The Cozy Cookbook is here! 
This hearty chili recipe from The Pioneer Woman has a perfect blend of seasonings, ground beef, and beans. It’s Stove Top, Crock Pot, and Instant Pot friendly and will quickly become your best chili recipe!
Be sure to serv this with a side of Cornbread!
Homemade chili was always a struggle for me to make before I discovered this recipe. The truth is, people like their chili several different ways. To me, this is a quick and easy base that you can tweak according to who you are making it for.
My husband likes it “plain” like this. Just meat, beans, a little sauce, and this perfect seasoning combination.
Others like to doctor it up with bell peppers, onions, (even celery and mushrooms)!
How do you like your chili?!
How to Make it (Stove Top Method)
Cook ground beef in a large pot, drain excess grease.
Add garlic, tomato sauce, and seasonings. Simmer for 1 hour stirring occasionally.
Combine the masa harina with the water, then add it to the chili.
Add the beans. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add serving garnishes of choice and serve!
Crock Pot
- Cook ground beef in a large pot, (or stove top safe Crock Pot). Drain excess grease.
- Add garlic, tomato sauce, and seasonings. Simmer for 1 hour.
- Combine the masa harina with the water, then add it to the chili.
- Add the beans. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add serving garnishes of choice and serve!
Instant Pot
- Note: You’ll need more liquid for the Instant Pot version. Use 14.5 ounces of tomatoes for the Instant Pot Method, with the juice.
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Cook and crumble the ground beef until browned. Drain excess grease.
- Add the garlic, tomato sauce, and seasonings.
- Combine the masa harina with the water, then add it to the chili.
- Add the beans.
- Close lid and cook for 20 minutes on chili/beans setting.
- Release the pressure, stir, and serve.
Burn Indicator: The more I use the Instant Pot, the more I realize that the burn indicator is easily triggered. As long as you try to scrape away anything that might be stuck to the bottom before you place the lid on, you don’t have to worry about the message as it will go away in a bit of time. I use a silicone spatula for this.
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact ingredient quantities and instructions as well.
👉 Tip: Add more masa and water as needed until desired consistency is obtained for any of the above cooking methods.
Masa Harina Substitute
- Flour or cornmeal may be used to achieve a similar texture for the chili, but the flavor won’t be quite the same.
- Cornstarch (mixed with equal parts water), can also but used to thicken the chili as well.
Can You Freeze Leftover Chili?
Yes. Chili is a great recipe to make in bulk and freeze for future meals.
You can thaw and reheat it in the microwave, or thaw it in the microwave and reheat on the stove top.
Storage
This chili should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Pioneer Woman Recipes
What to Serve with Chili
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The Pioneer Woman Chili
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. ground beef, 80% lean
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- 8 oz. tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup masa harina, white or yellow
- 15 oz. kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz. pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes, Instant Pot version only
Garnish Options
- Shredded Cheddar
- Lime Wedges
- Sour Cream
- Tortilla Chips or Fritos
- Diced Green Onions
Instructions
Stove Top
- Cook and crumble the ground beef in a large pot over medium heat until browned.
- Drain excess grease.
- Add the garlic and tomato sauce, cook for 1 minute.
- Add seasonings: 2 TBS Chili Powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper.
- Stir to combine. Decrease heat to low.
- Cover and let simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Note: If the meat seems too dry after an hour, add water ½ cup of water.
- Combine the masa harina with ½ cup water in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Add to the chili.
- Add more masa and/or water until preferred consistency is obtained.
- Add the drained and rinsed beans. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Serve with desired garnishes and cornbread!
Crock Pot
- Cook and crumble the ground beef in a large pot (or stove-top safe crock pot) over medium heat until browned.
- Drain excess grease.
- Add the garlic and tomato sauce, cook for an additional minute.
- Add seasonings: 2 TBS Chili Powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper.
- Stir to combine. Transfer to the Crock Pot.
- Combine the masa harina with ½ cup water in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
- Stir in the masa mixture into the Crock Pot. Add the beans and stir gently to combine.
- Heat on low for 4 hours, or all day!
- At any point you can add more masa and/or water until preferred consistency is obtained.
Instant Pot
- Note: For the Instant Pot Method, use 14.5 ounces of diced tomatoes with the juice.
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Cook and crumble the ground beef until browned. Drain excess grease.
- Add the garlic and tomato sauce, cook for an additional minute.
- Add seasonings: 2 TBS Chili Powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper.
- Combine the masa harina with ½ cup water in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add the masa mixture, diced tomatoes with juices, and the kidney/pinto beans to the Crock Pot and stir gently to combine.
- Optional: Add additional water and/or masa mixture to achieve preferred consistency.
- Close the lid and ensure the pressure valve is shut. Set the Instant Pot to the Chili/Beans setting and heat for 20 minutes.
- Flip the quick release valve or let the steam escape naturally. Serve with preferred garnishes!
