This keto chili recipe is a low carb take on my dad's award-winning original, made with ground beef, sausage, stewed tomatoes, and green peppers instead of beans. Perfect for cozy winter nights and as an easy freezer meal prep meal.
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The keto version doesn't contain any beans, but it still has a secret ingredient that makes it sweet without affecting blood sugar, and it tastes so good!
Without the beans, this keto chili recipe is still plenty hearty and filling. I promise you won't miss them! If you love filling soups, try these hearty high protein, low carb soups.
Why Is It Award Winning?
Growing up, every fall when football season rolled around and there was a slight chill in the air, we would open up the windows and make some chili. Over the years, my dad perfected the recipe enough to win chili contests many times. He passed it on to family members who've won with it too, and my father-in-law in New York even makes it annually.
How To Make
Here's 3 ways to make this keto chili recipe. My favorite method is stovetop.
Full ingredient amounts, instructions, and notes are in recipe card at the bottom of this post. (or use the 'jump to recipe' button at the top of this post).
Stovetop
- Finely chop onion and green pepper. Add to large pot. Sauté on medium-high heat until onion is translucent.
- Add ground beef and sausage to the pot and cook until just turning brown.
- Using an immersion hand blender, rough up the stewed tomatoes. Careful not to blend until it's tomato sauce. Just do a rough chop.
- Add all other ingredients to the pot.
- Stir thoroughly and set to extreme simmer (basically in between simmer and boil) for 2 hours. Stir very often.
- Serve with cheddar cheese, sour cream, and any other topping of choice.
Olivia's Top Tips
- Chili is one of those meals you need to personalize to suit your preferences so get creative with what you add to the mix.
- If preparing for a competition or special occasion, have the butcher grind up some fresh ground chuck and/or ground sausage.
- To lower the carbohydrates, omit one can of tomatoes.
- Add a can of green chilies for extra flavor.
- Before serving, try stirring in a little bit of cream cheese or a big dollop of sour cream for a creamy texture.
- If just doing a low carb diet, you can also add a can of beer for more flavor. My dad uses a can of Yuengling.
CrockPot
This is great for hands-off cooking, easy cleanup, and batch-prepping for the freezer.
- Sauté the veggies and brown the meat on the stove first
- Transfer everything to the crockpot with the rest of the ingredients
- Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-4.
Instant Pot
Another great method when batch meal prepping.
- Use the "sauté" function to heat the inner pot with a little olive oil or avocado oil, then sauté the chopped bell pepper and onion.
- Continue using "sauté" to brown the meat.
- Add the remaining ingredients, secure the lid, and set to "manual" or "chili/bean" mode for 20 minutes.
- Allow to naturally release pressure, or release manually.
Pro tip: Make sure the inner seal is properly seated.
Frequently Asked Questions
So many things! I love setting up a nice ultimate chili bar with some of these toppings:
-Sour Cream
-Hand Shredded Cheddar Cheese
-Lime Juice
-Cream Cheese
-Greek Yogurt
-Guacamole
-Avocado Slices
-Hot Sauce
-Bacon Crumbles
-Keto Chips
-Keto Crackers
-Keto Cornbread
-Jalapeno Slices
-Pico de gallo
-Cilantro
-Ranch Dressing
Cauliflower rice is great keto side dish choice goes well with chili. Another popular side dish for keto chili is carnivore steak nuggets in the air fryer then you can dip it in sour cream or guacamole. How amazing does that sound?
Yes, especially since chili is way better the next day. Meal prep and freezer meals are the best way to help you stick to a keto diet.
Find the printable recipe card below with all ingredient measurements, instructions, and my notes. Watch the video below as a visual guide.
Related
If you enjoyed this recipe, check out these others:
- 11 Keto Soup Recipes (Instant Pot, Crockpot, Stovetop)
- Keto Korean Beef Bowls
- Keto Taco Bowls
- Keto Lemon Garlic Chicken
Recipe
Award-Winning Keto Chili
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (I used Maverick organic brand)
- 1 lb pork sausage
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 28 oz stewed tomatoes (I used a 28 oz can of Muir Glen Organic brand)
- 6 oz tomato paste (I used a 6 oz can of Muir Glen Organic)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoon cumin
- 2 tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ cup brown sugar-free sweetener (I used Swerve brand)
- 8 drops ghost chili hot sauce
Instructions
- Finely chop onion and green pepper. Add to large pot.
- Sauté on medium-high heat until onion is translucent.
- Add ground beef and sausage to the pot and cook until just turning brown.
- Using an immersion hand blender, rough up the stewed tomatoes. Careful not to blend until it's tomato sauce. Just do a rough chop.
- Add all other ingredients to the pot.
- Stir thoroughly and set to extreme simmer (basically in between simmer and boil) for 2 hours. Stir very often.
- Serve with cheddar cheese, sour cream, and any other topping of choice.
Kim says
Hi there
Do we simmer with the lid on or off for the two hours?
Olivia Wyles says
Lid off
Ginger says
My go to keto chili! Just a pinch of sweetener.
Terry Nichols says
It’s very good but I did not put the sweetener in it