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    Home » Mains

    Author: Emily Krill | Published: Sep 14, 2019 | Modified: Nov 21, 2021

    Keto Chili Con Carne

    Jump to Recipe

    This recipe is a low carb and Keto take on the classic chili con carne. And each bowl has just 236 calories and 3g net carbs.

    a top down view of a bowl of classic chili con carne and colorful plates of low carb cheesy jalapeno cornbread

    “If you know beans about chili, you know that chili has no beans.”  -Ken Finlay 1976

    Not if you are doing Keto, that’s for sure.  Legumes are off limits, because they are so high in carbohydrate.  So when we make our low carb chili, we make it “con carne”.  We make it with meat.

    a cast iron pan holding easy chili con carne with bowls of the chili in the background
    So today I’m going to show you how to make a classic beef chili, low carb style.

    It’s a flavorful blend of ground beef, onions, bell peppers, garlic, tomato sauce and chili spices.  So to make this low carb chili recipe you’ll need:

    Ingredients for Low Carb Chili recipe

    But what if you can’t get past this no bean rule?

    If push comes to shove, you can always add a can of black soy beans.  They are legumes, but are so low in carbs and so high in fiber, that they have just 6g net carbs for one ½ cup serving.  We’re all adults here, so if you want to add a can of black soy beans to your chili, I won’t try and stop you.

    a close up view of Paleo chili con carne
    Does Keto chili con carne have to use ground beef?

    Not at all.  You can use any ground meat that you’d like.  Chicken, turkey, sausage and pork are all great choices.  Chili con carne translates to just “chili with meat”, so you’ve got some wiggle room there.  

    a side view of a bowl of low carb Keto chili
    What are the ingredients of this low carb chili spice mix?

    This spice mix is made up of chili powder, cumin, oregano and red cayenne pepper.  But if you don’t have any of these spices, you can swap them out for an equal amount of chili powder.  

    a wooden spoon scoops up some chili con carne

    What goes well with a bowl of low carb chili?

    • Cheeses like shredded Cheddar, Colby and Mexican Spice Blend
    • Sour cream or crema
    • Vegetables like sliced green onions, tomatoes, jalapeño slices, white onions, avocado or fresh cilantro
    • Cooked cauliflower rice
    • Low carb jalapeño cornbread
    a top down view of a bowl of Keto chili con carne and several spoons
    And finally, I should mention two more things about this Keto chili con carne recipe.

    Chili con carne is crazy easy to make.  It’s got just four steps: sauté vegetables, brown beef, add remaining ingredients to the pan and simmer.  Done and done.  And each bowl of this beanless chili con carne has just 236 calories and 3g net carbs. 

    Because you know what Ken Finlay always used to say:

    “If you know beans about chili, you know that chili has no beans!”  

    a close up view of Paleo chili con carne
    Big-Chef-Orange-Square

    Ok, chow for now!

    Big-Chef-Orange-Square
    (But let's keep in touch.)

    Print

    Keto Chili Con Carne

    a top down view of a bowl of classic chili con carne and colorful plates of low carb cheesy jalapeno cornbread
    Print Recipe

    ★★★★★

    5 from 4 reviews

    This recipe is a low carb and Keto take on the classic chili con carne. And each bowl has just 236 calories and 3g net carbs.

    • Author: Emily Krill
    • Prep Time: 5
    • Cook Time: 17
    • Total Time: 22 minutes
    • Yield: 6 cups 1x
    • Category: Soup
    • Method: Stovetop
    • Cuisine: American
    • Diet: Diabetic

    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
    • ½ cup onion, diced
    • ½ cup orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 pound of ground beef
    • 16 oz can of tomato sauce
    • 16 oz water
    • 1 tablespoon chili powder
    • 1 tablespoon cumin
    • 1 teaspoon oregano
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper
    • ¼-½ teaspoon red cayenne pepper

    Instructions

    Step 1.  Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet and heat over Medium heat.  Add garlic, bell peppers, onions, and garlic and cook until translucent, 2-3 minutes.  Remove the vegetables from the skillet and set aside.step 1 saute onions, yellow bell pepper and garlic

    Step 2.  Add remaining olive oil to the pan and heat over Medium-High heat.  Add ground beef to the skillet and cook until browned, 3-4 minutes.step 3 brown 1 pound of beef

    Step 3.  Mix together all spices in a small bowl.step 3 mix together chili spice  

    Step 4.  Add vegetables, tomato sauce, spice mix, and water (use the tomato sauce can to measure it).  Bring the chili to a low boil.step 4 combine all ingredients

    Step 5.  Simmer for 10 minutes.step 5 simmer the chili for 10 minutes  

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 cup
    • Calories: 236
    • Fat: 5
    • Carbohydrates: 4
    • Fiber: 1
    • Protein: 30

    Keywords: Low Carb Chili Con Carne, Keto Chili Con Carne, Paleo Chili Con Carne

    If you liked this low carb soup recipe, then you might like my recipes for Wedding Soup, Cream of Tomato Soup, Keto Ramen Soup, or Keto Gumbo.

    « Cheesy Keto Jalapeño Cornbread
    Quick Keto Queso »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rachel says

      January 27, 2022 at 4:43 pm

      DO you think I could use turkey instead? I'm trying to watch my calories lately.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Emily Krill says

        January 27, 2022 at 8:04 pm

        Sure!👍

        Reply
    2. Katie says

      January 23, 2022 at 8:46 am

      I want to make this for my family who isn't on Keto. I'll take out my portion and then add beans to the rest for them. How much should I add?

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Emily Krill says

        January 23, 2022 at 4:15 pm

        Just dump a (16oz) can of black beans, chili beans, or kidney beans along with the liquid into the chili. Watch the heat if you choose chili beans though, in case the kids don't like it too spicy.

        Reply
    3. Gail says

      January 22, 2022 at 8:04 am

      Is that cornbread in the pictures? Do you have a recipe for it?

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Emily Krill says

        January 22, 2022 at 12:37 pm

        It is Keto cornbread with cheese and jalepenos. Here's the recipe: https://www.resolutioneats.com/blog/cheesy-keto-jalapeno-cornbread/

        Reply
    4. Trudy Cooper says

      February 24, 2020 at 4:01 pm

      What is a weekly rotation?

      Reply
      • EmilyKrill says

        February 24, 2020 at 4:05 pm

        Just the usual recipes that we cycle through each week. My kids don't eat many foods, so we have a weekly rotation of chili, chicken soup, spaghetti, dumplings, meatloaf and tacos.

        Reply
    5. Laura says

      October 24, 2018 at 6:47 pm

      This recipe is terrific. My husband loved it too. It’s in our weekly rotation now.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • EmilyKrill says

        October 26, 2018 at 8:12 am

        Great! It's a classic.

        Reply

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    I'm Emily, the diabetic behind Resolution Eats. Many years ago, I made a New Year's resolution to switch to a low carb diet. It improved both my health and my outlook on life. Since then, I've come up with hundreds of Keto recipes for everything from soup to nuts. And this blog is a way for me to share the low carb love. Cheers!

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    DISCLAIMER: I'm a home cook, not a nutritionist, so please take my advice with a grain of salt.  I calculate the nutritional information using the Lose It app, which sometimes contains errors.  You should also know that there are affiliate links on my website, so if you follow them, I'll receive a small commission. 

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