This 3 bean chili is easy to make and huge on flavor with ground beef and spicy chorizo simmered with fire roasted tomatoes, spices, and lots of beans!
Three Bean Chili Recipe
Who's ready for a delicious bowl of 3 Bean Chili? I am! This is a soul warming bowl of comfort right here, my friends, and I think you're going to love it.
My easy three bean chili is loaded with layers of flavor. We start with a base of onions, jalapeno peppers, and garlic, then lots of aromatic spices.
We're using two types of ground meats here - ground beef and spicy Mexican chorizo - then simmering the whole pot in beef stock and fire roasted tomatoes for an experience you absolutely crave.
And don't forget the beans! It isn't a three bean chili without 3 types of beans! If you love beans in your chili, this is the dish for you.
Let's talk about how to make three bean chili, shall we?
Three Bean Chili Ingredients
The full ingredients list with measurements is listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Oil. For cooking
- Fresh Vegetables. Onion, jalapeno, garlic. Use bell peppers for milder.
- Meats. Ground beef, Mexican chorizo.
- Spices. Chili powder, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper.
- Tomato Paste.
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes.
- Beef Broth. You can use vegetable broth or chicken broth.
- Beans. I'm using red kidney beans, black beans, and white beans (Great northern beans). Pinto beans are a great option.
- Hot Sauce.
- Toppings. Choose your favorites!
How to Make Three Bean Chili - the Recipe Method
Cook the onion, peppers, and garlic in a large pot or Dutch oven until softened, then add the ground beef and chorizo.
Cook the meats down until mostly cooked through, then stir in the seasonings and tomato paste.
Cook for a minute or 2 to let the spices bloom, then stir in the beef broth, tomatoes, and three cans of beans, and hot sauce to taste.
Simmer the pot of chili, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors mingle and develop, stirring occasionally. You can simmer longer if you’d like, up to 60 minutes.
Boom! Done! Your 3 bean chili is ready to serve. Add all your favorite toppings. I like a bit of shredded cheese, crema or sour cream, spicy chili flakes, jalapeno slices, and fresh cilantro.
But use your favorites! Great options are tortilla chips or fritos for crunch, extra hot sauce, shredded cheese, you name it!
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Slow Cooker Version. To make this recipe in a slow cooker or crock pot, cook down the onion, peppers, garlic, and ground meats per the recipe, then add them to your slow cooker with the remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 3-4 hours, or on high for 2-3 hours, then serve.
Storage & Leftovers
Leftover chili will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. It's usually better the next day. Heat it up on the stove top to enjoy again.
You can also freeze it for 2-3 months. Chili is great for freezing.
Heat Factor
Medium. You'll get some good spicy heat with this dish from the combination of chili powder, jalapeno peppers, Mexican chorizo, and hot sauce.
You can dial back the heat with a milder chili powder, and by using green bell peppers instead of jalapenos. You can also look for a milder chorizo brand, and skip the hot sauce.
To heat things up, use serrano peppers or hotter chilies, and your favorite ghost pepper hot sauce. Yes!
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my meaty 3 bean chili recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you, and if you decided to spice it up!
Cookbook Recommendation
If you enjoy spicy cooking, I hope you'll check out my cookbook! 75 easy recipes with big, bold flavor.
- The Spicy Food Lovers' Cookbook, by Mike Hultquist (affiliate link, my friends!)
Amazon Affiliate links, my friends! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
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.
Three Bean Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 2-3 jalapeno peppers diced (use bell pepper for milder heat)
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound Mexican chorizo
- 3 tablespoons chili powder or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional, for extra spicy
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth
- 2 15 ounce cans fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 15 ounce can red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15 ounce can black beans
- 1 15 ounce can white beans use great northern beans or cannellini beans
- hot sauce to taste
- Toppings. Choose your favorites!
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot to medium heat.
- Add the onion and peppers and cook 2-3 minutes to soften.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the ground beef and chorizo and break apart with a wooden spoon. Brown the meat for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the chili powder, ground cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste, and tomato paste. Cook 1-2 minutes to let the spices bloom.
- Stir in the beef broth, tomatoes, and three cans of beans, and hot sauce to taste.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors mingle and develop. You can simmer longer if you’d like, up to 60 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite chili toppings, like shredded cheddar cheese, spicy chili flakes, sour cream, chopped green onion, chopped cilantro or parsley, fritos or tortilla chips, or others.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Doug Bieker says
Loved this chili! I halved the heat spices, and my spice-averse spouse still declared it a five-alarm fire. It was totally fine for me, though. I did use Hatch chili powder, so that might have packed an extra punch. Appreciate you sharing the recipe!
Mike H. says
You are very welcome, Doug - enjoy!
Laurie B. says
Wow! Such a boldly spiced chili! I cut the recipe in half, as there's just two of us and only used two beans - kidney and chili beans. I put the whole can of chili beans in, sauce and all. Love the addition of the chorizo! Added habanero and used lean ground beef. Thank you for another fantastic recipe!
Mike Hultquist says
Nice!! Glad you enjoyed it, Laurie!! Thank you!
Heather says
New go to (and favorite) chili recipe. I loved the addition of the chorizo. I did top it off with a handful of green onions and a few extra slices of jalapeño, but other than that, the recipe is perfect as is! Thanks Mike for another fantastic dinner option.
Mike Hultquist says
BOOM! Thanks so much, Heather!! Super happy you enjoyed it! I just love it with the chorizo.
Robin Journot says
I’m pretty picky about my chili and I like it simple to make . I thought I’d try this recipe and it was delicious and simple . The only changes I made was using ketchup instead of tomato paste ( I don’t like wasting a can ) and I used a chili paste instead of beef bouillon . I used one jalopeno and the rest were milder chili peppers . I also made the jalopeno bread to go with it ! Both were delicious
Mike Hultquist says
Wonderful!!! Thanks so much, Lori! SUPER happy you enjoyed them! Great combo!
Leydie says
Tasty!! Clever to use mexican chorizo for this, really added another dimension of flavor. We kept it mild with a green bell pepper and no cayenne. Also topped with avocado. It was quite easy to make and came together quickly.
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Leydie. I do love it with chorizo. So good!!!
Roger Goode says
I made the Three Bean Chili Recipe this weekend. I love chili and I haven’t made it in a long time, so this was very timely.
I tend to like things spicy, so I used 3 jalapeño peppers and added a couple of stunted habaneros I found in my garden after my season end harvest a week ago. I also love beans, so I added a fourth can of beans… pintos, just to keep it diverse.
I served it up with some grated cheese and chopped red onion as a garnish… Delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
Mike Hultquist says
Outstanding!! I love the way you spiced it up! Thanks, Roger! Glad you enjoyed it. I appreciate your comments.
Curtis Petersen says
WOW! This is one of my favorites for chili. I followed the recipe but used crushed tomatoes and also substituted hot chopped green chilis for the jalapenos. I also added about 1/8 tsp of cinnamon and some chocolate chips. I have made chilis with Italian sausage but never chorizo and think I really prefer the chorizo!!!!! This is some hot chili just the way we love it!!
Mike Hultquist says
Outstanding! Glad you enjoyed it, Curtis!!! I appreciate it! Love the personal touches.