This rich and authentic chili con carne recipe is a spicy stew of tender beef slowly simmered in a mouth-watering chili sauce, irresistible, and easy! Make it with or without beans. You can also make it with tomatoes, if desired. It's very simple to customize to your own preferred spice level.
The Best Chili con Carne Recipe
"Chili con Carne". Three little words that describe such a wonderful meal. It literally translates from Spanish to "Chili with Meat", and as generic as that sounds, it is filled with fantastic flavor.
Let's discuss this wonderful meal in a bowl.
What is Chili con Carne?
At its core, Chili con Carne is a spicy stew of meat with a seasoned chili sauce. The meat is usually beef, but you can also make it with pork or a combination of the two, or other meats to your preference.
The chili sauce is made with chili powders or dried chilies that are rehydrated and cooked into a sauce, usually with onions and garlic, and seasonings like cumin and oregano.
Where is Chili con Carne From?
Chili con carne originated in the region spreading Southern Texas and Northern Mexico.
It was originally a working class dish, something easy to prepare with basic ingredients, though it has spread in popularity due to its incredible flavor. It is named by Texas as it's official state food.
Does Chili con Carne Have Tomatoes and Beans?
Tomatoes or tomato sauce are often included in chili con carne recipes, and even though "chili con carne" translates literally to "chili with meat", you CAN include beans if you'd like.
However, be prepared for "chili con carne" purists to argue that chili doesn't contain beans.
Beans or no beans, it's great either way! I'll take both!
Let's talk about how to make chili con carne, shall we?
How to Make Chili con Carne - the Recipe Method
Lightly toast the dried ancho and guajillo peppers, then soak them in hot water to soften.
Process the peppers in a blender with a bit of soaking liquid until very smooth.
Season the beef with a bit of salt and pepper, then brown them in a pot.
Set them aside then cook down the fresh peppers, onion, and garlic, then the reserved chili sauce with your seasonings.
Add the beef back to pot along with beef stock or tomato sauce, or a combination. You can also add kidney beans or other chili beans.
Simmer the chili con carne, covered, about 2 hours, or until the beef is melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Serve with your favorite fixings! Homemade chili is the best.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Chili peppers are KEY to the best chili con carne. I like to include a mix of fresh and dried peppers, with fresh jalapeno peppers or spicier serrano peppers, and dried ancho peppers and guajillo peppers, which together result in a wonderful flavor combination. However, you can use pure ground chili powder available from grocery stores.
- For even more developed flavor, cool the whole pot of chili, cover it, and refrigerate it overnight to let the flavors mingle. Heat and serve it up the next day. You'll be amazed at the difference.
What is the Best Meat for Chili con Carne?
Chuck roast is ideal for making chili con carne, as it benefits from low and slow cooking, which results in tender, fall apart beef. The slow cooking process also allows your chili to develop more flavor.
Similar cuts of beef work as well, like brisket or rump roast, or cuts of pork like pork shoulder.
You can make chili con carne with more tender cuts of beef or pork, like flank steak, ribeye, or tenderloin, but you will need to cut down on your cooking time.
You can also make it with ground beef or other ground meats, which is a great time-saving solution.
Slow Cooker Chili con Carne
You can easily make chili con carne in your slow cooker, crockpot or instant pot, but you need to sear the meat first for best results.
To do so, cook down your peppers and onions and brown the seasoned meat in a pan first with oil or bacon fat, then add them to your slow cooker along with the remaining ingredients.
Slow cook on low for 4-6 hours, or on high for 2-3 hours, until the meat cooks through and the flavors meld. Stir it up occasionally. Then, serve in bowls with your favorite fixings. Super easy!
Serving Chili con Carne
Serve your chili con carne with shredded cheese, crema or sour cream, diced tomatoes, crunchy tortilla chips or corn chips, and chopped tomatoes.
I usually like to keep it simple with spicy chili flakes and fresh chopped cilantro, and sometimes sliced roasted jalapenos or serrano peppers.
