Dutch Oven Chili is a classic for a reason. This version is thick, hearty, and made with lean ground beef, beans, tomatoes, salsa, and a simple spice blend, all simmered together for bold, well-balanced flavor. It’s an easy, dependable chili you can make on the stovetop or over a campfire when you're feeding a crowd or need to keep dinner simple.
For more Dutch oven recipes, try this Mississippi pot roast or Dutch oven chili mac recipe next!
Quick Look at the Recipe
- ✅ Recipe Name: Dutch Oven Chili
- 🕒 Ready In: About 50 minutes
- 👪 Serves: 8
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: Lean ground beef, kidney beans, onions, bell peppers, salsa, stewed tomatoes, chili powder, cumin
- 📖 Dietary Info: Gluten-free
- ⭐ Why You’ll Love It: Thick and hearty with bold flavor, easy to make in one Dutch oven, great for feeding a crowd, and perfect for stovetop or campfire cooking.
Summarize and Save the Recipe
Why This Chili Recipe is Special
When I was in high school, my dad Dean and I decided we wanted to create our own chili recipe. After plenty of test batches and tweaks, this is the version we landed on.
What makes this chili special isn’t just the recipe, though. It’s the time I got to spend with my dad, one-on-one. Now that I’m a dad myself, I appreciate that experience even more.
This chili has become a tradition in my own home, especially on Halloween. It’s also been tested beyond our kitchen. Back in 2005, I entered it in a chili cook-off at work and took home first place.
Ever since, I like to joke that when I make it, it’s Award-Winning Awesome Chili… and when my dad makes it, it’s just Awesome Chili.
Try this Dutch oven white chicken chili too!
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Lean Ground Beef: This chili is meat-forward and hearty, so using lean ground beef gives you big flavor without excess grease. Browning the beef well builds a deep, savory base, while draining the renderings keeps the finished chili rich but not oily.
- Onions & Bell Peppers: Onions add sweetness and depth as they soften, while bell peppers contribute subtle sweetness and texture. Together, they form the aromatic backbone of the chili and balance the spices without overpowering the dish.
- Chili Powder: Chili powder provides the core chili flavor that's warm, earthy, and mildly smoky. Sprinkling it in gradually while stirring helps prevent clumping and allows the spices to bloom evenly in the meat mixture.
- Ground Cumin: Cumin adds warmth and a slightly smoky, nutty note that gives the chili its classic depth.
- Salsa: Salsa pulls double duty here, adding tomatoes, seasoning, and acidity in one ingredient.
- Stewed Tomatoes: Stewed tomatoes add body and texture without thinning the chili. Their larger pieces break down as the chili simmers, helping create a thick, hearty consistency.
- Kidney Beans (Dark & Light): Using both dark and light kidney beans adds visual contrast and slightly different textures. Draining the beans prevents excess liquid from watering down the chili, and folding them in gently helps keep them intact.
See the recipe card for the full ingredient list with quantities.
Variations
- About the Garlic (or Lack Thereof). There’s no garlic in this chili—and that’s intentional. Garlic and I have a long, slightly stressful relationship, and when this recipe was first developed, it was made without it and stayed that way. The flavor comes from the spices, tomatoes, beans, and a slow simmer. If you’re a garlic fan, feel free to add 4 cloves or 2 teaspoons granulated garlic when browning the beef.
- No Bean Chili: Double up on the beef to make a Dutch oven chili without any beans.
- Swap in Ground Turkey or Chicken: You can easily swap the ground beef for ground chicken or turkey. These are a bit leaner so you may need to add a bit of vegetable oil to aid in cooking.
- Adjust the Heat: Control the spice level by choosing mild, medium, or hot salsa. For extra heat, add a pinch of cayenne or a diced jalapeño with the onions and peppers. For a milder chili, stick with mild salsa and avoid additional heat.
- Bean Options: Dark and light kidney beans give great texture and contrast, but you can substitute one can with pinto or black beans if that’s what you have on hand. Always drain the beans to keep the chili thick and hearty.
This awesome chili would be great to top on our Dutch oven baked potatoes or with our delicious creamed corn cornbread for a complete meal. Finish off the meal with a chocolate chip cookie brownie!
How to Make Dutch Oven Chili
Once you have all your ingredients, including measuring out the spices, this recipe goes pretty quick-ish.
- Step 1: Cook the Meat. Heat the Dutch oven on medium-high and crumble in the ground beef. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook. Once the beef has sufficiently browned and the onions and peppers have softened, drain off the renderings. I used 93% lean ground beef and it still produced ample renderings.
- Step 2: Season. Put the Dutch oven back on the burner over medium heat. Slowly add the seasonings to avoid clumping. I like to do a little dance and sing “sprinkle and stir,” “sprinkle and stir,” and “sprinkle and stir” until they’ve all been incorporated and mixed in well.
- Step 3: Add the Tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low. Pour in the salsa followed by the stewed tomatoes.
- Step 4: Add the Beans. Gently fold in the kidney beans. Like your real kidneys, they’re fragile. and will break apart if they are roughly stirred in.
- Step 5: Cook. Increase the heat up to medium-high, or even high and bring it to a boil. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to medium-low, allowing it to maintain a low simmer. Let it simmer away for 30 minutes or so, but stir it occasionally. Serve with your favorite chili toppings and slices of sweet cornbread.
Expert Tips
- Thicker or Looser Chili. For a thicker chili, simmer uncovered for the last 10 minutes. If the chili gets too thick, stir in a small amount of water or broth until it reaches your preferred consistency.
- Drain, Don’t Skip. After browning the beef, drain excess grease. Too much fat can make the chili heavy and mask the spice flavor, especially in a thick, low-liquid chili.
- Sprinkle Spices Gradually. Add the chili powder and cumin a little at a time while stirring. This prevents clumping and helps the spices bloom evenly throughout the pot.
- Simmer for Flavor, Not Speed. A gentle simmer allows the flavors to meld and the chili to thicken naturally. Boiling too hard can break down the beans and scorch the bottom.
- Fold Beans in Gently. Stir the beans in carefully near the end so they hold their shape and don’t turn mushy during the simmer.
Dutch Oven Chili Recipe FAQs
A 5-quart or larger Dutch oven works best for this recipe. The generous size allows room for browning the beef, stirring comfortably, and simmering without spills. If you’re cooking over a campfire, a slightly larger Dutch oven makes temperature control easier.
Yes, this chili works very well over a campfire or charcoal. Use a Dutch oven with moderate, even heat and avoid placing it over very hot coals. Stir regularly to prevent scorching, especially since this is a thick chili. Rotating the Dutch oven occasionally helps maintain even cooking.
Store leftover chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, warm it slowly on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. If it thickens too much, add a small splash of water or broth to loosen it. Chili can also be reheated in the microwave in short intervals, stirring between each round.
Yes—this chili is a great make-ahead recipe. In fact, the flavor improves after it sits for a few hours or overnight as the spices and tomatoes have more time to meld. Make it up to a day in advance, let it cool, then store it in the refrigerator and reheat gently before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Finish bowls of Dutch oven chili with classic toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, diced onions, or sliced jalapeños. For parties I like to place out bowls of each one and let everyone customize their bowl to taste.
If you have leftover chili and want a new way to enjoy it, here are 4 ways to use it up. It makes an excellent topping for these skillet nachos and also for this chili cheese dog skillet bake.
Enjoy with bread! Try this Southern cornbread or buttermilk biscuits.
More Dutch Oven Soups & Chili Recipes
If you tried this Dutch Oven Chili or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Get the Recipe
Dutch Oven Chili
Equipment
- 5 qt. Dutch oven or larger
Ingredients
- 3 lbs lean ground beef
- 1 onion diced
- 2 bell peppers diced
- 2 tablespoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups salsa
- 29 oz stewed tomatoes 2-14.5 oz cans
- 16 oz dark kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 16 oz light kidney beans drained and rinsed
Optional Garnishes
- cheddar cheese shredded
- sour cream
- green onions sliced
Instructions
- Heat the Dutch oven over medium-high heat
- Crumble in the ground beef; stir.
- Stir in the onions and bell peppers; mix well.
- Cook the beef until it has browned and the vegetables have begun to soften.
- Drain off all the renderings.
- Return to the heat and incorporate the spices while stiring.
- Add the salsa and stewed tomatoes, mix well.
- Gently fold in the kidney beans
- Bring to a boil over medium-high or high heat.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to a low simmer
- Allow to simmer for 30 minutes, the chili will thicken and the liquid will be absorbed.
- Serve with any of the optional garnishes and enjoy.
Notes
- Adjust the Thickness: For a thicker chili, simmer uncovered during the last 10 minutes. If it becomes too thick, stir in a small splash of water or broth until it reaches your preferred consistency.
- Drain the Beef: After browning, drain excess grease. Too much fat can weigh down the chili and dull the spice flavor, especially in a thick, low-liquid recipe.
- Add Spices Gradually: Sprinkle in the chili powder and cumin while stirring to prevent clumping and ensure even flavor throughout.
- Keep a Gentle Simmer: Simmer slowly to let the flavors meld and the chili thicken naturally. Avoid boiling, which can scorch the bottom and break down the beans.
- Fold in Beans Carefully: Stir the beans in gently near the end of cooking so they stay intact and don’t turn mushy.
Nutrition
Dutch Oven Daddy is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Annie Johnson says
It looks like this recipe has been tried and proven by you. I tried this recipe and it isn't watery like some recipes, it is thick and delicious. Our family loved it and we will use this recipe over and over. It is sooo good and a keeper.
D says
From personal experience, this is a great chili!!!
Ned Adams says
You got that right!!
Paula says
Loved making chili in my dutch oven last night, it had such incredible flavor! Thanks for this amazing recipe.
Toni says
This is such a fantastic chili recipe! Thank you so much for sharing! I will definitely make it again soon!
Bobby says
Made this chili over the weekend and it was a huge hit! Thanks!
Kim says
I have some potatoes I wanted to make for dinner tonight and I didn't know what to do with them. This sounds like a great topper!