Slow Cooker Texas No Bean Chili
27 Comments Aug 07, 2017
Updated Jan 20, 2023
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Slow Cooker Texas No Bean Chili is hearty even without the beans! This chili also doesn’t have tomatoes, just great spice and beef flavor in this meal.
There are so many variations of chili, which I am thankful for. I can’t eat the same chili every week. This version comes from Texas where the creators of this type of chili feel very strong that it should not have beans or tomatoes in it. Does it still taste like chili you ask? Yes, it does! This recipe has a 1/4 cup of chili powder and I added Anaheim chile for an extra kick. A thick sauce is formed by adding flour to the seasonings that coat the beef cubes. This recipe requires a few minutes of stove top cooking to form the sauce, but that bit of extra time is worth it.
Below is the sauce and beef before cooking. I add onion, Anaheim pepper and garlic.
I cook this on low for 9 hours so the beef will shred easily.
I baked my cornbread the night before while the house wasn’t so hot, then the next day all I had to do to serve dinner was to plate it.
More Slow Cooker Chili Recipes here:
- Slow Cooker V8 Chili
- Slow Cooker Beef Enchilada Chili
- Slow Cooker Venison Chili
- Slow Cooker Chipotle Turkey Chili
- Slow Cooker White Chicken Poblano Chili
- Slow Cooker Copycat Wendy’s Chili
- Slow Cooker Low Carb Beef and Bacon Chili
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Slow Cooker Texas No Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. beef stew meat, cubed
- 2 Tbsp. cooking oil
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 2 tsp. oregano
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, this makes the chili extra hot, leave out if you don’t like extra hot
- 28 oz. beef broth, (Two-14-oz. cans)
- 1 1/2 cups sweet onion, (One large onion) finely diced
- 1 Anaheim pepper, minced
- 2 tsp garlic cloves, minced
Options For Serving
- cheese, shredded
- onion, diced
- cornbread
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the flour, salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano and cayenne pepper, mix well.
- Add the beef cubes and stir to coat them evenly.
- In a very large skillet set to medium high heat, add the cooking oil.
- Once hot, add the flour coated beef cubes and cook until browned, no need to cook through.
- Add the beef broth to the pan, and stir until a thickened sauce forms, be sure to scrap up any meaty bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add this beef mixture to the slow cooker.
- Add the onion, Anaheim pepper, and garlic; stir well.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 9 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time. If desired shred the meat up with 2 forks.
- Serve on cornbread and top with cheese and onion.
How to Video
Sarah’s Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
I’m in Texas, and I have heard that all my life about the beans in chili, but between you and me I don’t get it. I love the V-8 Chili Recipe more than this one. We have always put beans in our chili, and it has always been tomato based.
I’m with you we are from Texas and I have always added beans. But I did that when I had two hungry boys and a hubby to fill up. Beans make it go farther.
My husband does not like spicy so can I substitute the Peppers for Diced green chili’s?
yes, that will work fine.
Can I cook this on high for a shorter cook time?
Yes, that will work fine!
Instead of beef cubes, I use LEAN (94%/6%) ground beef – easy to brown in a skillet before adding the spices. Also a little more “authentic” replacement for the generic “flour” would be “masa” – a Mexican flour used for tortillas (though this might not be available everywhere.) [If you use ground beef, add the masa mixed with enough water to make a “slurry” at the very end, before the final heating in the slow cooker.] Also I use dried onion in the spice mix instead of a chopped fresh onion as a topping – less mess to clean up, and no garlic at all: ditto. If you use good meat (and why not?), then instead of the two cans of beef broth, I use an 8oz can of tomato sauce plus 1-2 cans of water, depending upon how thick you want the chili. Making Real Texas Chili this way will dramatically reduce the time that your chili will need to spend in the slow cooker to about 2 hours!
So after coating the cubes in the flour and spices and browning them am I supposed to put the entire spice/flour mixture in with the beef broth and the browned up cubes ?
#easilyconfused 🙂
Yes, put it all in 🙂
Thanks!
My husband hates garlic and onions ..i cooking ur 9 hour crockpot chili….Any suggestions of what I can use instead…is it going to be ok? thanks, Sarah!
You could try without! I don’t know what would be a good substitute.
Thanks…Sarah about the no onions/ garlic..I can add it to my bowl as I luv both!…it’s been almost 5 hours now..at what point does it start to Thicken…or does it?
Keep the lid on for sure. Once it really starts cooking it will thicken up. I LOVE garlic and onions too!
Thank you …Sarah….! The chilli I did your Texas chilli turned out to be incredible even if I omitted the onions and garlic in the recipes!It was well worth the wait ..and I can’t wait to make it again!My husband Loves it ……and yes, we are having it Again Tonite!Thanks, Sarah!
Great chili ! when did you add the oregano?,recipe doesn’t say. I just put it in with the flour. Really enjoyed this different version.
Yes, with the flour. I fixed the recipe, thank you!
Do you think Almond flour would work in place of regular flour?
I’ve never cooked with it, I’m unsure if it thickens thing well?
Can you make it without flour and use corn starch instead for those who need gluten free
Hi Sandra, I don’t know how that would work. Let me know if you try it.
This is real chili. As they say at Terlingua, “You don’t know beans about chili if there are beans in your chili. I’m ready for a cool day for some chili. Thanks for sharing.
Wishes for tasty dishes,
Linda
Thank you Linda! So many people were mad about this recipe! It’s a delicious recipe to try. 🙂
What were they mad about…….no beans??? I am a true Texas and we do not put beans in our chili, but I can enjoy it either way.
Exactly!! Texans DO NOT put beans in their Chili!!
Hi Sarah, Not sure which chili powder you are using ? as over the Pond here in the UK most are hotter than Caynne, so 1/4 of a cup and you would be in competion with NASA. Thanks.