The Best Steak Chili (for Slow Cooker or Instant Pot)
This chili recipe is, hands down, the best chili I’ve ever eaten.
And apparently a lot of you feel the same way because it has won a lot of chili cook offs! (More on that later.)
This was also the first chili I’ve eaten that uses steak (or stew meat) instead of ground beef. It’s like the Lexus of chili.
Or Cadillac of chili? (I see a chili loving old guy driving a Cadillac over a Lexus. Or am I overthinking this?)
What’s the Best Type of Steak for Chili?
Using steak in chili can seem like an indulgence, right?
It doesn’t have to be!
If you want to use steak, I’d highly recommend a cheaper cut of steak — like round steak or sirloin. Save those filet cuts for the grill.
You could also use stew meat. I actually use that the most often. Because you’re cooking it really slowly for a long time, it’ll soften up and be just as tender as great steak.
If you get grass-fed beef shares like us, then high-quality beef is pretty affordable! I always reserve a package of steak or stew meat to make this chili at least once every winter.
It has to compete with a couple of other beef recipes we love that remind us of living in Europe — Borscht and Goulash. We like hearty, stick-to-your-ribs meals in the winter.
Does Chili Need to Have Beans?
If you’re looking for a classic bean chili, this isn’t it. Most chili recipes have kidney beans or black beans, but this crock pot chili — no beans. (In some parts of Texas putting beans in chili is frowned on — go figure!)
It’s a nice homemade chili recipe to have if you’re eating paleo or avoiding legumes. And it’s gluten free as is.
Do You Have to Sear the Beef Before Slow Cooking?
Short answer: No.
Alternate short answer: Yes, if you have time.
Also, this isn’t a “done in 30 minutes” kind of chili. It does require some prep work like chopping and searing beef chunks, but it makes quite a big of chili, and I love having leftovers.
Most of the time chili is better the second or third time you warm it up. (And the beef gets more tender, too.)
The ingredients aren’t hard to find either. It has a familiar chili powder base in the spices, but you may need to get some cumin seeds. (If you want, you can substitute a lesser amount of ground cumin — probably a Tablespoon will do.) And instead of tomato sauce, it calls for a mixture of tomato paste and crushed tomatoes, which I like. I’m not a fan of big tomato chunks in my chili.
And ALLLLL of the spice action in this chili just blows me away. Not spice as in spicy-hot, but a complex mix of seasonings that give it such richness and depth. More than any other chili I’ve ever made. It’s well worth opening a few extra jars, I promise. You can absolutely make it spicy if you like — just shake in a little extra cayenne pepper.
Can You Freeze Chili?
This Slow Cooker Steak Chili is one of those recipes you put together on a lazy Saturday morning that will feed you a few times the next week. It’s a great meal prep recipe in that regard.
AND IT FREEZES BEAUTIFULLY.
It’s also a good one to take someone who is sick or just had a baby or needs a little love. Or is super overwhelmed with life. Cozy comfort food meals are great for that. And sometimes meals say exactly what we want to say when we don’t quite know what words to use.
Award Winning Steak Chili!
I’ve loved hearing about all of the chili cook-offs this recipe has won over the years! Yay for amazing chili! And yay for making chili in a slow cooker! Let me know if you enter this into a contest and win. It seriously makes my day.

Can You Make Steak Chili in an Instant Pot?
Most things that you make in a slow cooker you can adapt for Instant Pot.
And the nice thing is that if the slow cooker requires meat being browned on the stove, you can just use the Saute setting on your Instant Pot!
Converting cooking times might be a little trickier though. It totally depends on the type and thickness of meat you have. For this recipe, using steak or stew meat would only require about 20 minutes of pressure cooking time.
If you feel like this is too long you can play with the timing.
If you love this, you may love the other chili recipes on my blog — Hearty Winter Chili (A great, quick chili with a BBQ flavor! And comes together really quickly) or Paleo Vegetarian Chili (for those meatless Mondays!).

Steak Chili for Slow Cooker or Instant Pot
This is absolutely my favorite chili of all time. And apparently many of you feel the same way! It's a winner in our house as well as many chili cook-offs around the country. Give it a whirl and let me know what you think!
