without breaking the bank.
- Hearty and satisfying: Chili is comforting, filling, and packed with protein! Low carb meals often get a reputation for not keeping you full. This dish is the complete opposite, it is so full of amazing ingredients you will feel totally satisfied.
- Embrace the leftovers: Chili is one of those magic dishes that tastes even better the next day! As the flavors have more time to meld together, they become even more rich and enjoyable. This makes keto chili a great meal prep option.
Ingredients for the Best Keto Chili
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need. For exact measurements, just keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card.
- Ground beef or turkey: This is entirely about your own preference. Either one will work fine.
- Vegetables: Bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic come together to give that classic chili flavor and texture.
- Canned goods: tomatoes with green chilies, tomato sauce, and tomato paste are used to bring that punchy tomato flavor, but we don’t use a wild amount to keep the carbs in check.
- Beef broth: This fills out the volume of the rest of the soup. Vegetable broth or chicken broth will work, but they will change the depth of flavor in this keto chili.
- Spices: I used chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper. I highly recommend taste testing before adding much salt.
How do you make easy Keto Chili?
This is SUCH an easy recipe! In addition to the ingredients listed above you will need a large pot, or dutch oven to make this recipe. This keto chili doesn’t require a lot of babysitting and doesn’t need hours to come together. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:
Saute the Meat and Peppers
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven to medium heat. Once the pot is hot, add the ground beef and cook until browned, breaking up as you go. Drain off the grease, but keep the meat in the pan. Next, add the chopped bell peppers and jalapenos and saute 2-3 minutes. One thing to keep in mind is your spice level. I seed the peppers so there is very little heat, but if you love a spicy chili you can toss a few seeds in as well.
Add Remaining Ingredients
Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, spiced and beef broth to the Stir well to make sure all the ingredients are mixed. The tomato paste can be a little tricky to breakup, just stir the mixture well, especially as it begins to simmer to fully incorporate the tomato paste into the dish.
Simmer
Allow chili to warm up to a simmer again, then lower the heat to low. Simmer uncovered for about 25-30 minutes or until the tomato juice has reduced and thickened. This is important, it is how you get that rich, authentic chili flavor.
Serve
This keto chili recipe is amazing on its own, but keto biscuits or bread puts it over the top! Keto Garlic Bread Chaffles, Keto Cheddar Garlic Biscuits, or even Bacon Cheddar Chive Biscuits would all be fantastic dunked in this chili. If you’re used to have crackers or fritos on your chili, you might still feel like something’s missing. Here’s a list of some DELICIOUS soup toppers that are keto, gluten free, and easy: Keto Soup Garnish and Topper Ideas.
Storage and Reheating
Before storing allow the chili to cool completely to prevent a build up in condensation, which will result in a watery dish. Once cooled place the chili in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Alternatively, you can preportion the chili for quick and easy meal prep in these containers.
To reheat chili in single serve portions warm in 30 second increments in the microwave until warmed through. To reheat chili in large portions place in a pot or dutch oven over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until warmed through.
Freezing Chili
To freeze the chili allow it to cool completely. Next, ladel into a freezer safe bag. Lay the bags flat and remove any excess air before sealing to prevent freezer burn. This allows the bag to lay flat and take up less room in the freezer. You can safely store chili up to 4 months in the freezer. When ready to reheat allow the chili to thaw in the fridge overnight then follow the warming instructions above.
If you love this easy chili, you will love these other keto soups!
- Keto White Chicken Chili
- Lobster Bisque
- Keto Taco Soup
- Creamy Tomato Soup with Italian Sausage and Spinach
- Creamy Cajun Chicken Soup
- 10+ Easy Keto Soups
FAQ’s about Keto Chili
No, normally chili is not keto. Most chilis include beans, loads of tomatoes, and more onions than are usually suggested for those on the keto diet. This recipe, however, is keto friendly and has just 8.5 net carbs.
Most chilis are high in carbs, around 20+ net carbs. Even no-bean chili can be 12+ net carbs! This keto chili has only 8.5 net carbs, though, so it’s a keto-friendly recipe.
Leftover chili might be even better than fresh chili! If you don’t want another bowl of this, you can use it in several different ways. Try Chili Cheese Dogs, Keto Chili Pies, or Chili Cheese Chaffles!
