In my fantasy recipe-writing league, I’d cover everything, a million questions you hadn’t even thought to ask yet. Every recipe would work on a stove, slowly braised in the oven, on a grill, in a slow-cooker, a pressure-cooker, on a train, in a car, or in a tree. You could make the vegetarian carnivorous, the carnivorous paleo, the gluten-full gluten-free, the sour cream could always be swapped yogurt which could always be swapped with buttermilk, or milk and lemon, or soy milk and vinegar. We’d find a way to put kale in everything. You could use flat-leaf parsley instead of cilantro (because cilantro is the devil’s herb, naturally) or none of the above, because green flecks = grounds for dinnertime dismissal. We’d make food that your picky spouse, your pasta-eating kid, and your pesky fad-dieting house guests would applaud at every meal, and all of those promises made by food writers greater than myself in tomes more epic than this blog of food bringing people together for the happiest part of everyone’s day would be made good on at last.
Of course, I’d also write about one recipe a year. Despite understanding this, sometimes I get carried away with The Dream of this kind of recipe-writing. I make Lasagna Bolognese with homemade noodles (but you can use store-bought), homemade bechamel (but you can use ricotta; just don’t tell me about it), and bolognese with milk, wine or both. We make Hot Fudge Sundae Cake for crazy people (everything, down to the cookie crumb filling, homemade) or for people with a life (everything, down to the cookie crumb filling, store-bought). We make Lazy Pizza Dough on three different schedules, whatever your orbit demands that week. And in this episode, I found as many ways as I could dream up to make a three-bean chili, so nobody would have an excuse not to make it.
Why chili? Because at least around here lately, one day it is spring and we are all like this puppy in the field and the next day there’s a pelt of snow and we are not having it. It’s sandals, no, Sorels weather, and I can’t figure it out. Chili, to me, bridges the gap — it can be treated as heavy and hearty as the thickest stew or be scooped with tortilla chips for a perfect summer dinner.
I made a three-bean chili several years ago, when this blog was a wee young thing, but the recipe had a limited reach. What I’d really always wanted to do was make it from dried beans but couldn’t find a recipe-like structure to even gently guide me in the right direction. I mean, surely this is the kind of food that’s just made for a slow-cooker or pressure-cooker? So, I finally struck out on my own with it. Nine days later — hey honey [and also anyone else that doesn’t run fast enough when they see me approaching them with take-out containers today], guess what’s for dinner again tonight?! — I achieved almost all of my goals. You can make it with dried beans or canned. You can make it with dried chiles or fresh or just mild peppers. You can make it with a lot of or a little tomato. You can skip the chili powder if it’s not your thing. You can make it on the stove, in a slow-cooker and I’m going to outline how you can make it in a pressure-cooker too (even though I failed to get it tested in my brand-new but not mastered yet one). You can soak your beans but there’s no need to. You can even use canned beans.
The only thing you cannot do it serve it to a Texan. I’m sorry, Texas. I love you and I love my friends from you and it is out of this love that I need to warn the non-Texan population that you do not take kindly to people putting tomatoes and beans in your chili. Ah, well. My fantasy recipe-writing league and I will try again soon.
More Chili: With beans, beef and sour cream and cheddar biscuits. A really quick version with beans and beef. The previous three-bean chili, but I like this one better.
Good Reads: Are back by popular demand! Being productive at work is vastly overrated.
One year ago: Spinach and Smashed Egg Toast
Two years ago: Banana Bread Crepe Cake with Butterscotch
Three years ago: Apple Tarte Tatin, Anew
Four years ago: Romesco Potatoes
Five years ago: Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Cornbread
Six years ago: Caramel Walnut Upside-Down Banana Cake
Seven years ago: Risotto al Barolo
Three-Bean Chili
Yield: About 9 cups chili; 8 smaller servings or 4 to 6 large ones
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped small
1 to 2 peppers of your choice (see Notes, below), finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt or 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher or coarse salt
1 12-ounce bottle beer
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted if you can find them
1 1/2 cups mixed dried beans (see Note)
3 1/2 to 4 cups water
To serve: Lime wedges, sour cream, diced white onion, cilantro, corn or flour tortillas or tortilla chips or rice
Heat oil in the bottom of a medium-sized heavy pot or Dutch oven (if finishing it on the stove), in the pot of your pressure-cooker (if using one) or in a large skillet (if finishing in a slow-cooker). Once warm, add onion and cook for 5 minutes, until translucent. Add any fresh peppers and cook for 3 more minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt and cook for 2 minutes, until browned and deeply fragrant. Add beer and scrape up any bits stuck to the pot. Boil until reduced by half, or, if you’re nervous about alcohol content, until it has all but disappeared.
If finishing on the stove: Add tomatoes, dried beans, any dried or rehydrated-and-pureed chiles and the smaller amount of water. Bring mixture to a full boil and boil for one minute, then reduce heat to a very low, gentle simmer, place a lid on your pot, and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the beans are tender, stirring occasionally. Add the last 1/2 cup water if mixture seems to be getting dry, though I didn’t need it in most of my tested batches. If a slightly more sloshy chili wouldn’t bother you, you can add it from the get-go.
If finishing in a slow-cooker: Scrape onion, spice and beer mixture into a slow-cooker and add tomatoes, dried beans, any dried or rehydrated-and-pureed chiles and the smaller amount of water. Cook on HIGH for 6 to 7 hours, until beans are tender. You can add the last 1/2 cup water if needed, but probably will not find it necessary.
If finishing in a pressure-cooker: Follow the directions from your pressure cooker manufacturer. I failed to get this fully tested in my new one (boo) but estimate that it will take 20 to 22 minutes on high [updated to note that] I find that small black and red beans can finish in 22 to 25 minutes, but pinto, kidney, and most others can take 35 to 40 minutes from dried in the InstantPot. Hope that helps!
Serve as-is or with fixings of your choice.
Notes:
- Peppers: The most important decision you make about your chili is, unsurprisingly, in the chiles themselves. If you’re cooking for people who don’t like spicy food, I recommend just using 1 bell pepper or 1 fresh poblano, which is very mild. 2 fresh jalapenos will give you slightly more heat. 2 small dried chiles, depending on which you use, will give you a bit more of a kick, as will 1 to 2 chipotle en adobo peppers from a can. If you need help choosing a dried chile, Serious Eats has a great guide to the properties of each here. To best incorporate the flavor of dried chiles into your chili, cover them with a bit of boiling water until they’re soft, then puree them. If this sounds like too much work, you can cook them with the dried beans for decent heat flavor infusion.
- Chile powder: If you’d like the clear flavor of your dried chiles to come through, you can skip the chile powder in part or entirely.
- Tomatoes: This makes a fairly tomato-y chili. If that’s not your thing, halve the suggested tomatoes, using only a 15-ounce can instead.
- Beer: Use whatever type you’d like here. I used Dos Equis; I think a Negra Modelo would also impart a nice, deep flavor.
- Beans: I use a mix of three beans here, usually 1/3 dried kidney beans, 1/3 black beans and 1/3 pinto beans, but I had a bag small pink Rosa de Castillo beans from Rancho Gordo around so I used them instead. I find that these three beans, surprisingly, take about the same time to cook, but if you’re nervous one will take longer than the others, you can soak it in water while preparing your other ingredients. Even 30 minutes should even up the cooking times.
- To pre-soak your beans: This recipe doesn’t call for or require pre-soaking but pre-soaked beans will cook faster. How much faster depends on how long they are soaked for, but you can estimate that beans soaked for 6 hours or overnight will approximately halve suggested cooking times, regardless of cooking method. If pre-soaking beans, do so in the 3 1/2 to 4 cups of water listed in the recipe, and use the remaining soaking liquid as the water in the recipe.
- Using canned beans instead: 1 1/2 cups dried beans will yield approximately 3 to 3 3/4 cups of cooked ones. To use canned or already-cooked beans instead, you’ll want to use 2 to 3 15-ounce cans of cooked beans and then — this is important — skip the water. Simmer all of the ingredients except the drained and rinsed beans for 20 minutes, then add the beans and simmer it 10 minutes more. If the mixture looks dry, add 1/4 cup water and simmer for another few minutes.
Yum! This might be a vegetarian chili that I can get my husband to eat :)
Wish I had a bowlful now! Thoughts on adding a bit of unsweetened chocolate or spoonful of cocoa powder to chili as it simmers?
CindyLou — You know, I used to and then I got away from it. I did like the mole-ish vibe. But no reason you cannot here, especially if you prefer it that way.
Hello! I’m interested in comments from people who’ve made the recipes. Is there any way to make these stand out? Thanks.
In cade anyone wants another option for how to cook this, I have recently begun cooking bean dishes in the oven instead of on stove top, and prefer it. It’s easier to maintain temperature and needs-no stirring.
I did the vegetables on top of stove, added spices, liquids and beans, then baked at 325 for 1.5 hours and then added the tomato, baked another hour until beans were soft. Left in turned off oven for about a hour. Perfect.
Thanks, Beth! I was just about to ask Deb if I could put this in a low oven similar to her tangy braised chickpea recipe. I don’t have a slow cooker and like the hands off approach. Plus the house always smells yummy.
I make this recipe repeatedly and everyone loves it. I use 1 can each chickpea, black bean and kidney bean. I use whatever beer I have on hand. Tonight I used Allagash. Usually it’s yuengling. When using canned beans use less salt. I start with 1 tsp kosher and add from there at the end if needed. We don’t like much spice so we do one bell and one poblano or seeded jalapeño. It’s better the second day after flavors have soaked in even more. Sour cream is definitely a must for us on top. With corn bread. Mmmm.
I always do!
ok, this sounds like the first chill recipe I’ll dare to do! Thanks! :D
This looks amazing! Definitely craving a bowlful right now for dinner! :)
I love that first paragraph! That is exactly how I felt last week when I was cooking for guests — one vegan, two kids (one of mine, very picky), one peanut allergy, one diabetic, and a husband who likes a hearty meal. Oy!
People don’t appreciate what women do for them–how much we remember, how much we accommodate!
Love this post. And the recipe – love that you can do it with dried beans too! Love the mix. And since there is still (!) snow on the ground, this is perfect. Thanks!
Yum yum yum!
I add red wine to my chili, will try beer/lager next time!
Heston Blumenthal browns his mince first! We’ve tried it, and it’s good. But I don’t bother every time.
Deb–this looks fantastic, but unfortunately my husband doesn’t like beans. Any suggestions for a substitute?
…just kidding, couldn’t resist :)
Lovely! Can I ask what brand is your yellow hot pot? I adore it!
Katie — Ha! I already felt that simmer of dread building in my stomach.
Belinda — That is my mother’s Dansk Dutch oven that she probably got as a wedding present in 1968. I saw it last time I was home and said, “It’s mine. Give it to me.” and — whoa — it worked. I think they recently reissued them. The white one is especially charming.
