Authentic Texas Red Chili Recipe (Chili con Carne)

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Cozy season is nothing without a big bowl of Texas chili, aka Chile con Carne, right from your dutch oven. Tender chunks of beef soak up the flavors of the chile-rich stew, thickened up with masa harina. It's a beefy, spicy red chili WITHOUT BEANS, as a true Texas chili should be.

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Real Texas Chili from my Texan Friend

My husband and I spent a few years in San Antonio, Texas, while he was in the military, and it’s where I met one of my dearest friends, Sam. Our husbands were stationed together and bonded over those early morning PT runs, while Sam and I found our rhythm swapping recipes, navigating newlywed life, sharing meals, and having long talks about everything under the sun.

Sam was born and raised in San Antonio—a proud Tejana with roots that run deep in Northern Mexico and Texas. Her family’s chili recipe? Absolute legend status.

“This isn’t just chili,” she’d tell me with a grin. “It’s Tejana chili.” No beans, no extra fluff—just rich, smoky, spicy perfection in every bite. The first time she made it, I sat at her kitchen table with a steaming bowl of this brick-red magic, and it hit me: This is what chili is supposed to taste like.

When it came time for all of us to move, Sam handed me the recipe—a creased and well-loved index card she’d pulled from her collection. She hugged me and said, “Keep this one close. It’s as Texan as it gets.” And y’all, she wasn’t lying.

So here it is—Sam’s family chili recipe, with just a couple of Sweet Tea + Thyme twists (like toasting the spices to really bring out their flavor). It’s been a staple in my kitchen for 13 years, and I hope it finds a special spot in yours, too.

Why You'll Love this Recipe

A bowl of red, as Texans call it, is focused on building layers of flavor in a spicy beef stew. 

We create a flavor base of smoky and fruity chilies with a classic spice blend of earthy cumin, warm cinnamon and clove. They simmer with garlic and onion in hearty beef stock and chuck roast until the meat is fall apart tender. It's simple -- literally just onions, peppers, beef, and spices -- but with a few easy touches like toasting the spices in a dry pan, it gives us so much flavor and a really hearty dish, honey.

Ingredients Needed

• Beef Chuck Roast - Chili con Carne is known for being filled with tender, fall apart cubes of beef so I'm keeping it that way here!
• High Heat Oil - vegetable, corn, grapeseed, avocado all work perfectly but if you want some brownie points with me...use beef tallow, if you have it!
• Beef Stock or Broth
• Spices - cumin, cinnamon, peppercorn, coriander, a couple of cloves. This spice blend gives our Texas Red Chili warmth and depth alongside the heat of the peppers.
• Dried Chile Peppers - I would absolutely consider this the flavor base. Guajillo, Pasilla, and Ancho chilies are smoky, fruity, not so spicy, but have a bit of heat.
• Chipotle Peppers in Adobo or Fresh Jalapenos- I'm not trying to get yelled at by the Texans today...but I live for the smokiness and shmedium heat of chipotles. Sam's recipe called for jalapeños, but chipotles are just smoked jalapenos and they are my personal favorite pepper.
• Garlic, Onion, and Bell Peppers - these are our aromatics. Like I said, we are creating layers and layers of good flavor!
• Masa Harina - this is the same masa we use to make corn tortillas. It thickens up the chili and gives it a really yummy 'hint-of-corn' flavor.

Let's Make Authentic Texas Red Chili

Step 1 | Toast the Spices (optional). This is just putting the whole spices in a dry pan over medium-low heat until they're fragrant, give a little shimmy shake from time to time so they don't burn. You're going to want to grind them up in a high powered blender or spice grinder.

Step 2 | Soak and Blend the Dried Chiles. Simmer the chilies in a pot of water, then blend them into a smooth paste in your blender. This is very reminiscent of the chili paste base of birria tacos

Step 3 | Sear the Beef Cubes. Brown them on medium-high heat so they gain lots of flavor, then remove the browned beef from the the pot and set aside on a plate for later.

Step 4 | Saute the aromatics in some fat until they soften.

Step 5 | Mix in the masa harina and spices. This amplifies the spices' flavor more by infusing the fat, while the masa acts like flour to coat everything so that the chili can thicken easily. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot with your wooden spoon so nothing burns.

Step 6 | Add the chili paste, beef broth, and put the beef back in the pot and bring to a simmer for a few hours over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the stew meat is tender and flavorful, and the chili has thickened up. Taste the chili and season with salt as needed.

