No beans. No filler. Just bold, beefy Texas-style chili made with three types of real chili peppers and tender chunks of beef in a deep red chili broth.
This no bean chili sticks to the spirit of authentic Texas chili—rich, meaty, and all about the peppers. Cook it low and slow in your crock pot or simmer it on the stovetop. Either way, you get deep flavor and tender beef in every bowl.
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🥄 What Makes This Chili Work
- 🐄 Ingredients for Texas Style Chili (No Beans)
- 👨🍳 Quick Overview: How to Make Texas Style Chili
- 🌶️ What Makes Texas Chili Different?
- 🥩 Choosing the Right Beef
- 🌶️ Picking the Peppers
- 🍅 Tomatoes and Seasoning Basics
- 🍽️ What to Serve with Texas Chili
- 🥣 More of My Favorite Chili Recipes
- ❄️ Storing Leftovers
- ❓FAQs
- 📖The Recipe Card
Featured Comment by Barbara:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"I finally found someone who knows, if it is Texas chili, it has NO beans in it!!! Thank you, Dr Dan. thx. A true Texas native."
Featured Comment from Barbara:
"I finally found someone who knows, if it is Texas chili, it has NO beans in it!!! Thank you Dr Dan. thx A true Texas native."
This recipe hits all the marks for classic Texas-style chili—chunks of tender beef and the complex flavors of three chili peppers, no beans in sight. I’ve simplified the method, but the essence of authentic Texas chili is still right here in every bite.
🥄 What Makes This Chili Work
- Chunked beef, not ground—cooks up tender and stays together.
- Three real chili peppers for bold, layered flavor.
- No beans. Ever. Just beef, broth, and chili.
- Crock pot or stovetop—works in a mini 2-quart, small, or full-size slow cooker.
- Low carb and freezer-friendly.
🐄 Ingredients for Texas Style Chili (No Beans)
This chili keeps it simple and classic—real beef, real chili peppers, no beans.
- Beef – Trimmed chuck roast or stew meat. Chuck holds up well and adds deep flavor.
- Chili Peppers – Jalapeño, Anaheim, and poblano. This mix adds layers of flavor and balanced heat.
- Aromatics – Yellow or white onion, plus fresh garlic.
- Canned Goods – Diced tomatoes and beef broth form the base.
- Pantry Seasonings – Chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt, and black pepper.
🔥 Want more heat? Add extra jalapeño or leave in a few seeds.
🧊 Scaling up? This freezes well and works in larger crock pots.
👨🍳 Quick Overview: How to Make Texas Style Chili
1. Prep the vegetables
Chop the onion. Clean and dice the jalapeño (finely), plus an Anaheim and a poblano pepper.
2. Trim and brown the meat
Use precut stew meat or trim a chuck roast into cubes.
Brown the beef in a few teaspoons of oil over medium-high heat. After 3–4 minutes, add the chopped onion and continue cooking until it softens. Add the garlic during the last minute of browning.
✅ Pro Tip: Use a Dutch oven for browning if you're cooking on the stovetop.
3. Cooking
Combine the browned meat with the chopped peppers, diced tomatoes, beef broth, and seasonings in a Dutch oven or a properly sized crock pot.
Crock Pot: Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
Stovetop: Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 2–3 hours, or until the meat is tender.
Top with sour cream and cheese to balance the heat.
👇 Scroll down for the printable recipe card and complete step-by-step photo instructions—or keep reading for tips, storage, and serving ideas.
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🌶️ What Makes Texas Chili Different?
Texas chili is more of a meat dish than a typical bean-heavy chili. There's no single “official” version, but a few things hold true across most definitions:
- No beans – This is the one rule almost everyone agrees on.
- Big on beef – Usually cubed, not ground.
- Real chili flavor – Built from chili peppers, not just chili powder.
- Tomatoes are a point of debate. Some purists leave them out, but most modern Texas chili recipes—including this one—use them for flavor and balance.
My version is simpler for home cooks, but it still keeps the core identity: beef, chili peppers, and no beans.
🥩 Choosing the Right Beef
Texas chili calls for beef in chunks—not ground, not poultry. I prefer to cut and trim a chuck roast into 1-inch cubes, but precut stew meat will work too. Brisket is another good option, but it needs to be cooked until very tender—aim for 200°F internal temperature.
Browning the beef adds a lot of great flavor, and it’s a perfect time to soften the onion and bloom the garlic while you're at it. You can skip this step—but please don’t.
🌶️ Picking the Peppers
This chili uses fresh jalapeño, Anaheim, and poblano peppers for warm, layered heat. They’re easy to find and add great flavor without relying on dried chiles or powders.
Before chopping, clean the peppers well:
- Cut off the stems
- Slice them open lengthwise
- Remove all seeds and the white membrane inside (this is where most of the heat lives)
- Rinse them if needed, then pat dry
🔪 Pro Tip: Pepper oils can stay on your skin even after rinsing. Wash your hands well with soap and water after handling, and avoid touching your eyes.
