Slow Cooker Paleo Chili (No Beans) (2024)

By Laura Fuentes on Updated

5 from 27 votes

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This Slow Cooker All Meat and Veggie Chili recipe has no beans, is super hearty and makes the perfect Paleo and Whole30 approved chili.

This chili recipe is a retake of one of the most popular recipes on my blog, my Paleo Chili has no beans and it’s 100% paleo-approved. I think it’s about time we made the slow cooker version, don’t you?

Slow Cooker Paleo Chili (No Beans) (1)

Who doesn’t love a big bowl of chili? I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter what time of year it is, my crew is always game for this healthy Chili.

I’ve always preferred more meat, and fewer beans when it comes to chili so after testing and tweaking recipes I found the perfect compromise. It’s been quite a success. People have even won chili cook-offs with the recipe after finding it on my site. It’s literally award-winningly delicious.

What goes in Paleo Chili?

We all love a good, thick hearty chili and it’s possible to make without beans! Just like regular chili, you’ll find tomatoes, chili spices, and beef but instead of beans, we use diced zucchini and carrots to really up the ante on this chili. The veggies add volume, fiber, and make this it super filling.

If you’re doing paleo, Whole30 or the Family Kickstart program this recipe is exactly what you need to get that chili fix. It’s been one of the most popular recipes on Kickstart and many have added it to their regular meal routine.

If you haven’t heard about Family KickStart yet, it’s the 30-day program I created to help busy families ours to eat real food together. It includes recipes, meal plans, and shopping lists to make the whole process painless for you and the whole family.Learn more about the Family KickStart Program and grab your free trial here!

Best Vegetables to Put in Chili instead of beans

I’m all about loading on the veggies for bean-free chili. I always start with zucchini and carrots but those aren’t the only options.

You can use diced sweet potato, eggplant, bell peppers, summer squash, sauteed mushrooms, or cauliflower to beef things up even more. If you plan on making this recipe on the stove top, make sure to saute your veggies with the ground meat for extra flavor and a thicker chili.

While my kids aren’t fans of raw vegetables, they’ll gladly scarf down a big bowl of this chili, no questions asked!

Slow Cooker Paleo Chili (No Beans) (2)

Ingredients

Beef, veggies, and seasoning make this slow cooker chili an epic recipe that will have everyone asking for seconds! Check out the ingredients list:

  • Olive oil:for cooking.
  • Ground beef:a classic chili ingredient to add protein. If you want to use chicken, check my Chicken Chili recipe.
  • Garlic:chopped garlic cloves add tons of flavor.
  • Yellow onion:diced.
  • Celery:a great aromatic for any stew.
  • Carrots:make this chili colorful, nutritious, and filling!
  • Seasonings:chili powder, ground cumin, oregano, and salt.
  • Cayenne pepper:this seasoning is optional for extra heat.
  • Zucchini:adds volume and fiber.
  • Canned tomato sauce:adds delicious flavor.
  • Tomatoes:your favorite canned diced tomatoes.

You’ll find the measurements in the recipe card below.

How to make Healthy Chili in the Slow Cooker with No Beans

Here’s where we make the original Paleo Chili Recipe even easier with the help of a slow cooker! All you need to do is brown the beef, transfer it to a slow cooker, add the remaining ingredients, cook, and just like that, dinner is taken care of.

Just three simple steps:

  1. Brown beef and aromatics
    In a large pan, brown the beef, garlic, and onion over medium meat, until the beef is cooked through.
  2. Combine
    Transfer the meat mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker with the celery, carrots, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, cayenne pepper, zucchini, tomato purée, and diced tomatoes.
  3. Cook
    Cover and cook on high for 4 or 6 hours or low for 7 to 8 hours, until the chili is thickened.

More Ways to Make this Recipe
Ground Chicken Chili | Ground Turkey Chili | Lower Carb Chili

Slow Cooker Times for Meat & Vegetable Chili

Depending on how quickly you want a bowl of chili, cook 4 hours on high or 6 to 8 hours on low. After that, it’s ready to be topped with corn chips, cheese, sour cream, and avocado – depending on your dietary restrictions.

How thick is Slow Cooker Paleo Chili

Despite having no beans, this chili is super thick and sticks to your ribs, just like it should be! If you want to make it a little soupier add 2 cups of beef stock to thin it out a bit. And if you’d like the quicker, stovetop version of this Paleo Chili Recipe I have that for you too!

Other serving ideas for Slow Cooker Paleo Chili

We all know the classic, cheese and sour cream topping but would you consider these:

  • Loaded onto a baked sweet potato
  • With chips, avocado, cheese, and sour cream
  • Tossed with pasta and cheese (or on a bed of spaghetti squash if you are doing paleo or Whole30)
  • On top, a bed of sweet potato fries- don’t mind if I do!
  • Served over Cauliflower Rice
  • On Chili Tacos

Now, you know how to serve it, I’ll give you one last piece of advice – double the recipe and save some for another dinner or a thermos lunch. You won’t regret it. And if you’re not sure how to best to store it, I will show you how to freeze chili in this post/video combo!

What is your favorite way to eat a big bowl of Paleo Chili with No Beans?

Slow Cooker Chili Recipe With No Beans (Meat & Veggie Paleo Chili)

Slow Cooker Paleo Chili (No Beans) (3)

Servings: 8 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 6 hours hrs

Total Time: 6 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

This Slow Cooker All Meat and Veggie Chili recipe has no beans, is super hearty and makes the perfect Paleo and Whole30 approved chili.

