My Texas chili recipe is the tried-and-true beef chili recipe of your dreams! Thick, spicy, and smoky as all chili recipes should be, this “Bowl o’ Red” covers the flavor bases with homemade goodness your family will love.
Chili is the state dish of Texas, so you know this chili recipe isn’t messing around! It’s also a no bean chili — part of what makes this chili, well, Texas chili is the absence of beans and the punch of other flavors and texture.
Simmer up a pot of full-flavored chili today! Let’s get cooking!
Psst — looking for chili with beans? Check out my steak chili, chicken chili, or turkey chili!
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What I Love About This Recipe
There is nothing better than settling down with a big steaming bowl of chili on a chilly day! Get it? Chili, chilly. Wordplay is part of the fun!
- Thick, meaty texture
- Easy to add variation
- Belly-filling goodness
- Cook-all-day taste in less than two hours!
How To Make Texas Chili Recipe
This is is made by simmering beef with beer and a variety of spices and seasonings. Follow these four easy steps to rustle up your own award-winning Texas Chili recipe.
First, brown your beef. Next, cook the onions with garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano. Third, add salt, pepper, bay leaves, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Better than Bouillon, amber ale beer, and water, and add the beef back in.
Finally, supplement the mixture with additional beer and water as needed. Dinner is served!
Recipe Notes
The Houston Press describes chili con carne as a uniquely Texan invention from the 1800’s, popularized by working-class “chili queens.” Some stories trace this popular dish back to a 1600s Spanish nun whose spirit traveled across the ocean to preach Christianity to the Native Americans, according to National Chili Day.
Whatever you believe about the mythic origins of chili, today’s Texas chili is best known for tender beef, seasoned onions, and ground chilies. My recipe plays with some other yummy ingredients. Let me walk you through the flavors!
Ingredient Notes
Beef: You will need a cut that has sufficient fat to hold up to the simmering process and deliver a texture that isn’t dry. Hand-cut cubes from a chuck roast work beautifully.
I prefer a coarsely ground 80/20 (also called a “chili grind”) that I can pick up from my local butcher. You might also use a standard grind 80/20, but it will have a smoother, less chunky texture.
Chili Powder: Chili powder is no trivial matter for true chili aficionados. My family prefers meals on the milder side, so I usually go for a good commercial blend.
The result gives you a sturdy chili flavor with deep tones and detectable smokiness without burning your tastebuds!
Tomatoes: This is the most controversial ingredient in an authentic Texas chili! Some chefs swear by tomatoes; others refuse to even entertain the idea. If you scoff at tomatoes in your chili, give this recipe a try — I’ll make a tomato convert out of you yet!
Masa: Masa is flour made from corn. It’s most often used to make tortillas and other baked goods in Mexican cuisine. But for this recipe, you’ll use it the same way you use corn starch — as a thickener!
Better than Bouillon: I love adding Better than Bouillon to my soups and stews to give dishes an extra punch of beef flavor! This is one of the secret ingredients to make your chili taste like it’s been simmering all day. Better Than Bouillon is available at most supermarkets.
Storing Tips
The best part of my chili is the leftovers! Chili tastes even better the next day, once the spices and flavors have a chance to really settle in. To make sure you get the best leftovers you can out of your chili, read on!
Can You Freeze This?
Yes! My chili recipe will last you up to six months in the freezer. Just make sure you thoroughly cool your chili before you freeze it — residual heat will create steam during the freezing process, which will lead to freezer burn. And no one likes freezer burn!
Make Ahead Tips
The best way to make this Texas chili recipe ahead is to follow the steps through Step Five, stopping just before you simmer. Since your meat is fully cooked, you can store the chili base as you would normal chili, in the fridge — where it will last for up to four days — or in the freezer — for up to six months.
Simmering is what gets all the flavors condensed, so once you’re ready to finish the chili, don’t skip the simmering! You’ll definitely want to get all those yummy flavors married together properly.
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
This recipe will store in your fridge for up to four days. I think it always tastes better the next day, once the ingredients have had time to settle, so this makes a great next-day lunch leftover meal!
You can shake up the flavor combination day to day by using different toppings. One day, go for cheese; the next, do avocado and salsa for a Mexican splurge. The possibilities are endless!
Recipe Variations
Every chef has their own version of chili! What are some variations you can try?
- If the idea of noodles and chili doesn’t get your kids excited, try chili mac — mac and cheese and chili? Yum!
- Texas chili with beans?? Blasphemous! Kidding, kidding. Well, sort of. There are certain Texas chefs who would never add beans to their chili, but I love dishes like Mexican chili and taco chili. And one of my favorite chili shake-ups is Frito chili pie. Yes, pie! Everything is better in pie form!
- There is an infinite number of chili recipes to try! Pioneer Woman chili is rich and delicious while Wendy’s chili recipe brings the fast-food favorite within your grasp. And Alton Brown chili is always a crowd pleaser!
- Steak chili is extra yummy for the chunks of hearty steak in the rich sauce — perfect for a winter date night. And of course, let’s not forget the classic chili burger! Make sure to have fries handy too!
- If you want to add sausage and beer in your chili, boilermaker chili is perfect for you!
More Chili Recipes
Want to explore more hearty chili recipes? I’ve gathered my best dishes for you:
- Sweet And Spicy Cashews – Follow that spice to your snacks.