I’m from Texas, and I’m making this tomorrow. Can’t wait to make it! :) I’d make it tonight, but my fiance has promised to make omellettes while I watch the Boston Bruins game.
Is it freezer friendly? I would imagine so, but it’s not labelled that way…
Look delicious! Looks like a great meal to make this Sunday that will last throughout the week.
Well Deb, your original three bean chili is a family favorite in my house. I’ll definitely have to give this one a try too.
what type of beer? coming from a HUGE craft beer community in Seattle, i know that the flavors are very specialized and can affect the overall palette. i look forward to knowing and then trying this tasty treat! thanks!
Try a pumpkin ale- they’re coming into season now in the fall. I used a bottle of Pumpkinhead (can’t remember the brewery, but I’m from Buffalo, NY if that helps). My chili turned out great with that, btw.
Can you make this in the slow cooker with canned beans, or only dried ones?
my apologies. i just saw that you noted beer suggestions below the recipe. thanks so much!
That first paragraph belongs in the food blog hall of fame. A work of art! I *gasp* have never really liked chili, but this? I think I could find a variation that would work for me.
As a native Texan who still counts the Lone Star State as home, I will definitely make this and serve to my 100% Texan brood. HOWEVER, you are correct about the whole chili and tomatoes/beans thing. The solution? This isn’t chili, it’s delicious beans!
I love, love, love chili! When it comes to chili ingredients, my motto is usually, everything but the kitchen sink. I’m relieved to see that I use a lot of the same ingredients as you do! One thing that I add, that I don’t see in your recipe is tomato paste, (I add that in addition to crushed tomatoes) I find that it helps thicken it up and really come together as a chili. What kind of consistency does this three-bean chili have? Thanks!
I’m not sure I understand the salt measurement. Because kosher salt measures out differently than table salt, usually you’d use more kosher salt than table salt, but here that seems reversed.
Taste it first before you add any more salt and wait at least 20 min for the salt to absorb inside the beans. One can always add salt but if you add too much salt… you could add a large potato and have it cook for an hour and half, then remove it. I hope this helps.
I love making dishes with dried beans — they really do taste so much better, so when I have the time, I’ll do it. This chili looks phenomenal, and I love the addition of the beer!
who doesn’t need a good chilli recipe… thanks
Deb, your first paragraph sums up how I feel when I read so many of the comments here and on other blogs, except my thoughts always involve more cursing. People, experiment! Try adding something or subbing something and see what happens!! The internet doesn’t have to do all the work for you. I hope you never grow weary of it and quit because I love reading your blog.
Jess — I don’t mind answering questions if I have the answer. I do, however, stress over having TIME to answer all of the questions.
Sunata — Gah, that’s a mistake. Now fixed. The 1.5 teaspoons table is correct; the other should be roughly doubled.
Isadora — You can add it if you like. This recipe is totally flexible. I didn’t find it necessary. It’s pretty thick.
Zoe — You probably can. I didn’t suggest it because it will take all of 30 minutes on the stove so it didn’t seem worth stretching out; also I was concerned about the canned beans falling apart if cooked too much longer. But, I’m sure it can be done, just with greatly reduced cooking time.
Alisa — I haven’t frozen it but I’d bet it freezes well.
As a vegetarian Texas, I ALWAYS put beans and tomatoes in my chili. We’re not all crazy purists. Chili is a saucy dish with lots of chili powder, onions and whatever you have on hand.
hey Deb – you’re probably aware of this, but just a heads-up since I didn’t see it in the notes – you have to be really careful with dried kidney beans, as they have a weird toxin that can cause food poisoning if the cook temp doesn’t get up high enough (which it might not in some slow-cookers). I don’t care for kidney beans, myself, so I’ll just look forward to trying this recipe with black/red/pintos, but the recommendation I keep seeing is that if you’re going to do kidneys in a crockpot, boil them for a few minutes first, just to be safe.
http://www.foodreference.com/html/artredkidneybeanpoisoning.html
This may sound crazy but honestly the addition of chunks of roasted winter squash in chili is to die for. You have to try it, Deb! My family is hooked on the rich, sweet-hot combination. I recently made your Black Bean Ragout because, you’re right, the changeable weather just begs for chili-like meals. Anyway, I was thinking that a bit of smoked paprika wouldn’t hurt this dish in the least, would it? Loved your post by the way. Always gets a chuckle (or guffaw depending) and vigorous head nodding and dinner inspiration. All much needed. Thanks!
I totally feel you on the weather front. One day its 67 and the next its 40 & I’m back to wearing my winter jacket. Such a tease. When will spring be here to stay?! Chili looks great!
This looks like a great follow-up to the black bean ragout recipe from your cookbook. My coworkers make fun of me for how often I bring the black beans for lunch, maybe I can diversify a little with this.
I am a Texan, who LOVES Texas chili, but i’m a closeted bean-lover. Whenever I make it for myself I always add a can of kidney beans, and sometimes I use barley instead of ground beef. I would never allow a fellow Texan to know I do this…. I am also making this tonight.
The recipe sounds delicious. About the peppers, though: saying “….one fresh poblano, which is very mild….” is true about 70% of the time, in my experience. Some poblanos, though, have a kick, which is not as hot as a jalapeno, but definitely noticeable, and you won’t know until you cut into it. If it’s no heat, no way, no how, go with the bell peppers. (I speak from several years of cooking with poblanos at least weekly. We love them, but they are a bit unpredictable. Peppers from the same plant can have different heat levels.)
Can’t wait to try this, but isn’t there some reason that kidney beans can’t be cooked in a slow cooker? I’m hoping it’s a wives tale, but have heard the slow cooker doesn’t heat them enough to kill some sort of toxin?
Wonderful – our family loves your original 3-bean chili, but we’ve always wondered if we could manage to do it with dried beans. AND, I love to make beans in the crockpot … AND, we love putting beer in food … AND, pregnancy heartburn has me avoiding too-tomatoey foods so I haven’t been able to make 3 bean chili in too long. So altogether, I am tickled pink by this recipe. It’s like you just gave me a gift. Thanks Deb!!!
I had never thought of chilli as a summery dish before, but you’re right – with crème fraiche and chips it sounds perfect for a warm evening. It’s also great party food. Just saying. Everyone loves chilli.
I’m glad to hear you’ve got a pressure cooker. I’ve been looking for more recipes with pressure cooker instructions ever since I got mine, and your recipes never fail to delight.
Deb, take heart! I’m a Texan, raised by Texans, & I grew up eating chili with beans in it :). Not until I moved away & purchased The Homesick Texan did I realize that I didn’t belong :).
Pressure Cookers scare me! I have this irrational fear that they will explode! This chili sounds delish, however :)
@Alisa- I’ve successfully frozen chili recipes that were very similar to this (differences being only in the spices).
I will be trying this tonight in my pressure cooker- Ive never used it before! Thanks for the motivation Deb!
That is one hell of a first sentence. And as an English teacher I highly appreciate it! :) The recipe isn’t half bad either ;-)
I’m absolutely feeding this to my Texan. Chili REQUIRES beans and tomatoes and one day he will learn to eat real people chili. (Also if I tell him it’s from “Smitten Kitchen” he’ll just eat it. He’s learned that anything I make and say “I got the recipe from Smitten Kitchen” is good and he should just shut up and eat it. Even if his bourguignon has 0 meat in it.)
Oh Deb, I soooo would love to be in your league!
I mean, you re totally my cooking guru. You would not believe how much your philosophical approach suits mine. I had my Dad search every bookshop in NY for the one thing I wanted as a souvenir from the States was the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. Really. I am even now suffering hell to type this message in english with that stupid automatic spelling app converting every word into a french lookalike.
So anytime you want to set up a league, even a recipe-translating rather than recipe-writing league, count me in!
By the way, I make my lasagna with homemade béchamel an its actually easy.
Claire, from Toulouse France
I’d go for this with one alteration: Cook the beans (slow cooker after soaking, please), then add the chilli / mirepoix after they’re cooked. There’s really no point in over-cooking the garlic, onion, spices and tomato. You may have to adjust your recipe, but this method — beans first, then add-ons — is par for the course in the kitchens of real bean-making veterans (e.g., my Hispanic mother-in-law). That’s why even cooked salsa is a separate item for refritos…
Also, add salt only after beans are all cooked, otherwise you’ll toughen the skin (says mi suegra / mother-in-law).
I don’t mean to pull rank, but she really and truly is the best cook in the entire world.
So this is almost EXACTLY the homemade chili recipe that my husband and I came up with…it’s so good!
Here’s where you can offer an olive branch to the Texans: we usually start with 1-2 lbs of tri-tip, which are browned in the dutch oven, then removed. We use a *bit* of the fat to get the onions started, then we’re off to the races. We also add a bay leaf or two along with the spices. The meat gets added back in after the beer and tomatoes, and we let everything simmer down for a good hour. We also add the beans with all of the liquid. Another tip we picked up from the Barefoot Contessa is to add a bit of coffee. It adds a…smoothness, which somehow seems to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
Thanks for (1) Jack Nicholson- I was convulsed…(2) a great Lenten recipe for those of us that have several weeks to go and have “had it” with some of our options… (3) the reading list and… (4) the Dansk Kobenstyle cookware link. I have all of mine (my 1976 bridal registry) and wouldn’t part with any of it. But for your readers, the top of that casserole pictured in the link doubles as a trivet. Fabulous design! E-bay has a lot of it listed in all the colors of the rainbow. It was great then, and since it has been reissued, it is obviously still great. Can’t wait to fill mine up with this chili!
Deb! Missed opportunity: I don’t always make chili, but when I do…I make it with Dos Equis.
(even if it’s not strictly true, the set up was too easy–though I do think you’re in contention as The Most Interesting Food Blogger In The World)
I have been searching and searching for a great chili recipe that I can devour all year long AND make in my slow cooker, and this just might be The One. It’s supposed to rain all weekend and I’m making bread – perfect timing! Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
Gosh, I love chili. I’ll have to try this one next time I need a meatless version. Looks delicious!
I’m with Jack today, it’s snowing and I’m not happy. Maybe this chili will cheer me up.
Ha! That dog video made me laugh/spew my lunch back into my tupperware.
This looks delicious! I love a good chili recipe, but we’re not really meat-eaters. We have a white chicken chili recipe that we love, but I’m always on the look out for a delicious red-sauce vegetarian-based chili.
xoxo
Taylor
I just made this for dinner– it looks, smells, and tastes absolutely awesome. Perfect with fresh tortilla chips even though there’s still plenty of snow on the ground up here in New England. Thanks, Deb for inspiring me to get off my butt and use up those dried beans I had lying around.
Bean chili is my favorite. I love this recipe!
