Name: Ground Beef Chili and Beans
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: 2 lbs ground beef; 1 small onion chopped; 2 cloves garlic minced; 30 ounces canned tomato sauce; 2 tablespoons chili powder or more to taste; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 1 tablespoon salt; 1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper; 1 cube beef bouillon; 1 cup water; 4 ounces roasted green chiles; 16 ounces pinto beans drained and rinsed; 16 ounces chili beans in sauce; 1 tablespoon cayenne optional

You may be thinking, “Texas Style Chili With Beans?! Texas Chili doesn’t have beans.” Traditionally, it doesn’t. But the one thing Texas Style Chili does have is maximum flavor.

It has a higher meat ratio and a true depth to it that a lot of other chili doesn’t have. With a few shortcut ingredients in this recipe, you’ll have a memorable Texas Style Chili (with beans!) that only needs to simmer for 20 minutes.

chili topped with cheese, sour cream, and jalapeno in a bowl surrounded by cilantro

Why Ground Beef Texas Chili With Beans stays in the rotation

Most chili needs to simmer for a long time to develop it’s flavor. We're going to show you how to get that real flavorful chili without having to simmer it for hours. You can have thick, satisfying, flavor packed chili in only 20 minutes.

Texas Chili is known for not having any beans, but we're a big beans-in-chili fan, but also love the flavor Texas Chili has.

This recipe combines a house favorite of both worlds with the satisfying Texas style spices and meat ratio with a few shortcuts to give you that slow simmered flavor.

This will be your new go-to chili recipe!

What is chili?

Traditionally, chili is a spicy stew-like dish that’s made with meat, chili peppers, seasonings, and tomatoes.

It’s slow cooked or simmered to combine and sometimes contains beans depending on the region.

You can find a wide range of varieties of chili like Texas chili, Cincinnati chili, and more.

What makes Texas Chili different?

Texas Chili is often referred to as chili con carne which translates to “chili with meat”.

One of the biggest differences in Texas Chili compared to most others is the emphasis on the meat. Texas chili places a strong emphasis on the flavor of the meat. Some include ground beef, but others use chuck or brisket that’s been hand-cut into bite-sized pieces rather than ground.

Another different is often in the spices. A common spice you’ll find in Texas chili (besides the typical chili powder) is cumin.

You’ll commonly find it served over enchiladas in Tex-Mex style restaurants.

While most people associate Texas Chili as not having beans, that’s still up for debate. Texas is a large state with diverse culinary traditions. Some areas due include beans while others do not.

Chili with Beans Ingredients

Ground beef
Onion
Garlic
Tomato sauce
Chili powder
Cumin
Salt
Ground black pepper
Bouillon
Water
Roasted green chiles
Pinto beans
Chili beans
Cayenne (optional)

Best beans for Texas Chili with Beans

The beans you choose for chili will mostly depend on your personal preference, but most commonly found in chili are:

Kidney beans – Specifically dark red kidney beans are probably the most popular choice for chili. They have a firm texture that’s able to hold up to the simmering in chili.
Black beans – Black beans have a slightly sweeter taste than kidney beans. They are also a bit softer than kidney beans and tend to soak up more of the chili taste as it cooks.
Pinto beans – Another common choice among chili recipes is pinto beans. They have a more mild flavor than others and a softer texture.
Cannellini beans – Cannellini beans are white kidney beans. They have a creamy texture and a mild taste. You’ll often find these in versions of White chicken chili.
Chili style beans – These are canned beans made by a few brands (and used in this recipe). They are pinto beans seasoned with chili spices. They’re a great choice for chili because they’ll help add that slow cooked taste without the slow cooked time.