Yes, this chili is easy to make in the Instant Pot! You can find those instructions here: Instant Pot No Bean Chili.
No, I wouldn’t consider this chili spicy, but if you like really mild food you can skip the jalapeno and start with just 1 tablespoon of chili powder and add additional spice as desired.
Get the Recipe: The BEST Keto Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef or turkey
- 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (10 ounce) can tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (32 ounce) carton beef broth
- 1 (7 ounce) can tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons chili powder*
- 1 teaspoon EACH oregano, cumin, and garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- *If you enjoy spicy chili I would increase this to 3 tablespoons of chili powder.
Instructions
- Brown the meat over medium heat in a medium size sauce pot or dutch oven. Drain off any grease
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Be sure the tomato paste is fully incorporated.
- Allow chili to simmer over low heat uncovered for approximately 25 minutes until the tomato juice has reduced and thickened.
Notes
Brown the meat as directed, drain off any grease and transfer to a slow cooker.
Add the remaining ingredients, stir well.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Instant Pot Instructions can be found here.
- This recipe yields 8 servings. Each serving is 1.5 cups and contains 8.5 net carbs.
What a hearty recipe! Looking forward to curling up on the couch with this for dinner tonight!
mmmm…SO warm, hearty and delicious!! YUM!
I’m not on keto but I don’t care for a ton of beans in my chili, so I’m going to give this a try!
Definitely my kind of chili! Looks amazing!
Looks like a perfect weeknight dinner! Yum!
Could leftovers be frozen?
Sure, these are great left over just thaw and reheat! 🙂
How much is a serving size?
Hi Brianna, 1.5 cups per serving
That’s what I’m saying. It says per serving with no amount.
Hi Chris, Sorry if you missed that, the serving size info is at the bottom of the recipe card. 1.5 cups per serving. Hope you enjoy!
Always looking for more low carb meals! Thanks!
I made this for dinner the other night and it was a big hit. I cut down on the chili powder because I prefer my chili mild and it was perfect.
Debbie, I am so glad your family enjoyed this!! I think we will be eating this all fall! 🙂
Would this do well cooking in a crockpot all day?
Absolutely, I did it that way last weekend and it was perfect! 🙂
I have been craving chili! How many carbs are in the tomato sauces?
Hi Kim, the nutritional information is listed below the recipe. There are 8.5 net carbs per 1.5 cups of this chili.
I made this with lean hamburger meat and it is amazing! I will definately be making again.
This was so delicious! The whole family loved it! I used about half of the beef broth because I didn’t want it as “soupy” as the picture and it was perfect! We will be adding this to our winter rotation.
Thank you so much! I’m so glad your family enjoyed this!! 🙂
Did mine in the instapot and came out great! Sautéed everything and then cooked on manual for 14 minutes. Thank you. Added bacon.
Can I use turkey broth instead of beef broth?
Hi Dee, certainly! I’ve used vegetable broth and it was great so I’m sure turkey would work fine!
Made this today for lunch and OMG! So delicious! I added 1/2 a white onion, an extra jalepeno and 3 tbsp chili powder instead of 2. Best chili I’ve ever made! Thank you!
Jennifer you have made my day! Thank you so much for your kind words!
This chili was the bomb!!!
So good on this cold winter day.
Same with me, so I added a teaspoon-ish of almond flour to my bowl and really lIked it. So, I added about a 1/2 cup to the pot. It is a real hit! I didn’t have tomato sauce, so I just used a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes. I also didn’t have beef broth and used beef broth powder instead, added to 2 cups water. Very good. My husband really liked it a lot! Thanks=D
This is a favorite keto meal for my husband and me! Have made it so many times I have lost count. I do three pounds of organic beef, cut back on the bone broth since we like it thick. I change it up sometimes if I don’t have everything on hand. It makes no difference, at least in taste. We always love it! It’s hard to stop at a cup and a half.
If I was to do this in crockpot what setting (low or high) and for how long? This looks so good can’t wait to make it 🙂
This was pretty awesome! I did add half an onion and a little more tomato sauce just to get rid of those things. I also didn’t use the jalapeño and only used the 2 tablespoons of chili for my husband’s sake. It was an awesome chili! I will definitely make it again!
