Simple and delicious Whole30 beanless chili is perfect for a cozy night in! Made with ground beef and ground pork, a rainbow of vegetables, and plenty of spices for deep and rich flavor. Easy to make and great for the whole family! Whole30, paleo, and gluten free.

Colorful bowl of beanless Whole30 chili topped with avocado, red onion, cilantro, sliced jalapeno, and lime wedges.

This recipe is essentially our FAVORITE chili recipe I’ve been making for the past 8 years but without the beans and with extra veggies.

And, it’s Whole30 compatible! Hey-o!

Plus – it’s so delicious you can make it for the whole family whether they are doing a Whole30 or not and everyone will enjoy.

Of course you could serve it with sour cream and some cheese on the side, but I’ve found that cilantro, red onion and some creamy ripe avocado is a perfectly satisfying compliment to these cozy bowls of soup.

Why you’ll love this bean-free chili

It is:

Hearty
Flavorful
Packed with veggies
So cozy
Perfectly spiced
Easy to make
Family friendly!

Ingredients and substitutions

So if you don’t add beans… what do you add to chili? To keep it Whole30 compatible this hearty homemade chili is made without the beans, but with TONS of veggies, spices, and ground beef & pork.

There are a few substitution options too that you can check out in the list below.

Here’s what you need:

Olive oil – Olive oil is my oil of choice for cooking the veggies and meat for this soup, but you could easily swap it for another option.
Onion + garlic – A classic base for a flavorful soup.
Bell peppers – Any color bell pepper works. I chose to use red and green.
Carrots – Diced carrots add a bit of sweetness to the chili.
Celery – Celery is another excellent ingredient for creating a bold flavor base.
Ground beef + ground pork – Ground beef and a bit of ground pork are the meats that I chose for this recipe, but you could easily use all ground beef, or even ground turkey or chicken. If using ground turkey or ground chicken I would recommend a blend of dark meat for more richness.
Tomato paste + diced tomatoes – Both tomato paste and diced tomatoes deepen the flavor of the chili. The recipe calls for regular diced tomatoes but I’ve also made it with fire roasted and they are a flavorful option!
Broth – Any type of broth will do – I used chicken broth. You can adjust the amount slightly depending on how thick you want your chili to be. Less broth = thicker chili.
Spice blend – Chili powder, cumin, oregano, and a bay leaf are the spices used in this recipe.
Lime juice – I consider a squeeze of lime juice at the end of cooking a must for chili. It lifts all the rich flavors up for perfect chili every time!
Salt + pepper – The recipe calls for salt and pepper, but I encourage you to season again to your taste before serving.

Where I like to shop for pantry staples

You can find all of the pantry staples for this recipe on Thrive Market – a membership based natural products store that is like the Whole Foods of Costco but entirely based online and with the BEST wholesale prices.

I’ve been a Thrive Market member for 5 years and over that period of time have saved $4,283.42 on natural groceries! That is some serious savings.

Can you add more veggies?

Yep! Absolutely.

Diced sweet potato, butternut squash, zucchini, or some hearty greens would all be perfect additions for some extra vegetables!

Heartier veggies like sweet potato and squash can be added with all the other vegetables in step 1. For more delicate vegetables like zucchini and hearty greens I would wait until the last 20 minutes or so of cook time.

To adjust the spiciness

The only ingredient in this recipe that will affect the spice level is the chili powder. Some chili powders are spicier than others, so you might want to test yours before adding it if you’re not sure how spicy it is.

To make this chili less spicy: Look for a chili powder that is on the milder side, or replace a portion of the chili powder with paprika & cumin.

To make this chili more spicy: Add a chopped up jalapeño with the other veggies, or a generous dash of cayenne pepper. Spicy diced green chilies would also be delicious!

How to make beanless Whole30 chili: Veggies sauteed in a large soup pot.

How to make

The most complicated part about making this chili is chopping up your veggies, and waiting for it to be ready while it simmers away on the stove! But overall it’s pretty straightforward and can easily be made for a weeknight dinner.

Here’s the step-by-step

Cook the veggies. Heat a large soup pot over medium high heat with olive oil. Add diced onions, celery, carrots, peppers, and garlic and sauté until veggies are tender and onions are translucent.
Cook the meat. Add ground pork, ground beef, salt and pepper. Break up the meat and cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is nicely browned. If there is a fair amount of fat in the pot you can drain some off, but leave a bit behind for flavor.
Spice it up. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Cook, stirring constantly, until spices are aromatic.
Add the liquid ingredients & simmer. Pour in the diced tomatoes, broth, and add the bay leaf, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring up to boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until veggies are quite soft and soup has reduced slightly. The longer it simmers the more the flavors will deepen!
Season to taste with salt, pepper, and the juice of a lime.
Garnish + serve! Serve desired garnishes and enjoy.

How to make in the crockpot

This chili recipe can easily be made in a crock pot for those extra busy days.

Here’s how:

Proceed with steps 1-3 on the stove top. Transfer everything to a 6 quart crock pot.
Add the remaining ingredients – broth, diced tomatoes, and bay leaf.
Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6-8.
Season to taste with salt, pepper, and lime juice before serving!

Close up of finished beanless Whole30 chili in a large soup pot.

Will this chili get thick even though it doesn’t have beans?

Even though this chili has no beans it can still be made thick. The thickness can be adjusted based on how much broth you add. For a thicker chili start with 2 – 2 1/2 cups broth and add more if desired.

If you accidentally add too much broth and your chili is more broth-y than you would like, let it simmer uncovered for a little while until it’s reduced to your preference.

Our favorite chili toppings

There are lots of delicious chili toppings that totally fit into your Whole30 protocol!

Here’s some ideas:

Diced avocado
Cilantro
Thinly sliced jalapeño
Finely diced red onion
Picked red onions
Vegan sour cream (cashew based!)
Pumpkin seeds
Lime wedges

Sour cream and cheese are also very good options!

Storage and re-heating

To reheat: This soup can easily be re-heated in the microwave or over low heat on the stove top.

To store in the refrigerator: To store this soup in the refrigerator, allow it to cool and then transfer to an air tight container before moving to the fridge. Will keep for up to 5 days.

To freeze: To freeze this soup, allow to cool completely and then transfer to an airtight container. Freeze for up to 4 months. To thaw, move to the refrigerator overnight before reheating on the stove top.

Pinterest image of colorful bowl of beanless Whole30 chili topped with avocado, red onion, cilantro, sliced jalapeno, and lime wedges.

Love this chili? Here’s some other yummy soups to try!

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