This keto chili con carne is a rich, smoky, deeply satisfying dinner with just 4g net carbs per serving — no beans, no fillers, just ground beef and a bold blend of spices cooked in one pan. Rated 5 stars by 187 readers, it’s one of the most popular recipes on My Keto Kitchen.
The no-bean approach isn’t a compromise — it’s actually better. Without beans soaking up the liquid, the meat and spices take centre stage, giving you a thicker, more intensely flavoured chili that tastes like it’s been simmering all day in under 30 minutes.
As a nutritionist and founder of My Keto Kitchen, I make this on rotation for meal prep. One batch feeds 8, keeps all week in the fridge, and gets better on day two as the spices deepen.
At a glance
- ✓Only 4g net carbs per serving
- ✓Ready in 30 minutes, one pan
- ✓Rated 5 stars by 187 readers
- ✓Keeps 1 week fridge, 3 months frozen
This recipe is part of our keto ground beef collection, which includes delicious meals like keto cottage pie and Swedish meatballs.
Why You’ll Love This Keto Chili Recipe
- Delicious: This chili is packed with savory spices and a rich tomato flavor.
- Low-Carb: This recipe is completely bean-free and uses no added sugar, making it perfect for those on a ketogenic diet.
- Budget-Friendly: All the ingredients are readily available and affordable.
- Easy to Make: The entire dish comes together in just one pan, minimizing cleanup.
- Versatile: Enjoy it as a main course, over cauliflower rice, or as a topping for baked eggs.
- Freezer-Friendly: Make a big batch and freeze leftovers for easy future meals.
- Customizable: Adjust the spice level to your preference by adding more or less chili powder.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 small red chilies, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 pounds of ground beef
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 pound canned diced tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
How To Make Keto Chili Con Carne
- Sauté Aromatics: Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add onion, garlic, and chopped chilies. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until the onion is translucent.
- Spice It Up: Stir in chili powder and salt.
- Brown the Beef: Add ground beef and cook for 10 minutes, breaking it apart with a spoon until well browned.
- Build the Flavor: Stir in tomato paste, paprika, cumin, coriander, and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add Tomatoes: Add canned diced tomatoes and mix well.
- Simmer: Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes. If you prefer a soupier chili, add a cup of beef stock.
- Taste and Adjust: Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve and Enjoy: You can serve your keto chili con carne immediately or let it cool and store it in the refrigerator or freezer.
Pro Tips
Brown the beef properly.
Don’t rush the 10-minute browning step. You want real colour on the meat — that’s where the deep flavour comes from. Stir to break it apart but let it sit long enough to brown, not just grey.
Toast the spices before adding tomato.
After adding the tomato paste, paprika, cumin, and coriander, cook them in the pan for 5 full minutes before adding the canned tomatoes. This blooms the spices in the fat and makes a noticeable difference to the depth of flavour.
Simmer uncovered.
Leaving the lid off for the 20–30 minute simmer lets moisture evaporate and the chili thicken naturally. If you want a soupier result, add half a cup of beef stock and keep the lid off.
Try a pinch of cinnamon.
As reader Justin discovered — add a pinch of ground cinnamon in the last 3 minutes of simmering. It sounds unusual but it adds a warmth that rounds out the spice blend beautifully.
It tastes better the next day.
The spices continue to develop overnight in the fridge. If you can make it the day before and reheat it, do — the flavour is noticeably richer.
Adjust the heat your way.
The recipe is medium-spicy as written. For more heat add chopped jalapeños or a pinch of cayenne. For a smoky heat try chipotle peppers in adobo sauce instead of the fresh red chilies, as reader Greg recommends.
Serving Suggestions for Keto Chili
- Top with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and guacamole.
- Serve over cauliflower rice with sour cream and cheese.
- Use as a base for hot baked eggs.
How To Store Keto Chili
Keto chili can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for up to three months.
Keto chili can thawed overnight and reheated in a saucepan or microwave.
Keto Chili Con Carne Recipe
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Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 small Onion diced
- 3 cloves Garlic crushed
- 2 small Red Chili finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 pounds Ground Beef
- 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 1 tablespoon Smoked Paprika ground
- 1 tablespoon Cumin ground
- 1 tablespoon Coriander ground
- 1 pound Diced Tomatoes canned
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper ground
Instructions
- Place a large saucepan over high heat.
- Add the oil, onion, garlic and chopped chili’s and saute for 3-5 minutes until the onion is translucent.3 tablespoons Olive Oil, 1 small Onion, 3 cloves Garlic, 2 small Red Chili
- Add the chili powder and salt and stir well.1 teaspoon Chili Powder, 1 teaspoon Salt
- Add the ground beef. Stir continuously to break apart the meat, saute for 10 minutes until the beef is well browned.2 pounds Ground Beef
- Add the tomato paste, paprika, cumin, coriander and pepper and stir well.2 tablespoons Tomato Paste, 1 tablespoon Smoked Paprika, 1 tablespoon Cumin, 1 tablespoon Coriander, 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
- Cook for 5 minutes before adding the canned diced tomatoes. Mix well.1 pound Diced Tomatoes
- Reduce the heat to a low simmer and continue to cook, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes.
- Taste your chili and add additional salt and pepper if desired.
- Serve immediately, or cool and store in the fridge for 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Traditional chili con carne is not keto-friendly because it contains kidney beans, which are high in carbohydrates. This recipe removes the beans entirely and uses no added sugar, bringing each serving to just 4g net carbs. Everything else — the beef, spices, tomatoes, and onion — is naturally low-carb.
This recipe contains 4g net carbs per serving (150g/¾ cup). Total carbohydrates are 6g with 2g fibre, giving 4g net carbs. The carbs come primarily from the diced tomatoes and onion.