I also included instructions for Instant Pot in the recipe notes.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 2 Tablespoons whole cumin seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons dried Mexican or regular oregano
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons coconut sugar or honey
- 4 pounds steak, cut into 1-inch cubes (can also use boneless chuck or stew meat)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons Kosher salt
- 3 Tablesoons heat-safe oil (avocado or coconut)
- 4 cups chopped onions (3 medium or 2 large)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped celery (about 4 ribs)
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 jalapeno chiles, seeded and roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 cups stock (beef, chicken, or vegetable will do)
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 ounce semisweet or dark chocolate chips
- 3 Tablespoons masa harina (corn flour, not cornstarch -- optional)
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups chopped butternut squash (optional)
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- Grated cheddar, chopped green onions, and sour cream for garnish
Instructions
- Combine the first 7 ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- Add the beef to a large bowl and season with the black pepper and 1 Tablespoon of the salt.
- Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or saute pan over high heat. Add about 1/3 of the beef to the skillet. Let the meat sit for a minute or so, then stir them up. Cook for another couple of minutes, then transfer the meat to the crock of a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Repeat with remaining beef, adding it to the skillet in two more batches and browning them in spots. Add more oil between batches, if necessary.
- When you're finished with the beef, add the onion, celery, and 1 Tablespoon of the remaining salt to the skillet and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add garlic, jalapenos, and spice mixture and cook for another minute.
- Pour in the stock, tomato paste, and crushed tomatoes and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in the chocolate, masa harina, and another couple large pinches of salt and cook for another minute.
- Transfer this mixture to the slow cooker with the beef. Add the water and the squash cubes (if using).
- Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours, stirring only once or twice, until the beef is very tender.
- Remove the bay leaves and stir in the cilantro and parsley. Serve the chili with garnishes.
Notes
Nat's Notes: The original recipe had 1 teaspoon of cayenne. I thought 1/4 teaspoon was plenty spicy, and perhaps a little too much for my 4-year-old who filled her chili with cornbread and sour cream.
Instant Pot Adaptation:
- Omit the water and reduce the broth to 1 cup.
- Do all the searing in the Instant Pot using the Saute mode.
- Cook at high pressure for 20 minutes and let the cooker sit for 15 minutes before releasing the steam manually.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Purchases made by using these links doesn’t cost you any extra and helps to keep my content free.
STEAK in chili? I’m dying. I love that. Even if there are screws in it. I’m in.
Oh, I need to make this! My recipe is very similar and as I was reading down the ingredients I was going to tell you I add some dark chocolate, and voila! There it is! I’m drooling now!
How much dark chocolate? I have no idea!
1 ounce of semisweet chocolate chips. Just like it says in the recipe. :)
I had a similar thing happen, but thankfully only my husband and I were eating the food from the crockpot :) We received a crockpot with a hinged lid for our wedding. At the time, I thought it was a great idea because you didn’t have to worry about setting the lid off to the side. However, after a few uses, the hinge fell apart and pieces of plastic and the screw fell into the roast I was cooking. I think (hope) we fished them all out before eating!
I love the masa harina in this!! YUM!
Lol! So glad you found that screw! This chili looks awesome. I love the dash of cinnamon and masa harina!
That’s the kind of thing I have nightmares about! I’m so glad it all turned out okay! And this chili looks hearty in the best possible way.
Screw or no screw, I would definitely love me a bowl of this… please?
I always add cocoa powder to my chili… but chocolate chips? Interesting!
I am so pinning this. I am way overdue for a good, comforting bowl of warm chili!
I’d eat your screwy chili any day! ;) This post cracked me up and now all I want is steak chili :)
Yikes! At least you got to enjoy your chili ‘) oh and no one was hurt ;}
My pressure cooker fell apart into my dinner once and I had to throw it all away. grrrrr.
I’m glad you found the screw, how scary! But the chili looks fabulous!
I’m obsessed with chili, and I cannot wait to try this recipe!