Tools for this Texas Chili Recipe with Beans

Dutch oven

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Meat chopper

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Measuring cups

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Measuring spoons

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Wooden spoon

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How to cook Chili with Beans

Add the ground beef and onion to a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Cook until ground beef is cooked through and the onion is translucent.
Add the garlic and mix. Let it sauté for about 2 minutes, until fragrant.
Add in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, bouillon, green, water, and cayenne chiles. Mix to combine and bring to a low boil.
Add in the beans and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes.

cooked ground beef with sauteed onions and garlic in a stock pot

cooked ground beef along with tomato sauce, green chiles, and water in a stock pot

How to thicken chili

The key to having a thick chili is to make sure that you don’t add too much liquid to begin with. However, if your chili is too thin, there’s a few things you can try to help thicken it up.

Simmering: Continue to simmer the chili uncovered over low heat. This will evaporate the excess liquid and help thicken it. Be patient and stir it occasionally.

Mash the beans: You can use a potato masher or immersion blender to mash a portion of the beans. This will help release some of the starches to thicken up the chili.

Cornstarch: Mix 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch with an equal amount of cold water to create a slurry. Gradually stir in the slurry. Allow the chili to simmer a few more minutes to thicken completely.

Texas Chili with Beans Recipe substitutions & alterations

Ground beef – the great thing about this recipe is that the meat can be substituted with several other options. You could use ground turkey, ground bison, or ground elk. Ground elk chili is absolutely satisfying!
Onion – Do you have onion haters in your house? If so, the first thing we would recommend is pulsing the onion in a food processor. That way you still get the cooked flavor in your chili, but there’s not chunks anyone can taste. Otherwise, you can substitute it with onion flakes or onion powder.
Bouillon cube – The bouillon cube is a house favorite way to get that depth of flavor that helps it taste like it’s been simmering all day. If you can’t find bouillon, you can substitute beef stock and omit the water from the recipe.
Chili beans in sauce – This is another ingredient that helps lend to the taste of being simmered all day, but only needing to cook for 20 minutes. If you can’t find chili beans in sauce, you can substitute pinto beans, but you may want to simmer it a bit longer for a house favorite flavor.

What to Serve with Texas Style Chili with Beans

There are so many great things to serve with Chili. Here are a few of our favorites:

Chili with Beans Recipe Topping Ideas

It’s also great topped with a few things. We always pile ours high with toppings.

Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Avocado (or guacamole)
Chopped green onions
Chopped cilantro
Lime wedges
Jalapenos (fresh or pickled)

And if you happen to want to take it Cincinnati style, put it on top of spaghetti!

chili in a bowl topped with cheese, sour cream, and jalapeno

How to keep Chili with Beans

Allow the chili to cool completely before storing.

Place the cooled chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

To reheat, place it in a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally until heated through.

Alternately, you can pop it in the microwave (be sure to cover it – it will pop!), and heat it on 50% power for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. You may need more/less time depending on your microwave.

How long does from-scratch chili last in the refrigerator?

When stored properly, chili will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Can you freeze chili with beans?

You can freeze chili. It’s actually freezer friendly. It makes a great cook-ahead meal!
Let the chili cool completely and then place it in an airtight container and freeze for up to 6 months.
We love freezing ours in Souper Cubes and then popping them out and storing them in a freezer safe zip top bag.

Texas Chili Recipe with Beans FAQs

Prep 10 minutesCook 20 minutesTotal 30 minutesMakes 12 servings

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
30 ounces canned tomato sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder or more to taste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 cube beef bouillon
1 cup water
4 ounces roasted green chiles
16 ounces pinto beans drained and rinsed
16 ounces chili beans in sauce
1 tablespoon cayenne optional

Method

Add the ground beef and onion to a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Cook until ground beef is cooked through and the onion is translucent.
Add the garlic and mix. Let it sauté for about 2 minutes, until fragrant.
Add in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, bouillon, green, water, and cayenne chiles. Mix to combine and bring to a low boil.
Add in the beans and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Notes

Use a food processor or chopper to cut up the onion. This will help you get small pieces so that you can still have the flavor of the onion in the dish without anyone biting into a large piece of onion.
The longer you let the chili simmer, the better it will taste! You only need about 20-30 minutes because of some shortcut ingredients, but the longer the better.