Beans are high in carbohydrates — a single half-cup serving of kidney beans contains around 20g net carbs, which would use up most of a daily keto budget in one meal. Removing them keeps this recipe genuinely keto-friendly without sacrificing any of the flavour.
Yes. For the slow cooker, complete the browning and spice steps on the stovetop first, then transfer everything to the slow cooker and cook on low for 6–8 hours. For the Instant Pot, use the sauté function for the browning steps, then pressure cook on high for 15 minutes with a natural release.
The best keto alternatives to rice are cauliflower rice, which absorbs the chili beautifully, or zucchini ribbons as reader Kim used. You can also serve it over baked eggs, in lettuce cups, or simply topped with sour cream, cheddar, and guacamole.
Yes, ground turkey or chicken work well as a leaner substitute. The flavour will be lighter, so you may want to increase the smoked paprika slightly to compensate.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Freeze in individual portions for up to 3 months — freezer zip-lock bags stored flat work well as reader Hannah suggests. Reheat in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave.
Absolutely — use the serving adjuster in the recipe card to scale up. The spice ratios hold well at double or triple quantity. Reader Kylie regularly makes triple batches for freezing.
Simmer uncovered for the full 20–30 minutes to let moisture evaporate. If it’s still too thin, continue simmering on low with the lid off. Avoid adding flour or cornstarch — they add carbs. For a quicker fix, stir in a tablespoon of tomato paste.
Yes, this chili is naturally gluten-free. It is also dairy-free as written — the sour cream and cheese in the serving suggestions are optional toppings you can omit.
Reader tips
“This is the best chili I’ve ever had. I used chipotle peppers in adobo sauce instead of red chilies — the whole family was blown away, even my picky eater.”
★★★★★ Greg
“Made 3 double batches already — I freeze it for easy lunches at work. I add a little extra chili powder but love this recipe!”
★★★★★ Kylie
“I tried it first, then added a pinch of cinnamon powder and cooked for a further 3 mins — it elevated this recipe. Fantastic.”
★★★★★ Justin
Looking for more delicious Mexican-inspired Keto recipes? Try our;
Adjust the servings above to make a larger batch of this Keto Chili Con Carne recipe.
Fantastic, I have tried recipes from Splendid table, Traeger, Big Green egg and many more. This is the one Excellent. If my wife stops the Keto we are still using this recipe. I hate when people change the recipe and then comment. So I tried it, then added a pinch of cinnamon powder and cooked for a further 3 mins and it elevated this recipe.
Hello Justin, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. We try to keep it as simple as possible. Thank you for the cinnamon tip, i’ll try that next time 🙂
I really liked this easy. Simple ingredients & directions. I made mine in my cast iron big pot with lid, which it was ideal for . The house smelled amazing and taste was very good. I added a little grated cheese and sour cream to it for an even richer taste.
I am doing the carnivore diet with some dairy so the cheese and sour cream was fine for me to use. I am not sure about the diced tomatoes though or if any of the other ingredients are not allowed, but it is a nice dish for a cold, winter Sunday. My daughter loved it as well so that was a plus. It kept me full and satiated as well.
To sum it up this was a win – win! Thank you for sharing this amazing receipt with me. I will be looking for more recipes from this creator.
So glad you love the chili Gail, and thank you so much for spending the time give us such wonderful feedback. 🙂
This Chili was absolutely amazing! This is the best chili I’ve ever had and I’ve had some mighty good chili but this sits at the top of all of them by itself. The only red chili peppers I had hydrated were chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and it was fantastic. The whole family was blown away by this chili , even my picky eater . Next time and absolutely there will be many next times , I’ll double it . Thank you so much for sharing your recipe with us .
Hello Greg, thank you so much for your feedback I love your variation with the chipotle peppers. Next time I make this Chili I’ll try your version. Thanks again.
Loved this recipe! I also made your guacamole recipe to go with it. Absolutely delicious!
Hey Suzanne, thank you so much for the feedback, glad you loved it.
My favorite recipe of all time! Made it several times and I love the smoky spicy taste.
Thank you, Tracy, so glad you enjoyed it.
Made this. Absolutely delicious. Saved to make again.
Hello Jac, thank you for your comment, so glad you like it.
I have been pre-cooking ground beef for a long time – it is just so much easier to do it once and be done with if for a while. Sometimes I cook a batch that is just plain ground beef – and then I’ll do another batch and add green peppers and onions. I also store mine in freezer zip lock bags due to the storage issue – much easier to store flat.
My husband asked me if I made it from scratch! So good!
Made 3 double batches already, freeze it for easy lunches at work. I personally add a little chilli powder but love this recipe!
Made this recipe for dinner tonight. The recipe was very easy to follow and was delicious . Will definitely make this recipe again.
Amazing recipe!!! I added some mushrooms at the beginning to put in a personal touch. But it tastes just like regular chili. So good!
Easy, delicious and guilt free…what’s not to love! Thank you! xxx
I truly miss chilli cheese omelets since going keto… found an old can of Nalleys and skimped out 50 grams for my compete, which really sucked… Will be making this… a triple batch… this weekend! Thanks!
Made this tonight for dinner.
We had it with zucchini ribbons, Absolutely delicious!!!
I just made it today and I love it! I am considering following the keto diet and just want to try some recipes to see if its for me. This is good chili!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Mary! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Cooked this today, oh my god it was just devine! Didn’t take long either. I was gonna save some for mid week 😉 but ate it all haha nice and filling a must if your wanting to reduce carbs and still enjoy great tasting foods!!! Gonna get my next three days of meal prep out the way then do this on Sunday 🙂