Dutch Oven Chili Recipe (2024)

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Dutch Oven Chili is a beef and bean chili that is made right on the stovetop. Hearty, comforting, and loads of flavor in every bite of this stovetop chili recipe.

Dutch Oven Chili Recipe (1)

With fall coming up, making comfort foods is my favorite thing, especially on Sundays during football season. This is the best chili recipe I have made! Tons of flavor from the onions and garlic. Then add the meat and beans; it is hearty and delicious.

Slow Cooker potato soup, zero-point taco soup, or Instant Pot stuffed pepper soup.

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Dutch Oven Chili Ingredients

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  • ground beef
  • olive oil
  • onion, diced
  • pepper, diced
  • pepper, diced
  • jalapeno peppers, chopped (remove seeds if you don’t like it too spicy)
  • garlic, chopped
  • crushed tomatoes
  • tomato sauce
  • tomato paste
  • chili powder
  • sugar
  • cumin
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • garlic powder
  • crushed red pepper flakes
  • water
  • kidney beans-2 cans beans, drained
  • white (navy) beans, drained
  • Fresh chopped cilantro, sour cream, and shredded cheese for serving
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Topping Ideas For This Easy Chili Recipe

  • Sour Cream
  • Cilantro
  • Hot Sauce
  • Diced Tomatoes
  • Red Chopped Onions
  • Green Onions
  • Green Chilis
  • Saltine Crackers
  • Cheddar Cheese
  • Cornbread
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Step by Step Directions for Dutch Oven Chili

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Step 1

In a pan over medium heat, brown ground beef until no longer pink, breaking into small pieces as it cooks. Drain fat and set it aside.

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Step 2

Place dutch oven on medium heat, saute onions and peppers in the olive oil until soft (about 3-5 minutes).

Add chopped garlic and saute for one more minute. Add in cooked ground beef and mix.

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Step 3

Turn heat to low, add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste, and mix. Stir in chili powder, sugar, cumin, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.

Once well combined, add water until desired consistency (I recommend adding 1 cup).

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Step 4

Add the kidney and white beans and stir.

Bring to a slight boil; chili may splatter, so be careful. Reduce heat to low and cover. Let simmer for 30 minutes.

Stir every 5 minutes, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot.

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Tips and Tricks for Dutch Oven Chili

  • Adding too much water to the chili will make it very thin, so make sure to add only enough to help it boil and simmer.
  • Wear rubber gloves while cutting the jalapeno to avoid it getting into cuts or sensitive skin.
  • If you don’t like too much spice, use only one jalapeno with the seeds removed.
  • To make a sweeter chili, add up to ½ cup of sugar.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Make This A Crockpot Chili

If you want to make this into a crockpot chili, go ahead and cook ground beef, onions, and garlic in a skillet. Then when done, transfer to crock pot.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Or high for 3-4 hours. The longer you cook your beef chili, the more flavorful the soup will be.

What Are The Best Beans to Use For Chili

Honestly, you can use any beans you want for chili. Whether you do all one kind of bean or mix and match. Popular beans for are kidney beans, white beans, pinto, and black beans.

How To Store Leftovers

Go ahead and allow your chili to cool down a bit. Then transfer into an airtight container and store for a few days in the fridge.
Or, if you want, you can freeze leftovers as well. Place in a sealable freezer bag or airtight container. Just remember, as the chili freezes, it will expand a bit, so leave room in the container for it to freeze.
Chili can freeze for up to three months. Then thaw in the fridge overnight before you go to reheat it. You can reheat in a microwave, stovetop, or slow cooker.

What are substitutions that I can make?

Substitute beef with ground turkey, chicken, or pork.

How to use up leftover Chili

Use it in a taco salad, on chili dogs, or top baked potatoes with your chili, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and green onions.

Can I double this recipe?

Planning to feed a crowd? Go right ahead and double this recipe if you would like. The biggest thing is to make sure your dutch oven has room to hold all the chili.

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Why Make Chili In Dutch Oven

  • Easy prep
  • Quick cook time
  • Hearty
  • Flavorful
  • Simple
  • Affordable
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Here Are More Dinner Ideas To Make This Week

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Yield: 8

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Dutch Oven Chili is a beef and bean chili that is made right on the stovetop. Hearty, comforting, and loads of flavor in every bite of this stovetop chili recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 to 1½ lbs ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • 1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped (remove seeds if you don’t like it too spicy)
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 (15.5-ounce) can kidney beans, drained
  • 1 (15.5-ounce) can white (navy) beans, drained

Instructions

  1. In a pan over medium heat, brown ground beef until no longer pink, breaking into small pieces as it cooks. Drain fat and set it aside.Dutch Oven Chili Recipe (15)
  2. Place dutch oven on medium heat, saute onions and peppers in the olive oil until soft (about 3-5 minutes).Dutch Oven Chili Recipe (16)
  3. Add chopped garlic and saute for one more minute. Add in cooked ground beef and mix.Turn heat to low, add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste, and mix. Stir in chili powder, sugar, cumin, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.Dutch Oven Chili Recipe (17)
  4. Once well combined, add water until desired consistency (I recommend adding 1 cup). Add the kidney and white beans and stir.Dutch Oven Chili Recipe (18)
  5. Bring to a slight boil; chili may splatter, so be careful. Reduce heat to low and cover. Let simmer for 30 minutes.Dutch Oven Chili Recipe (19)
  6. Stir every 5 minutes, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 397Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 751mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 6gSugar: 12gProtein: 29g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Dutch Oven Chili Recipe (21)

