Looking for a hearty and satisfying no bean chili recipe? Try this easy and delicious Instant Pot chili with ground beef, tomatoes, and spices. It’s paleo, keto, low carb, and Whole30-friendly, too!
Table of Contents
The best Whole30 no bean chili!
I know: Folks can be very opinionated about what should or shouldn’t go in a hearty bowl of chili. (For another version that uses chunks of beef stew meat, try the Southwest Cowboy Chili on page 224 of my first cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans or my Instant Pot Cowboy Chili.) Some of you chili snobs may turn up your nose at this Instant Pot Ground Beef Chili ’cause it includes tomatoes and fish sauce(!), and omits pinto beans, but that’s okay—just call it something else.
No matter if you think it qualifies as chili or not, I love this umami-packed recipe because it hits the spot with my family, and I can whip it together on a weeknight with stuff that’s readily available in my kitchen. Besides, have I ever steered you wrong in the past? I swear, this is the best chili! (Bonus trivia: Henry and I won a chili cook-off way back in college, so either we know our stuff, or we had lots of friends who stuffed the ballot box. But who remembers?)
Need a celebrity endorsement? Ronny Chieng endorsed this chili recipe on The Daily Show: Ears Edition podcast! Skip to around the 25 minute mark to hear his glowing review!
How to cook ground beef chili in a slow cooker/Crock-Pot?
Prefer to make it in a slow cooker/Crock-Pot? Then refer to the instructions below for Instant Pot Ground Beef Chili Recipe, EXCEPT:
- Do all the sautéing in a pot on the stove before transferring everything to the slow cooker.
- Set the slow cooker on low and cook for 6-8 hours.
How to cook ground beef chili on the stove top?
To make my Ground Beef Chili on the stovetop, just follow the same instructions as presented in my Instant Pot Ground Beef Chili recipe below, EXCEPT:
- Instead of using ½ cup chicken broth or bone broth, use 1 cup; and
- Instead of cooking it under pressure, simmer it in a partially-covered stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat for 1 hour or until the flavors meld.
Ingredients
Ground Beef Chili
- Avocado oil, ghee, or cooking fat of choice
- Yellow onion
- Red or green bell pepper
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Tomato paste
- Garlic cloves
- Lean ground beef (85% lean, 15% fat): I love ground beef in this recipe because I always some on hand but feel free to use another ground meat of your choice (e.g. ground turkey, ground chicken thighs, ground pork, goat, lamb, elk, bison, etc.), but choose one that isn’t super lean (e.g., 99% fat free)!
- Chili powder
- Dried oregano
- Ground cumin
- Cayenne pepper (optional): Leave out if you want a super mild chili. You can add some black pepper for a little bit of spice or some smoked paprika for smokiness.
- Fire-roasted canned diced tomatoes
- Chicken broth, beef broth, or bone broth
- Fish sauce: This secret and unusual ingredient adds umami and savoriness to the chili. Trust me!
- Apple cider vinegar (optional)
Optional toppings
- Sliced avocado
- Slivered scallions or green onions
- Finely diced white onions + minced fresh cilantro
- Unsweetened coconut yogurt or dairy-free sour cream
- Lime wedges
How to make Instant Pot no bean Chili
Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot and wait for the metal insert to heat up. Once the insert is hot, add 1 tablespoon of fat and swirl it around.
As soon as the oil is shimmering, add the onions and bell peppers with a sprinkle of salt.
Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened.
Stir in the tomato paste and minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add in the ground beef…
…along with 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt. Brown the meat and break it up with a wooden spoon or spatula.
When most of the ground beef is no longer pink (5 to 7 minutes), stir in the chili powder, oregano, cumin, and cayenne pepper (optional). For a milder chili, you can leave out the cayenne pepper and add some freshly ground black pepper.
Combine well to distribute the fragrant spices.
Toss in the drained diced tomatoes, broth, and fish sauce.
Stir everything well, making sure the liquid reaches the bottom of the insert.
Lock the lid and cook under high pressure for 15 minutes. (In other words, press the “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” button and set the time for 15 minutes under high pressure.)
When the chili is finished cooking, release the pressure manually if you’re itching to eat it right away. Otherwise, you can let the pressure come down naturally and chow down when you’re ready.
Taste the chili and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Sprinkle on some extra salt and stir in the apple cider vinegar, if desired. Taste again to see if you need to punch up the flavors.
Ladle up the chili and serve with your favorite chili toppings!
What can you serve it with?
You can always go crazy with the toppings, like adding sliced avocado, white onion, and cilantro. If you’re not paleo, you can sprinkle on some shredded cheddar cheese as well! If you want to add even more protein, you can ladle it over some hotdogs and make some delicious chili dogs. If you want to add some healthy carbs, ladle the chili over baked potatoes or baked sweet potatoes!
