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Chilli Con Carne is a classic family favourite recipe. Here’s my version, tried and tested over 25 years. It’s great for batch cooking or an easy midweek dinner. Packed with minced beef and red kidney beans, make it mild… or go hot!
This Chilli Con Carne recipe, I am convinced, is the best and easiest ever version made with beef mince and NO packet mix sauce.
The full recipe is at the bottom of this post and here I’ll give you lots of tips to make your best chilli yet, including an extra secret ingredient that you really need to try!
Why you’ll love this Chilli Con Carne recipe
⭐️ Classic comfort food
⭐️ Family favourite
⭐️ Freezes so well – a real batch cook hero!
What you’re saying about this recipe…
“Followed your recipe exactly. It was delicious! Just the right level of spice and super tasty. Add a little grated cheese to top it off. I’m already looking forward to eating the leftovers later in the week 😋”
– Jo –
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sarah’s Notes
I’ve been making and batch cooking Chilli Con Carne since I started cooking dinners 25 years ago.
Last year my family and I travelled a little around the USA (you can read about our USA road trip here) and one of our stops was Houston in Texas.
We ate some amazing, true TexMex chilli (or chili as it’s called there) and I’ve tried to incorporate some of what I’ve learned on that trip here.
I hope you love my method ❤️
What is Chilli Con Carne?
While Chilli Con Carne (or Chili – one L – if you’re in the States) is often served in Mexican restaurants, it’s actually firmly in the Tex Mex camp. In other words, it is mainly from Texas with inspiration from Mexico.
The ‘con carne’ part just means ‘with meat’.
You can read more about the history of the dish here or find a very technically detailed version of the dish here.
Easy Chilli Con Carne Ingredients
- Beef mince – In terms of fat content, 10% is ideal for this recipe. If you prefer, you could go for 5%, but it might not be quite as tender in texture. If you go for 20%, it will be very tasty but you might need to drain some fat away when cooking it. During the browning process, your mince should be coloured all over and starting to turn golden in places before you add the rest of the ingredients
- Onion and garlic – Use fresh or frozen. I use garlic puree as it’s so easy, but you could use fresh too
- Mild chilli powder – Use this to taste for spice level
- Sweet smoked paprika – I like the brand that comes in the red tin best
- Ground cumin – Use seeds if you don’t have ground
- Dark brown sugar – Maybe sounds odd, but it gives this dish depth and a slight caramel sweetness to offset the spice. Honestly, it really works.
- Tinned chopped tomatoes – As good a quality as you can
- Beef stock – Made with a stock cube is fine
- Red kidney beans – I use cooked, canned, ready to eat beans. Drain them and rinse them well before using
- Dark chocolate – This is our secret weapon for elevating the recipe and it needs to be really dark and good quality (70% or higher). Don’t substitute with anything else as it will just make the chilli too sweet. Leave it out if you don’t have it
How to make Chilli Con Carne
1. Heat the oil in a pan and brown the mince.
2. Add the onion and spices and cook.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer as per the recipe below.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until it’s melted.
leftovers
In the fridge You can keep this recipe in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat fully in the microwave or hob before serving.
In the freezer This is a great recipe for batch cooking for freezing. Just wait until it’s totally cold and then put into a freezer proof container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly before reheating in the microwave or hob.
What to serve with Chilli Con Carne
- Over any type of rice
- Use as a filling to tacos
- Over oven baked potato wedges, grilled and covered in cheese!
- Tortilla chips or corn chips to dip, or over as chilli beef nachos
- Topped with sour cream and chopped chilies (if you like extra heat!)
- Crushed (or smashed 😆) avocado
- Jacket Potatoes / Air Fryer Baked Potatoes – makes a great hearty filling
- Pasta (over pasta shapes or baked into a lasagne)
- If feeling really fancy, as a hot dog topping
FAQs
Yes, simply use quorn or soya mince instead of beef mince and follow the packet instructions as to how best to cook it. Alternatively, try my Vegan Butternut Squash Chilli recipe.
You certainly can. It’s a perfect recipe for that. Just keep it in the fridge or freezer until it’s time to eat it. (Instructions on this above.)
Yep. Follow my Slow Cooker Chilli recipe here.
A small amount of very dark chocolate is often used in a chilli to finish it off but off setting the tomato acidity and adding rich, sweet, earthiness to the flavour. It’s optional but I would definitely recommend. (It must be very dark chocolate though! Anything too sweet will taste rather odd.)
Other TexMex Recipes
Under 30 minutes
Easiest Ever Beef Burritos {30 Minute Meal}
Family Dinner Ideas
Easy Chicken Fajitas {Oven Baked}
Slow Cooker Chicken
Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Chilli Con Carne {Easiest Ever Recipe}
Ingredients
- 2 tsp Sunflower oil
- 750 g (3.5 cups) Beef mince
- 1 Onion, Peeled and finely chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic, Peeled and crushed
- 2 tsp Mild chilli powder
- 1 tbsp Smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp Ground cumin
- 1 tbsp Dark brown sugar
- 800 g (5.5 cups) Chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp Tomato puree
- 800 g (4 cups) Kidney beans, Drained and rinsed
- 2 Red peppers, Chopped into 3cm pieces
- 300 ml (1.25 cups) Hot beef stock
- 25 g (2 tbsp) Dark chocolate, Approx 1 square
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, deep pan or saucepan over a medium heat. Add the mince, and fry for 5-10 mins, or until browned all over. Use a wooden spoon to break up the chunks as you go.
- Reduce the heat to medium low and add the onion, garlic, chilli powder, paprika, cumin, brown sugar and plenty of salt and pepper.
- Cook gently for a further 10 minutes, stirring frequently so the spices are toasted in the pan. Stir and reduce the heat if the mixture starts to 'catch' on the bottom of the pan.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, kidney beans, red peppers and beef stock, stirring well, pop a lid on the pan.
- Simmer gently for 45 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, stir through the chocolate until it's melted. Check for seasonings. If it's not spicy enough add more chilli powder to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published on May 26, 2016 and updated later to make improvements.
Easy recipe with excellent results. I’ve never made a chilli I was entirely happy with, until now. I had to make a couple of minor adaptations – added some carrot and 500g of chicken mince instead of beef, added more chilli to suit my taste, and I had to use 1tbsp of cocoa powder as I didn’t have any dark chocolate. It came out excellently, and this is on our rotation now for weeknights and batch cooking. My wife, who doesn’t like tomato-based dishes much, loved it too.
Followed your recipe exactly. It was delicious! Just the right level of spice and super tasty. Add a little grated cheese to top it off. I’m already looking forward to eating the leftovers later in the week 😋
Quick question – could you substitute the chopped tomatoes for pasata? Hate the texture of tomatoes/chopped tomatoes so usually substitute with pasata but worried it might make the recipe too watery? Would I be better just leaving the tomatoes out and adding more tomato puree? Thanks for any advice!
I spent many of my formative years in Texas. Leftover Chili con Carne was often served over scrambled eggs the next morning. I was not a fan of scrambled eggs to begin with. The Chili con Carne made the eggs edible. If leftover CcC is not available a jarred salsa with cheese will work.
The slow cooker chilli con carne recipe was so tasty. Thank you!
Lovely just eating it now, followed exact measurements and super spicy!!