Wait….. this chili has CHOCOLATE in it?? I think my mind just blew up! I’m going to try this with the last stew meat in the freezer. It took us about 6 months, but we’ve finally almost eaten the entire 1/8 of a cow we got last May. (We don’t eat a lot of beef, kind of ironic, right?) We’re getting 1/4 share in a few weeks, so that should last us quite a while :)
wow–I’ve never tried steak in chili but this sounds fantastic!!
Phew!! Too funny, but kinda not? ;)
My husband would be thrilled if I made steak chili. Seriously thrilled. This looks amazing.
It was awesome,we loved the steak and the squash and the screw;) you are amazing!
Stumbled upon this recipe recently. It’s delicious. I halved it for just the two of us, used round steak but didn’t have crushed tomatoes. I used diced and crushed them. Cooked in the IP but added more broth just to be sure. After 20 min and natural release I simmered it uncovered on low saute for about 20 more minutes. The chocolate makes it! It’s a keeper for those who don’t care for beans in chili.
Made this tonight and it was awesome! It was my first experience putting
steak in chili and I doubt I’ll ever go back to ground beef. I used chunks of stew meat, chopped into 1-in pieces (will probably cut them even smaller next time). I threw in some extra chili powder (maybe a tablespoon or so) and about 1 T. extra tomato paste. I also added 2 cans of rinsed, dark red kidney beans in place of the squash to keep it nice and savory. YUM! I’m looking forward to freezing the rest and bringing it out for a quick meal in a couple of weeks. Recipes that produce enough to use more than once are the best. ;) Thanks so much for sharing!
Oh my goodness! So glad you found it. That could have been bad. Pinning this! Looks fantastic!
I tried this recipe tonight and it was absolutely the best Chili I have ever made or eaten! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve never heard of adding chocolate giving it a try.
I’m confused about the harina de masa. Is this the same as corn meal?
Difficulty finding it in Alaska :/
Hi Amy! You’ll love the richness the chocolate adds! And corn masa is corn flour, not cornmeal. It’s finer like regular flour. If you can’t find it you can either leave it out or use cornmeal, but using it may make the chili kind of gritty. You might be better off serving it with cornbread. Good luck!
Chili without any beans? Isn’t this vegetable beef soup.
Calling something “chili” has more to do with the spices you use than whether or not it contains beans. In some parts of the country (ahem… Texas) it’s blasphemous to put beans in chili.
This sounds great, but I have to ask… what type of steak cut did you use? Serloin? Bonesless ribeye? Curious, but I wanna make this!
I believe I used sirloin. I think any cut of steak would work well except maybe tenderloin. Because it’s a slow cooker recipe, you could also use stew meat or boneless chuck roast cut up into small chunks.
Fantastic chili! no changes except for using only one jalapeño, won 1st prize in chili contest at my church with 13 other entries. Thanks so much!
Wow!! Thanks for letting me know! And congrats on the win :)
This looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it this weekend! Are there no beans in this chili? or am I missing something? PS I absolutely LOVE your whole grain, shortening free pie crust..to die for. Thanks!
Nope, no beans. Some people (ahem…a handful of Texans) think that chili shouldn’t have beans. I like it with and without. If you wanted to add a can to replace some of the steak I’m sure it would work!
Tried this recipe and it is AWESOME! I added too much salt the first time but I am going to make it again this week :-) Thank you!!!
Hello, just wanted to say thanks for sharing this recipe. I tried it once and cannot stop thinking about it. It will become a regular in our household, I feel. Quick question: can you freeze it once you’ve cooked a batch? My dream is to have a constant supply of this in my freezer, and wondered whether that would be safe…
I like your recipe can I do it in a slow cooker?
Kea, since the first two words of the recipe are “Slow Cooker”, and since the recipe tells you twice to use a slow cooker, YES, you can do it in a slow cooker. :-)
Amazingly good! I made this for a chili cook-off we had yesterday at work and didn’t change a thing except didn’t use squash. Beat 12 other contestants in the ‘Best overall’ category and in the ‘spicy’ category both, and now have the ceramic pepper award hanging from my cube wall for the next year, thanks to your recipe =D
Printed your URL at the bottom of the ingredients card, so credit has been given. Many many compliments from all who had some!
