Shredded Beef Chili

This easy shredded beef chili recipe is so easy to make in the slow cooker or Instant Pot. It’s also very versatile as well as low carb (7.1g) and high protein (37.7g). You can eat it like you would a bowl of chili or use for quesadillas or burritos. This low carb chili recipe doesn’t use beans though you can add them and tastes great on white rice or cauliflower rice.

You might also love this low carb Mexican meatloaf!

I usually make chili with ground beef. However I’ve had this low carb recipe in my head for quite awhile and finally decided to give it a try. This easy shredded beef chili was super easy to make and I have made it in the slow cooker and the Instant Pot. This no bean chili recipe is low carb and also high in protein!

Both slow cooking and pressure cooking makes the beef very tender and when mixed with the spices it has tons of flavor. When eaten as a bowl of chili it is super tasty and very meaty. If you want to add beans you can and I even have a low carb bean recommendation for that.

This is the perfect low carb comfort food in colder weather. This a keto chili without beans and is very versatile too. You can eat it over cauliflower rice or use in a burrito or quesadilla with low carb wraps. And if you are not on a low carb diet you can use beans and regular flour tortillas. Or eat with white rice or macaroni for a chili macaroni dinner.

Recipe ingredients and substitutions.

The simple ingredients I used were a homemade spice rub, olive oil, chuck roast, bell peppers, yellow onion, ancho powder, crushed tomatoes, water or broth and tomato paste.

Spices
The spice rub consisted of ground cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. I also used ancho powder which is something that my husband made and it is delicious and adds a smoky flavor. You can see it pictured below. I realize that most people don’t have this so you just skip it if you want but if you have it then use it.

If you want to add some heat to the recipe you can add some hot pepper flakes, a tiny pinch of cayenne powder or just add some hot sauce at the end in your own bow.

Beef
In my regular chili recipe I use ground beef but since this is a shredded beef version I wanted to use a chuck roast. Specifically a boneless beef chuck roast because it’s very easy to shred and the fat content adds to the flavor. I would not use other cuts of beef but in a pinch you could use stew meat which is usually already cut into cubes.

Veggies
I use onions, bell peppers and canned tomato products. These are pretty standard in most chili recipes.

This is a no bean chili but here’s a low carb option.

I did not use beans because I wanted to make this into a low carb chili recipe and beans have a lot of carbs. They also don’t always agree with me. However if you don’t carb about carbs you can use any kind of beans you want like red kidney beans, black beans, chili beans, pinto beans, etc. One or two cans will do.

A low carb bean option you can use is black soy beans in this recipe if you want to keep it low carb but miss the beans. They look and taste similar to black beans. 

They have only 1g net carbs in a half cup. So if you want to add beans use soy beans like I have pictured below along with the ancho powder and adjust the carb count accordingly. I would use the whole can in this recipe.

How to make slow cooker shredded beef chili.

Step 1: Get out a little bowl and add all the spices for the spice rub. Mix well and set aside.

Step 2: Cut the chuck roast into 5-6 large chunks. Add to a large bowl and sprinkle half of the spice rub all over the beef pieces. Save the rest of the spices for the chili.

Step 3: Get out a large skillet or cast iron skillet. Heat to medium high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the beef chunks and brown both sides for about 1-2 minutes or each side. When done, set aside.

Step 4: Dice the bell peppers and onion and add to the crockpot. Add the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, beef broth, the other half of the spice rub and ancho chili power (if using). Mix well in the crock.

Step 5: Place the browned meat on top of the veggie mixture. Cover and cook on high for 5-7 hour or on low for 8-9 hours until the beef is tender and shreds easily.

Step 6: Take out the beef chunks and place a in large bowl. Using two large forks shred the beef and then put back in the slow cooker. Mix well and let cook for 5 minutes to let the flavors combine.

And that is all there is to it. If you want to add beans you can when you add the veggies. Serve up in bowl and enjoy! You can eat this as is with all of your favorite toppings like shredded cheese, diced onions, sour cream, cilantro, avocado, guacamole, hot sauce, etc.

To make this in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker.

1. Get out the Instant Pot and choose the saute setting. Adjust the heat to high heat.
2. Make the spice rub by adding all the spices to a little mixing bowl and mix together. Then cut up the chuck roast into 5-6 large chunks. Rub the spices all over the pieces of chuck roast.
3. Add the oil and let it heat for a minute or two then add the large chunks in and sear for about 2-3 minutes on both sides. Then hit the cancel button.
4. Take out the roast and set aside. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix in the pot to get the brown bits off the bottom if there are any. Then add back the roast.
5. Secure the lid and turn the pressure valve to the back. Hit the manual button and set it for 50 minutes. When cooking time is up, let the pressure come down naturally before opening it up.
6. Shredd the beef with two forks. Try to do a good job of making small pieces so it’s easier to eat as a chili. 

Store leftovers in an airtight container. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.

Low carb toppings and ways to eat this dish.

Toppings you can use in this dish are sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped avocado, cilantro, green onins or even a little diced white onions. In small amounts all of these toppings are pretty low carb.

As I mentioned above if you want also add more heat use some hot pepper flakes, hot sauce or cayenne pepper.

And for ways to eat this chili, I like to eat it as is or over cauliflower rice as a low carb option. However my family doesn’t care about carbs and eats it over white rice. Sometimes they like to eat it over macaroni.

Because the is so meaty and thick you can also use it in quesadillas or burritos. And now that there are so many low carb tortillas on the market you can make a low carb quesadilla or burrito easily. I like this brand of low carb tortilla and buy them online. I store them in the freezer so I have them on hand.

I hope you enjoy this easy shredded beef chili in both the slow cooker and the Instant Pot. This recipe makes a big pot of chili but as I mentioned above it’s very versatile. You could also make this and freeze half of it for another meal. Enjoy!

The nutritional information for 1 serving is: 354cals / 19.3g fat / 9.9g carbs / 2.8g fiber / 37.7g protein = 7.1g net carbs