I usually make chili when I’m down to my last half pound or less of ground beef or have a last little serving of some braised or roasted meat or poultry. I’ve never tried a vegetarian chili nor an all meat chili. I love the way beans extend this spicy stew, but I usually only make it during the cold weather months. I’ll have to think about this version as I’ve never added beer to chili, either (not a fan of beer). Gads, with all the different variants of this dish, you’d think I’d have tried one! Guess I’ve been waiting for yours.
This looks delicious! Thank you for another veggie recipe to try.
Also– just noticed on your ‘previously’ list that we’re now into the ‘seven years ago’–is this even possible? We are lucky to have had you blogging all this time :)
I love 3 bean recipes!! Or spicy bean recipes!!
This looks amazing!!
I am a fifth generation Texan, and I put tomato sauce in my chili. I’ve never had one complaint and this past fall, it won an award at a fair. IN TEXAS. There are no beans in it, but my mom always put them in hers when I was growing up. I think it was to stretch it to feed us all, but whatever, it was great. And to those who claim to KNOW it all about no beans in chili, I say, oh yeah, who says so? You can’t get any more Texan than me, and I say, make it however you want! Just no potatoes. Please.
This looks great Deb. Have you ever looked at the Cooks Illustrated vegetarian chili recipe? It bakes the beans in the oven and creates umami with ground dry mushrooms, soy sauce, and tomato paste. It’s delicious but takes a lot of work. I am happy to have this more streamlined version in my pocket as well. Thank you.
It makes me so happy to know you bought a pressure cooker. It’s a life changer, and all my sisters and girlfriends I have either gifted or badgered into purchasing one would agree with me. I have a stove top Fagor that I won at a bridal registry party at Macy’s a million years ago. Best door prize EVER. One of my friends got a counter top plug in one I can’t seem to understand. What did you end up going with?
Hi Deb!! This looks fantastic!! I am just wondering if I substituted the beer which would you choose? Chicken broth or coke? Can’t wait to make this!
carly: Yes, that’s what I was thinking. http://www.dadcooksdinner.com/2010/09/slow-cookers-and-red-kidney-bean.html
Thank you for your recipes.
This blog entry is spot on. I am appalled at the manners that some people lack on the Internet. You are GIVING us beautiful recipes for free an everyone should smile and enjoy that. You are no one’s personal chef.
If you need gluten free vegan meatloaf then you’d better learn how to make those subs yourself chickadee cause it’s a cold hard world out there.
Don’t even get me started on the, “I love this recipe. I substituted carrots for chocolate and ground beef for corn starch” people.
This looks so good! I actually have a tip to cook dried beans in like one hour. Last year I got to go to a cookbook signing of Christopher Kimball. (America’s Test Kitchen). I bought his book – The science of cooking. In it he states the trick to making them from dried to cooked so fast.
http://www.slim-shoppin.com/fast-easy-way-to-cook-dry-black-beans-in-under-an-hour/
It ticks a lot of boxes but not paleo but who cares about people on a paleo diet and why wouldn’t have cavemen eaten beans. Looks delicious and your right chilli is one of those wonderful trans seasonal foods.
Lol. Sorry, this is not Paleo. :-(
Ok, too funny. I ended up under the Paleo basher. Paleo is also about avoid foods that stimulate the immune system, which, unfortunately, legumes do. Smittenkitchen is showing up a lot on the paleo blogs, though most of your stuff is not paleo, though always delicious.
Hi Deb,
Long time reader, first time commenter! This looks amazing, but my guy has asked me to put meat in it (typical fussy dude) – I’m so sorry if this seems trivial but I’m a very inexperienced student cook and was wondering if you could help me decide what quantity meat is ideal, and how this affects cooking the chili! I’m lost! Thanks! :D
Love this post! Not just the recipe, but the very skilled writing. Now – just to complicate things even further – I’m going to make this but I’m going to finish it in the oven! I made a bean soup recipe from the Kitchn website once that used this method, and the result is a very very creamy bean mixture that is somewhat carmelized from the oven roasting. So I’ll do everything the same (as your stovetop version) but finish by baking covered in a enameled cast iron pot in the oven. I think it’s something about the splattering against the side of the covered pot that develops that carmelized taste… Looking forward to seeing how this method works on this recipe! Thanks for a great post!
I love this recipe! I love chili and it is perfect for all seasons :-)
Great chili recipe! I’m gonna make it in the slow cooker. If I add ground turkey, do you suggest I precook? Or should I add it to the cooker and just increase the liquids? thanks!
Please, Deb? Pretty please? Last sentence before the recipe, instead of “Me and my fantasy recipe-writing league will try again soon,” “My fantasy recipe-writing league and I will try again soon.” Now I can unclench and go cook instead of edit.
Suzanprincess — For you. But it was intended more colloquial than grammar-defiant.
yeni — I’d brown it up with the onions and spices.
SJ — I’d use beef or dark turkey meat. And, as I just mentioned to yeni, brown it up with the onions and spices. You might bump the spices and seasonings up a bit.
Julie — I’m sorry if I was misunderstood. I’m really not bothered by special requests. I was joking more about how dreamy it would be to find magical recipes that please everyone and I figured a flexible recipe such as this would be a good as any place to try.
Julie — You can totally skip the beer and then add that last 1/2 cup water from the get-go if you’re nervous.
Molly — I got the stove-top type. I hope it was the right choice, though, I am nervous because it’s so hard to keep the heat even (I always have to bump it around to approximate a steady “medium-high” or the like) on my gas stove and wonder if plug-in would save me that trouble. Anyway, I got ahead of myself. I thought I’d could unbox it, read the directions and use it for the very first time to test this out. It was a bit too ambitious for me this week. (Already in my second week of testing this!) I watched a ton of videos on using them and feel I’m ready for next time. Might just start with a simple pot of beans or short ribs.
Kendra — I have not! I didn’t see it at all and I really looked around for a bean chili that began with dried beans. The ingredients sound… strange? But I’m sure CI knows what they’re doing.
Unrelated, or related since we just mentioned CI, plug — I have an interview with America’s Test Kitchen up on their site today. I talked too much. No surprise there.
Texan here. You are so right about our traditions regarding beans (especially beans!) and tomatoes in chili. It might defy logic to non-native Texans, but no matter. This recipe looks delicious, and I’ll make it soon. I’ll not call it chili except to my Wisconsin-born husband who, despite his entire life minus a few months lived in Texas, happily eats chili with almost any ingredient included. Good food is good food, and this one looks really great!
More importantly though: your first paragraph was sublime. Your writing was spot on, brilliant, inspired. The way you expressed yourself grabbed me from the first sentence and pulled me in, tumbling in free fall until the last period. I get so much joy reading something that is well-written. Thank you for making my day!
Deb, have I ever told you how much I love you?
Looks great! My kitchen is being remodeled, and slow cooker is becoming my best friend. To top it off, mother nature played an april fools joke on all of us here in Utah – snow! This recipe couldn’t be more timely. Thanks.
“fire-roasted if you can find them”…..or roast your own. In the summer I buy large boxes of plums and slow roast them using the recipe in Molly Wizenburg’s book. Then I freeze them in “recipe size” packages. I used a package just last night in a recipe that called for “Fire Roasted Tomatoes”. delish.
Like CindyLou, I often add cocoa powder to my chile. And sometimes coffee (instant – horrors – or that cold cup you never finished). It just seems to round out the flavor for a non-meat chili.
Just when I thought I wanted to move to Austin, I learn they don’t put tomatoes in their chili. Say what?! It’s finally warming up here a bit in Philly, but likely (and unfortunately) there will be another day necessitating a chili like this…Looks great.
I do live in Austin and am well aware of the heated debates that can arise around chili. However, 3-bean chili is my very favorite. So there are some of us here fighting for the other side!! This one looks great. :)
Deb, you’re too good to us! We’re certainly spoiled. Thanks for indulging us.
Can you give a substitute for the alcohol? We don’t use it, ever. I normally have no issues figuring out how to sub for it, but I need help here. I’m annoying, I know. :)
Sarah — You can just skip the beer. It’s a layer of flavor, that’s all. If you’re worried it looks dry, add the last 1/2 cup water from the get-go.
It seems like I remember something about suggestions for future recipes you have always wanted to learn how to do. However I can’t find where I saw it or where to submit. Anyway, how about eclairs or cream puffs? Cream puffs only if you can pour lots of chocolate on top but then it would be an eclair right?
We had the same pot growing up! And I absconded with it in much the same manner as you. Alas, I no longer have it because the enamel on the inside became worn and chipped. Yours is in much better shape than mine was.
Okay, I admit it, I don’t believe you! You use dry beans and cook them with the tomatoes already in the pot? And they soften?
I make almost the same chili regularly, but I always cook the beans first (in 3 separate pots after the time I did NOT get them to all be soft at the same time) and add them to the onions/garlic/spices/carrots (yes, diced carrots–sometimes squash in winter). I love the bean broth addition into the chili to thin it.
But do the dry beans really cook with the acidity?
Also, consider a handful of roasted corn going in at the end.
Of course, the beans should be soaked!! Soaking helps the phytates in the beans to be more easily digested. Not soaking the beans is how canned beans are made and thus one of the main reasons people who eat canned beans may find then difficult to digest.
Hi Deb – Won’t putting salt in the vegetables at the beginning make the (dry) beans tough?
(in your black bean soup recipe, you’re pretty clear about leaving salt for the end… I LOVE that recipe, btw. It’s amazing.)
I have made many a pot of vegetarian chili. I have a few recommendations. Add some basil and paprika, increase grlic by a clove or two, and just before serving, throw in a handful of chopped, fresh cilantro, a dash of soysauce for depth of flavor and you would have a wonderfully rich dish.
The note about the peppers is so helpful and clarifying. This is a great way to use up all my little bags of leftover beans!
Love a recipe that gives you such room to tweak to your liking with not just ingredients but cooking methods too. Looks great and like that it’s vegetarian.
I feel like an acolyte. I am telling everyone about your blog and your cookbook is my current favorite. I was reading the 3 chili recipe then looked at the old recipe listed for the smashed egg & spinach on toast. I happened to have everything listed and just finished the best lovely lunch I’ve had in weeks! Of course I posted a pic on fb because I am that person who does that. I have never ever had recipes that in the end look just like what was pictured. Never. And they are all delicious as they are beautiful. Right now we have the butternut squash & carmelized onion galette and the lemon bars in the fridge. 2nd time making both. And I am going to have to tweak the apple cider caramel recipe so I can sell them as my own since people are yelling at me to do so. We’ll see about that. Thank you!!!
We had your black bean ragout last night for dinner, Deb, so I won’t be making this dish until we have finished off the black beans. (Fortunately, I love leftovers!)
I don’t think that being afraid of pressure cookers is an irrational fear. I grew up hearing the story of my Grandmother’s split pea soup blowing up in the pressure cooker and turning the kitchen ceiling pea green! What an indelible image.