Storage and Leftovers
Leftover chili con carne will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a covered container. For longer keeping, seal it in containers and freeze it, where it will last for 6 months.
That's it, my friends! I hope you enjoy the way I make my chili con carne. Let me know how it turns out for you. And please let me know if you include beans and/or tomatoes with yours. I'm super curious to hear your preference!
Try Some of My Other Popular Chili Recipes
- Classic Chili
- Chili Colorado
- Chili Verde
- Southwest Style Slow Cooker Chili
- White Bean Chicken Chili
- Homemade Roasted Tomatillo Pork Chili
- Pork Chili with Roasted Red Hatch Chili Peppers
- Shrimp and Red Bean Chili
- Cincinnati Chili
- Beef Chili
- Texas Chili
- Frito Pie
- Try it with my Jalapeno Cornbread Recipe! So good!
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Chili Con Carne Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE CHILI SAUCE
- 4 guajillo peppers (or use 1-1.5 tbsp ground guajillo powder or chili powder blend)
- 4 ancho peppers (or use 1-1.5 tbsp ground ancho powder or chili powder blend)
- Salt to taste
FOR THE CHILI
- 3.5-4 pound chuck roast cut into ¾-1 inch cubes
- 1-2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 jalapeno peppers chopped
- 1 large onion chopped
- 5 cloves garlic chopped
- 2-4 cups beef stock (or use tomato sauce or fire roasted tomatoes)
- OPTIONAL ADDITIONS Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, chili or kidney beans, extra spicy chili powders
- FOR SERVING Crema or sour cream, fresh chopped herbs, spicy chili flakes or chopped chiles, shredded cheese – all your favorite chili fixins. I served mine with spicy chili flakes and fresh chopped cilantro.
Instructions
- Make your chili sauce. Remove the stems and sees from the dried guajillo and ancho peppers, then lightly toast in a dry pan about a minute or 2 per side. This will help to release the oils.
- Soak the peppers in very hot water for 20 minutes in a heat proof bowl, or until they are nice and soft.
- Add the softened peppers to a food processor with 1/2 cup of the soaking water (or use fresh water) and a bit of salt to taste. Process until smooth. Strain if desired. Set aside for now.
- Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven to medium heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper, then sear the beef in batches to brown them, a few minutes per side. Set the beef aside onto a plate.
- Add 1/4 cup of the beef stock to deglaze the pot, and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom.
- Add the jalapenos and onion. Cook them for 6-7 minutes to soften.
- Add the garlic and stir. Cook another minute.
- Pour in the reserved chili sauce and the seasonings, and stir. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring a bit, to let the flavor develop.
- Stir in the remaining beef broth (or tomato sauce) and reserved beef. Bring to a boil. If you’d prefer a soupier chili, add in 4 cups of beef broth. If you are using the optional additions/beans, add them in now.
- Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 2 hours, or until the beef is very tender.
- Serve with your favorite fixins!
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 12/11/23 to include new information, photos, and video. It was originally published on 1/9/19.
Audrey Madrid says
Blown away! I didn’t change a thing and it was perfect. Thank you!
Willie Mae says
Amazing recipe. Make sure to watch the video for other tid bits. I Well definitely make this again.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Willie Mae!
Joe says
Made this for an office potluck the other day, with some adjustments. Really tasty. I did use beans and to keep the cost a bit lower than using the meat chunks, I used a combination of ground beef and pork. The chili paste is really tasty.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice. Great stuff, Joe. Beans are totally welcomed here. Glad you enjoyed it.
tony says
I used 1/2 tsp raw sugar, no brown sugar
2 small jalapeños, browned and chopped
2 small serranos, browned and chopped
1 habanero, no membrane or seeds,
Added flour tortilla/butter as a side, (obviously)
Other than that I left it alone. Cooked, low simmer in my aluminium dutch oven with tight fitting glass lid for 3 hours.
