This steak chili is, hands down, the best chili I’ve ever eaten. Or made. It’s a reader favorite and many of you have won recipe contests across the country with it! It’s a chili without beans, too, and you can make it in your slow cooker or Instant Pot.

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 lean ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken. 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?)

It’s also unique that it uses only jalapeno peppers and no canned green chile peppers or green bell pepper. It’s a delicious chili, though, so trust me on 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 or a chuck roast cut into small pieces. 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 recipe, 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! A beanless chili recipe would do well there.)

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 at medium-high heat, but it makes quite a big of chili, and I love having leftovers.

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. Beef broth can be swapped out with chicken broth, but beef gives it a richer flavor.

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 not one for busy weeknights.

It’s a great meal prep recipe in that regard. Or if you are looking at the large pot of chili you just made wondering if you overshot.

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.

You can warm it up and serve it over baked potatoes or on chili dogs, too.

Is this a spicy chili?

It does have a medium heat, but if you’re concerned about that, omit the cayenne and make sure to get all of the seeds and membranes out of the jalapenos. Or leave out the jalapenos entirely.

Typical chili seasonings have chili powder which can vary in hotness depending on the brand.

If you’re looking for a more spicy chili, bump up the jalapenos and cayenne or serve it with a few shakes of hot sauce next time.

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.

Can you Make Steak Chili on the Stove Top?

If you have a large dutch oven and some patience, sure! Just let it simmer over medium-low heat for an hour or so until the beef is tender.

Award Winning Steak Chili!

I’ve loved hearing about all of the chili cook-offs this recipe has won over the years! It even one in Texas, guys. And Texas chili is no joke.

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.

If you need a tip, make it the day before you enter it into a contest. Most chili is better when reheated the next day after the flavors have melded together well in an airtight container overnight.

Favorite Toppings for Steak Chili

I love this chili topped with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, hot sauce, and sliced green onions, but if you’re avoiding dairy, try cubed avocado! It creates a great creamy element without the dairy.

If you love this, you may love the other chili recipes on my blog

More Chili Recipes on Perry’s Plate

Hearty Winter Chili — A great, quick chili with a BBQ flavor! And comes together really quickly.

Paleo Vegetarian Chili — a great vegetarian chili recipe for those meatless Mondays!

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If you make this recipe, be sure to post it to social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

It’s an adaptation of a fantastic recipe from Emeril Lagasse’s book, Sizzling Skillets and One Pot Wonders. (The Slow Cooker Indian Beef and Slow Cooker Chicken were also from this book and are favorites of ours!)

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