20 Best Chili Recipes (Instant Pot, Crock Pot, Stove Top)

Whip up the ultimate one-pan meal with any of these 20 best chili recipes, including Instant Pot, Crock Pot, and stove-top options!

What’s your favorite comfort food? Is it chili?

If so, then this post is for you!

A collection of 20 different chili recipes — all with diverse flavors and textures, yet delectable and scrumptious in their own ways.

Some are conveniently made in the slow cooker or the VitaClay cooker, while others quickly prepped in the Instant Pot, and yet others are gently simmered on the stove-top. All promise a hearty and delicious end result.

(Not sure whether to buy an 8qt or a 6qt Instant Pot?)

So, if you’ve ever wondered what dish to cook with ground beef tonight, or how to make a chicken chili in your crock pot… look no further! This list of the 20 best chili recipes (Instant Pot, Crock Pot, and stove-top!) covers all that and more!

How to make chili?

Chili is the ultimate one-pan meal! It has everything: healthy protein, mineral-rich broth, generous supply of seasonal veggies, and, of course, wonderful spices and herbs to balance it all out.

It can easily be made in your vessel of choice. Be it Instant Pot, slow cooker, or the good ol’ stove-top, chili is easily made in one pot.

If sautéing is required, simply cook those items directly in the pot before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Some recipes, particularly the slow cooker method, skip sautéing entirely. It doesn’t get any easier than dump-and-go, does it? If you haven’t used a VitaClay slow cooker before, here is my VitaClay Review & Buyer’s Guide and why you might choose one.

Can you make chili without beans?

Traditionally, chili calls for a combination of meat, beans, tomato products, and lots of various seasonings. But did you know that you can make delicious chili without beans and still have an end result that will be lip-smacking good?

That’s because chili is so heavily packed with flavor and textures, you really don’t miss the legumes. Among the assorted vegetables such as zucchini, bell peppers, and pumpkin, you’d also find bean-less chili generously seasoned with cumin, cocoa powder, and other pungent spices.

So how can one find the best chili without beans? The best way is to look for labels such as Paleo and Whole30. Generally, these will be free from not only legumes but added sugars and thickeners such as cornstarch. You’ll notice I labeled all the links below appropriately.

If you do plan to use beans in your chili, we strongly suggest you follow the guidelines to properly soak and/or sprout them.

Learn how to soak beans here, and how to sprout them here.

How To Make Chili In the Crock Pot

The Crock Pot or slow cooker is a convenient appliance because all the ingredients can simply be dumped in the liner and a delicious meal will be ready in couple of hours. It’s especially great for chili since slow-and-go is the preferred method for all those spices to blend together.

Some of the Crock Pot chili recipes can also be modified to be made in the Instant Pot and, of course, stove-top… but with careful supervision. The greatest benefit to slow cooker is that you can’t overcook chili and the bottom won’t burn since even the “highest” setting is still considered low.

These six slow cooker chili recipes have diet restrictions labeled in parentheses. As mentioned above, those labeled Paleo or Whole30 are completely bean-free.

Crock Pot Chili Recipes

Image courtesy of Irena Macri. 

Chili Con Carne with Beef, Chorizo, and Chipotle (Paleo, Whole30) — Made in the slow cooker or on the stove-top, this chili is flavored with chorizo and chipotle.

Slow Cooker Sprouted Chili — This one is not only packed with nutrition from bone broth and seasonal veggies, but it also has instructions on how to soak and/or sprout the beans.

White Bean Chicken Chili — This classic chili has many layers of flavor and textures. It also has very detailed instructions on how to soak the beans properly for optimal nutrition.

Slow Cooker Caveman Chili (Paleo) — This chili is packed with hearty, tender chunks of meat, lots of vegetables and a few special nourishing ingredients.

Healthy Crock Pot Chili (Vegan) — This meatless chili recipe is full of delicious flavors. However, it calls for canned beans. We suggest using dry beans instead, so you can soak them first to neutralize anti-nutrients and make them more digestible. Learn how to soak beans here.

Slow Cooker Roasted Red Pepper Chili (Paleo and Whole30 options) — Even though this recipe does call for beans, they can easily be omitted without sacrificing flavor because this chili is packed with it already!

