This no bean chili is the ultimate in comfort food. It's packed with flavour and loaded with vegetables and is made with blueberries instead of beans. It may sound crazy but trust me, this chili tastes amazing!
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe:
- The flavour! This is the best no bean chili. It is thick and chunky and isn't too spicy. All the vegetables add a delicious texture and make it so hearty and filling, just like my meat sauce with olives.
- It is so quick and easy to make and can be made on the stovetop, in a slow cooker, crockpot, or in an Instant Pot. Plus it's made in one pot so the clean up is simple and easy.
- Instead of beans I added blueberries, but don't worry, this chili doesn't actually taste like blueberries.
- This chili recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, bean free, and Whole30 compliant.
If you love comfort foods like chilis you will also love my ground pork chili recipe, creamy dairy-free sun dried tomatoes with chicken and creamy dairy free clam chowder.
Ingredients and substitutions:
For the full ingredient list and exact measurements refer to the recipe card later in this post.
Jump to the Recipe Card.
- Ground beef - I use lean ground beef that is grass fed and grass finished but you can use any type of ground beef that you prefer.
- Blueberries - these are used to make this chili without any beans. They give the similar appearance to beans and also add a unique flavour to this chili recipe. You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries.
- Canned chopped tomatoes - while some chili recipes are made with no tomatoes, this is a tomato based chili and canned tomatoes are used to give it so much flavour! You could also use fresh tomatoes and chop them yourself I you wish.
- Vegetables - for this veggie packed chili I use onion, celery, and sweet bell peppers to give it the best texture and taste. You can easily change up the vegetables in this recipe to use up whatever you have on hand.
- Herbs and spices - fresh garlic, chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, dried parsley, paprika, sea salt and ground black pepper all blend beautifully to give this chili such an incredible taste.
- Broth - you can use any type of broth that you like to make this chili including chicken broth, beef broth, vegetable broth or even bone broth.
- Cacao powder - cacao powder adds a unique flavour to chili recipes and helps enhance the flavours of the dish. Instead of cacao powder you could use cocoa powder.
Recipe variations and add ins:
- You could add other meat such as bacon or swap the ground beef for another ground meat such as ground turkey, ground pork or ground chicken.
- Feel free to add other vegetables such as sweet potatoes, zucchini, or corn to this beanless chili recipe.
- If you prefer a spicy chili add a bit more chili powder.
How to make no bean chili:
Step 1
Place a large pot on the stovetop on medium heat and adding two tablespoons of cooking fat. Allow the fat to melt and then add the ground beef to the pot. Cook the beef until it is browned and no longer pink, stirring frequently to break the meat apart.
Step 2
Once the meat is cooked, add the remaining ingredients to the pot and stir everything well to combine.
Step 3
Turn down the heat and cover the pot with the lid. Let the chili simmer for approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have the texture you prefer. Then enjoy!
Alternate cooking methods:
To make this no bean chili in a slow cooker or Crockpot: First, brown the meat in a pan on the stovetop. Then transfer the cooked ground beef to the crockpot or slow cooker and add the remaining ingredients. Turn the slow cooker onto low heat and cook the chili for 8 hours, stirring every so often to ensure all the ingredients cook evenly.
To make in an Instant Pot: First, turn your Instant Pot onto the sauté function and add the cooking fat, tomatoes and ground beef to the pot and sauté until the meat is browned and the tomatoes are tender. Then add the chopped celery, carrots, and bell pepper and sauté for a few more minutes, until the vegetables start to become tender. Now add the remaining ingredients to the pot and stir them well to combine. Next, turn the Instant Pot to the chili function and cook for 18 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10-15 minutes or perform a quick release with the vent.
Top Tips:
- Be sure to use a pure chili powder rather than a chili powder blend for this recipe.
- If your chili ends up too spicy you can add coconut milk to make it less spicy.
- How to store: store any leftover chili in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Serving ideas:
This no bean chili goes well with many different side dishes including grain free cornbread, low carb coleslaw, air fried sweet potato fries, air fried potato wedges or my paleo biscuits. You can also top this chili with fresh chopped cilantro, sour cream or dairy-free sour cream, grated cheese, or sliced avocado.
No bean chili FAQs:
Yes!
Instead of beans you can add more meat to chili such as ground beef, ground turkey or ground pork. You could also add blueberries which will give a similar appearance to what beans look like in chili.
No, this no bean chili is not keto or low carb.
No it doesn't. You can barely even tell the blueberries are there so you can easily omit them if you prefer.
Nope! If you prefer to omit the blueberries from this recipe you totally can. It won't change the flavour of the recipe.
Yes, this chili freezes really well for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Other ground meat recipes you will love:
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Recipe
No Bean Chili with Blueberries
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon cooking fat of choice (coconut oil, ghee, bacon fat are all great options)
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 4 cans chopped or diced tomatoes (approximately 1592 mL)
- 2 cups broth (you can use vegetable broth, chicken broth or beef broth)
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 5 celery stalks, chopped
- 5 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3 sweet bell peppers, chopped
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon organic cacao powder (omit for SCD)
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1-2 teaspoon sea salt (to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (use pure chili powder, not a mixed spice chili powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- Cook the ground beef by placing a large pot on the stove on medium heat and adding the cooking fat. Allow the fat to melt and then add the beef to the pot. Cook the beef until it is browned and no longer pink, stirring frequently to break the meat apart.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and stir everything well to combine.
- Place the lid on the pot and turn down the heat. Allow the chili to simmer for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables have the consistency you desire.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If you find this a little spicy simply add 1/4 - 1/2 cup of full fat coconut milk (as needed based on your tolerance).
- Store this chili in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Nutritional values are an estimate and will vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
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