As a Texan who is a purist about chili, I will say this – you CAN serve this here – if you don’t call it chili. It’s more like Ranch Beans. As for the comments about adding cocoa powder, by all means. I add cocoa powder to my pure chili all the time. It adds a great flavor – try about 2 T. Winter squash and sweet potatoes also go well with the flavors – I often serve chili as a filling for sweet potatoes!
Hey I’m a Texas – well 2/3 of me are since I live here, have large amount of Texas ancestors and the remaining 1/3 was born and lived in California during childhood. I may not qualify as a true Texan because of that 1/3 but love chili – Texas style and non-Texas style. Mainly because beans are so wonderful and tomatoes are sweet and wonderful. Who cares if Texas say they don’t like it they don’t know what they are missing!. The secret is they often serve beans on the side and it all gets mushed together :)
Great recipe, very similar to the chili recipe I use in my regular lineup. Looking forward to experimenting with dried chiles too! I do have a question though: your chili pot…what brand is it? I love the handles and feel like I need one in my kitchen!
Adrienne — Do you mean the yellow one (my mother’s old Dansk Dutch oven) or the white slow-cooker (tiny, from Proctor Silex, won’t fit whole batch)?
Does salt make beans tough? — No. Delightfully, this has been disproven by big shots like Cook’s Illustrated and Harold McGee and little people like me, who salt my bean-cooking water all of the time and doesn’t find this to slow down their cooking one bit.
Michelle — I didn’t know any better at the time. I should fix that!
Do tomatoes make beans tough? — I, too, have/had heard that acidic ingredients will make it hard for beans to soften, but it just hasn’t been the case in my kitchen. This recipe has been exhaustively tested and there were no problems. [“Exhaustively” = I just caaaaan’t eat it for dinner a 6th time, heh.]
Hi – if I don’t want to use beer, is there someting else I can substitute? Beef stock? Chicken stock? Maybe with a little vinegar? Thanks.
Dorothy, check above, #82, Deb answered the same question from me (thanks, Deb!)
I’ve never used either Anaheim or Poblano chiles so I tried them in this chili today. Also, per Deb’s suggestion, I used Muir Glen Fire-Roasted Crushed tomatoes. I used canned beans this time (although I have made Deb’s slow cooker black beans from her cookbook, and that recipe works brilliantly). Deb knows her stuff — the chili needed a bit of water near the end of cooking time. Taste? Fabulous. Serving it tonight with plain Greek yogurt, cilantro and pickled jalapeños for my husband’s asbestos-lined mouth. Thanks, Deb, for yet another winner.
I’ve been playing around with my pressure cooker for years, trying to figure out the best method for cooking beans. All the timing charts I’ve owned end up with mush. Then I discovered this: put dried beans in pot with enough water to cover by a couple of inches. Lock on the lid. Turn burner to high, bring to full pressure then turn off the burner and allow the pressure cooker to sit for an hour or more. Cooker will depressurize. (This step is equivalent to soaking.) Then, drain the beans, put them back in the pressure cooker, add the same amount of water as before (you can also add aromatics if you like), and repeat the process. This time, it doesn’t need to sit the full hour, only until the pressure drops. The stove is only on for the short time it takes to get to full pressure, but the contained steam seems to work perfectly. Even garbanzo beans cook well this way.
Deb, you are awesome!! Looks amazing and I’m getting tired of my chili recipe:) I have to eat gluten free but hate eating things that taste gluten free. :) what do you think about using a hard apple cider instead of the beer? I wish every food blooger would tests things like you! I choose your recipes because they work. Ah Pinterest recipes are almost always a disappointment.
Sophie — Thank you. I think hard cider can work but maybe find a dry one so it doesn’t impart sweetness. Also, you can really totally skip the beer. It’s a layer of flavor that I like, but it will not be lacking for flavor without it.
This is why you dominate the blogging game.
I have this in the oven at 300, right now, pretty much as written. What I really like about this “recipe” is that it strips it down to the nuts and bolts. As long as it’s tasty, I don’t think I’ll need to refer to the recipe again. That’s when cooking gets fun!…when you just do it and don’t sweat it so much.
for Sophie 101 there is a few Gluten Free Beer in Canada so im sure some place is the USA has it.. ps will be making this for the bf soon
I wouldn’t be too worried about Texans and chili. My Native Texan husband (I was born in NE) puts beans and tomatoes in ours on a regular basis. No one has threatened to revoke his birth certificate yet. :)
This is how I make my chili! Except for the oregano. But I can’t wait to add some to the next pot. I also add corn to mine. Yum!
Oh, I think you did the right thing by getting a stove top model. My best advice for getting used to it is to use the cookbook that came along with it. I think I started with risotto and went from there. At a certain point, I started adding raw beets to the pot and topped it with goat cheese. Sometimes I’d add raw butternut squash. I think it takes 8 minutes when all is said and done. I’ve never done a three bean anything in the pot, but my guess is all those beans have the same cooking time. My pot came with both a recipe book as well as a separate book outlining cooking times for things from cuts of meat to beans to vegetables. I’d say spend a week just trying out beans and their cooking times before you delve into recipe testing. And honestly, I have a pile of pressure cooker cookbooks I never ever use. You’ll get the hang of it and it will blow your mind.
Follow up. Yeah, it works. :)
This is my new go-to working from home on a rainy day recipe. After three hours, it was pretty much done, but I knocked the temp down to 250 for another hour while I finished some things. That extra hour plus a lowered temperature let it really thicken and soften up without it fall apart.
Thank you!!!!
Saw this in the morning and made it for dinner, subbing red wine for the beer (gluten-free)- it was DELICIOUS! Perfect for the equally serendipitous weather happening in Chicago this week.
oh, thank goodness. i am living in mexico and while i love love loooove the taco adventures i am able to have here, it is so nice to find recipes that will be easy to find ingredients for – especially being one of the obnoxious gluten-free vegan types! thanks deb!
We just made a batch of this in the pressure cooker, and it turned out to be delicious. However, it did take a bit longer to cook than your estimate—we didn’t soak the beans, and after 22 minutes on high pressure they were still fairly underdone. After re-sealing the pressure cooker and cooking for another 10 minutes, everything was perfect. I did use the smaller amount of tomatoes and reduced the water to 3 cups, as very little is evaporating from the pot.
Also, for my own future reference, 2.5 chipotles in adobo sauce plus a diced, fresh Fresno chile made it fairly, but not excessively, hot.
Jonathan — Thank you for the feedback. I’ll keep my eye out for other responders pressure-cooking time and see if a pattern develops.
I just wanted to say that I took a double batch of your old three bean chili recipe to my works Halloween party for the last three (three?!) years in a row, and it was always devoured. Thank you! This recipe looks delicious, too.
Hi, I make my veggie chili with the addition of roasted butternut squash chunks and some smoked (hot) paprika. Also for some reason I mostly add corn niblets too. I like mine very spicy and the sweetness tempers the heat. I love your recipes!
Thank you for filling my “what can I make for dinner” void yesterday. I used black and cranberry beans…there is no love for the kidney bean in this household and they were the only beans I had, so a two-bean chili it was. For fun I also threw in mushrooms and zucchini. Turned out great.
P.S. Love the cookbook!
Deb, this is my current favourite daughter-pleasing Friday night comfort meal. We have a tomato product here (Australia) called passata. Do you know that? it is the commercial version of what all Italian people make at the end of tomato season. they puree the tomatoes and bottle them and then cook them – some put some fresh basil into the bottle. it sells here in a 720ml bottle. Well, I put a glug of olive oil in a good solid pan, then a bottle of passata/pommadorella then a small bunch of favoutite/fresh herbs and a clove of garlic and some red wine – quantity up to me. Then another big glug of good olive oil, no lid, bring it to the simmer and cook very, very slowly- maybe 2 hours but check it to see it isn’t disappearing too fast. This can be stopped and started at any time. Then at meal time when the exhausted person drags themselves in, put on the water for pasta and by the time that is al dente the weary ones have undressed, dressed, got a glass of wine and are relaxing. A bowl of pasta, sauce on top and cheese of choice/what’s in the fridge. Delicious!
sarah — Yes, I love passata! I saw it in all of the stores when I was in Rome last June and totally think it’s one of the secrets to great homemade red sauce. I’ve seen it here too, but it wasn’t a brand with a great flavor. Glad you enjoyed.
I made this last night (on the stovetop) and it was delicious! I took the convenience factor one step by only doing a rough chop on the onion and peppers. Then, after adding the tomatoes, I hit it with the immersion blender (but only for a bit, I still wanted texture after all). It was the perfect meal for a cold, rainy evening.
I have this in the crock pot RIGHT THIS MINUTE. Used dried kidneys and pintos; didn’t have dried black beans. Used 3 small chipotles in adobo from a can. Used a Mexican-style beer similar to Corona from Aldi. Can’t wait! Already smells amazing and I just turned on the crock!!
“Every recipe would work on a stove, slowly braised in the oven, on a grill, in a slow-cooker, a pressure-cooker, on a train, in a car, or in a tree. ”
In a box?
With a fox?
I love chilli, but I especially love to smell it while it simmers. Once we made some during Halloween and left it simmering while handing out candy. The older kids and teenagers were wishing they could have some instead of candy! We don’t do it anymore, too cruel, lol.
The old saying is.. ” if you put beans in your chili you don’t know beans about chili”
That being said, I am a chili purest who only uses chiles in my chili and of course beef. This recipe is delicious, however it’s not chili, call it a stew, a soup or even a bean chowder but it is not chili. You wouldn’t call a shrimp a lobster. But enjoy, it is good.
Thanks for making this Texan laugh out loud :-) Sounds like a terrific recipe! We love our beans, just not in our chili, that’s true!
I used my pressure cooker, but unfortunately I didn’t have the ring on correctly, and I scorched the bottom of the chili. Next time I’ll cook the beans first then add the rest of the ingredients. (I soaked them for about 8 hours and then froze them.) And next time I’ll pay attention to the ring placement :)
I just poured out the chill and finished it in the microwave.
The flavour was fantastic, and I’ll be making this again.
I’d love some pressure cooker recipes, Deb. By the way, the Test Kitchen interview was great. You could never talk too much :)
Deb, I think your mother’s dutch oven might actually be a Michael Lax design for Copco/Naaco, not Dansk. See example here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/118644008/danish-modern-orange-dutch-oven-by?ref=market
Cece — You’re so right. I just assumed it was Dansk because pretty much everything my mother has is. :)
I will try your recipe soon, thanks for sharing step by step.
Made this overnight (minus the beer as didn’t have any in boo) – it’s divine! Added a tsp of cocoa but think the beer would definitely add a special something.
Thanks for sharing! x
Oh, this looks so good, and absolutely perfect for the rainy day we’re having here in D.C.! Now, if only I had beans on hand to avoid a run to the grocery store.
