Simple and delicious Whole30 beanless chili is perfect for a cozy night in! Made with wholesome protein, 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.
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!
Which means yes you CAN have chili on your Whole30 🙌🏼
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.
Why you’ll love this Whole30 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 fat 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 delicious 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.
Can you add more veggies to this chili?
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 of this chili
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.
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 this chili
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 this chili 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!
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
If you’re making this soup and not doing a Whole30 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.
Love this chili? Here’s some other yummy soups to try!
- Creamy Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Soup (Vegan + Whole30)
- Dairy Free Gluten Free Lasagna Soup (GF + Vegan option)
- Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup (Whole30 + Vegan + GF)
- Super Creamy Carrot Soup (GF + Vegan + Whole30)
- Whole30 Chicken Pot Pie Soup (GF + Whole30)
- Ultra Creamy Vegan Corn Chowder {Vegan + GF}
If you enjoyed this recipe we’d love it if you take 5 seconds to rate and review it below. It’s also super helpful to me and other readers if you share any changes you made to the recipe. Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK 🙏🏼 We are so grateful you’re here!
PrintThe Best Paleo Bean Free Chili {paleo + whole30}
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: about 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Simple and delicious Whole30 beanless chili is perfect for a cozy night in! Made with nourishing protein, 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.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium sized onion, diced
- 2 medium bell peppers, any colors, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground pork (or an additional 1/2 pound of ground beef)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 3 cups broth – 2 cups for a thicker chili
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- Juice of one lime
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large soup pot over medium high heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add diced onions, celery, carrots, peppers, and garlic and sauté for about 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until veggies are tender, and onions are translucent.
- Add ground pork, ground beef, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon ground 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.
- Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Cook, stirring constantly, until spices are aromatic – about 2 minutes.
- Pour in the diced tomatoes, broth, and add the bay leaf, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. For a thicker chili start with 2 cups of broth instead of 3. 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 you let it simmer the more the flavors will deepen!
- Season to taste with salt, pepper, and the juice of one lime.
- Serve topped with cilantro, diced red onion, avocado, jalapeño, and extra lime wedges if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition facts are for the chili without any toppings.
For thicker chili, start with 2 cups of broth instead of 3 – you can always add more to thin it out.
For crock pot instructions refer to the section with instructions above in the blog post.
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 6 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.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: American
Did you make this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out for you! when you rate my recipes and leave feedback it helps me continue to improve. you can leave me a comment below, or snap a picture and post it to instagram with the tag @nyssaskitchen or hashtag #nyssaskitchen! xo
Julia says
Delicious 🙂 never thought to put fennel in chili but it’s so dang good!
Nyssa Tanner says
Ahh I’m so glad you loved it! Fennel is one of my favorite ingredients to add to soup – it’s so aromatic and sweet when it’s caramelized!
KB says
Hi there. Did you skim the fat from the top as it cooked ?? There seems to be a lot
Nyssa Tanner says
Fat quantities of ground pork and beef can vary quite a bit.You can absolutely skim the fat from the top if there seems to be a lot.
Jen G says
Oh my goooooosh! This recipe is amazing!!!!! I modified it to go in the crock pot. Cooked the meat, onion and spices, them dumped everything together in the crock pot. Added a bit more broth and the whole can of tomato paste instead of just the 3 Tbs. cookes on high for about 6 hours, then turned to low for the last few hours. It was so good! Already looking forward to lunch leftovers!
Nyssa Tanner says
Ahh YES! Such a good idea to make it in the crock pot!!! I’m definitely going to have to try that myself someday soon. I’m so happy you loved it! :))
Blaire says
definitely going to try this soon!! yum yum 🙂
Nyssa Tanner says
Ohh yes girl! I hope you love it!!
Albert Bevia says
So far this spring has started feeling like winter, but I´m sure a bowl of this bean free chili will heat things up, love the combination of veggies that you used, specially the fennel…superb recipe 🙂
Nyssa Tanner says
Thank you! Love fennel in soup. Adds such a nice depth of flavor and sweetness. Trying to be patient waiting for Spring weather! Not an easy task but this soup does help
cakespy says
This sounds absolutely delicious. So perfectly cozy.
Nyssa Tanner says
Totally! Cozy food for life
Caitlin says
Ooooh I LOVE the colors in these photos – gorgeous! And the chili sounds great, with beef and pork! YUM!!
Nyssa Tanner says
Thanks Caitlin! ✨