Chop the jalapeño finely for even heat. Dice the Anaheim and poblano about the same size as the onion.
The heat level in this recipe is about a 5–6 out of 10. Want it hotter? Add another jalapeño or leave in some membrane. Prefer it milder? Use less or skip the jalapeño entirely.
🍅 Tomatoes and Seasoning Basics
Most modern Texas chili recipes include tomatoes—this one uses diced tomatoes and a bit of broth for the base.
Tomato paste can be used instead if you want a thicker or slightly sweeter result. You can also adjust the thickness by increasing or cutting back the broth.
The chili peppers do most of the work on flavor, but you’ll also add a little chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Feel free to tweak it—add more heat, try paprika, or toss in green chiles if that’s your style.
🍽️ What to Serve with Texas Chili
This chili brings some heat, so balance it out with a spoonful of sour cream and a little shredded cheddar cheese. Garnish with pickled jalapeños, lime wedges, or chopped cilantro if you like.
Serve it alongside Old Fashioned Cornbread or Cornmeal Drop Biscuits—or just grab a handful of corn chips and salsa and call it good.
👍 Bonus: It also works great over baked potatoes, nachos, or hot dogs if you're feeding a crowd.
🥣 More of My Favorite Chili Recipes
I love this one, but here are a few other chili recipes worth checking out:
- Chili Con Carne – A more traditional chili that includes beans. Sometimes called Texas Chili with beans.
- Small Crock Pot Chili – Classic ground beef chili made in a small crock pot.
- White Chicken Chili – My go-to chicken chili, made in the crock pot.
- Pork Chili – A flavorful change of pace, made with tender pork chunks.
- Three Bean Turkey Chili – A hearty, bean-loaded option that still cooks low and slow.
❄️ Storing Leftovers
Refrigerate leftover chili in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
To freeze, seal it well—freezer bags or containers both work—and store for up to 4 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
❓FAQs
Yes. You can replace the beef broth with beer if you like—just remember: bad beer = bad chili.
Sure, it’s your chili. I’d suggest rinsing the beans first—kidney beans work well. Just know that most folks expect Texas chili to be bean-free.
If you want a version that includes beans, try my Stew Meat Chili (Chili Con Carne)—it's built like Texas chili but includes beans by design.
Probably not. This recipe is naturally thick, but you can adjust the amount of broth to get the consistency you like.
If you want it thicker near the end of cooking, make a slurry with 2 tablespoons of masa harina or cornstarch and ¼ cup cool water. Stir it in and cook another 10–20 minutes.
📖The Recipe Card
Texas Style Chili (No Beans, Crock Pot or Stovetop)
Ingredients
- 1 pound Chuck roast beef - trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes or use stew meat
- 1 jalapeno - diced small
- 1 Anaheim - diced medium
- 1 poblano pepper - chopped medium
- 1 onion - medium chopped
- 2 cloves garlic - crushed or minced
- 14 oz diced tomatoes
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep the vegetables
- Chop one medium yellow or white onion. Clean and dice one jalapeño (finely), one Anaheim pepper, and one poblano pepper.
Trim and brown the meat
- Trim and cube 1 pound of beef into 1-inch pieces, or use precut stew meat.
- Brown in a few teaspoons of oil over medium-high heat. After 3–4 minutes, add the onion and continue cooking until it softens. Add the garlic during the last minute of browning.
Cooking
- In a Dutch oven or a properly sized crock pot, combine the browned meat with a 14-oz can of diced tomatoes, 1 cup beef broth, 1 tablespoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon oregano, ¼ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Crock Pot: Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.Stovetop: Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 2–3 hours, or until the meat is tender.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Brisket can also be used—just be sure to cook it until very tender (200°F+).
- This fits a 2-quart mini crock pot. A double batch fits a 3½ quart or larger slow cooker.
- Heat level is around 6/10. Add more jalapeño for extra heat—or cut back for milder.
- Makes about four 1½ cup servings.
- Leftovers store well in the fridge for 4 days or freezer for up to 4 months.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Originally Published February 25, 2012. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Barbara says
I finally found someone who knows, if is Texas chili it has NO beans in it!!! Thank you Dr Dan. Just a suggestion, if you find it a bit to thin or "soupy" as we down here call it, add some marina masa to the pot about 30 minutes before you serve. Be sure to stir well.
thx A true Texas native.
Philip e Dally says
Should be a brisket if it's Texan. I'm trying to figure out if I made this in a cast iron pot if I could smoke it for 8 hours. Never smoked soup before...Love your recipes!
Dr Dan says
I was lazy and did not brown but don't forget to trim. In my beef stew, I do brown ahead and I believe it did add some taste. So either should be fine.
Julia Roberts says
What a great website! And this recipe looks delicious. Found it when I googled stew meat chili as I've got a ton of stew meat in the freezer. Did you brown the meat first? Doesn't look like it. Does it matter?
Julia Roberts says
This looks great! Going to make it this weekend. Did you brown the meat first? Doesn't look like it.
Chris says
I like the nice mild heat this one brings to the bowl. Spicy but not flaming miserable.