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 norther 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
Jane Gibbs says
I plan to make chili tomorrow. Even have chorizo, used your recipe, it’s great. So excited to find your recipes, even bought your cookbook tonight.
Thanks again.
Mike H. says
Happy to hear it, Jane. Let me know how it goes please!
David says
This was a relatively quick chili recipe and very good. I made it last evening for dinner and it was easy, I mostly just opened a lot of cans and just a little veg chopping. It was delicious and had some nice heat. The chorizo really adds a lot of flavor. It’s hard to restrain myself from tweaking most recipes this certainly didn’t need it, but I did add a teaspoon of smoked paprika and about 10 roasted red hatch chilies just because I had them on hand and wanted to use them up. Very good, will certainly make it again. ️
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, David.
Paul says
Hello Mike and Patty,
I hope you’re both well and having a good Summer.
This recipe sounds gorgeous but I’ve never been able to buy canned fire roasted tomatoes here in the uk. Would fresh tomatoes roasted Mexican style in a dry pan achieve a similar result?
Paul 🙂
Mike Hultquist says
Paul, any canned or fresh diced tomatoes will work for this recipe. Fresh tomatoes can vary in moisture content, so you MIGHT need to add a touch more liquid. Enjoy!
Paul W. Anderson says
Mike, how do you feel about using Pinto Beans vs White Beans. My Chipotle order isn’t the same without Pinto Beans!
Mike Hultquist says
Pintos are GREAT, Paul. This will work with any combination of beans often used for chili. Enjoy!!
Ramya says
Cant wait to make this soon for me can i use tofu / tempeh and vegetable broth i never had three bean chili before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Sean E. says
Looks very similar to a chili recipe I use, but more delicious! Question though - do you drain the ground beef/chorizo grease, or are you using lower fat ratio (90/10 or some such), or just leave it?
Also, I've found that leaving the garlic, and the jalapenos, until the last 15 minutes or so of cooking, avoids losing a lot of that flavor via the cooking process - or do you not have that problem (my recipe doesn't add beef broth, just uses diced tomatoes/tomato sauce)?
Mike Hultquist says
Sean, you can drain the fat if you see too much in the pan. I don't like it too greasy/oily, though you'll get a bit of that from the chorizo as well. I use 80/20 beef. I do not have any flavor loss issue, but it's easy to adjust to your preference, really. Thanks!!
Jackie Smalley says
Oh, forgot to mention, love that ladle with the bend in it as a lip-rest. Need one of those!
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, work great! Thanks!!
Jackie Smalley says
Mike, I made an almost identical recipe this past month, beans, chorizo and all - dee-lish! I also mixed a slurry of sour cream, Frank's Red Hot sauce, lots of cilantro (grow tons of the stuff in my pots) and some pickled jalapeno to dollop on top. The only regret...not making a double batch to freeze!
Mike Hultquist says
Yes! I love it, Jackie!