How To Make Chili In the Instant Pot

The Instant Pot is a favorite with many home cooks, and for good reason. The convenience of sautéing and cooking all in one pot, fuss-free, can’t be beat. It’s exceptionally great at making delicious chili.

Simply sauté your favorite chili veggies such as onions, carrots, bell peppers… Add in your meat, canned tomatoes, spices, and broth.

Seal the lid and set it to cook per instructions.

As with the slow cooker chili recipes, some of these eight Instant Pot chili recipes do call for beans. We recommend soaking them properly or simply omitting them if you prefer.

Instant Pot Chili Recipes

Image courtesy of Prepare and Nourish. 

Beef Picadillo Chili with Sweet Raisins (Paleo) — This Latin American stew is seasoned with amazing flavor and packed with nutrition.

White Chicken Chili (Paleo, Whole30, Low Carb) — With only 8 ingredients and minimal effort, you can have dinner on the table in no time. This recipe calls for leftover roast chicken for ease and loads of bone broth for nutrition.

Chipotle Chili (Paleo) — Slow cooked chili flavor but done in record time in your pressure cooker. This recipe is packed with seasonal vegetables for flavor, texture, and nutrition. This recipe also comes with instructions for Crock Pot and stove-top methods.

Pumpkin Chili (Paleo, Low Carb) — Savory and nutrient-dense, here’s a fun twist on a classic fall flavor.

Instant Pot Three Bean Chili (Vegan) — This chili is packed with flavors and texture. It’s entirely plant-based, although you can add meat if you wish for extra protein. We always recommend soaking and/or sprouting beans, though, so keep that in mind.

Green Lentil Chili in 30 Minutes (GAPS) — This easy chili recipe is three in one: hearty soup, easy dinner, and health in a bowl! Uses French green lentils which hold their shape surprisingly well under heat.

White Chicken Chili with Navy Beans (GAPS, Dairy-free) — This recipe has very few ingredients and yet is incredibly flavorful. It does use navy beans – so as always be sure to soak and/or sprout them first.

How To Make Chili On the Stove-top

Finally, these six stove-top chili recipes are all made traditionally using a large pot and a wooden spoon. But still packed with flavor and nutrition!

The best pot to use for stove-top chili is one with a thick bottom such as a Dutch oven.

Like the Instant Pot, these recipes use the sauté method first to bring out all the amazing flavors of veggies and spices. Then add all the other ingredients, and gently cook.

Unlike slow cooker and Instant Pot, stove-top chili does require a bit more hands-on supervision, but it’s still far from being labor intensive. Regardless, a good bowl of hearty chili is always worth the effort, no matter how it’s made!

Best Stove-top Chili Recipes

Image courtesy of Yummy Keto Cooking. 

Butternut Squash Beef Chili (Paleo, Whole30) — This chili without beans is the perfect Paleo chili recipe. Easily made on a weeknight and loaded with flavor.

Black Bean and Ground Chicken Chili (Gluten-free) — This recipe is a bit unorthodox. Instead of classic beef, it calls for ground chicken. Be sure to soak and/or sprout the beans first.

Easy Paleo Beef Chili (Paleo, Whole30) — The title says it all. This chili is done on the stove-top with very little hands-on time.

The Best Keto Chili (Low Carb) — This keto chili is packed with flavor but only has 7 net carbs per serving! To bring that even lower, we suggest omitting the cornmeal from the chili seasoning mix. That way, this chili could also be Paleo and Whole30 compliant.

30-Minute Classic Chili — Homemade beef chili made in 30 minutes! This has all the flavors of comfort but without sacrificing nutrition.

Sweet Potato Chili (Vegan) — Warm up to this hearty and comforting version. It’s meat-free, but you can add it back if you’d like. Skip the beans to make it Paleo and Whole30.

Healthy Chili Mac (Gluten-free) — If chili and mac-n-cheese were to ever marry, this would be the result. Fun for the kids, easy for the parents to make, and best of all, tastes amazing! This chili will become a family favorite!

What is your favorite way to make chili? Do you prefer the Crock Pot, Instant Pot, or stove-top method?

Main images courtesy of Raising Generation Nourished and Prepare and Nourish.