Dutch Oven Chili is a hearty, stovetop chili made with seasoned ground beef, beans, tomatoes, peppers, and bold spices. Simmered in a Dutch oven until thick and flavorful, this easy one-pot recipe is perfect for game day, family dinners, or whenever you’re craving a comforting bowl of homemade chili.
I love making this chili because the Dutch oven develops incredible flavor as everything simmers together. It’s rich, hearty, easy to customize with your favorite toppings, and even better the next day. 🌶️🥣
Why I Love This Chili
Dutch Oven Chili Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Ground Beef: I like using lean ground beef because it adds plenty of flavor while keeping excess grease to a minimum. If needed, drain the grease after browning the beef.
- Onion, Bell Peppers, Jalapeño, and Garlic: These fresh vegetables create the flavorful base for the chili. Remove the jalapeño seeds if you prefer a milder chili.
- Crushed Tomatoes, Tomato Sauce, and Tomato Paste: Using all three gives the chili a rich tomato flavor and the perfect thick, hearty consistency.
- Kidney Beans and Navy Beans: Two kinds of beans add great texture and make every bowl hearty and filling. Be sure to drain and rinse the beans before adding them to the pot.
- Chili Seasonings: Chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and a little sugar create a balanced blend of smoky, savory flavor with just the right amount of heat.
- Water: Water helps bring everything together while the chili simmers. As it cooks, the liquid reduces and the flavors become richer.
- 💙 Optional Toppings: Finish each bowl with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro, sliced jalapeños, diced onions, avocado, or crushed tortilla chips. Serve with cornbread or crackers on the side. 🌶️🥣
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
How To Make Dutch Oven Chili
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until it’s browned and no longer pink, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks. Drain any excess grease and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion, bell peppers, and jalapeño. Cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened.
- Add the chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Return the cooked ground beef to the Dutch oven and stir to combine. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, sugar, cumin, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Pour in 1 cup of water (or more if you prefer a thinner chili) and stir well.
- Add the drained and rinsed kidney beans and navy beans, stirring to combine.
- Bring the chili to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low.
- Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every 5–10 minutes to prevent the chili from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.
- Serve hot with your favorite toppings, such as shredded cheese, sour cream, fresh cilantro, diced onions, or crushed tortilla chips. 🌶️🥣
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
Inprocess Images
Tips I Found Helpful
- Brown the ground beef well before adding it to the Dutch oven. Those browned bits add extra flavor to the chili.
- Dice the onions and peppers into similar-sized pieces so they cook evenly. Let the chili simmer for at least 30 minutes, but if you have extra time, simmer it for 45–60 minutes for an even richer flavor.
- Stir the chili every 5–10 minutes while it simmers to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the Dutch oven.
- If the chili becomes too thick, stir in a little extra water or beef broth until it reaches your preferred consistency.
- Taste the chili before serving and adjust the spices to your liking. Add extra chili powder for more flavor or crushed red pepper flakes for more heat.
- This chili tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had time to develop.
- Set out toppings like shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro, diced onions, sliced jalapeños, and crushed tortilla chips so everyone can customize their own bowl. 🌶️🥣
Frequently Asked Questions
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Dutch Oven Chili
This Dutch Oven Chili is a hearty, one-pot meal made with seasoned ground beef, beans, tomatoes, peppers, and bold spices. Simmered low and slow in a Dutch oven, this classic chili is thick, rich, and perfect for family dinners, game day, or cozy nights at home.
Ingredients
- 1 to 1½ lbs ground beef
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped (remove seeds if you don’t like it too spicy)
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup water
- 1 (15.5-ounce) can kidney beans, drained
- 1 (15.5-ounce) can white (navy) beans, drained
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until it's browned and no longer pink, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks. Drain any excess grease and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion, bell peppers, and jalapeño. Cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened.
Add the chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
Return the cooked ground beef to the Dutch oven and stir to combine.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, sugar, cumin, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper flakes.
Pour in 1 cup of water (or more if you prefer a thinner chili) and stir well.
Add the drained and rinsed kidney beans and navy beans, stirring to combine.
Bring the chili to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every 5–10 minutes to prevent the chili from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.
Serve hot with your favorite toppings, such as shredded cheese, sour cream, fresh cilantro, diced onions, or crushed tortilla chips. 🌶️🥣
Notes
Brown the ground beef before adding it to the Dutch oven for the best flavor. Drain and rinse the beans before stirring them into the chili. Let the chili simmer for at least 30 minutes, but if you have extra time, simmer it a little longer to deepen the flavors. If the chili becomes too thick, simply stir in a splash of water or beef broth until it reaches your preferred consistency. Like most chili recipes, the leftovers taste even better the next day. Serve with your favorite toppings, such as shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, fresh cilantro, diced onions, or crushed tortilla chips. 🌶️🥣
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Your recipe doesn’t say to add the kidney beans.
I added a tablespoon of brown sugar, a can of corn, and 1 tablespoon of worchestershire to this recipe 😋
In the instructions, the recipe never says to add the beans. Might want a slight revision
Thanks I will fix
For the kidney beans, should I use one or two cans? Both possibilities are indicated in the list of ingredients. Thanks.
This was so delicious – great recipe. Minus all the chopping, this was quick and easy. I added diced carrots, cayenne, and onion powder. The bell peppers added a juicy and sweet crunch. Was going to add corn, but now I’m glad I didn’t, it wasn’t needed! Thanks for sharing this recipe. 🤤
This was fantastic chili! We loved it! Great balance of seasonings. I was able to use my own home grown peppers and tomatoes in it which was great too. I was a little disappointed when I went to print it because I usually try not to print pictures to save ink and there was no option to do this. But, great recipe! Thanks!
I’ve made this a few times and it’s delicious! Thank you.
Turned out really good..didn’t see when to add the jalapeno(s) in the recipe, but it worked out. My wife doesn’t like chili, but liked this recipe. I did add a bit more salt after I served it (my personal taste)