5 from 27 votes

Print Pin

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds ground beef
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 ½ cups yellow onion, diced
  • ½ cup celery, chopped
  • 1 ½ cups carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
  • 2 medium zucchini, diced
  • 15 ounce can tomato sauce
  • 15 ounce can diced tomatoes

Instructions

  • In a large pan, brown the beef, garlic, and onion over medium meat, until the beef is cooked through. Transfer the meat mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker with the celery, carrots, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, cayenne pepper, zucchini, tomato purée, and diced tomatoes.

  • Cover and cook on high for 4 or 6 hours or low for 7 to 8 hours, until the chili is thickened.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 large bowl | Calories: 209kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 735mg | Potassium: 867mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 5029IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 4mg

Slow Cooker Paleo Chili (No Beans) (2024)

FAQs

What is chili called without beans? ›

No Bean Chili is chili made without beans – you got it!

What can I put in chili instead of beans? ›

Replacing up to 2 cups chopped vegetables is a great choice and one of the best substitutes – Cauliflower florets, broccoli florets, bell pepper, white or portobello mushrooms, sweet peas or split peas, carrots, zucchini or butternut squash.

How do you thicken chili on the Paleo diet? ›

To thicken a sauce without changing the flavour, I use powdered arrowroot. In a bowl, put a tablespoon of arrowroot powder with a small amount of cold water. Mix well then slowly add a few tablespoons of the excess liquid from your chilli.

Why is chili better in the slow cooker? ›

Chili is perhaps the ideal slow-cooker dish because its flavor improves with a long, slow simmer. This makes a big batch, perfect for a cold-weather get-together, but if you're making it for a smaller group, the leftovers freeze well.

What not to put in chili? ›

Beans and non-vegetable fillers such as rice and pasta are not allowed." If that sounds a bit uptight, the ICS's Homestyle Chili competition defines chili as: "any kind of meat, or combination of meats, and/or vegetables cooked with beans, chili peppers, various spices, and other ingredients.

Why do Texans eat chili without beans? ›

If you go pretty much anywhere in Texas you will find chili ingredients simple and rarely differing: meat, sauce, peppers and spices. Carol Hanco*ck, President and CEO of the International Chili Society, told Texas Living there is a specific reason why Texas chili contains no beans: it's tradition.

What chili does not use beans? ›

As you can image, the same thing applies to chili. What primarily distinguishes Texas chili from other chili recipes you might find is a lack of beans, but it also doesn't feature any tomatoes.

How to make chili thick without beans? ›

Mix in a scoop of cornstarch, all-purpose flour, or oats.

For 1 tablespoon of flour, use 2 tablespoons of water. No slurry is required for the absorbent oats; simply stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons. In all cases, allow the chili to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes more, and you should notice it thicken up.

Does Gordon Ramsay put beans in chili? ›

Gordon Ramsay's recipe for chili con carne includes onion, a red chili pepper, fresh tomatoes, and kidney beans. Ramsay's chili recipe is lengthy — it includes everything from ground cumin and sweet paprika to a cinnamon stick, ground beef or beef mince, and garlic.

What is a paleo flour substitute for thickening? ›

Instead of cornstarch, use arrowroot flour or tapioca flour. We found that arrowroot flour works well to thicken sauces and gravies and helps to lighten the texture of baked goods. Tapioca flour works well in coatings, such as velveting chicken for stir-fries.

What is the best thickener for Paleo? ›

Paleo-friendly thickening ingredients
  1. Arrowroot powder. Arrowroot powder, also known as arrowroot starch and arrowroot flour, is a tuber native to Indonesia and is similar to a sweet potato. ...
  2. Avocados. ...
  3. Nuts or nut-based flour.

What is a substitute for masa harina in chili? ›

If you don't have masa harina on hand you can use flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, or puree a can of beans. Just start with a tablespoon of the flour, cornmeal, masa harina, or cornstarch whisked with a little water, add to your chili and simmer 10 more minutes or so.

Why does my crockpot chili taste bland? ›

Use More Spices and Aromatics

The flavors in a slow-cooker dish can become muted over the long cooking time. So we up the amounts of aromatics and spices in the recipes beyond what is normally used. But it's not just increasing spices that does that trick; you'll also want to increase their potency.

Can you overcook chili in a slow cooker? ›

Can I overcook chili in a slow cooker? Yes, but it would take a while. I have cooked this chili for 9 hours on low and it was delicious but ever-so-slightly burnt on the top. The tomatoes contain sugar, which caramelizes in the slow cooker, and will eventually burn if it cookes for too long.

Can I leave chilli in the slow cooker all day? ›

So here's the verdict when it comes to chili food safety: You can leave it in the slow cooker for hours after it's done cooking if the cooker is set to the “low” or “keep warm” setting.

Did chili originate without beans? ›

The question of whether beans belong in chili has long been a matter of contention among chili cooks. While it is generally accepted that the earliest chilis did not include beans, proponents of their inclusion contend that chili with beans has a long enough history to be considered authentic.

What is canned chili with no beans? ›

HORMEL® Chili Angus Beef Chili no Beans is a cut above other chilis. Made with chunks of 100% Angus beef, tomatoes, onion and green chilis, cooked with a mix of green bell peppers and spices. Bursting with savory goodness. Just pop, heat, and serve for a quick, convenient meal!

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