Such perfect timing for me! I’ve just entered a chili cook-off at work in which we are to bring the chili in a slow cooker. I volunteered to bring a vegetarian chili, and this is exactly what I was looking for. Can’t wait to try it!
This is a fab recipe. Chilli as a summery dish before had never crossed my mind, but this seems worthy of trying. Have a group of friends coming over the weekend, I am planning to make this for them
I love chili! It’s one of those things that doesn’t really require a set-in-stone recipe and it’s budget-friendly.
HILARIOUS. I was just coming here to look up a bean chili recipe. (Mostly I’m tired of rearranging cans in the pantry.)
I guess it was meant to be!
Just a heads up if you’re going to use red kidney beans (from wikipedia):
The toxic compound phytohaemagglutinin, a lectin, is present in many common bean varieties, but is especially concentrated in red kidney beans. White kidney beans contain about a third as much toxin as the red variety; broad beans (Vicia faba) contain 5 to 10% as much as red kidney beans.[8]
Phytohaemagglutinin can be deactivated by boiling beans; ten minutes at boiling point (100 °C (212 °F)) are sufficient to degrade the toxin, but not to cook the beans, the U.S Food and Drug Administration recommends boiling for 30 minutes to ensure they reach a sufficient temperature for long enough to completely destroy the toxin.[9] For dry beans, the FDA also recommends an initial soak of at least 5 hours in water which should then be discarded.[8] Outbreaks of poisoning have been associated with cooking kidney beans in slow cookers.[8]
Dear Deb
First para of this article made me smile reminded me
of New York… Why ? Because it sounds like a new verse of green eggs and ham think consequently you should rename it green eggs and ham chilli p x
This chili looks delicious! I have my beans soaking as I type. I love Rancho Gordo beans but am unfortunately out of my supply. I will be using beans from Fresh Fork that I feel are equally as good.
Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
Just a note for anyone else considering using dried kidney beans. Mine took over 7 hours to get tender (no presoaking, brand new bag) on the stove. On the bright side, the long simmer gave the chili that lovely thick texture that I don’t usually have patience to achieve. Anyway, it was delicious, so thank you!
OMG Smitten Kitchen saves the day again!
I am leaving tomorrow for Vancouver for a week and wanted something I could make tonight for an early dinner, that my husband (staying home) would finish tomorrow. I’m so tired of soups and stews (this Toronto “Spring” calls for warming foods), but chilli with chips and guac is perfect!
So here I am sending you so much love as a pot of this chilli simmers on the stove.
Gosh Deb, I think I love you.
I made this and was a bit disappointed. Although I used new dried spices in the amounts called for by the recipe, I found that this chili had the flavor of a smoky pizza sauce (too harsh?). The chili flavor was not as prominent as I had hoped. If you are hoping for a deep chili flavor, definitely consider upping the amount of chili powder and using reconstituted dried chilies. The poblanos I used just didn’t bring enough to the party.
Eek! I’m still in recovery since making this in London where chilli powder is of the cayenne hot hot hot variety! I didn’t add 2tablespoons of the stuff fortunately but 2 tsps was enough to blow our minds and that’s coming from those who are partial to a hot vindaloo curry! Next time I’ll just be adding 1/2 tsp I think but I will be making it again as I want to find out what it should taste like and spicy bean dishes are the only veggie meal I can get my meat eating boyfriend to consume.
Cheers , kerry
Delicious. Abso-LUT-ly delicious! Used 3 cans black beans, 1 medium jalepeno, mild Chili Con Carne seasoning, and Corona along with everything else. Deb, you have a gift for combining flavors to create amazing food. Thank you SO much for sharing!!!
LOVED this, and vegetarian-boyfriend approved! I used canned beans but followed the recipe to a T. Thanks for another flawless recipe!
My kidney beans didn’t quite get tender, but other than that this was delicious! I just cannot manage meatless chili so I tossed in a pound of stew beef to brown when I added the chilis and just left it there. By the time the chili was finished cooking, the beef was so tender it just shredded to bits. I served it with my mom’s cornbread recipe (which involves a bunch of sour cream and a can of corn).
Next time I’m going to soak my kidney beans or use smaller beans, though. (That said there is definitely going to be a next time.)
Hi Deb,
I had to stop and dream for a while – Hot Fudge Sundae Cake, mmhmmh. Insane & fantastic. I have a recipe for black beans made in a pressure cooker on my blog, maybe you can work with that. The beans need no soaking & turn out perfect & I am absolutely gob-smacked how easy the pressure cooker worked: http://thejameskitchen.wordpress.com/2013/12/12/quick-quick-slow-brisket-beans/
Have a nice Sunday, N.
Actually Deb, I’ve lived in Texas for the last 30+ years of my 55 years here on earth. Don’t go to lumping us all together to quickly. Both my husband and I are vegetarians. We like beans in our chili, or what else would it have? And we like a tomato based chili. Now our children who are native Texans grew up hearing us “preach” why we were vegetarians and why that lifestyle is better for the whole world. i.e. more food to go around. We never “preached” or “preach” to any one else but I believe you can try to instill your own beliefs into your own children. It doesn’t always work. First our daughter married a carnivore 7 years ago. But I have to hand it to her, they have tofu at least once a week so my grandchildren do know what it is. Then this year my son became engaged to a wonderful woman who is bringing a 5 year old son into the equation. Our son has tried hard to be a vegetarian but a four year stint in the army sort of brought that to a halt. The army says they will cater to your beliefs for your diet but that isn’t really true, or that was Eric’s experience. He found he would have to eat meat or go hungry. When he got out of the army he went back to being a vegetarian. That is until he met his fiancée who like our son-in-law is also a carnivore! In fact our new grandson won’t eat anything but meat period. I mean anything!!! When he comes to his new Grandmama’s house they have to bring things for him to snack on because there is no meat in this house. I have a little two shelf cupboard that I had turned into the grandchildren’s snack cupboard. It’s full of dried fruit, crackers, applesauce pouches, fruit snacks, etc. Everything is organic and healthy. I also always have homemade cookies on hand which are out of reach, but can be easily wheedled out of me because my first two have never asked for more than two cookies in one visit. I showed all of this to our new grandson and it was like I was asking him to eat worms. Eric out of desperation went out one day and bought a Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Lee poked through it and looked at Eric and said “Where’s the meat?” What child won’t eat Kraft M&C? So even though they had a very proper upbringing my native Texan children both eat meat. But……..they like beans in a tomato based chili!!!
Made a big batch of this last weekend using canned beans instead of dried. Recipe worked perfectly with delicious results! Froze the leftovers but come Wednesday I was already reaching into the freezer for a quick mid week meal. Defrosted in the fridge and reheated, tasted every bit as good as it did fresh! This will be my go to chilli recipe from now on.
I see you addressed your PC issues on a few notes within the thread but I couldn’t find all of the references…just wanted to note that I’ve been using an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker for well over a year and make vegan chili on a regular basis…looking foward to trying your recipe sans oil…but I did want to mention that you should be able to cook it in more like 10 minutes total time under pressure, a bit more time getting to pressure. I always cook my beans (from soaked) along with some seasonings first and then add tomatoes/peppers/and anything else that calls my name, including more seasonings and bring it to pressure a second time. Beans …using a variety…usually 6 minutes and then maybe 4 minutes after the other additions. The tomatoes will have a tendency to stick if cooked too long…from my experience. Jill Nussinow’s “The New Fast Food” has become my pressure cooking ‘bible’…so much practical advice on the process in general. What did I learn first about my pressure cooker…ignore their suggested times! All were way too long! I’ve always loved your recipes Deb, don’t check in as often since I quit eating meat and dairy…happy to see your touch on something that will work for me…know it will be delightful!
Best. Chili. Ever. Used 2 jalapenos, some sort of coffee beer, canned beans and the fire roasted tomatoes. No one noticed there wasn’t any meat in it. :) Thank you for your continued dedication to recipe perfection.
Christine- what a great idea
Hi Deb. I made this in the pressure cooker. After 20 mins all beans were still about half cooked. In the end 40 min was too long, I ended up with some scorched bits at the bottom even on very, very low…so maybe 35 min would have done it? At 40 min the beans were cooked to perfection. I used 1/3 lentils….they melted into the chilli and made a meaty background noise.
This looks like an awesome dinner, especially if I can add cornmeal dumplings at the end. Yum!
I made this yummy chili over the weekend using dried beans (new yorker here so I’ll call it chili). I ended up quick soaking them before cooking the chili on the stove. I also waited 2 hours before adding salt because i have had bad experiences cooking dried black beans in salted water. The chili cooked for hours and the flavors developed beautifully. The beans all stayed whole. I served it with the Sweet Corn spoon bread recipe on your site. It was a PERFECT side dish even with all the dirty dishes. Thanks for the meal ideas.
Made this for dinner tonight; it was delicious! Hearty, flavoursome and vegetarian. What a find :)
Adoro chili! E ‘una di quelle cose che in realtà non richiedono una ricetta set-in-pietra e del budget-friendly.
This is amazing! I’ve made it twice just this week, and it’s now officially a meal in the rotation. After finishing the onions, peppers, spices, and beer in the skillet, I put everything (including canned beans) into the crockpot. I wasn’t sure how long to cook it, as I had used canned beans, but had good luck with an hour on high and and hour on min (I only have warm/ min/ high as options on this bruiser of a crock pot). Anyhow – the results were terrific.
Thanks as always for another wonderful recipe!
Hi Deb,
I was wondering what you would substitute for the beer. We have an addict (in long-term recovery) in our family, so I don’t cook with alcohol. I have also been heartily enjoying your cookbook, and was wondering the same about the ribs recipe and the cabbage slaw one (with the white-wine vinegar).
Thank you!
This is delicious! I used canned beans and did the whole thing in a skillet and it worked wonderfully! Tip: Try adding ancho chile powder and a little bit of cinnamon. Really adds some nice deep flavor!
This was fantastic! :) I used Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale for the beer, and cooked on the stovetop. For peppers I used a mixture of fresh bell peppers and dried bishops crown chile peppers. The only thing I did different from the recipe was to put the salt in toward the end, because I was too nervous that the beans wouldn’t soften if I added it at the beginning. Delicious!
I’ve made this at least once a month since you first posted it, whenever someone is coming down with a cold. We just switch the beer out according to season. It’s delicious every single time.
Loved this recipe. Added some reconstituted [dried] Ancho pepper to this by soaking it in water for 15 minutes, cleaning out seeds and pureeing in the food processor. Added extra depth for the cold nights. This will go into my list of favorite recipes ever.
Can I add some meat to this recipe? Ground turkey or beef? When should I add it to the mix when using slow cooker approach?
Made it and after 6 hours of drooling I opened up my slow cooker and the beans were still raw!!!
Been sautéing it for last 15 minutes hoping they finish cooking.
Very sad.