I loved it. I tried it today for a church thing. Very tasteful. I would say it had a complex taste, but I’m not sure exactly what that means. One of the best recipes I have ever tried. Next time I will double the cayenne pepper, though. Really good. Thanks for sharing.
Best chili I have ever eaten!!! Tried at a church function tonight and can’t wait to make it. I love chili and try lots of different kinds. This by far, is the best!! It even beats claim jumpers steak chili and I thought that would be tough to beat!! Thanks to my friend who made it and saw the recipe from you!!!
living in Jacksonville,Florida Temp 4o tomorrow sound yum yum going to try in our cold day.
GREAT RECIPE!!! I threw in a can of beer, a large jar of my favorite barbecue sauce, a cup of Lee and Perrin’s, 3 cans of kidney beans for my “not so traditional” chili eaters, and used 4 times more tomato paste….. It came out fabulous….I’ll probably add more jalapeño and cayenne the next time,,,,, This recipe helped me create an awesome chili that I hope to get me the elusive first place trophy in my daughters’ school chili cook-off!!!!!
That’s so great to hear! Thanks for letting me know, Timmy!
Does it really take a full six hours in a slow cooker? On high?……I’m hoping to make this today but only have a bout 4 hours prep time. What about making on stove top like a stew??
It depends on your slow cooker. If you have a newer one you could probably get by with 4 hours of coooking because they cook hotter than older models. I prefer cooking it longer because the meat becomes more tender and the flavors develop and blend better. If you use steak that’s already pretty tender that shouldn’t be a problem. You can definitely make this on the stove top and simmer it for an hour or two. (It’ll probably taste better the next day if you do that.)
Thank you for the nice recipe.
I love this recipe! I’ve been making a vegetarian chilli on the stove for years now with chocolate in so was thrilled to find this! Was wondering what size your crockpot is? I have a standard size one (for the UK anyway…) and this recipe doesn’t seem to fit it in too well.
For this I use a 6 quart crock pot. Glad you like it!
Is 2T Cumin Seeds correct? It sounds like a lot.
By Celery, you mean actual stalks of Celery? Just checking…..
If I can’t find masa harina what would be a good substitute? Or better to omit?
I would just omit it. :)
Made this over the weekend for friends…it was delicious! My husband (who is very picky), said to make sure to save this recipe because “it’s a keeper”. From him, that is the highest praise. Also, I did change 2 things. My store didn’t have whole cumin seeds, so I used 1tb ground instead. Also, I didn’t have masa harina, so I used regular wheat flour. (Sorry paleo followers! But my family isn’t paleo. I just stumbled on this recipe since I was looking for a good steak chili recipe…and this one definitely is awesome). Oh, I also added the butternut squash…delish! Thank you for the recipe!
I absolutely adore this recipe!!! I subbed out the butternut squash (only cuz I have super picky eaters) for black beans. I like to add the beans to make it heartier and chose black beans because the chili is so dark and gorgeous it screamed for dark beans, lol. I’m getting ready to make this for my second time and I’m really excited to eat it tonight for dinner. It’s delicious!! I’d like to try it with the squash too but maybe I’d pulverized it in my chopper to disguise it in the dark chili so my family doesn’t know it’s there…….shhhhhhhh, don’t tell them ;)
Thanks so much for this great recipe,the first time I made it my wife and friends loved it.Tonight I’m making again for chilli cook off at work.It really is some of the best chilli I’ve ever eaten and definitely the best I’ve made.
You wouldn’t be the first to enter this recipe in a cook off. Apparently it does quite well! I hope everyone loved it! Thanks, Brent.
I love beans in chili, will adding kidney beans change this in a Bad way?
Absolutely not! I didn’t add beans because my blog has a paleo-focus now and I try to avoid using legumes in my recipes.
OMG….to die for! Made this today with a whole pile of leftover NY SIrloin Roast. Followed almost to the letter other than 2 replace the water with Guinness Stout. It is delicious right out of the oven !! Can’t wait for it to sit for a day or so!!!
So glad you enjoyed it!! And yes, it’s even better after a day or two :)
This sounds amazing! I’m always trying different chili combinations, and I tend to find no matter what I do it still comes out tasting too much like tomato. This picture and recipe looks like that won’t be the case. Couple questions- If you leave out the masa will it not have the right thickness? Also can you make this the same way but in a big stock pot instead of crockpot and just simmer for hours?