My wife and daughter loved it.
No left overs.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome! Thanks, Tony! Glad you enjoyed it.
Jane says
This seems quite similar to Texas chili....what's the key differences? Different peppers?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Jane, they are very similar. However, Chili con Carne can technically include tomatoes and even beans and still be considered "Chili con Carne" to most. Texas Chili, on the other hand, absolutely does not include tomatoes or beans, at least to purists. You'll find other regional differences as well, but still, they are quite similar.
Diane N says
PS: Oops!.....forgot to list 1 Tablespoon Mexican oregano to the seasoning list.
Diane N says
Great recipe....I used a mix of meats 2 1/2 lbs venison, cut in 1/4 inch cubes, 1 lb Italian sausage (bulk) and 2 1/2 lbs. ground chuck( total of 4 1/2-5lbs meat). Browned in batches in bacon grease in a heavy Dutch oven. Remove and set aside. Sautéed onions (3), jalapeños (2) celery (3) rough chopped and garlic (5) thinly sliced, until soft. Add seasonings 3 T. ancho chili powder, 1 T. chipotle chili powder, 1 T. each of paprika and ground coriander and salt and pepper to taste. Add to sautéed veg and return meat to pot, stir for a couple of minutes to bloom spices. Deglaze with 12oz. beer, add 2 15oz.. cans tomatoes plus 2 cans of water. Additional adds were 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate and 2 T. brown sugar. Simmer low and slow until venison is tender at least 3 hours. You can add beans...I made brown rice this time. Enjoy
Shawn says
So you just made something completely different.
Jenny Durling says
right? LOL!
John Bostwick says
Making a pot as I type this. Used tri-tip and chuck. I also used some fermenting peppers I had grown and was fermenting since September. That made this oh so good. Can't wait for the beans to get finished so a big bowl of chili.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sounds seriously awesome, John. Enjoy!
Saul says
Hi, about to make this (the excellent reviews are making my mouth water). Unfortunately i havent any Guajillo peppers. Only ancho, rocoto and chipolte. Would the rocoto and chipolte be ok? If so what amounts do you think would be good? The rocoto look like they are really hot! Thanks in advance
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hey, Saul. So, those peppers will work for sure, but you will get different flavors from guajillo. You can focus more on the ancho peppers for closer to the original, with maybe only a bit of the ancho and chipotle. Chipotle would be great here, but you'll definitely notice the smoky flavors. I think it would be very good overall. Let me know how it goes for you.
Eve says
Do you maybe mean 1.5 tbsp of soaking liquid rather than 1.5 cups? Because I only used one cup, doubtful of how it could possibly end up as thick as pictured and it was a watery mess. Deducted the excess liquid from the stock and it worked okay but not sure this step is right?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Eve, the 1.5 CUPS is correct, but see the video as well. I added 1.5 cups to the puree and it came out a touch thin, but at the end, reduced the overall sauce with a bit more heat. Works perfectly every time. You can always dial back on the liquid, per the recipe notes.
Trace says
I forgot to mention that I also added a can of rinsed kidney beans to save money by stretching the dish out.
Was great!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Very nice! Super happy you enjoyed it!
Trace says
‘Been looking for decades for a chili as superb as this.
I just loved it.
Two observations:
It’s even better on the 3rd-+ day, and freezes well.
Two jalapeños is a whole lot. I went with one, was great.
One suggestion:
I had the butcher cube a chuck roast for me rather than buying pre-cut stew meat.
The slightly fattier meat gave it a richness without being greasy that the leaner meat just doesn’t have.
Going with fattier meat also ensured it wouldn’t dry out.
Terrific recipe!, thanks!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Trace! Sounds wonderful! Love to hear it.
Neil Corke says
Made this last night - following the recipe to the letter.
Thought we had a good chilli con carne recipe developed over 10 years, but liked this one more!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, Neil! Super happy you enjoyed it! A great compliment.