Oklahoma Chili is a thick, no bean chili inspired by many Midwestern chili recipes. This easy, hearty all meat red chili recipe is made in a little over an hour.
A big pot of Beef Chili is one of those crowd pleasing, easy recipes for busy weeknights, Game Days, and potlucks. This Sooner State style chili is another great Dinner Recipe that is family friendly and big enough to feed a crowd!
OKLAHOMA CHILI
From Texas Chili to Cincinnati Chili, regional chili recipes are an American tradition that goes back over a 100 years. You may not immediately associate Oklahoma with its own signature chili. Even though Oklahomans haven’t all agreed on one true chili, like other states, they do have some signature flavors and ingredients that you’ll find in Oklahoma-style Chili.
Oklahoma Chili is heavily influenced by the chili recipes from their surrounding states. A thick red sauce preferred in Texas, the masa flour of New Mexico, and no-bean Midwestern styles. All of these influences come together to make a hearty bowl of mild chili full of flavor.
You can make Oklahoma Chili with big chunks of beef or with ground beef and with or without beans. This Oklahoma Chili recipe is bean free so you get maximum beef flavor. Canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chili powder give you a deep red sauce that is further flavored by common pantry ingredients.
The secret to getting a thick chili that doesn’t taste floury or bland is adding a corn flour. This recipe for Oklahoma Chili uses masa flour, but you can also substitute cornmeal. If you don’t use masa flour (or cornmeal) often, look for it in bulk bins instead of buying a large bag to only use 2 tablespoons flour.
Oklahoma Chili is a thick, no bean chili that is similar to a chili sauce, making it perfect for topping hot dogs, hamburgers, and French Fries. But it’s also hearty enough to serve on it’s own with all your favorite chili toppings. What bowl of chili would be complete without Cornbread or Dinner Rolls to soak up any leftover sauce? For a fun, easy family dinner, turn leftover Oklahoma Chili into a Frito Pie.
OTHER TASTY CHILI RECIPES
Slow Cooker Beef Chili
Classic Beef Chili
Philly Cheesesteak Chili (Philly Chili)
Tommy’s Chili (Copycat)
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VARIATIONS ON OKLAHOMA CHILI
- Meat: To make Oklahoma Chili con Carne, use 2 pounds chuck roast or boneless sirloin steak, cut into 1 inch chunks. For a lighter chili, use ground turkey. Swap out 1 pound of ground beef with ground pork or ground sausage.
- