The best fall meal has got to be chili! This low-carb black bean chili is similar to the original, so you can have that same excellent chili feeling but stay within your carb budget. Chili is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free unless you add these things intentionally.
We make chili in the slow cooker year-round, but it always tastes better when its cold outside. Who am I kidding? It’s not freezing here in Arizona yet (or ever), but you can tell that fall is coming. The fall feeling is here, meaning it’s time for some chili.
QUICK REFERENCE
💭Top Tip
Add chili peppers slowly. You can always add spice but can't take it out once it's in. Things can quickly get out of hand if you're not careful, so add anything spicy carefully and taste as you go.
🥘Ingredient Notes
This chili is a little different. If you have been following me for a while, you know that I've had to battle a leaky gut in the past. Even though I've won the battle and recovered from a leaky gut while reacting to many different foods, I had to figure out how to substitute those foods in recipes.
Kidney beans were one of those foods that I was reacting to for some time. So, this chili is made with black beans. You can use black soybeans for an even lower carb count, and if you’re looking to lower the carb count even further, you can easily omit the beans altogether, and the chili will be just as delicious.
Are Black Beans Keto?
No, black beans are typically not on keto-friendly food lists. Legumes, in general, tend to be omitted when following a well-composed ketogenic diet.
Black beans are higher in starch than other foods, and their phytic acid and lectin content can be inflammatory for some people. They can also trigger histamine in those with histamine intolerance.
How Many Carbs Do Black Beans Have?
According to the USDA, a one-cup serving (about 172 grams) of cooked black beans nutrition provides approximately:
- 227 calories
- 40.8 grams carbohydrates
- 15.2 grams protein
- 0.9 gram fat
- 15 grams fiber
- Counting net carbs and subtracting fiber, you're looking at 25.8 grams of carbohydrates per cup of black beans.
That's a Lot of Carbs! But is it?
Will you eat a whole cup of black beans in one sitting? Probably not. You'll likely include them in a recipe like this black bean chili and eat a much smaller portion than a cup.
If you're following a therapeutic ketogenic diet to manage chronic illnesses like cancer, it's too many carbs. But if you're watching your carbohydrate intake to maintain health or lose weight, black beans can be included in a well-balanced, low-carb diet. If you can tolerate them, go for it!
🔪Instructions
I don't know how this recipe could be more straightforward. It's as simple as browning some meat and then simmering all the ingredients.
Step 1: Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the meat is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease.
Step 2: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in ¾ of the onion and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes.
Step 3: Stir in the drained meat, black beans, diced tomatoes, and beef broth. Season with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and black pepper.
Step 4: Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce to low heat. Simmer for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. The longer you let it go, the better it tastes. The black beans hold up nicely.
📖Variations
Meat Choice
You don't have to stick to ground beef here. You can use any meat you like. I love shredded or cubed beef roast instead for a heartier chili. I've also used beef heart for a super rich and nutrient-dense chili. Any ground meat will also work—turkey is an excellent option if you're looking to reduce the iron or fat content. Game meats are also a great option; I have a killer venison chili recipe that you can check out if that's your jam.
Hidden Veggies
Dishes like chili are a great place to hide more veggies, especially for kids and picky eaters. You can easily add zucchini, summer squash, cauliflower, carrot, bell peppers, and other veggies without changing the taste of the chili. Sneak in those additional nutrients!
🍽Equipment
I prefer to use a crock pot for my chili. I appreciate the ease of throwing all the ingredients in and letting it cook on low all day. But I made this in a Dutch oven, a more traditional way to do things. Either way is fine; you could use a big soup pot on the stovetop.
🍴How to Serve
I love to top my chili with chopped onion and hot sauce if I want it to have more kick. Other topping options include sour cream, shredded cheese, fresh cilantro, and fresh jalapeno.
Keto Corn Bread
Julia over at The Roasted Root has a fantastic faux cornbread recipe using almond flour. If you're into cornbread with your chili, it's worth checking out. The gluten-free recipe calls for coconut sugar and ghee; you can easily substitute these for coconut oil and your favorite sweetener.
That sounds like a great meal to me! Top your chili with diced yellow or green onions, cheese or sour cream (if you can tolerate dairy), or hot sauce. Pair it with excellent keto cornbread and dig in. This would be a wonderfully warm and comforting lunch on a cold fall or winter day.
💭Top Tip
This low-carb black bean chili recipe makes fabulous leftovers. I use it for chili dogs and chili burgers, and it's also really yummy, scooped with pork rinds.
🥣Storage
I love to pressure can the leftovers for a shelf-stable meal for future nights when I'm either not in the mood to cook or too busy to prep. This recipe also stores wonderfully in the freezer!
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I'd love to hear your thoughts on whether you decide to whip up the black bean chili and paleo cornbread on a blustery fall afternoon. Let me know in the comments how things turn out!
Recipe
Low-Carb Black Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped, divided
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 30 oz. black beans 2 cans
- 28 oz. diced tomatoes 2 small cans or 1 large
- 14 oz. beef broth 1 can
- ¼ cup chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the meat is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in ¾ of the onion and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the drained meat, black beans, diced tomatoes, and beef broth. Season with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper.
- Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce to low heat. Simmer at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. The longer you let it go, the better it tastes. The black beans hold up nicely.
- Optional: Top chili with whatever you prefer - cheese, sour cream, crumbled bacon, fresh cilantro, fresh or pickled jalapenos, avocado, or chopped green or yellow onion.
Denise Rich says
I'm going to make this recipe with black soybeans, very very low carb! Sounds great!
Heather Cooan says
Awesome! It's yummy with black soybeans and that substitute definitely brings down the carb count. Enjoy!
A Magical Life says
Just a heads up, Eden recently changed their labels to say that their black soybeans are 5 grams of net carbs per 1/2 cup serving instead of 1 gram of carbs (one half-cup serving is now listed as 11 grams of carbs and 6 grams of fiber). The company says they have not changed their recipe but that the FDA changed labeling laws. The numbers listed online are from their original labels (even the FDA says they use numbers provided by manufacturers).
One can of Eden organic black soybeans used to be 3 net carbs according to their label, and now their label says it's 18 net grams of carbs.
Since they say the ingredients are the same as always, I'm kind of suspicious that they have had incorrect numbers all this time and people have inadvertently consuming way more carbs than they thought. The national nutrition database says they get their numbers from the manufacturers, so it's Eden's original numbers that are still online and used by most sites/apps.
Heather Cooan says
Interesting. This recipe uses two cans of black beans for a total carb count of 141g and 59g of fiber. The nutrition information appears to be accurate despite any changes to Eden's labeling. Thanks for the heads up.
Kristi says
Best chili I have ever eaten. I added sweet peppers. Yummy!!! Hubby approved!
Heather Cooan says
YAY!! I'm so glad you both enjoyed it! It's always a bonus when hubby or the kiddos like it. 🙂
Claire says
Thanks for the recipe, Heather! I'm sorry to hear that you struggled with leaky gut syndrome. I suspect that's a contributor to some of my sudden food allergies, so I'm trying to keep my carbs on the low side, while still enjoying as much variety as I can. I recently came across a recipe for a chili cheese dog chaffle and that sent me on a quest to find a recipe for low-carb chili. And here we are 🙂 I appreciate your suggestion of black soy beans. Not everybody knows about those. I only recently heard of them, myself. I'm going to use regular black beans, this time, but it's great to have options. Anyway, I'm looking forward to trying your recipe and thanks for taking the time to post it 😀
Heather Cooan says
Hi Claire, I hope you love the chili for your chaffle! Sending healing vibes on that gut, it can be a long journey to healing. Way to choose you!
Michael Quimby says
I made a similar one with lean ground pork with a variation of 1 can diced fire roasted tomatoes and 1 1/2 lb ground lean pork awesome
Heather Cooan, MBA, NTP, FDN-P, ONC says
Oooh, yum! I never would have thought to use pork. Genius!