I’m making this right now and it definitely isn’t as dark as the pictures. Is there a reason it’s happening? The only thing I didn’t add was the cornflour. Thanks!
This was awful! I always make my chili with sirloin but man this sauce didn’t even taste like chili. I had to throw out all of it, although I salvaged the 4 lbs of sirloin (waaaaaay too much by the way) and fed it to my pooches. DONT FOLLOW THIA RECIPE OR YOU WILL WASTE A BUNCH OF FOOD
Hey! I’m sorry you didn’t it. You’re actually the first person who has left me negative feedback on this recipe. I’m glad your dogs liked it, though.
Wow I’ve made this every cold front we get in Texas since 2014 and it’s amazing each time. I can’t believe the bad review. My coworkers come running to me when a cold front is coming and give me cash since I only use ribeyes or strip steak!! We don’t play about our meat lol. The only thing I do different is double the seasonings and I slow cook it with two whole jalapeños for an extra kick. Thanks for the recipe
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed it for so long! xoxo
If not using squash, are the 2 cups of water required? Thanks Natalie! Making it right now.
Hi Sean, I assume you figured it out? Sorry I didn’t get back to you earlier. I’ve been nursing sick kids this week. I would put half of the water in and then check the texture when it’s finished and maybe add more if it’s too thick. Hope it turned out well!
Hi Natalie,
Made it…loved it….I substituted 1 cup dark beer for the 2 cups of water. Froze leftover sauce and put it on my eggs.
Thanks for the recipe and the reply!
Good to hear! Glad you liked it. :)
Would 8 hours on low be okay? 6 hours wont work with our schedules.
Ehh. Maybe. If you have an older slow cooker (like, the crock part isn’t removeable) it would be fine. The newer ones cook hotter and I’m afraid that beef would totally dry out. If you’re cutting the beef up, you could make bigger chunks and then break it apart at the end. That would help. Or if your crock pot kicks over to the warm setting, set it for 6 hours or so and then let it sit on the warm setting until you’re ready.
I’m very excited to be making three batches of this over the next two days for a chili party in france. One question: I’m using a 5 quart slow cooker…is that ok? Or do you have any suggestions as to how to make it ok if it’s not. Thanks so much for your time…and recipe!!!
Just had to share…I made your recipe for a chili cook off at my son’s school yesterday AND WON FIRST PLACE! I’ve made it several times for my family (who love it), but it was pretty great watching the judges come back for 2nds and 3rds! I upped the number of jalapenos from 2 to 4 and threw in a Serrano pepper too (we like it spicy), but the taste that lingers after that first bite is just delicious! Thank you!
Oh … and I shred the beef too about 5 hours in … it adds a nice texture to it.
Eek! I love it! And great idea to shred the beef, too!
This chili looks amazing and for the most part looks to be very low carb. One question though…the first ingredient states 1/4 cup of chili powder. Is that a typo? That sounds like way too much. I would like to make this today to take on our camping trip.
Nope, not a typo. This recipe makes a lot of chili — nearly fills a 6 quart slow cooker. Sounds like the perfect camping meal!
Hey, great recipe!
I found the chocolate chips are a bit much…. I’ll exclude those next time.
I used kidney beans instead of squash, which worked great. Also, searing/browning the beef on a gas grill before dicing gives a more “steaky” flavor in my view. But I needed a bit more liquid later.
Also I added more cayenne since I like a little more kick.
Thanks for this! Can’t wait to make the next one with some adjustments….
Thanks!
I know from experience to never use that much cumin seed, use ground cumin instead. It`s never a joyful experience chewing on cumin seed in any dish. Cumin is a very important flavor in chili, but you don’t want to taste cumin from start to finish. It should be subtle, just like any other spice. Also, beans add texture and flavor to chili, cut down on the water content. No need to add masa if you hold back on the water/broth, especially if adding squash, because it excretes water when cooked. Also, give roasted green chilis a try for a less spicy version. From a quick glance, wonderful ingredients! Chili, soup, etc…always taste while adding ingredients, layer by layer, pinch by pinch, to avoid wasting money.