- Stuffed Chillies – Love chilis? This is for you!
- Old Fashioned Chili – easy to make and always a huge hit!
- Instant Pot Chili – It’s ready fast and it’s so good you may need a bib!
- Crockpot Chicken Chili – It’s stuffed with veggies, beans, & meat & makes plenty to feed your hungry crew
Texas Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds coarse ground beef, 80/20 or chuck also called chili grind
- vegetable oil as needed
- 2 cups yellow onions chopped
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 (28-ounce) Can crushed tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 heaping tablespoon Better than Bouillon - beef flavor
- 1 (12-ounce) bottles amber ale beer
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons masa
Toppings:
- cheddar cheese shredded
- sour cream
- red onions chopped
- jalapeno sliced
Instructions
Make Chili:
- In a 6-quart saucepan, over medium-high heat, brown the beef crumbling as it browns, in batches so as not to crowd the pan. Remove the browned meat to a paper towel lined plate.
- Remove all but 1/4 cup of the fat in the pan, if there's not 1/4 cup fat, add vegetable oil, as needed. Add the onion and cook, on medium, stirring occasionally, until browned and soft, about 10-12 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and oregano and cook, stirring constantly so as not to burn the spices, until the spices are fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Return the browned beef to the saucepan and add the salt, pepper, bay leaves, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, Better than Bouillon, 3/4 cup of the amber ale beer and 1/3 a cup of water and simmer 20 minutes.
- Add the remaining 3/4 cup of beer, another 2/3 cup of water, and masa and simmer 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chili is thick.
- Serve with any toppings you like.
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I’ve made this recipe half a dozen times. It is always a hit. I stick with the basic recipe but sometimes make minor substitutes such as shredded beef, different chili powders, tomatoes, etc. The consistency is fine without thickening. I make a lot of chili and this is my “go to”.
Hi, TerryH! Thank you for your feedback! Happy to hear that this is always a hit! 🙂
Love to see more of your recipes.
Thank you, Terry! We have lotsa of them <3 !
Why are some of your readers afraid of beer? It’s a liquid food. I use Guinness, pale ale, and my favorite- Miller High Life lager. Use jalapeños, a dried Serrano, and chile powder from ground passilas chile. No sugar, but a splash of mable syrup. Cumin is important and I enjoy a little smoke paprika.
If I don’t have Amber ale what can I use in place of it? And what type of white wine would be good? Dry?
Samantha, I always stick with beer in this recipe. Just use your favorite type.
Could you use venison in this recipe?
Hi, Rebecca! I haven’t tried using venison for this recipe, but yes, you can use ground venison. Hope this helps! Let us know how it turns out! 🙂
I will start by saying that I have never liked chili. Every chili I’ve ever eaten has had beans which I cannot stand the texture of. In comes this Texas Chili recipe and now I love chili! This was an easy recipe to follow using ingredients that I have on hand. I don’t typically have made, but corn meal worked great as a replacement for the flavour. With a side of cornbread, this made 6 very filling portions. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Thank you for sharing your great review! Welcome to the world of no bean chilis:D
Yes, this is perfect with cornbread on the side!
Can someone tell me what masa is?
Hi, Samantha. Masa is flour made from corn. I use it to thicken this chili
Absolutely delicious! I made this for my super picky boyfriend and we both loved it. I’d like to add jalapeños and beans next time (with his blessing). When in the recipe would you recommend I add the jalapeños and beans? Thank you for this recipe!!
I just made this. Coming from Texas, I have to say, this is an excellent recipe. Will keep this one for sure.
Ive made this several times already but I like to make it my own….I add kidney beans, or black beans and chopped jalapeños for extra spiciness. Instead of beer, I just add water. Not a fan of alcohol in dishes 🙂 eventually I hope to make some that THC infused lol
Damn! This recipe was spot on!! I followed it to the letter and it was so good. Sometimes there’s nothing better than a bowl of Texas red on a cold winter day. I tossed in a handful of corn chips, some cheddar cheese and fresh jalapeno slices. I was in chili nirvana! I wholeheartedly agree chili is even better the next day. I can hardly wait if it makes it that far. My new chili go to recipe.
Thanks Joe!
If I don’t have beer can I substitute with more water?
And how much vegetable oil should I use, also if I were to cook it in a crock pot would it work?
Hi Thuthuy! In place of beer, you can either use chicken/beef broth, white wine, ginger ale, or white grape juice. You can use around 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil for this recipe. And yup, you can cook this in a crockpot! But I haven’t tried it yet, so I can’t advise. But if you do give this a try, please let us know how it turns out for you.
Happy cooking! 😀
Love your recipe. Almost exactly how I make it. I use red wine instead of beer. I do not use the corn masa I just let it thicken naturaly. My chilli lasted 3 weeks in the fridge because I made so much. The acid in the tomato, wine, spices and salt preserved it from spoiling and I kept it at 1° above frezzing.
Wow, that’s so awesome, Trevor! I haven’t tried using red wine yet but that sounds amazing. 😀 Love the little tweaks you made!
Super flavorful , and like you said, tastes better the next day. I used a combination of regular chili powder, ancho and chipotle powder, and it was great.
Nice! Glad it turned out awesome for you, Carolyn! 😀
This was really good!