Notes
Masa Harina Substitute
- Flour or cornmeal may be used to achieve a similar texture for the chili, but the flavor won't be quite the same.
- Cornstarch (mixed with equal parts water), can also but used to thicken the chili as well.
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 6 servings in this recipe.
Nutrition
Recipe Source: The Food Network
Added Worcestershire sauce and cinnamon. Wow, that’s tasty!
The simmer step seems odd, since there’s almost no liquid. Maybe add a comment to confirm for non cookers like me? I added a can of Rotel diced tomatoes and chillies and let it cook down.
Hi Brady, I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed it! The hour of simmering time is in order to let all of the flavors and seasonings blend together, not necessarily to reduce anything down. I hope this helps!
Ah, thanks Stephanie, got it!
I was looking for a new chili recipe and decided to try this. I cut the recipe in half, empty nesters don’t need a huge pot of food to work through lol. The only thing I did different was to leave out the beans…personally I can’t stand the things (its a texture issue). By the end of the meal the pot was empty so it was a success! The masa harina is finally available around here but with the current pandemic and social distancing/self isolating I was not about to run to the store for one item that I may or may not use in the future. Instead I used some instant mashed potato flakes – a little trick mom taught me, It helps to thicken without changing flavor.
I, honestly, am not a fan of chili but, my husband loves it. This recipe is the first one I actually REALLY like! The addition of the masa harina makes a huge difference. Thank you for posting a recipe that I will use forever!
Hey Joyce!! That is SUPER great to hear! There are so many variations of Chili recipes and this is the first that I and my husband both absolutely love again and again! I’m so glad you feel the same! Thank you for taking the time to share that as well!! -Stephanie
This has been my favourite chili recipe. I made a large batch tonight for a dinner but have loads left over. Is this suitable for freezing? If so how would you recommend defrosting it?
Yes, this freezes really well! You can let it thaw overnight in the fridge and then microwave it or reheat it in a pot on the stove until warm! (The time depends on portion size.) I often microwave it from a frozen state too when I’m short on time, and it tastes great!
Never heard of Masa Harina. This is what I dislike about online recipes, they always throw an obscure ingredient into an otherwise simple dish.
Hi Chuck, the post mentions some staple substitutions that you can use instead. Hasa Marina is a great thickener that gives the chili a little bit of corn flavor. It’s what The Pioneer Woman uses in her chili, she cooks pretty simply. You can find it in the ethnic aisle at the grocery store. Otherwise, here are the subs outlined in the post:
Masa Harina Substitutes
Flour or cornmeal may be used to achieve a similar texture for the chili, but the flavor won’t be quite the same.
Cornstarch (mixed with equal parts water), can also but used to thicken the chili as well.
CW. . . Masa Harina is a corn flour commonly used for making corn tortillas. Also, like most flours can be utilized as a thickening ingredient. . .
The flavor of this recipe was great! I made it in the instant pot, but got a burn message. I added more liquid but again got the burn message. We all loved the flavor, but not sure what went wrong!
Hi Debbie, you did nothing wrong. The more I use the Instant Pot, the more I see the burn indicator, it goes off pretty easily. As I long as I’ve made sure that I’ve removed any specs from the bottom of the pan before pressure cooking, I don’t worry about the message as it will go away with a little bit of time.
I kept getting the same message… Did you even get to the timer part? Or did you just end up eating it? It just keeps giving me the burn message so i’m not sure if we should eat it 😩
The burn message is very common when you use the instant pot, it happens to me all the time. But you are best off leaving it alone and letting it resolve itself.
Hi Andrea,
We ate it in spite of the burn warnings. It tasted delicious!
Is there a substitute for masa harina? I couldn’t find that at our local store.
Hey there, sorry for the delay on this, the post outlines substitution options. I’ve placed that information in the notes section as well:
Masa Harina Substitute
-Flour or cornmeal may be used to achieve a similar texture for the chili, but the flavor won’t be quite the same.
-Cornstarch (mixed with equal parts water), can also but used to thicken the chili as well.
Just 8 oz of tomato sauce?
Believe it or not, that’s right!! Trust it, try it first!
This was excellent. I’m noting my changes below mainly for my reference to duplicate:
I replaced the water with red wine.
I used turkey instead of beef (1 lb. 85/15 and 1 lb. Of 93/7).
I added extra 8oz can of tomato sauce.
I doubled the the masa.
I added a litttle extra chili powder, cumin, salt. Also added a little liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, smoked salt and about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
I also replaced the red kidney beans with a can of corn; mainly because my kids like corn in their chilli.
Seriously? You changed over half the ingredients in this recipe…submit your own and leave this one alone…
😳… I don’t think your recipe is chili anymore. This original recipe is delicious and has been my go to chili recipe for years.
Made this the other night ….. outstanding!!
Do you use the white or yellow masa herina? I’ve never used it and just want to make sure I’m using the right one if it makes a difference.
I use yellow!