Sincerely,
A Chef
Hi Steven,
1. The cumin measurement is fine. This makes a giant pot of chili and it doesn’t overpower it, I promise. And because the chili is slow cooked for several hours it softens the seeds somewhat. I don’t remember ever having to “chew” them.
2. I didn’t add beans because my blog has a paleo focus. Paleo = no legumes. Not all chili recipes have or are required to have beans. In some areas of the country (ahem, TX) it’s actually preferred to leave them out.
3. The masa adds flavor and is not just for thickening and can definitely be left out — especially if one is on a strictly grain-free diet.
4. This chili isn’t too spicy but roasted green chiles would also be a good addition. Thx for the suggestion.
5. This recipe is adapted from one by Emeril Lagasse — also A Chef. I appreciate recipe critiques, but I feel that comments and recipe critiques are more valuable if a person has actually tried the recipe out first.
Have you tried this in an Instant Pot?
If not I’ll stick to the slow cooker but was just wondering. Can’t wait to try it out.
Fantastic recipe. I added an extra small can of crushed tomatoes and left out the corn flour. Used 2 lbs of hamburger and 2 lbs of stew meat since that is all I had. I also cooked it for a little over 12 hours in the crockpot and it turned out great. It has a wonderful hint of Indian flavor in it. This recipe won my neighborhood chili cook off yesterday.
Lastly, you are too nice to “A Chef Steven.” What a jerk.
So good to hear! And yeah… I tried to hold in my snark as best I could.
This is in my crockpot right now, but I tasted the “sauce” and OMG!!!! I know this is gonna be so delicious in a few hours! Couldn’t find the corn flour I thought I had ????, and I added dried black beans, but otherwise I followed the recipe exactly! I can’t wait to eat it!
I’m so happy you made this! No worries about the corn flour. :)
any guesstimate on the nutritional content?? thanks!!
Sorry, no! I don’t calculate that. There are a lot of online nutrition calculators that you could use.
Natalie. This is the best chili that I have ever eaten! I’m not even kidding…I’m pretty sure the masa harina gave it a taste similar to Fritos chips lol. I can’t get over how delicious it was! I’m definitely making this again and again!
I try not to use “best ever” very often — I’m glad you agreed! I love how the masa harina gives it a little something extra, too. :) Thanks for sharing!!
I tried this yesterday, it was truly amazing. Unfortunately I was missing a few things so I did have to make some changes but I did my best to stick to the recipe as far as I could. The spices, onion, garlic, stock, and water were exactly as described – except cinnamon (didn’t have it). The main difference was that I didn’t have canned tomatoes, instead I used some spicy tomato sauce I made in the autumn from our garden tomatoes. I left out the chocolate (didn’t have any) and masa harina (prefer grain free), as well as celery (family member with a massive hate-on for it!). I used stewing beef, and it definitely needed a long time – it wasn’t ready at 4 hours on high, but was perfect at 5.5 hours. It seemed a bit too watery but it thickened up very nicely towards the end to the perfect consistency (and not a single chewy cumin seed *eyeroll*). Next time I will make sure I have the cinnamon and the chocolate, but even without those this was fantastic. One word of warning – I found it a bit too salty, but that was probably my fault as I used a stock cube that was fairly salty itself. I prefer to make my own, but again , just didn’t have any yesterday. So I’d consider how much salt is in your stock before adding the extra salt at the various steps. Thank you for the fantastic recipe!
I had never heard or thought about putting chocolate in chili, now I know what i was missing!!!! (My Mom was a great cook, but chili wasn’t something she “doted” on…my friends in TX called it hamburger & bean soup w/chili flavoring, but her fried chicken was way better than KFC!!!) Anyway, this chili is deliciously awesome!!!! Had to adapt the recipe a little, had to leave out the salt cut back on the spice a little, and didn’t have the masa harina, substituted whole kernel corn, which we like in our chili. Still the best chili I ever ate!!! Thanx for sharing it!!!!
I’m so happy you loved it! How amazing to grow up eating the best fried chicken ever! My mom had things she excelled at, too. She made cookies better than anyone I knew. xoxo
very testy recipe !
