This flavourful low carb chili is a staple weekday winner dinner recipe! Ready in under 1 hour, this no bean keto chili recipe is an absolute taste sensation. Best served with sliced avocado, sour cream, fresh coriander and lime wedges!
It can be challenging at times if you’re following a Keto diet and the rest of your family isn’t. No-one wants to be making two different dinners, right?
This Keto chili recipe is one the whole family will enjoy, whether they’re following a low-carb diet or not. The rich and super tasty tomato sauce is packed with flavour thanks to a twist of balsamic vinegar and coconut aminos. It’s not too hot either - perfectly kid-friendly - but if you’re a hottie feel free to up the chili! Just taste and adjust to your own spice limit.
I had my doubts whether it would be possible to make a "real" chili without beans. Traditional chili con carne recipes contain kidney beans, sometimes aduki or blackeye beans. Unfortunately, all of these are starchy and therefore high in carbs - 100 grams cooked kidney beans come in at 16.4 g net carbs.
Well, there was no need to worry. Not only is this keto chili absolutely delicious, it is also perfectly filling and satisfying without beans. You're getting all the chili flavour without the sugar rush!
How to make tasty low carb chili - step by step:
1.) Heat the olive oil or butter in a non-stick sauté pan or cast iron skillet. Add the onion and fry for about 3 minutes on a medium / low heat until soft and slightly brown.
2.) Add the turkey mince and cook for a further 3 - 4 minutes until no longer pink.
3.) Add the red pepper, celery, garlic, chilli and spices. Sauté for 3 further minutes on a medium heat.
4.)Â Add the tomatoes, puree, stock, balsamic vinegar, coconut aminos and season. Add a lid and simmer for around 30 minutes, stirring a few times to avoid sticking, until the sauce reduces and thickens. If you want a drier chili, remove the lid during the last few minutes of cooking. Check the seasoning and adjust to taste. Top with fresh coriander / cilantro, sliced avocado, sour cream and lime wedges.
5.) Serve with zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice.
Tips and recipe variations for a perfect keto chili:
The benefit of this keto turkey chili is that turkey mince softens quicker than beef. However, you can substitute the turkey with beef mince. A soft, rich beef chili needs to simmer it for at least 1 hour.
This chili recipe tastes great after 30 minutes of cooking. It is possible to cook it for longer - if you've got time on your hands. This will further tenderise the meat and allow the flavours to mingle. Simply check every once in a while if you need to add a touch of water to loosen things up. For a super-tender melt-in-the-mouth turkey chili you can cook for up to 2 hours.
If you’re dairy free, coconut yoghurt would make a good replacement for the sour cream.Â
Coconut aminos are a vegan flavouring sauce with a lovely umami taste. I like to use for marinating meat, in tomato based sauces like for this chili and also in salad dressings. If you don't have it to hand, you can use tamari instead (which is saltier, but also gluten free) or Worcestershire sauce.
Some people can't live without their daily cheese - if you're one of them, some grated cheddar would work well served on top of this chili!
How to make low carb turkey chili in the Crock Pot / Slow Cooker:
Fry the onions, turkey mince and vegetables as per recipe. Transfer the lot to the slow cooker and add the tomatoes, puree, stock, balsamic vinegar, coconut aminos. Season. Close the lid and cook on low for 5-6 hours.
How to make this turkey chili in the Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker:Â Â
Set your Instant Pot to the saute setting. Fry the onions, turkey mince and vegetables as per recipe inside the Instant Pot. Add the tomatoes, puree, stock, balsamic vinegar, coconut aminos. Season. Close the lid and select the manual setting. Set the pressure to high and cook for 18 minutes.Â
I love to freeze dishes like these to have a stash of meals ready for those days I'm just too busy to cook. This chili is PERFECT meal prep material. Once you've given it a try and like it (which I'm sure you will), why not make a double or triple portion next time and freeze in portions? Then you can just whip out one when needed, add a side of your choice and top with fresh coriander, avocado, sour cream and a squeeze of lime.
Mexican sides that would be GREAT with this low carb chili:
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
Recipe

Low Carb Turkey Chili Recipe
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter ghee or olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 500 g turkey mince
- 1 red bell pepper diced into small cubes (approx 1 cup)
- 2 sticks of celery 128g / 4.5 oz
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon red chilli finely diced or to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin heaped / approx 1 ¼ teaspoon measured
- 1 teaspoon coriander/cilantro powder heaped / approx 1 ¼ teaspoon measured
- ¼ teaspoon mild chilli powder
- 14 oz / 400g chopped tomatoes (from a tin)
- 2 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 cup / 250 ml chicken or turkey stock
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon coconut aminos
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper or to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
To serve
- ½ bunch fresh coriander / cilantro
- 1 avocado
- 2 tablespoon sour cream
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil or butter in a non-stick sauté pan or cast iron skillet. Add the onion and fry for about 3 minutes on a medium / low heat until soft and slightly brown.
- Add the turkey mince and cook for a further 3 - 4 minutes until no longer pink.
- Add the red pepper, celery, garlic, chilli and spices. Sauté for 3 further minutes on a medium heat.
- Add the tomatoes, puree, stock, balsamic vinegar, coconut aminos and season. Put a lid on and simmer for around 30 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens. If you want a drier chili, remove the lid during the last few minutes of cooking to reduce the liquid.
- Check the seasoning/ spiciness and adjust to taste. Serve with avocado slices, coriander, sour cream and optional lime.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Alison
Really tasty chilli that I made in the slow cooker and am enjoying right now with guacamole and cauli rice. I used quorn veggie mince instead of turkey and added a dollop of butter to create the richness the meat would have added & it was/is delicious 🙂 Thankyou for another great recipe 🙂
Vickie
This was fantastic! Didn’t know if my husband would like it being a beef guy, but he Loved it too!
Thanks!
Naomi
This is absolutely amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing. Will be a staple in our house from now on x
MickyD
We have started cooking "keto" for the last month. A variation on chili is to serve it with fried pork skins to get the crunch of corn chips without the carbs. We have used several of your recipes and loved them!
Katrin
That's a brilliant idea! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Ruth
Hi Katrin,
I go crazy for spicy dishes and I really love Chili con Carne. You are right - you really don't miss the beans in this recipe!! It's a real treat.
Another proof that low carb food is far from being boring.
After having given it a first try, I prepared another batch for freezing it in portions.
Me too I prefer having always some excellent dishes ready, as I don't want to waste time in the kitchen.
Katrin
I'm glad it hit the spot Ruth!
Hend AbdelSalam
It is easy and clear in explanation