Published: Jan 16, 2020 · Modified: Oct 9, 2022 by Angela · This post may contain affiliate links · 42 Comments

Slow Cooker No-Bean Chili (keto)

Name: Slow Cooker No-Bean Chili (keto)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 360 min
Total time: 380 min
Ingredients: 1.5 pounds ground beef ((or other meats, see above comments)); 6 slices bacon; 15 ounces can diced tomatoes; 15 ounces can tomato sauce; 3 TB chili powder; 1 TB minced dry onion; 2 tsp ground cumin; 1.5 tsp salt; 1 tsp black pepper; 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (Optional - for added heat)

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This homemade slow cooker beef chili recipe is the best since it is so full of flavor thanks to several spices, smokey bacon, and a rich tomato sauce. It is a great no-bean ground beef recipe that everyone should make part of their regular easy dinner rotation. This is the best keto chili con carne - it is almost all carne (meat) without frijoles (beans) and it's totally amazing.

This tasty beanless red chili has simple ingredients that pack in a lot of flavors and it can be adjusted to be mild or spicy. This is one of the quickest ground beef recipes to put together and into the Crockpot. The key to a hearty keto slow cooker beef chili recipe is keeping it low-carb without the beans. Plus it is important to have added fat and protein-rich toppings like bacon, cheese, avocado, and sour cream.

Slow Cooker Beef & Bacon Chili (no beans)

Slow cooker chili con carne is hearty, chunky, and simmers in rich tomatoes and spices for the most amazing bowl of chili. The perfect chili seasoning mix plus crispy bacon, then add fun and delicious toppings for the ideal low-carb keto chili. You will never miss the beans in your chili again.

After all, a classic chili recipe has no beans. It is just hamburger meat, spices, and chili peppers. This easy chili recipe is perfect for all chili lovers, especially those on a keto, soy-free, gluten-free, diabetic, paleo, or low-carb diet since it is so tasty without any beans or fillers. When I was in college one of my favorite easy fast meals was making a baked potato in the toaster oven and then topping it with this chili & some cheese.

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What Meat to Use for Chili
Why Enjoy Chili Without the Beans
Ideal Toppings for Chili - Set up a Chili Bar
What to Serve with Chili
Ingredients for Low-Carb Chili without Beans
Keto Chili Seasoning
How to Make CrockPot Beef Chili Without Beans
Step-by-Step Instructions
How Many Carbs in Chili
PIN FOR SAFEKEEPING & SHARING!
Slow Cooker No-Bean Chili (keto)

What Meat to Use for Chili

My classic chili recipe calls for ground beef but any combination of ground meats will work. If you prefer other ground meats such as turkey, pork, bison, venison, or any mixture, they can all be used in this keto slow cooker recipe. All will work and can meet your dietary or taste preferences.

You can even brown chunks of beef roast and then add to or replace the ground beef. By the time the slow cooker does its magic, the beef will shred and be so tender (just make sure if you use beef pieces vs ground beef, the slow cooker needs 8 hours on low vs 6 hours on low). This makes the ultimate chili con carne without beans! It would be an award-winning recipe for any friendly chili cookoff, vote for bacon.

Why Enjoy Chili Without the Beans

Fewer Carbohydrates - the carbs in chili without beans is very low, this recipe has only 6 net carbs for a large bowl
The original chili recipe refers to meat cooked with red chili peppers. (chili con carne - chili with meat) Chili does not refer to beans.
Beans for many people are not an "agreeable food"
More meat and flavor when you leave out bland beans (really just a filler)

Ideal Toppings for Chili - Set up a Chili Bar

shredded cheese
sour cream
avocado
cilantro
lime juice
crumbled bacon
jalapenos, other peppers
salsa or diced tomatoes
chopped onion or scallions
additional hot sauce - for those that want a lot of heat!

What to Serve with Chili

Here are some delicious recipes that go well with chili. I have included some keto-friendly and low-carb recipes. Most are also gluten-free and all are fantastic.

More Recipe Ideas Using Beanless Chili

Here are great ways to enjoy this chili. These recipes are great for using up leftover chili without beans.

Poach an egg, then put both on a grain-free keto roll, recipe HERE
Top a hot dog or hamburger
Top zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash
Add to baked potatoes or make chili cheese fries
Use a topping on nachos or in a burrito

Ingredients for Low-Carb Chili without Beans

There are only a few ingredients needed for this chili. The slow cooker and the perfect spices work the magic to turn plain ground beef into a bowl of comfort. Besides a blend of spices, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, ground beef, and bacon are needed for this high-fat & low-carb chili recipe.

Keto Chili Seasoning

To keep away from grains or other unnecessary ingredients that are in premade seasoning packets, make your own. This is ideal for the low-carb diet when you want to know all the ingredients going into your meal. This homemade seasoning blend includes chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, minced onion, salt, & pepper.

How to Make CrockPot Beef Chili Without Beans

I love my Crock-Pot for many quick recipes but the #1 reason I use the slow cooker, is to make meats tender and infuse flavor slowly into them. Chili is just the sort of thing that begs for the meat to infuse with the other ingredients and there is no better way than to slow-cook it for hours in a variety of spices. Cooking low-carb chili in the crockpot is so basic and the most flavorful recipe by far.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Crumble and brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat. Once browned, DO NOT DRAIN! You want fat, aka flavor. Plus if you are on a keto diet, you really want that fat.

Slow Cooker Beef & Bacon Chili — browned ground beef

Add the ground beef and fat to the insert of your slow cooker. Next, add the spices and minced dry onion.

Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Stir to combine evenly.

Close the lid and set the timer to 6 hours on LOW. The meat is already cooked so you wonder why so long. This step is all about infusing the spices into the meat and keeping it tender and juicy in the acidic tomatoes.

Now for the BACON!!!

I bake my bacon in the oven. I have done this since my first job at a burger place where large baking sheets of bacon were baked up every morning. To this day a bacon cheeseburger is one of my favorite foods. Ok, back to the bacon - crisp it up as you like. We like our bacon extra crispy. Then crumble.

tray of crispy cooked bacon — Crispy bacon ready

Crumbled crispy bacon, set aside for later

Once the Beef and Bacon Chili is ready - spoon into bowls and bring out all the toppings you want, including the bacon. Stir the bacon into the chili. The reason I do not suggest adding the bacon any sooner is that the crispy bacon will now soften and not have the same texture we love with bacon. The crispiness of the bacon balances the velvety meat and the soupy tomato base.

Next, add any of the toppings I listed above or your own favorites. On this night I had shredded sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream, and avocado. I usually love cilantro too but just didn't have it tonight.

How Many Carbs in Chili

Each recipe or premade chili you buy at the store will have a different carb, fat, and protein count. This recipe keeps macros that are important for a keto diet. A full detailed list of nutritional information is shared in the recipe card below.

However for a snapshot of the carb count in this homemade chili without beans, here is the main breakdown. For ⅙ of this recipe, if you use ground beef that is 80/20 there will be 6 net carbs per large bowl. It packs almost 16g of fat but top with some avocado and cheese to add to that count.

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