How to Make Chili With Dried Beans

THIS is how to make chili with dried beans no soak or soaked with a bag of 15 bean soup mix to a tender and delicious meal. On the stove, in a slow cooker or in an Instant Pot like our Pressure Cooker Chili With Dry Beans it is a cheap homemade meal you should make year round.

How to Make Chili with Dry Beans

You may have made our 5 ingredient chili Crockpot style with canned ingredients but you’re ready to now make this from scratch and completely homemade! You can stick with those basic ingredients but just try it with a 15 bean soup mix instead. Just want kidney beans or black? Use those!! That is the beauty of making it yourself. 😉

Once you make this, whether on the stove – slow cooker or with high pressure you can continue on to tweak it in so many other ways too. Like with our Instant Pot Chili Mac Recipe we added elbow macaroni into the mix bubbling until tender.

Chili in Slow Cooker with Dry Beans

Crockpot Venison Chili Recipe is a great example of

Chili with Dried Beans on the Stove

This is a great way to do it if you want to make Dutch Oven Chili which can be a pretty way to serve it up too. Enamel cast iron pots are quite beautiful and can be left right in the pot when served, set upon a trivet on your table. Below is boiling beans in other ingredients.

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add 1/2 chopped onion and bell pepper, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add minced garlic and pinch of jalapeno powder for heat, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
3. Stir 2 cups soaked beans overnight with everything else on your ingredient list.
4. Pour in diced tomatoes, or spicy tomato juice mix like we did with our Bloody Mary Chili Recipe.
5. Add tomato paste to thicken if you like, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and pinch of salt and pepper are great.
6. Mix until well combined.
7. Pour in enough vegetable or chicken broth so the beans are fully submerged. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with a lid.
8. Simmer for about 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, or until the beans are tender and the chili has thickened to your desired consistency.

Once cooked, taste and adjust the seasoning as desired. Add more salt, pepper, or chili powder to suit your taste preferences. Serve with cheese and a dollop of sour cream on top.

Do you have to soak beans before making chili?

If you are starting with dried legumes, yes it is highly recommended. If you are making something like our quick 5 Ingredient Instant Pot Chili we use canned and don’t drain or even rinse them before adding. It’s more of a dump and go meal.

You can Cook Beans in a Pressure Cooker without soaking at all first, drain and then proceed with the instructions above once they are tender and yes that cuts down on the boiling time dramatically. Some still prefer to soak ahead of time and overnight (us included) but this does make it possible to skip.

When making chili how long do you need to soak the beans?

No matter what you are making, I recommend you soak them the night before in a large bowl of water. In an Instant Pot is the only exception. Adding them into your tomato meat mixture will take a really long time to get tender and red beans really need to be soaked, rinsed and rinsed again until the water runs clear to reduce gas and bloating. We share How to Cook Kidney Beans properly here.

What kind of beans should you use to make homemade chili from scratch?

Really that is up to you. I personally like a mixture of black and red beans really. You can buy a bag of this 15 bean mix which is great because then you get a mixture of all different sizes and textures. I use this all the time since they are already mixed in a bag.

How do you make chili spicy?

It’s all about the seasonings. Dry sriracha is great, chili pepper works, red pepper flakes or use Rotel instead of tomatoes with a tomato chiles mixture which will add heat into your large Dutch Oven.

What kind of meat can you make chili with?

You can certainly use something other than browned ground beef or sausage being used. Many times I will make this meal the day after we have had steak. I hate wasting leftovers. Instead I dice that meat up and over the hours in the rich tomato sauce it just falls apart!!

What is the best way to save leftover chili?

Always wait until it has cooled. Store in a sealed container in the fridge. You can reheat within 3 days in the microwave for a 1 minute cooking time stirring halfway thru, or on the stove to warm again for a second meal.