First, I can’t wait to try this today. I want warm food before this new blizzard hits New England. Second, I have never had success cooking beans in a crock pot. I always end up needing to out them on the stovetop to finish them because my crock pot evidently doesn’t get hot enough.
I have cooked many dried beans, soaking overnight is essential. It’s not just to reduce cook time, but is also a mild fermentation process which makes the beans more digestible, the nutrients more accessible and will reduce any gas your body might make after eating beans. I have been told that cooking dried beans with acidic things will make the skins tough and that tomatoes and salt are items that should be added towards the end. Putting everything in together certainly is easier and hope I will have success today.
Second time making this recipe and it is easy and delicious, but…I did not soak or rinse the beans beforehand, cooked chili in slower cooker and- I’m afraid I got the dreaded kidney bean toxin food poisoning! So please be cautious if using dried kidney beans in this recipe!
Love this! I added a few carrots (shredded) and some cinnamon. So so good! I made way too much chili for one person – so probably will be eating chili through April :)
At least one person mentioned this (although I didn’t meticulously read the 167 comments):
I tried making this last night and the beans simply did not soften. I used a mix of (soaked overnight) dried pinto and dried black beans. I did a bit of online research and found that dried beans won’t soften when cooked in acid (something to do with the skin not being soluble in acid), so I’d recommend if using dried beans, cooking them in plain water first, then adding the onion/beer/seasonings/tomato mixture once the beans are soft.
I ended up boiling the beans in the tomato sauce for about 2 hours, then draining the beans in a sieve and reserving the sauce. I rinsed the beans and boiled them in a large quantity of water for 2 more hours, then drained again and recombined beans with the tomato sauce. The bean skins were still a bit tough; not recommended.
Mr Hunt — I looked into this before making this and other bean recipes so I’ve tested cooking dried beans with and without acidity in the broth and found no issue getting the beans to soften in a sauce with tomatoes. That said, I find bean cooking times all over the places; even from a fresh bag, they may have been on a supermarket shelf forever and this always causes it to take longer.
I love this recipe and have made it many times in the last year. I made it for a lunch with extended family, including an uncle who believes that a meal isn’t complete without meat. He loved the chili and asked me multiple times what kind of meat was in it! He didn’t believe me when I said it was *just* beans and tomato. I took this as proof of what I already knew: this chili has TONS of flavor!
I have come back to this recipe over and over again since i discovered it, and after taking the summer off, i’ve (already) put it back in rotation. fall weather is chili weather!
Thank you deb for another classic :)
I cannot wait to try this again tomorrow night. Tonight, I accidentally used chili PEPPER instead of chili powder. Whoopsie. But I can tell it’s going to be amazing. Thanks!
Love this, thanks so much for your recipe.
Laurent
After a halfdozen attempts I still cannot get the kidney beans not to be unpleasantly al dente without soaking, so I have given up and now soak my beans overnight before cooking. (Possibly I am the only person in my neighborhood who ever buys dried beans and they have been sitting on the supermarket shelf for a year and a half before I get to them. Apparently we have some tough beans around here.)
I can, however, report that it freezes *extremely* well. Much like curry, the flavors actually tend to develop after a bit of a sit, even in the freezer. I usually make a double batch so I can freeze loads.
Hi Deb – have you ever tried to double the recipe? And do you think it would work the same with dried beans? Have a large crowd coming over this weekend & want to try! Thanks.
Shannon — Doubling it wouldn’t be an issue. The recipe calls for dried beans.
Worked out perfectly & compliments all around. One person thought there was meat in it! Thanks for the new favorite chili recipe.
I am a Texan and just made this chili and think it’s really good! It’s usually those big chunks of tomato in chili that make me mad, but this recipe doesn’t have it. The flavor is also right on. I have loved and trusted your recipe for years, but am just now finally getting around to commenting on something…ha!
Not to offend anyone, but if I do want to add meat to this recipe which would be better to go with these ingredients…ground beef, chick sausage, or shredded chicken?
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Hoo, I made this during the storm and it was SPICY. I used Morton & Bassett chili powder opened a few months ago. I think with enough sour cream / lime and maybe avocado it will be OK, but next time I’ll ease up on the chili powder (maybe 1 T). I can tolerate some heat, but not a lot.
Huh, I guess it was a different SK 3-bean chili…. Will search again and post elsewhere. Sorry for the confusion.
I love chili (and baked beans), and I use dried beans, cooking them an hour or so in the pressure cooker. Don’t fear the cooker! If it makes you nervous, just turn the heat down when the rubber vent plug rises. Then cook 15 or 20 minutes longer than intended. A pressure cooker is a wonderful tool, and you’ll soon accustom yourself to its time-saving nature and not be alarmed by its steamy noises.
This recipe sounds delicious!
Your link for the white Dutch oven isn’t working.
I made this today and loved the process of the recipe, adding the beer and reducing it.
Though I believe Deb that she had no trouble adding tomatoes at first with uncooked beans, I waited to add them until my dried beans, which had been soaked for six hours, were half cooked, about an hour in. I think this is prudent as I have had acids impair cooking more than once , and it seemed to have no ill effect.
We are having this with cornbread and shredded cheese . I am sure it will be even better tomorrow.
Sounds great but it’s not chili.
photo at top needed – and the “two years ago” seems to have been linked to the prior recipe.
also, i love the new redesign and THANK YOU for not changing the surprise me button… work would become so much more sad if i couldnt poke around the (1000+!) posts.
Made this today in an Instant Pot pressure cooker… I let the beans (black, small red, and Great Northen) soak for about 20 min while I did everything up to adding them. They needed to cook for 32 min to get all the way tender (22 wasn’t quite enough, even with an hour sitting to do a natural pressure release, so I turned them back on for another 10 min). Looking forward to this week’s lunches!
I’d love to make this recipe with lots of extra veg – zucchini, mushrooms, carrots. When do you think is the best time to add so they dont go mushy??
You’ll want to add them towards the end — none should need much longer than 10 minutes to soften, a little more or less depending on the size.
FYI – don’t cook tomatoes with dried beans as it hinders the bean cooking process. “do NOT try using an acid. Acids can actually toughen the seed coat, making the beans take longer to cook and soften. This is one of the reasons chili recipes (for example) often recommend cooking the beans first, before adding to acidic ingredients like tomatoes.”
Thank you for this recipe. I have long thought the same thing: chili seems the perfect type of thing to be made in a slow cooker or pressure cooker, of which I have both. I have used your recipe countless times, using both the aforementioned methods, with different mixes of beans, with and without the addition of ground meat, and using the guidelines you’ve laid out for these infinite varieties of combinations, it always turns out good. With minimal effort. Sometimes even with minimal time (pressure cooked of course). Thank you again. At the risk of sounding melodramatic: the world needs more flexible, adaptable recipes such as this master.
Hello! Cooked this last night in a pressure cooker– worked out well. After sauteeing aromatics, spices, & ground meat (for carnivore husband), added the dried beans & water. In 22 mins, the beans were still a bit tough (but could be ok for some of you, so check); put it under pressure again for another 10– went a tad over but perfect texture for me & my family. I added apple cider vinegar since I didnt use beer, & added 2 tbsp cocoa. Served with carabao cheddar & pickles & muffins/rice–awesome. This morning, husband put them in burger buns to bring to work. :)
Hello! Cooked this last night in a pressure cooker– worked out well. After sauteeing aromatics, spices, & ground meat (for carnivore husband), added the dried beans & water. In 22 mins, the beans were still a bit tough (but could be ok for some of you, so check); put it under pressure again for another 10– went a tad over but perfect texture for me & my family. I added apple cider vinegar since I didnt use beer, & added 2 tbsp cocoa. Served with carabao cheddar & pickles & muffins/rice–awesome. This morning, husband put them in burger buns to bring to work. :)
Oh and I added the tomatoes/acid after their time in the pressure cooker, just to be safe. I, too, have had problems before with hard beans in chili (not due to this recipe particularly) so played it safe this round.
A PSA on slow-cooking dried kidney beans: according to the FDA, unless you bring them to a boil for 10 minutes, they may contain too much phytohaemagglutinin, a lectin that can cause vomiting, nausea, and severe gastro-intestinal distress.
See FDA’s Bad Bug Book for details, PDF available here (phytohaemagglutinin is dealt with on page 254): http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/CausesOfIllnessBadBugBook/
I made this to pair with the goat cheese & carmelized onion cornbread for today & it hit the spot. We went with a bell pepper, a poblano and two serranos with some chili powder and all flavors came through without anything overshadowing another. This is a hearty meal that will please all of them!
Hi Deb–planning on making this for the vegetarian boyfriend. RE canned beans: when you say skip the water, how much do you mean to skip? All but that last half cup? I appreciate the large water amount is for the benefit of plumping up dried beans, but I wary of cutting all of it as I don’t (think) I want a beer ft. chili flavouring. How much do you recommend cutting it by? Thanks! Love your site!
You’ll want to eyeball it a little (maybe your canned beans will drink more, etc.) but the last 1/2 cup should be all you need. However, you can use less beer proportionally too so it’s less beer-heavy, i.e. the original has 12 ounces beer to 3 1/2 cups + water, maybe you just use a glug or two here instead.
Great recipe! If you make it in a pressure cooker, I think it needs a little more time. I used dry beans and cooked it for 40 minutes on high pressure in an electric pressure cooker. Since you lose so little water from a pressure cooker, I also cut the water down to three cups, and I think I will cut back to 2.5 next time.
Second this. I used the bean/chili button on my instant pot and it was 30 minutes–beans were fully cooked but still firm. I am always afraid of the pot running dry so I used 3.5 cups water and it was totally soupy when I depressurized. I just boiled it w the sauté function to thicken it up, but next time I’ll use less.
I’m so disappointed, I’ve made this before with canned beans and it was perfect. Tried it again today with dried beans and sadly they just won’t soften properly. It’s been simmering now for 5 hours and the beans are still mealy and crumbly. (The black beans are ok but the pinto and kidney ones are still too hard). Now I have house full of people coming for dinner and hard bean chilli. Soak the beans, don’t risk it. Or better yet, just used canned. Just to add, this is first recipe that hasn’t worked out for me from this site, I love all the recipes I’ve tried so far but sadly failed with this one.
My observation after cooking many years — beans that are older are often very slow to cook/soften to an enjoyable texture. I have had really good results w/ dried kidney, pinto & black beans from 365 Whole Foods brand…the ones I bought recently were all organic too. I also did soak these ahead which is beneficial for less gas as well.
This can also be related to cooking dried beans with acidic ingredients. When I’ve added tomatoes in with dried beans, they haven’t always cooked through properly. Next time, you might wait until the beans are almost done before you add tomato/acidic ingredients.
My husband and I LOVE this chili. It’s a keeper for sure.
I usually make it with two dried New Mexico chiles, rehydrated and a bell pepper. I also use the smaller amount of tomatoes, and sometimes have used roasted tomatoes I have in my freezer.