How do you store leftovers?
This Instant Pot chili recipe is a fantastic emergency entrée because it freezes so well! This ground beef chili can be kept in a sealed airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 6 months. It reheats really well on the stovetop, in the microwave, or in the Instant Pot (program for 2 minutes under high pressure). You can eat it as-is, throw it on zoodles, spoon it over some grass-fed hot dogs, stuff it in an omelet—you name it!
More Instant Pot Beef recipes
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Instant Pot No Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 1 small red bell pepper diced
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 pounds ground beef 85% lean, 15% fat
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons Red Boat fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar optional
Optional toppings:
- Sliced avocado
- Sliced scallions
- Finely diced white onions + minced cilantro
- Unsweetened coconut yogurt I like Coyo brand the best
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot and wait for the metal insert to heat up. Once the insert is hot, add 1 tablespoon of fat and swirl it around.
- As soon as the oil is shimmering, add the onions and bell peppers with a sprinkle of salt.
- Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened.
- Stir in the tomato paste and minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add in the ground beef, along with 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt. Brown the meat and break it up with a spatula.
- When most of the ground beef is no longer pink (5 to 7 minutes), stir in the chili powder, oregano, cumin, and cayenne pepper (optional). Combine well to distribute the fragrant spices.
- Toss in the drained diced tomatoes, broth, and fish sauce. Stir everything well, making sure the liquid reaches the bottom of the insert.
- Lock the lid and cook under high pressure for 15 minutes. (In other words, press the “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” button and set the time for 15 minutes under high pressure.)
- When the chili is finished cooking, release the pressure manually if you’re itching to eat it right away. Otherwise, you can let the pressure come down naturally and chow down when you’re ready.
- Taste the chili and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Sprinkle on some extra salt and stir in the apple cider vinegar, if desired. Taste again to see if you need to punch up the flavors.
- Ladle up the chili and serve with your favorite toppings, like sliced avocado, white onion, and cilantro!
- You can store the chili in the fridge for up to 4 days in the fridge or up to 6 months in the freezer.
Video
Notes
- Instead of using ½ cup chicken broth or bone broth, use 1 cup; and
- Instead of cooking it under pressure, simmer it in a partially-covered stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat for 1 hour or until the flavors meld.
- Do all the sautéing in a pot on the stove before transferring everything to the slow cooker.
- Set the slow cooker on low and cook for 6-8 hours.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Looks yummy, as always! I tried making chilli in my instant pot before but it came out watery and tasteless! I swore I would never make it in the IP again but having seen this recipe I will have to revise that statement! Thanks for giving me the friendly shove I needed!
I made this today and it was awesome. I didn’t add the fish sauce because I’m allergic 🙁 but it tasted great. I can’t believe I like a chili that doesn’t have any beans in it. In this recipe though, I don’t even miss them. I’m doing a Whole30 right now, and this will definitely make it easier. Thank you!
Yay!
Quick question- Are the canned fire roasted tomatos approved for Whole 30? The brand we have in our area has yeast extract??
Muir Glen fire-roasted tomatoes tomatoes are compliant.
What cooking adjustments ( if any ) in case you use ground turkey ?(85/15)
So delicious! And I love that you can make it all in the Instant Pot. Very easy to make and clean up. I think this might replace your Instant Pot Mexican Beed as my go-to protein. I make it all the time!
Made this tonight…ahh-mazing! Another fantastic addition to the instant pot cooking rotation. Where has this gadget been all my life haha. Thanks Michelle and keep ’em coming!
I made this and it’s wonderful. The recipe is very similar to what I call “Mom’s Chili”, which was what an Iowa farm girl might think real chili was like. Pure comfort food for me. And once again, I backed off a little on the salt and replaced the fish sauce with magic mushroom powder.
Any idea how long to let it cook, after adding the spices, if I don’t have a pressure cooker?
I let it simmer covered for about 45 minutes just to soak up the flavors
I think I might need to get one of these Instant Pots 🙂
Is the IP really necessary, though? Seems like this recipe would also work on the stove in a stockpot or dutch oven. the IP might be a *little* faster … unless I’m missing something about pressure cooking, wouldn’t the IP and stove version be the same?
Other than that, this looks good!
I recently bought an Instapot, and it’s my favorite appliance now. I’ve been making tons of bone broth, and now I’m going to try this recipe. I don’t cook much, but with my new Instapot, I’m cooking a lot. I love it. You won’t regret getting one.
Cooking under pressure will eliminate the lectins in the tomatoes and peppers without having to remove the skins and seeds which are toxic to our gut linings.
I made this and my wife and I loved it! We are always on the lookout for a chili recipe that has no beans and this was a winner. Also another excuse to use our beloved Instant Pot. This will go into the monthly dinner rotation.