Adventures of a Nurse

Welcome to the place where my two passions—healthcare and culinary arts—merge. I’m Carla Bushey, and I’ve transitioned from a dedicated nursing career of over 25 years into the dynamic world of food blogging. This space is dedicated to bringing you a treasure trove of recipes, each a testament to the tastes and traditions that resonate with my soul. My home, the beautiful Upstate New York, serves as the backdrop to my culinary creations, often inspired by the rich cultural heritage and the classic Italian cuisine of my hometown, Utica. Dishes like the beloved Chicken Riggies and the comforting Utica Greens are more than just recipes—they are stories, shared from my kitchen to yours.

Dutch Oven Chili Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is chili better in a Dutch oven or crockpot? ›

For making great chili, it's a tie between the Dutch oven and the multi-cooker in slow-cook mode. Each requires some tweaking in the cooking methods, though. The Dutch oven chili had the best aroma, heat, and flavor, but it looked less than appetizing due to its dry texture. And the longer it sat, the thicker it got.

Why do people put baking soda in chili? ›

It was also noted that the high pH level should speed up the desirable Maillard reaction (basically, the precursor to caramelization). According to the magazine's food experimenters, the baking soda treatment will definitely keep the meat tender and juicy when cooked.

Does chili taste better in the crockpot? ›

Chili is perhaps the ideal slow-cooker dish because its flavor improves with a long, slow simmer.

What size dutch oven do I need for chili? ›

What's The Best Size Dutch Oven For Chili? This recipe needs a minimum of a 5-quart Dutch oven. If you are cooking for a few people, it's best to opt for a 5 or 6-quart Dutch oven.

Why use a Dutch oven instead of a slow cooker? ›

Durability. Investing in a Dutch Oven is the best way to go, considering how durable and long-lasting they are. With electric cookware such as crock pots, there's a higher risk of them failing. However, with Dutch Ovens, all you need is proper maintenance to make it last decades.

Does chili get better the longer it cooks? ›

Chili is most commonly prepared at a low temperature and for an extended period of time (low and slow), which develops a deeper, spiced aroma. But, the longer cook time can often result in a flat flavor.

What is the secret to really good chili? ›

Cook it long enough

Chili recipes need time for flavors to meld and come together, and collagen-rich meat (like chuck roast or ground beef) needs 90 minutes to two hours to fully break down and become tender. If you don't have time for a long simmer, try using a slow cooker or making it the day before.

What secret ingredient will deepen the flavor of your chili? ›

Stir some puréed pumpkin into your chili just after sautéing your aromatics (onions, garlic, etc...) and before adding any liquid. This will deepen and sweeten its flavor, making it a great balance for all the chile peppers and heat.

What adds the most flavor to chili? ›

Here are some of the most common (and most effective) flavor boosters to add to your chili recipe.
  • Booze (Beer, Wine, or Liquor) ...
  • Liquid Smoke. ...
  • Brine or Vinegar. ...
  • Soy Sauce. ...
  • Fish Sauce. ...
  • Worcestershire Sauce. ...
  • Coffee or Espresso Powder. ...
  • Chocolate.
Aug 23, 2021

Does chili get thicker as it cooks? ›

Thin chili may just need time to cook down. Cook it uncovered low and slow, at least one hour, for it to thicken on its own. Cooking it uncovered allows for evaporation to reduce and concentrate the chili.

How to convert crockpot to Dutch oven? ›

As a rule of thumb:
  1. 6–8 hours on “low” in a slow cooker usually takes about 2–3 hours in a Dutch oven at 325°F.
  2. For a slow cooker recipe that calls for 3–4 hours on “high,” this translates to about 1–1.5 hours in a Dutch oven at 375°F.
Oct 20, 2023

What is the best appliance to cook chili on? ›

If you want to make a thick, tasty chili in a somewhat quick manner (30-60 minutes), the stovetop Dutch oven method is right for you. It's one pan for the whole show, providing an easy prep, cook, and cleanup for ultra tasty results. If you have a bit more patience and prefer the slow cooker, you can't go wrong either.

Why does my crockpot chili taste bland? ›

Insufficient seasoning, such as chili powder, cumin, paprika, and salt, can lead to bland chili. Chili relies on a combination of spices and seasonings for its distinctive flavor. Be sure to taste your chili during the cooking process and adjust the seasonings as needed.

Can you overcook chili in a slow cooker? ›

Yes, but it would take a while. I have cooked this chili for 9 hours on low and it was delicious but ever-so-slightly burnt on the top. The tomatoes contain sugar, which caramelizes in the slow cooker, and will eventually burn if it cookes for too long. Anything longer than 10 hours on low is risky.

Why does food taste better in a Dutch oven? ›

One of the main benefits of using a Dutch oven is its ability to retain heat over a long period. Its lid design helps to trap steam and retain moisture for more flavorful, juicy dishes.

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