Hi! I’m new to keto and it shows it has 7grams of sugar. I thought sugar is supposed to be 0. Also where is the sugar coming from because I’m not sure which ingredients would have sugar in them. Thank you ?
It is natural sugar from the tomatoes, basically all fruits and vegetables have some sort of sugar. This is perfectly fine for keto as long as the net carbs are kept in check.
This is the first keto dish I’ve made, and it is a hands-down winner. I like my chili moderately spicy, so the next time I make this, I think I’ll add a second jalapeno along with that third tablespoon of chili powder. An onion would be a nice addition, too, but I’m not sure I’d risk it with the carbs. But overall, this chili is well-seasoned and flavorful. I don’t think I’ll even miss the beans. I’m fasting today, but I look forward to having a nice scoop of it tomorrow with a dollop of guac on top!
this recipe is a keeper!
I upped it to 3lbs of meat and used g. beef, g. lamb and Italian sausage but kept the other ratios the same.
I also used red peppers instead of green and diced tomatoes instead of sauce (because that’s what I had) and threw in some onions and cayenne pepper. so delicious!
Did in crock pot and too runny. Going to try and add some more tomato paste and thicken on stove top. Made it before stovetop and it was great. So sorry it is runny. Great chili.
This Chili was fantastic!
It mentions simmering until tomato juice has reduced, but I don’t see tomato juice in the recipe
I think you took that too literally, simmer until the tomato and beef broth mixture has reduced.
This was soooo good! I did not have any tomato sauce, so I used two small cans of El Pato instead 🙂 I also used one pound of ground beef and one pound of sausage. It was hard to wait for it to cook down, it smelled so delicious. Thanks for sharing…I will definitely make this again! Loved it!
I guess it would be ok to add some baby spinach if you would like?
Posted my question in the wrong spot, sorry.
Looks great, can’t wait to make! I can’t find canned tomatoes with green chilies. How would you suggest I add green chilies when using plain canned tomatoes
Best keto chili I have ever tasted and I made this several times already and my family loves it, they don’t even know it’s Kero. Lol.
I will definitely be making this today, 2lbs of lean ground beef, 1 diced medium onion, 2 minced cloves of garlic, chili powder, cumin, mex. oregano S & P, 1 med can of diced green chilis, 1/2 tube of chorizo (cooked down and added after I drain the meat mixture, (2) can of El Pato sauce, 1 can roasted rotel tomato’s, and tomato sauce as needed. Let simmer for about a half an hour….Can’t wait.
I’m confused…if you need fat on keto why should you drain the grease off of ground beef when making chili
Just because your body is fueled by fat when in ketosis doesn’t mean that added fat makes a meal better. Two pounds of ground beef releases a large amount of grease. I would find it quite unpleasant to eat a meal that greasy, and the grease would alter the overall flavors. If you wish to skip draining your beef that is a personal preference.
This Chili was delicious and super easy to make!
I know the serving size is 1.5 cups but how many servings does this make?
Hi Becky, this recipe yields 8 servings.
We LOVE this recipe!! I always add bacon….bc why not. I actually just won a chili cook off with this recipe (added bacon). Huge hit. 5⭐️
Hi I make this often but while on Keto can I eat it as long as I’m hungry or do I have to limit myself on it ? Thank you
Hi, a serving size is 1 1/2 cups. The nutritional information is listed under the recipe.
I have to use the crockpot…so could I turn on high for quicker cooking?
You can use a crockpot, but I do really feel like the last step of letting it simmer is important, so the chili can reduce; that is hard to replicate in a crockpot.
I’ve made this many times. now that I’m on Keto, I appreciate this even more. Delicious chili and yes, you do not miss the beans.
I’m not much of a cook, but this recipe was incredibly easy and delicious! I let it reduce for 30 minutes, and it was still a little more liquid than I like, so next time I’m going to experiment and try a little less of the broth, maybe 3/4 as much. The chili was a winner, and my wife is insisting I make it a regular thing this winter.
Very easy to put together and it was delicious! Will definitely make again.
I made this recipe, but used a pound of ground beef and a pound of ground turkey, original hotel and an extra can of diced green chilies, legitimately the best chili I’ve ever made!