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    🏠Home » Recipes » Chili Recipes

    Crock Pot Texas Chili

    Nov 29, 2022 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · 6 Comments

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.56 from 9 votes

    Hearty chunks of tender beef and rich flavorful warm heat from three types of chili peppers. Easy to cook on the stovetop or perfectly sized for a 2-quart crock pot, but easy to adjust for larger amounts to fit your needs.

    Texas Chili on a spoon

    Jump To:
    • 😊Why you will love this recipe
    • 👨‍🍳How to make this recipe in a crock pot
    • 👨‍🍳How to make this recipe on the stovetop
    • 📋Ingredients
    • What Makes Texas Chili Different?
    • ❓FAQs
    • Crock Pot Chilis
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📝Recipe

    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    😊Why you will love this recipe

    • Use precut stew meat or trim a chuck roast for the meat.
    • Uses three different types of fresh peppers for varying levels of flavor—so good. The heat level is 5-6/10; adjust the Jalapeno to change the heat level.
    • No beans-like a Texas chili should be
    • Make it on the stovetop or in your crock pot.
    • It makes about 5 cups of chili and will fit in a 2-quart crock pot. But scales up easily to double or triple size.
    • Perfect for low-carb and keto diets.

    👨‍🍳How to make this recipe in a crock pot

    1. This recipe makes about 5-6 cups of chili, as written. It fits in a 2-quart crock pot, but bigger is okay. But cooking small volumes in a large crock pot may cook faster. A double recipe will work in a 4-quart crock pot. If you want to use a 3 ½ quart crock pot, hold back some beef broth until the end.
    2. Browning the beef is not required but will add some nice taste. Do not use ground meat.
    3. Cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

    👨‍🍳How to make this recipe on the stovetop

    1. Start with a Dutch oven or soup pot. Add a few teaspoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
    2. Initially, brown the beef chunks in the pan, then remove them. Add the onion and peppers to the pot and cook until the onion clears some, then add the crushed garlic for one more minute.
    3. Add all the ingredients, including the browned meat, stir well, and bring the chili to a boil over medium-high heat. Decrease the heat to simmer, cover and cook for about 3 hours until the meat is tender.

    📋Ingredients

    What meat to use for Texas chili?

    Texas chili is all about chunks of beef and chili peppers. So no substituting poultry, skipping the beef or using ground beef.

    Use 1-inch cubes of trimmed beef. I prefer to cut and trim a beef chuck roast, but you can use store-cut stew beef.

    Brown the beef in a skillet before adding it to the crock pot to increase the flavor.

    What chili peppers to use in Texas chili?

    I suggest fresh jalapenos, Anaheim, and Poblano peppers. These will provide a nice warm heat with an excellent taste profile. Plus, they are commonly available fresh. Dried chiles are not interchangeable with fresh.

    This chili is a 5-6/10 spicy, about as high as I go. To adjust the heat, add more Jalapeno for hotter or decrease it for less heat. The other chilis will have less effect.

    All the peppers should have stems, seeds, and spines should be removed. The jalapeno should be chopped very small, but the other peppers should be medium-sized, more like the onion.

    Tomatoes—Diced tomatoes are in the recipe, but tomato sauce or paste can be used.

    Seasoning—The chili peppers provide most of the seasoning. There is some basic chili powder, oregano, and cumin but not much else. You can add other things like paprika, more chili powder, green chilis, and whatever you want.

    What Makes Texas Chili Different?

    Texas chili can be viewed more as a meat dish than traditional chili. There is no "official" version, so it is open to personal preference.

    No beans seem to be the most consistent part of the definition. Some will insist that there should be no tomato products, but most modern recipes include tomatoes.

    The purest will use just a paste of chiles with the beef and not much else.

    If you have a different definition, please post it. But please don't downrate the recipe due to this.

    ❓FAQs

    Do I need to thicken the chili?

    Many chili recipes use corn flour (masa harina) or corn starch to thicken the chili. This should not be needed here.

    This is a very thick chili, and you should adjust the beef broth up or down to get the thickness you want. You can always add more near the end of cooking.

    Can I add beans to Texas Chili?

    Sure, it is your chili. I suggest rinsing any beans you want to use them. Kidney beans would be my choice. Since most people expect Texas chili not to have beans, I would add "with beans" to whatever you call it.

    Can I add beer to Texas Chili?

    Yes, replace the broth with beer if you wish.

    How do you store leftover Texas chili?

    Leftovers can be stored refrigerated for four days.

    To freeze leftovers, seal airtight, then freeze for up to 4 months. I usually use freezer bags.

    What to serve with Texas chili?

    Since this chili has some heat, I like to top a bowl of chili with a good spoonful of sour cream and some shredded cheddar cheese.

    Slices of pickled jalapenos, lime juice or slices, and cilantro are common garnishes.

    I generally add some tortilla chips or Fritos on the side and call it good.

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    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    101's Best Recipes, Chili Recipes, Crock Pot Recipes, Healthy Recipes, Low Carb/Keto Recipes, Low Fat Recipes, Small Crock Pots Recipes
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    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    All discussions and the recipe card are four-serving sizes, but the images are a double recipe I usually cook.

