Keto Steak and Sausage Chili – a rich and hearty keto chili bursting with steak and sausage flavor that is naturally low carb, spicy, and full of meaty flavor!

At Avdaye, we add lots of tips in all of our recipes – because we are a home cook without any formal training, and we find we are more confident making dishes when we understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. Our goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

Low Carb Chili

This steak and sausage chili is seriously one of the most good recipes we've developed in a long, long time – it is hearty and meaty, filling, but keto compliant since it is a totally beanless chili.

Even though there are no beans in this chili, it has a similar texture to other chili thanks to the ground sausage and vegetables – and the hearty, beefy steak chunks are totally irresistible!

If you're missing your favorite chili flavors because you're not using beans in chili anymore, you can love this easy keto chili dinner.

How To Make Keto Chili

This chili is simple and good, but we're adding some modifications below to help make it solid, every time you whip up a batch!

What Kind of Sausage to Use In Chili:

This keto steak and sausage chili has some different flavors – in part because we love to use slightly sweet ground breakfast sausage (regular Jimmy Dean flavor) in it.

We think adding ground sausage gives a rich flavor that isn't overpowering in chili – much like beans!

It crumbles perfectly and has a similar shape and texture to beans in this chili, so it's an easy swap for keto chili.

If you'd like to change it up, you can also add chorizo or ground italian sausage as well for a spicy and less sweet kick.

Instant Pot Modification

This recipe is great for beginner Instant Pot cooks, because it is pretty foolproof – the number one thing you need to remember is to make sure there is no burnt bits on the bottom of the instant pot after browning the meat and vegetables so that it can seal properly and come to pressure.

Quickly deglaze the base of the instant pot with stock before adding in all ingredients after browning to be sure the instant pot can seal properly.

Add ground sausage to instant pot on medium (without the lid) and cook on medium high heat until crumbled and cooked through.
Remove sausage from instant pot, do not drain fat.
Add stew meat to pan and cook until browned on all sides.
When meat has been browned, remove from pan and set aside with sausage.
Stir in onions and let soften and lightly brown, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning or sticking.
Stir in garlic, carrots, celery, and peppers.
Cook until vegetables are soft, another 7 minutes.
Stir in diced tomatoes, broth, beef, sausage.
Turn the Instant Pot to the Chili/Beans setting and place the lid on the pot.
Cook for 18 minutes.
Release the pressure either manually or allow it to release naturally.
Serve with assorted toppings.

Kitchen notes

We've discovered a couple tips and tricks we like to suggest because we get a lot of questions about them, so if you're troubleshooting your recipe or would like to change it up a bit, start here.

How to Freeze Keto Chili

This keto chili is great because it makes a big, hearty batch – that can easily be frozen and saved for later!

We like to make a big double batch when we make chili, so we can eat half of it, and pre-portion single servings that we can pop in the freezer and pull out whenever we need a hearty and comforting meal.

Reheat Frozen Chili

Freeze in the smallest amount possible.
For best results, add the amount you will eat when reheating to a bag – it will freeze faster and thaw more evenly so there is less chance of freezer burn.
Freeze in freezer-style plastic bags that can lay flat.
This will help the chili to freeze
Do not overfill bags.
Let freeze flat to “set”.
Keep in freezer less than three months.
Let thaw naturally in refrigerator, and then simmer to reheat.
Add up to 2 cups of water (slowly, add as you go) if chili is too thick when re-heated.

How to Thicken Keto Chili or Soup

Since tomato paste is usually used to thicken chili, but it is pretty high in carbs if you're closely watching macros, we're listing our favorite ways to thicken a keto chili or soup:

Keto Soup Thickeners

Guar Gum
Xantham gum
Pureed Vegetables
Finely ground nuts (we prefer walnuts for their texture in soups, they mimic ground beef well.)

Recipe FAQs

Can we make keto chili in the slow cooker?

To make this keto chili in the slow cooker, brown steak, sausage, and vegetables lightly before adding to slow cooker (this is most important with the ground sausage – if you don't brown it lightly, it can clump up into big balls when in the slow cooker).
Add meat and vegetables in, then liquids, and seasonings.
Let cook on high for 3-4 hours, until reduced and thickened.
Or cook on low for up to 6 hours, until chili has thickened, stew meat has softened, and chili is dark red.

When is beef cooked?

Stew meat is fully cooked when it has reached over 135 degrees F with a digital thermometer, and ground beef is fully cooked at over 160 degrees F.
For this recipe, we will be cooking both past their minimum temperature for doneness and won't be paying much attention to the temperature of the meat itself, rather keeping our chili bubbling hot, as we will go beyond the minimum temperature for food safety for the meat.

How long does keto chili last?

This chili can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days or frozen for up to four months.

Keto Dinner Ideas:

If you love this easy steak and sausage chili, you will love our other easy keto dishes!

Click each link to find the low carb printable recipes:

You can find our complete keto recipe archives here.

Serve it with

Looking for the best side dishes to serve with keto chili?

We love serving this hearty main with Bacon Wrapped Cheddar and Garlic Jalapeno Poppers Easy Keto Garlic Butter Rolls Easy Air Fryer Broccoli or one of our recent keto sides:

You can find our complete keto side dish recipe archives here.

Keto Steak and Sausage Chili Recipe

Other Popular Avdaye Recipes:

If you love this easy keto chili, check out some of our other favorite popular recipes!

Tons of good meals the whole family will love – many are low carb and keto compatible!

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Ingredients

1 pound ground sausage
2 pounds stew meat, see note, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 yellow onion, choppeed
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp good quality sweet imported Hungarian paprika
1 red bell pepper, seeded/membranes removed, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 can diced tomatoes
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
5 cups beef broth
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Method

Add ground sausage to enameled dutch oven and cook on medium high heat until crumbled and cooked through.
Remove sausage from pan, do not drain fat.
Add stew meat to pan and cook until browned on all sides.
When meat has been browned, remove from pan and set aside with sausage.
Stir in onions and let soften and lightly brown, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning or sticking.
Stir in garlic, carrots, celery, and peppers.
Cook until vegetables are soft, another 7 minutes.
Stir in diced tomatoes, broth, beef, sausage, and seasonings and turn heat to high.
Bring chili to a boil, and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until chili has thickened up slightly and reduced.
If using an Instant Pot, turn the Instant Pot to the Chili/Beans setting and place the lid on the pot – cook for 18 minutes and release naturally or manually.
Serve immediately and enjoy!