Keto Low-Carb Chili Recipe

Cold days, camping trips, and even a cook-off now and again -- all occasions when I've always enjoyed making my hearty, delicious chili! But when I started eating in line with a ketogenic lifestyle, one of the biggest surprises was just how many carbs are hiding in many of the foods we all love that don't seem sweet, starchy or bready. And chili was, unfortunately, on that list.

Of course, there are a lot of ways to lower the carb content of a food like chili, such as making it without beans (living in Texas, that's not even optional -- chili here just doesn't have beans). But most recipes, even bean-free ones, along with most commercial chilis in a can, add a lot more that you might not expect. They may be thickened with flour, have added sugar, or simply have ingredients like tomatoes that add some under-the-radar carbohydrates.

To be fair, there are some commercial chili varieties that could be considered low enough in carbs to have a little bit. One of my favorites has about 13 grams of net carbs per can, and if you're eating half that amount, that's not bad.

But sometimes, on a cold night at home, I want chili to be my main meal. And in those cases, the carbs can add up quickly. So, I set out to create a recipe for great-tasting chili, that wouldn't put my in danger of wrecking my macros. After a little trial and error, here's what I ended up with -- my wife and I really like it, and hopefully you will, too!

Ingredients

1.5 lbs ground beef (at least 20% fat, and grass-fed is always best)

1/2 onion, diced, or dehydrated diced onions to taste

3 cloves fresh, minced garlic or 1 Tbsp granulated garlic

2 Tbsp chili powder

2 Tbsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp paprika

Sea Salt to taste

1/2 Tsp cayenne pepper (more or less depending on desired heat level)

1/4 cup Carbalose flour

2 Cups beef broth

(Optional) Small squirt of yellow mustard

Instructions

1. In a large skillet or medium sized pot (I recommend non-stick or well-seasoned cast iron) brown ground beef over medium-high heat

2. When fully browned, reduce heat to medium and add fresh onion and garlic (if using) and cook a few minutes until the onion just begins to soften a little

3. Add the Carbalose flour and mix with the beef fat so that it fully coats the meat and vegetables

4. Add all the dry spices (including dehydrated onions and garlic if not using fresh) and mix well; only add a little salt at this point

5. Pour in the beef broth and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally

6. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, still stirring occasionally, and cook until the liquid reduces almost to the consistency you want

7. Taste while the consistency is still a little bit liquidy; the broth will have added some salt, which will be more concentrated after reducing, so this is the time to add the final salt, if needed

8. (Optional) if you like a more tangy flavor in your chili, add a small squirt of yellow mustard, mix in and cook until it reaches the consistency you're looking for

9. Serve and enjoy!

The Numbers

The number of servings, and therefore nutrients per serving, will be entirely up to you. The whole recipe, by my calculation, has about 10 grams of net carbs (primarily split between the onion and Carbalose flour). Fat grams depend on the leanness of the beef you use. 80/20 is a good choice, and per pound it has around 90 grams of fat, and 77 grams of protein.

This recipe makes the kind of chili that you usually find on a chili dog, chili cheese fries, etc.  It's not the liquidy/soupy variety with chunky vegetables that some folks prefer, simply because this is the kind of chili I like. However, you're free to customize and experiment with this recipe to your heart's content!

And since I mentioned it -- yes, there is a way to enjoy a low-carb/keto friendly chili cheese dog! I tried

the hot dog buns from the Great Low Carb Bread Co and found them to be pretty decent. Pricey, but worth buying once in a while. This isn't a sponsored recommendation, just a product I thought was pretty good and decided to suggest! Next I'm planning to try Bakewise Bakery's Zero Net Carb Hot Dog Buns, so I'll try to give my opinion and maybe even a comparison post later.

I hope you enjoy the chili, and look forward to hearing your thoughts and customizations in the comments!