    Stovetop instructions are in the post and the recipe card.

    raw chuck roast trimmed and cut into cubes on black board

    You need about 1 pound of trimmed beef cut into 1-inch pieces. You can be lazy and use precut stew meat if you want.

    seasoned chunks of beef in a skillet

    If you want, browning the meat before adding it to the crock pot will add more flavor.

    chopped peppers and onion on a black board

    Chop one medium yellow or white onion. Also, clean and dice a jalapeno (finely), an Anaheim pepper, and a Poblano pepper.

    mixing all ingredients for Texas chili in a crock pot

    Combine the chopped onion and peppers with 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 14 oz can diced tomatoes, 1 cup beef broth, 1 tablespoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon oregano, and ¼ teaspoon cumin.

    ladle of cooked chili over a crock pot

    Cook a crock pot for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high. It will fit in a crock pot of 2 quarts or larger.

    bowl of chili topped with sour cream and cheese

    Serve topped with sour cream and cheese to contrast the heat.

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    📝Recipe

    Texas Chili on a spoon

    Crock Pot Texas Chili

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    Hearty chunks of tender beef and rich flavorful warm heat from three types of chili peppers. Easy to cook on the stovetop or perfectly sized for a 2-quart crock pot, but easy to adjust for larger amounts to fit your needs.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.56 from 9 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 8 hours
    Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 4 servings

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 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
    • 2 tablespoons chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon pepper
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon oregano
    • ½ teaspoons cumin
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • You need about 1 pound of trimmed beef cut into 1-inch pieces. You can be lazy and use precut stew meat if you want.
      raw chuck roast trimmed and cut into cubes on black board
    • If you want, browning the meat before adding it to the crock pot will add more flavor.
      seasoned chunks of beef in a skillet
    • Chop one medium yellow or white onion. Also, clean and dice a jalapeno (finely), an Anaheim pepper, and a Poblano pepper.
      chopped peppers and onion on a black board
    • Combine the chopped onion and peppers with 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 14 oz can diced tomatoes, 1 cup beef broth, 1 tablespoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon oregano, and ¼ teaspoon cumin.
      mixing all ingredients for Texas chili in a crock pot
    • Cook a crock pot for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high. It will fit in a crock pot of 2 quarts or larger.
      ladle of cooked chili over a crock pot

    Stovetop Instructions

    • Start with a Dutch oven or soup pot. Add a few teaspoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
    • Initially, brown the beef chunks in the pan, then remove. Add the onion and peppers to the pot and cook until the onion clears some (about 5 minutes), then add the crushed garlic for one more minute.
    • Add all the ingredients, including the browned meat, stir well, and bring the chili to a boil over medium-high heat. Decrease the heat to simmer, cover and cook for about 3 hours until the meat is tender.
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

    Your Own Private Notes

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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips

    1. You can use pre-cut stew meat or a beef chuck roast trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes.
    2. This just fits a 2-quart crock pot, and bigger is fine. A double recipe, which I usually make, fits in a 3 ½ quart crock pot.
    3. The "heat level" is about 6/10 to me. Adjust the amount of jalapeno for more or less heat.
    4. The nutrition for a 1 ½ cup serving.
    5. It will be good refrigerated for 4 days and freeze well for 3-4 months.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Nutrition Facts
    Crock Pot Texas Chili
    Amount Per Serving (1 cup)
    Calories 263.5 Calories from Fat 125
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 13.9g21%
    Saturated Fat 5.9g30%
    Trans Fat 0.8g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1.5g
    Monounsaturated Fat 6.8g
    Cholesterol 78.2mg26%
    Sodium 617.7mg26%
    Potassium 885.4mg25%
    Carbohydrates 12.3g4%
    Fiber 4.3g17%
    Sugar 5.2g6%
    Protein 24.9g50%
    Vitamin A 1479.7IU30%
    Vitamin C 41.5mg50%
    Calcium 88.4mg9%
    Iron 4.6mg26%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Main Course
    Cuisine : American

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Originally Published February 25, 2012. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

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    More Chili Recipes

    • Small Crock Pot Chili
    • Stew Meat Chili—Crock Pot or Stovetop
    • Salsa Verde Chicken Chili
    • Three Bean Turkey Chili

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    1. Barbara

      November 11, 2019 at 11:16 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
    2. Philip e Dally

      November 03, 2019 at 4:45 pm

      4 stars
      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!

      Reply
    3. Dr Dan

      October 31, 2012 at 6:39 pm

      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.

      Reply
    4. Julia Roberts

      October 31, 2012 at 3:39 pm

      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?

      Reply
    5. Julia Roberts

      October 31, 2012 at 3:37 pm

      This looks great! Going to make it this weekend. Did you brown the meat first? Doesn't look like it.

      Reply
    6. Chris

      February 25, 2012 at 2:18 pm

      I like the nice mild heat this one brings to the bowl. Spicy but not flaming miserable.

      Reply

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