No matter the variation, it is always great and so easy. We have served it to guests and they liked it too.
I was thrilled to realize I have all the ingredients on hand to make this for tonight. Hooray for pantry meals! I plan to serve it with some maple cornbread from a King Arthur flour recipe. Hmm, some rice might be healthier. In any case, I am wondering if you got a new slow cooker since you tested this recipe. 6-7 hours on high is pretty intense. I am setting it for 10 hours on low, we’ll see how it looks when I walk in the door tonight.
Oops, the tomato products really slow the cooking down. It didn’t help that the beans were at least a year old. I moved everything to the stovetop and turned the heat up a bit. The resulting chili was delicious!
Oh man, my beans must be way too old. Been simmering on the stove for 4 hours (on and off) and the beans are still crunchy.
I made this heavenly chili about 3-4 times, and each time I added 2 teaspoons of chili powder, NOT 2 tablespoons. It was fantastic and spicy enough. Thank you!
So am I reading correctly that using canned beans means the entire cooking time is about 30 minutes?
Yes.
Hi Deb! I just made your barley with beans and greens for my 11 month old yesterday and he loved it! I would love to make this bean chili but would like to skip the beer so I can serve it to baby (he is also a Jacob!). Is there a non-alcoholic substitute? Can I skip entirely? Also, any general thoughts on toning down the spice? Thank you!
You could use some broth instead of beer; I don’t think you’ll miss it. As for spice, good to keep in mind that hot peppers and especially grocery store jalapenos vary wildly in heat. Sometimes I get ones that are like bell peppers (no kick), others like habaneros. So, try the one you have and then decide how much to add from there. Or, if you’re nervous, skip most of the heat, just add hot sauce to the portions of people who want heat.
So, if I’m finishing in the slow cooker AND using canned beans, would I add the beans in the last 20 minutes of the slow cooker or for the whole 6-7 hours? I’m excited to make this! It smells like fall in Chicago.
Just the end; they’re already cooked, you just want them warmed through and enmeshed in the flavors.
If you are curious about making this without the beer:
I did so and it was great. I used a 15 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes and added some ground coriander in addition to the called-for spices, plus put in a cup of corn kernels.
Not really chili at this point but extremely good.
I have never made it with the beer so I can’t compare, but worked great with just bean water and smaller amount of tomato providing the liquid.
I love this recipe in the slow cooker; the only thing missing for me is the chunkiness of the vegetables. They disintegrate by the time the chili is ready. Now I sauté 2 onions and extra bell peppers and add half at the start, reserving some onions and peppers to add near the end. It’s a perfect chili for me!
Bean chili keeps me vegetarian and content in the cold, cold winter, and this recipe looks perfect. I like going the more traditional Mexican route of using the rehydrated chiles (which was your favorite when testing? I am thinking ancho with an added chipotle in adobo for kick …). Can’t wait to try this!
Hi Deb, I made this tonight using a hoppy beer and the chili came out sooo bitter I’m not sure I can salvage it. Any ideas how to fix it?
Hm, maybe let it settle overnight and then tomorrow, if it’s still really aggressive, maybe try to work in some tomato paste? The acidity and mild sweetness may help.
I like this veggie chili recipe to go with the meat-laden appitizers I plan to serve on Super Bowl Sunday. BTW, what is the brand of your yellow pot. I like yellow things in my kitchen. Thanks.
I made this in the slow cooker using black, pinto and kidney beans. The chili was done after 5 hours on high. I wanted to let the flavor of the chilies shine through so I omitted the chili powder and used one 14.5 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes. I’m glad I did because the chili was very liquid at the end of the cooking time, though it did thicken considerably overnight. I used 1 whole ancho chili and 1 whole guajillo chili and pureed them in the blender with the tomatoes. I like my chili to have a kick and this duo of chilies was too mild for me. Next time I’ll add 1 arbol chili or a bit of cayenne. To add a bit more heat and brighten the flavor, I added minced serrano pepper when I reheated the chili the next day.
I’ve also just made this in my slow cooker but am now afraid to eat it, after reading the links about “red kidney bean toxicity.” — I did not pre soak or boil the kidney beans for 10 minutes… but it smells so good!
Lauren, did you do a pre-soak or boil if your kidney beans prior to putting the ingredients in the slow cooker?
I’m 3 hours in (slow cooker) and I think the chilli powder I used is too spicy for my kids (its got a nice kick in the end). Is there a way to tone is down?
For heat in the mouth when you already ate it, sour cream or cheese will sometimes cool it – or butter on bread or cornbread – but not if it’s hot. Hot temps increase the heat, so cool the cornbread first if possible. Lots of ways to cool the heat either in your mouth or in the dish. I hope you figured something out! Just know that water will make it worse. The capsaicin is fat soluble, so sometimes I have to spread butter on/in my mouth (not at the table, of course) and let it sit. Wiping the inside of your mouth with an absorbent carb that will soak up the oil can help, too. (yep, don’t use your finger – it is possible to rub a small bite of bread or white tortilla, bread or whatever you have discreetly around the inside of your mouth with your tongue. Sounds indelicate, but….in desperation….!) It might take several bites – wash down with milk, not more chili! (Some people say sugar or something sweet helps, but it doesn’t work for me.)
To salvage the whole pot, put a potato or several in it to absorb heat (just like if you put too much salt in something and need to save it) (the potatoes will taste terrific, btw). Add pasta or rice or the barley lots of people added. Add meat! (if you aren’t vegan) Or other veggies (just call it stew or soup or ‘not chili’) Good luck in the future, and I hope you found your own solution without having to waste it!
My first time here, but have enjoyed the comments (I have read the same about toxins in kidney beans. So sorry someone actually had this happen, and hope everyone read this!)
I am (mostly) Texan – born elsewhere, but got here as quick as I could! The only thing that bothered me was the tomatoes, but I think I might blend them so the texture would not be there – or just enjoy it as a soup! Sounds great! (and, yes I love meat in my chili, but delicious is delicious, whatever you call it!
Made this today using jalapeños and canned beans on the stove. Super tasty. Mine came out pretty spicy because I put 3 jalapeños in, seeds and all. Used the beer I had on hand, an IPA. Easy and quick!
Hey Deb! My husband and I make this all the time in the winter and I adore the flavor. A bit of sour cream, cheddar, and avocado, and I’m a happy person. However usually our chili is a bit on the wetter side. Are we adding too much water? Do you have any tips for getting that delicious sauciness going?
Thanks!
I used diced tomatoes, and added a 15oz can (on top of the 28oz). We need to use less salt next time; probably depends on the type of tomatoes.
Yummy and (relatively, for a chili) simple and delightful– this was the perfect hearty-but-not-coma-inducing dinner for our first autumnal evening.
Deb,
As usual you are the best. Made this exactly as written for the canned beans version with a brooklyn lager and omitted the salt. Turned out great! Thanks for all of the modifications!
Loved this recipe! Made it for Canadian Grey Cup dinner with home made focaccia bread. Definitely will make again as my go-to chili.
We were saving our beers for drinking, so I just used veggie broth as a substitute and it turned out well. I doubled the recipe and used my big soup pot so I would have freezer leftovers for another day. Kept it pretty mild by using three bell peppers and added 10 sliced mushrooms and a big garden zucchini to add some extra veggies to it. Topped with lime and a sharp cheddar was a crowd pleaser! Needed the full three hours to get the Kidney beans nice and tender. 2.5 would have been a little more “al dente” (can beans be al dente?) but would have been ok if using all smaller beans. I did a combo of chickpeas, kidney, navy, black beans.
PLUS! With this recipe, we avoided the post-chili gassyness! I think that using dried over canned beans is best for this. My husband is always wary of bean dinners because of this and he was just fine!
Did you pre-soak your beans?
Yummmmm.
Didn’t have chili peppers, so used some salsa instead.
I like to top mine with raw onions, cheddar cheese, cilantro and sour cream.
Made this and am very happy with the results. I used 8 oz. stock and 4 oz red wine instead of the beer and used canned beans. Came out a bit watery but tasted fine. Much easy than my “regular” chili that calls for many other ingredients. I would add some baby bella mushrooms, but otherwise not change a thing.
I tried it in the 6 quart instant pot, using dried beans (1/3 black, 1/3 pinto, 1/3 kidney) with 3.5 cups water at 22 minutes – beans were still not cooked all the way and there was too much liquid. I’m still new to the instant pot scene but next time I try it I will perhaps increase the beans (there’s never too much beans), increase the cooking time a few minutes and decrease the liquid. Tastes great though!
Kidney and some pinto can take longer. Black beans and small red beans are about the only ones that fully finish for me in 20 to 22. Apologies — I’ll update now that I use an IP regularly.
This chili is heaven sent, I seriously swear. Its healthy, easy, vegetarian and delicious. And works as comfort food in both summer AND winter!
But the BEST thing is it freezes well for last minute dinner defrosting, and tastes just like you spent hours slaving over a stove!
Deb, this chili alone makes you worship worthy 😊 (let alone all the other yum things you share with us!)
Amazing! So rich and flavorful! I love that the recipe is flexible. I’m in a “how can I use up things that I have” stage, so this was the perfect recipe. I used peppers I’d frozen, 1/2 red, 1/4 green and 1 jalapeno, and added a single canned chili in adobo sauce, 1-1/2 cups of bean from an old bag 15 bean soup. Also had 4 cups of homemade vegi broth from the freezer. A lonely bottle of Shipyard Gingerbread from the back of the frig. Perfection! Thanks Deb!
So delish! I used extra bell peppers and a poblano. Used canned beans (1 can kidney, 1 can pinto, 1 can northern bean) and made whole thing in pressure cooker. Just did 15min on chili setting and it came out perfect.
WOW! Used a jalapeno, a green pepper, and a few dried, round, mystery peppers and powdered mole a friend bought in Mexico. Fantastic, rich flavor–even deeper the second day. Served with Jiffy corn muffins (mea culpa!) with lots of butter.
Deb, this was outstanding! I used 2 homegrown poblanos, crushed homegrown dessicated incredibly hot red pepper that Noah gave me, a homegrown jalapeno, and a porter beer that my husband doesn’t like drinking. I added meatless crumbles. It had really nice heat and a great flavor! Just wish I had doubled the recipe – it didn’t make nearly enough. Thank you for all your recipes – I have never been led astray.
Hello! If I wanted to make this for someone who doesn’t drink alcohol (or consume it in any way, shape, or form) what could I use as a substitute for the beer?
Just skip it. You can deglaze with broth if you wish, but you’ll be fine without either.
I made this tonight with canned beans, non-alcoholic beer, 28 oz tomatoes; toppings were grated sharp cheddar cheese, chopped red onions and sour cream. Delicious; best vegetarian chili I’ve ever made and certain the easiest. My jalapeño pepper was rotten (hidden under bags of lettuce) so only used a yellow sweet pepper. It was plenty spicy with just the chili powder. Highly recommend!!