Step 7 | Serve the chili as you like! I personally love a big bowl of chili with cornbread, shredded cheese, a little creme fraiche (which is just fancy sour cream), and avocado. My husband really loves frying up corn tortilla strips to go along with his, too.

Variations and Pro Tips

• Keep It Low Maintenance: A slow cooker works wonderfully for hands-off cooking—just sear the meat and toast spices beforehand for maximum flavor.
• Double the Batch: Chili freezes beautifully and tastes even better reheated, so make extra for easy future meals.
• Freeze It Right: This chili freezes well! Portion it out in freezer-safe airtight containers for an easy meal later. Thaw in the fridge and rewarm on the stove top.

Equipment I Used

My Fave Dutch Oven

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Your chili pot needs to be able to hold heat for a long period of time, with a heavy bottom so the stew doesn't burn. A Dutch oven is my go-to for recipes like this one!

Grab It

Fill Out Your Meal with These Dishes

Texas Red Chili (Chili con Carne)

By: Eden Westbrook

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An authentic Texas Red Chili recipe, featuring tender beef chuck roast and a blend of toasted spices. This chili con carne simmers to perfection with rich flavors, spicy chiles, and no beans!

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 3 hours hrs

Total Time: 3 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

6 servings

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 3 dried ancho chilies
• ▢ 2 dried guajillo chilies
• ▢ 2 dried pasilla chilies
• ▢ water, enough to cover the chilies
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, or 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, or 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• ▢ 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, or 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 cinnamon stick, optional
• ▢ 3 whole cloves, or ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢ 2 tablespoon high heat oil, vegetable, grape seed, avocado, or corn oil will do
• ▢ 2 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
• ▢ 1 large yellow onion, medium diced
• ▢ 2 bell peppers, medium diced; any color but green
• ▢ 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, or Italian oregano, if you can't find Mexican
• ▢ 2 chipotles in adobo, finely chopped
• ▢ ¼ cup masa harina
• ▢ 3 cups beef broth
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

Garnish

• ▢ shredded cheddar cheese
• ▢ lime wedges
• ▢ sliced scallions
• ▢ pickled jalapeños
• ▢ Mexican crema or sour cream
• ▢ cornbread

Instructions 

• Stem and seed the dried chilies, then simmer them in a pot of water over medium heat for 20 minutes until softened. Blend the softened chilies with 1 cup of the soaking water to create a smooth chili paste.
  3 dried ancho chilies, 2 dried guajillo chilies, 2 dried pasilla chilies, water
• OPTIONAL: Toast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and black peppercorns in a dry skillet over medium meat until aromatic, about 1-2 minutes. Grind the spices (except the cinnamon stick) into a fine powder using a spice grinder or high powered blender. If skipping this step, use the ground versions of the spices instead in Step 5.
  1 tablespoon cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, 1 cinnamon stick, 3 whole cloves
• Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the beef cubes in batches until browned on all sides. Remove the browned beef to a plate and set aside.
  2 tablespoon high heat oil, 2 lbs beef chuck roast
• In the same pot, cook the onions and bell peppers until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and chopped chipotles in adobo, cooking for 1 minute until fragrant.
  1 large yellow onion, 2 bell peppers, 4 garlic cloves, 2 chipotles in adobo
• Stir in the toasted spice mix and cinnamon stick (or ground spices), oregano, masa harina, and salt. Cook briefly in the veggies, then add the blended chili paste you made and the beef broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot so it doesn't burn.
  3 cups beef broth, 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ cup masa harina
• Return the beef to the pot, bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beef is tender and the flavors have melded. Add more water or broth if needed for consistency.
• Taste the chili and adjust seasoning with additional salt or a squeeze of lime juice.
• Ladle into bowls, top with your favorite garnishes, and serve with cornbread
  shredded cheddar cheese, lime wedges, sliced scallions, pickled jalapeños , Mexican crema or sour cream, cornbread

Last step!Be sure to snap a pic and share on Instagram #sweetteaandthyme and tag me at @sweet_tea_thyme so we can all see!

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 384kcal (19%), Carbohydrates: 22g (7%), Protein: 34g (68%), Fat: 20g (31%), Saturated Fat: 8g (50%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 104mg (35%), Sodium: 981mg (43%), Potassium: 1132mg (32%), Fiber: 9g (38%), Sugar: 11g (12%), Vitamin A: 7066IU (141%), Vitamin C: 59mg (72%), Calcium: 85mg (9%), Iron: 6mg (33%)