Glad you liked it!
This is the best recipe for chilli I have had to date. I use dried chilli flakes and less than quarter of a cup (instead of the powder) and no squash or beans. The first time I did it I won a competition and I just made it again tonight and it’s as delicious as I remember it. I cook a lot and pride myself on knowing a few knock out dishes, this has been added to that list. Thanks again.
Congrats on winning that competition! I’m honored that it made into your knock out collection.
What are the macros? I want to make it looks sooo yummy
Sorry, I don’t provide nutritional information on my recipes yet, but it’s coming soon. :) There are a lot of online calculators to help you out as well.
Super YUM!
So glad you liked it!
Help!!!!! I followed this recipe exactly except for only one jalapeno, and tasted it just before putting on the lid to cook, and it is so HOT IT BURNS MY LIPS!!! I CAN’T TASTE ANYTHING IN IT!!! HOW CAN I SAVE ALL THAT STEAK?????? Even put in the squash!!! Researching now how I can reduce the burn!!!!!
Wow… great recipe! Entered this in a contest at church and got 3rd place out of 27 entries, and I had never made chili before! I did make a few modifications: no masa harina and I used a bell pepper instead of the jalapenos. I too was worried about the heat- I tasted it after about 4 hours of cook time and it was spicy hot- especially the pieces of squash! After sitting overnight, though, the heat seemed to moderate some. Oh, and I used venison instead of beef- some cubed some ground- worked great! I was really surprised how well I could taste the little bit of cinnamon that was in it. I think that is what really makes it a unique and tasty recipe. Thanks!
I made this last night and it was delicious. My husband said it was the best chili he has ever had. Thank you for the recipe.
So glad to hear! You’re welcome :)
Made this for a family party tonight and everyone loved it! I made a few alterations to the recipe. I used 2 cans of dark kidney beans instead of the squash. I also used 1 bottle of Sam Adam’s I stead of the water. It was perfect and I will definitely repeat this one!
Hi Natalie,
I am from California and we eat a lot of tri-tip here on the central coast. Would trip-tip work? I want to make this for an office party for Halloween – do you think it will work well? its tender but i normally BBQ or cook in the oven. I have to make it Tuesday and keep in the fridge until Thursday and reheat it in the crock pot. thoughts?
My wife HATES chili. Her recipe has two lines, the second of which is, “throw in the garbage before you get too far into making something you know you’ll hate.” I made this for a family get-together. My wife came in and said, “Wow, that smells incredible!” She ate an entire bowl. I made another batch tonight and she cleaned up two helpings. Your recipe converted her. It really is fantastic!
WHOA! Amazing!! I’ve never heard of anyone who flat out hated chili. I’m super happy this one passed the test! *high five*
Just bought all the ingredients for this and I plan on making tomorrow. Any chance the searing of the meat and veggies could be done the night before? Trying to get some of the prep done in advance.
Can’t wait to try this!
Hey Michael! Yes, you can absolutely do that. Good luck!
6 hours on high in a slow cooker? What would you suggest the temp at in the oven? 300?
I don’t have a lot of experience converting slow cooker recipes to an oven, I’m sorry!
Hi what kind of steak? I would have thought that would make the steak more tough and burnt?
Hi! You can use a tougher cut of steak — like sirloin. Or even beef stew meat. The long, slow cooking doesn’t burn things. It makes them really tender.
This sounds amazing! Can it be done in an instant pot? If so, what would the timing be?
I have used this in my Instant Pot twice and each time it gives me the Burn Food notice b/c it’s so thick. The result is delicious, but I am still playing with the recipe to figure out how to cook all the way without having to restart the timer a few times.
Try adding a cup or two of broth. I’ve found that some models of Instant Pots are more touchy than others. I’ve never actually gotten a burn notice in either of my pots (but I’ve still had food burn… i’m not sure what’s going on there). Glad you like it!
Thanks for this amazing list! I’m trying to eat the least amount of processed foods possible and this is so perfect for me!
Do you know how many quarts this recipe makes? I want to make sure my crock pot will hold it.
So sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner, Linda! This fits nicely in a 6 quart slow cooker. I don’t think I’d use a 4 qt.
Hi
The “1/4 cup chili powder” what brand/sort did you use….
There are soo many different chili powder mixes, some have way too much salt…
Or do you have a recipe for a mix you use
Chili powder is simply chili powder — no other ingredients. What you’re referring to is chili spice mixes which have lots of ingredients and lots of salt. I just used regular chili powder.
I just ran across this recipe and it sounds great. Do you think this would work as a Instant Pot Freezer dump recipe? I am having rotator cuff surgery in a couple of weeks and am trying to get some meals together that my non-cooking husband can handle. :)
thanks
Gail
Hi Gail! I just noticed I hadn’t responded to your comment — my apologies! I think there’s a lot of flavor formed by the saute steps, so I wouldn’t just freeze everything and make it as an Instant Pot “dump” recipe. That being said, if you make a big batch of this, it freezes and reheats beautifully! I hope your surgery went well!
This was fantastic recipe. Thank you!
Delicious! Toasting them cumin seeds transformed flavor in abundance. I did go on and add a can of black beans, and can of white beans. Balanced it off with a side of fresh guacamole, sour cream and cheddar. Superb recipe, Natalie. Thanks for sharing.
This is friggin so good. I could kiss you
I read through all of the comments and couldn’t find this answer. My crock pot is newer, it has a ceramic pot that can be lifted out. I usually cook beef stew on low heat, should this also be cooked on the low setting for 6 hours, or high? Will be making it on 10/24
Thank you.
Hi Jody! My slow cooker is the same. Just cook it on low for 6 hours. Enjoy!
Hi – I’ve read through many comments and you say 6 hours on high and 6 hours on low. My crock pot does have the removable pot. Can you confirm if it should be cooked on the high or low setting, please? I’ve made this before, years ago and absolutely loved it. Making again and can’t recall setting. Thank you!!
Hi Joelle! Low would be best, actually. You could do it on high for 4-5 hours and see how it goes, but I recommend 6-8 on low. I actually update the recipe, too. Enjoy!
I’m personally a bean chili fan, but my husband begged me to make meat-no-bean chili. I found this recipe and I am now sold on meat chili! I altered the recipe as to what I had on hand: 2lbs stew meat, in lieu of 1/4 cup chili powder, I used a mix of Matanzas chili blend and Moroccon spice mix (spice & tea exchange company). I also added about 1tsp of Aleppo flakes and smoked paprika. I didn’t have jalapeño or celery, but I added enough spices to make it to our family’s liking. I omitted the cinnamon per my personal taste preferences. Since I didn’t have all the onions and garlic, I added garlic & onion powder. I was reluctant to add the chocolate, but I’m so glad I did. You can’t taste the chocolate individually, but it does add to the wonderful complex flavor. Unfortunately my family won’t eat squash, so against my husband’s wishes, I did add 1 can of chili beans, and he ended up being perfectly fine with this. I also sautéed 3 slices of bacon, broke it into pieces and cooked it along with the whole mix. I used my InstantPot and 20 minutes was perfect for a flavorful, tender meat chili. We topped the chili over rice since it was a thicker consistency, but we loved it. The masa harina is a must with this recipe. Dinner was complete within an hour and tasted like I had worked on it all day! Great recipe that I’ll make again.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it and that you were able to adapt it to your liking. Thanks for the review, Nicole!
Hello!
I love this recipe and have made it several times! Thank you so much for it!!
I wanted to give a tip in case anyone has the same trouble I did. I tried it in my new instant pot for the first time tonight (versus slow cooker or stove top). I got an error message: “food burn”. After looking it up, it is 1) Not recommended to do thick sauces like this in an instant pot. I read a suggestion of layering the chili instead of mixing everything together. 2) It is highly recommended to not add any thickener (Masa harina) until after the pressure cooking portion. I had a feeling about this, but am very new to pressure cooking. Because I didn’t see any mention of it, I went ahead and added everything all together like normal.
I think that is mainly where I went wrong!
Anyway, I just dumped it in my dutch oven and it will still be delicious! Just thought I’d share my experience!! :)
Thanks!
Thanks Shannon!