SOOOO AMAZING! I omitted the beer and used broth instead, used one poblano pepper, 1/2 the amount of rec chili powder (I have a toddler), and finished mine in my crock pot. Oh I also used a smaller can of tomatoes. The result was by far the best chili I’ve ever made, hands down. Warm, mildly smoky flavor, and just SCRUMPTIOUS.
If I’m using canned beans but I’d like to cook this in the slow cooker, do I just follow all the steps and then add the beans in in the last 10 minutes?
Yes, that should be fine. You can put them in for the last 15, too.
OK, not made it yet, but planning to this weekend for a vegan friend. It does look rather yummy. The only thing is, I’m struggling to find poblano peppers – what would be the nearest alternative?
I love and use this recipe all the time––but tonight, it dawned on me to leave a comment in case other people find this information useful: cooking dried beans in tomatoes can toughen them up. The acid from tomatoes reacts with the skin on the beans. Anything acidic like tomatoes or vinegar can do this (but the myth about salt has been busted, so salt away). It might be why some people feel like their beans aren’t cooked all the way through? The best work around is to either cook all the beans alone ahead of time (the recipe takes about the same amount of time) or to wait until the beans have cooked and then add in the tomatoes (might take a little longer to reduce to the right chili consistency).
Simple and delicious. Wanting something heartier for a cold new year’s day, I added beef (borrowing/combining slightly from the beef chili recipe) and used red wine in place of beer, but otherwise followed the three-bean recipe, cooking stove-top. I didn’t pre-soak my beans and that was a mistake. It took almost 4 hours for the beans to tenderize enough. Note to self — and others — pre-soak or cook at slightly higher than a simmer to finish in 3 hours or less. Also, we have some heartburn issues here (charming) so I skipped peppers altogether and didn’t feel like I was miss a thing.
I appreciate that, without fail, SK recipes are perfect as written AND written in a way that makes them easily adaptable, attainable and delicious.
Go to the I Made This tab; most of the comments are from cooks who have made the recipe and less of “gee, this looks good” etc.
Excellent recipe!! I didn’t have beer so used apple juice instead. I also added soy textured protein (1/2 cup). I’ve been cooking chili for 20 years and this has been my favourite.
This is my Go To chili recipe, the first and only one I’ve ever made! I use a No-Name beer, 1 jalapeno, and 3 cans of beans (usually Black, Pinto or Black Eyed Peas, and white or red kidney). With the crushed or diced can of tomatoes, I set the IP to 24 minutes and voila!! Serve with jalapeno corn bread. Delish!
I made this last night and it was wonderful!, Deep flavor, spicy, tomatoey goodness. Awhile ago I prepared a dish which included blended canned peppers in adobo sauce. I only needed about 1 T and decided to try and save the rest by putting tablespoons of the mixture on wax paper and freezing. I peeled off the frozen blobs, and put them back in the freezer in a ziplock. So I used one of those frozen adobo pepper tablespoons in the 3 bean chili. Excellent. I used Rancho Gordo beans, equal amounts of pinto, frijol negro santanero, and Silvia. Definitely will make again!
Ok, so I don’t even bother making single batches of this recipe any more. Generally follow it to the T and it’s excellent. But I’ve subbed all sorts of weird stuff if I happen to be out of something, and it’s always still great.
I didn’t really used to like chili but this was amazing. I added 1.5 jalapenos and only 1 tsp of chili powder — it was just the right amount of spice for me.
This is AMAZING. Made it last night in slow cooker with bell pepper option. I couldn’t believe how delicious. We topped with plain full-fat greek yogurt in place of sour cream and grated sharp cheddar. A huge hit for husband, 10 year old, and 6 year old. I thought using dried beans way better than canned. The texture is more satisfying. For the beer, I used Elysian Nightowl Pumpkin Ale I happened to have on hand. So so good.
Delicious! I used 0.5 tsp of chipotle powder and a tablespoon of smoked paprika instead of the chili powder you specify since chili powder in Australia is pure ground chilli, not a spice blend. Oh and I preboiled the beans before slowcooki g, because I don’t like to risk kidney bean poisoning.
I have made this chili several times over the years, using a variety of mixed beans. I always double the recipe. I have had great results with rehydrating chiles. This time, I used three dried cayenne peppers, two dried chipotle peppers, and two New Mexican chiles. Such a fresh, clean taste to this soup.
This is my favorite meal. It’s delicious and easy, and I like to put the last bit of it over oven fries, which is an application that must not be ignored.
Ok, so DISCLAIMER, I have not made this recipe yet…
I was looking for exactly this type of recipe (Dried beans in different varieties, homemade seasonings, and a generally scratch made chili). I have dried pinto, black and kidney beans, literally WAITING to be cooked into a delish, cozy pot of chili. I have family over for Halloween, and this IS my entree. So excited to try this and will update review!!!
So good… was a quick supper with butter beans and black beans from jars. I’m in Portugal so sour cream is an impossibility but it was lovely with some crema requeijao for balance.
Love your recipes Deb! I’m in the UK, making this on the hob for the first time right now and using a dried ten-bean mix soaked overnight. Question: what’s the reason for reducing the beer then adding water? As I see it, the water in the beer will evaporate and then you’re adding more along with the beans, why not forget the evaporation (time, fuel, condensation) and use less water?
Because the alcohol doesn’t fully cook out and some people don’t like this. It’s probably the smallest smidge left, but I put that in there for someone who doesn’t want to gamble with it.
If I get a late start on the slow cooker is it possible to switch to pressure cooker at the end to speed up the process? I’m new to both of these functions. Thanks!
Started chili at 2 in slow cooker. At 7 changed it to pressure cooker for 15 minutes. Taste was delicious and beans well cooked. Only problem was too much liquid. I didn’t use any beer and used 3 1/2 cups water but next time will use 2 1/2 cups.
This Texan eats ONLY beans in her chili, no meat. Thanks for the recipe. 😁
This is a delicious recipe. I’ve never made chili before without meat but I didn’t miss it when I made this recipe. I doubled the recipe & served it to a group of 10 people & everyone loved it. I did add a couple more cans of beans to make it thicker. I’ll be making it many more times.
I’ve had mixed results with this chili but it’s trending better each time I make it. This time I made it with half the tomatoes, Belgian beer and (oops) a whole habanero pepper (seeds removed). It was SPICY. But not deadly. And the flavour was delicious. Next-day chili for lunch, with a dollop of Greek yogurt to cut the worst of the heat, was also on point. A make-again.
I made this on the stovetop, and even after soaking the beans overnight, and 4 hours of cooking the chili, the beans are still hard. They are brand new boxes of pinto/black/kidney beans with expiration 2+ years from now, so they should not be old. Next time I will try cooking the beans separately from the acidic ingredients.
This is glorious – but whilst three beans are good I can promise you ten beans are even better! I found a ten-bean mix (dried) and I’ve made this recipe twice now, one practice run then again last night for friends and they were blown away by it! Not literally. Or digestive-ly (fartorially?), I hope.
I added a carrot diced small just because it was lonely. And 3 squares of dark chocolate.
I made this tonight, with 1/3 dried kidney beans, 1/3 black beans and 1/3 pinto beans. I pre-soaked the beans for about 8 hours. I used a bit less than 2 tbsp of chili powder, maybe 1/4 tsp of this adobe chili powder I had on hand, and a pinch of cayenne (along with the other specific amounts of spices in the recipe). I used a whole jalepeno (2/3 of the seeds removed, the rest added) and a bell pepper, and I added some crumbled, fresh Chorizo sausage that I cooked up separately and added when I added the beans and tomatoes. Oh, and 5 cloves of garlic instead of 3, because lol at 3 cloves of garlic. :) I think it took approximately 2 hours simmering on the stovetop to get the beans to the right tenderness, though that varied a bit from bean to bean (despite my regular stirring). Regardless – SUCH a flavorful chili! I’m going to earmark this recipe as my new go-to chili recipe. I added a squeeze of a wedge of lime to the whole pot at the end, and served it with sour cream, grated Monterey Jack cheese, and tortilla chips. Perfect!
I threw in some quinoa and then frozen corn at the end, and it was super delicious! This will definitely be in our rotation!
I made this with my homegrown beans and it came out very good, but with a definite bitter taste. I finally narrowed it down to the beer – IPAs tend to be quite ‘hoppy’, and when reduced in the chili it brings out the bitter. I doctored it a bit to counteract the bitter, and everyone cleaned their bowls. I am making this again, but without the beer, or at the very least I will use BUD or PBR 😉
I made this the other night. It turned out good, but I had to reread because I did the pressure cooker route and it never actually tells you to add the beans, tomatoes and water! It turned out very hot, even though I used bell and poblano peppers; I think it might have been my chili powder. In any case, I did need to tone it down!
I made this in my slow cooker, and it smelled amazing and looked great! Just before it finished cooking, I saw the comments about the red beans needing to boiled for 10 minutes prior to slow cooking due to a toxin that can make people sick. Soooo I felt I couldn’t chance feeding this to my young kids and ended up having to throw away the whole delicious looking and smelling pot. This is just to give anyone else who, like me, didn’t realize that you have to boil the red kidney beans first if you use the slow cooker. I feel so dumb, and want you to avoid that feeling!
I love how this chili tastes, but I did end up with somewhat crunchy beans. I cooked this in a slow cooker for 8 hours on low. I rinsed the dried beans but did not soak them ahead of time. I used Kidney, pinto, and black beans. Any suggestions for what I did wrong? I would like to make this for an even next week.
Previously I’ve made this with canned beans in a Dutch oven and it is quick, easy and delicious. Today I decided to try it with dried beans (Rancho Gordo midnight black and King City pink) in the Instant Pot pressure cooker. Based on prior comments, I cooked these small beans for 30 minutes and reduced the water to 3 cups, using natural release. Resulting chili had rock hard beans and way too much liquid. Returned for 15 more minutes of pressure cooking beans were more al dente than I would like and still lots of liquid. Next time perhaps I will presoak the beans and further reduce the water. Or go back to canned which worked great!
Thank you for this recipe! Will be very much using this at our classes!
In my pantry I found 3 kinds of dried beans. Anasazi, pinquintos, and Rancho Gordo’s Scarlet Runner. Sound good for the 3 bean chili?
This was a huge fail for my household. I used pinto beans and dried scarlet runner beans that we had on hand. Soaked the beans for 24-plus hours because of a change of plans. Cooked in the slow cooker from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., hoping the beans would finally become cooked, at which point it had cooked down and had to have more water and broth added, but it ultimately tasted way overcooked with not-quite-done beans. We had leftovers but agreed neither of us would eat them, so after days of cooking, we tossed it (and my husband will eat ANYTHING).