All The Flavor — Without the Beans!
We’ve made this exact chili nearly every week in the fall and winter for years. After several test runs, we finally landed on the perfect formula. Even my picky toddler asks for seconds. It’s our cozy Sunday staple, and I always stash an extra batch of this or sweet potato chili in the freezer.
- No beans, no problem: Still hearty thanks to sausage.
- Hands-off cooking: Just brown the meat, dump and go
- Tested and trusted: I’ve tested this so many times and make it each fall, tweaking it to get the perfect ratio of spices and meat.
- Perfect for meal prep: Freezes beautifully and makes great leftovers.
- Naturally gluten- and dairy-free.
Looking for more crockpot chili recipes? Try this sweet potato chili, slow cooker steak chili or slow cooker buffalo chicken chili next.
Reader Reviews
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “So great! My husband does not like beans, so this recipe was perfect! I especially love the sausage (I used Italian turkey sausage) in combination with the beef. So flavorful, so yummy… and I made mine a little extra spicy 🙃” — Noelle
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ground beef: A lean ground beef is good here because we’re getting extra fat from the sausage. You could swap this for ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Italian sausage: Casings removed and make sure there isn’t any corn syrup in the ingredients!
- Onion
- Beef broth: You can swap this for a bone broth or chicken broth.
- Diced tomatoes: Simple canned diced tomatoes are best, but you can use diced tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel).
- Red or green pepper: Dice it into pieces using our guide for how to cut bell peppers.
- Spices: Chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper
How to Make Beanless Chili
- Saute: Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and green bell pepper and cook until soft then brown the beef and sausage until no pink remains.
- Cook in the Crock Pot: Add the mixture to the slow cooker with the remaining ingredients. Cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours. Check out the recipe card below for full instructions and a stove top option.
Pro Tip
Pro Tip: Browning your meat before adding it to the crock pot makes a massive difference in flavor. I tested this recipe both ways, and the browned version won hands-down for richness and depth. Don’t skip it!
Crock Pot No Bean Chili
Save this Recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 pounds ground beef
- 1 pound Italian sausage casings removed (check ingredients for no corn syrup)
- ½ tablespoon coconut oil to brown the meat
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 large bell pepper any color diced
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
- 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
- ½ (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 3/4 cups beef stock or bone broth
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Toppings: Cilantro, green onion, extra onion, cashew cream, sour cream, cheese or avocado to top
Instructions
- Melt the coconut oil over medium heat in a large pan or cast iron skillet. Once, it's melted, add the onion and pepper and saute a few minutes. Add the ground pork and beef and cook until the beef and pork are browned and no pink remains.1 pound Italian sausage, ½ tablespoon coconut oil to brown the meat, 1 pounds ground beef
- Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients and spices. Stir well and cook on high heat for 3 hours or on low heat for 6 hours.1 medium yellow onion, 1 large bell pepper any color, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice, ½ (6 ounce) can tomato paste, 1 3/4 cups beef stock or bone broth, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 tablespoons smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, Toppings: Cilantro, green onion, extra onion, cashew cream, sour cream, cheese or avocado to top
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Favorite Chili Toppings
Chili is all about the toppings! Here are a few of my favorite toppings for any chili recipe:
- Sour cream
- Green onions
- Red onion
- Chili flakes (for spice!)
- Gluten-free cornbread (my hubs is an Iowa boy after all!)
- Cheddar cheese
- Serve it on top of a hot dogs for delicious chili dogs
Storage & Freezing
Storage: I often think chili is even better the next day! Which is why I love to meal prep chili or make a double batch for extra leftovers. To store, allow the chili to cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freezing: My favorite way to freeze chili, and all soups, is to cool it completely then pour it into a freezer bag. Lay leftover chili flat so it freezers flat, then stand it up to save space. It will last for up to 4 months in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge and heat in a dutch oven on the stove or quickly in the microwave in a microwave safe container.
I can’t wait to hear what you think about this paleo chili! If you make it, don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and tag me with @what_mollymade or #WhatMollyMade so I can see it and feature you!
More Chili Recipes
FAQs
This paleo chili recipe has about 320 calories for one serving. It also tons of protein—23 grams to be exact! And if you’re doing a keto or low carb diet, there’s only 7 grams of carbs in a serving!
These calories don’t include all of the toppings. What’s a chili recipe without it being loaded with yummy toppings?! Here are a few of my favorites!
Beans are considered a legume and, because of that, they aren’t paleo. Legumes are a recommended food type on the paleo diet to avoid. Other legumes (besides beans) include: peanuts (yep!) and lentils. The paleo diet doesn’t “permit” beans.
Tomatoes are paleo, thank goodness! However, tomatoes are part of the nightshade family and you should avoid them if you’re doing the auto-immune paleo diet.
The two different kinds of protein, onions, tomato and less broth thicken this paleo chili. A lot of times the beans are what makes chili nice and thick but we aren’t using any in this recipe. Because of that, the ratio of ingredients is crucial so you don’t end up with watery chili!
You might not even realize you’re eating a healthy recipe when you eat this chili! I love to make healthy recipes you actually look forward to making and eating. This recipe is no exception!
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Why is there Coconut sugar in the ingredient picture?
Not gut healthy for people with GERD, they are not to have any tomatoes any shape or form.
Your print button does not work. I love your chili recipe but I can’t print it.
So great! My husband does not like beans, so this recipe was perfect! I especially love the sausage (I used Italian turkey sausage) in combination with the beef. So flavorful, so yummy… and I made mine a little extra spicy 🙃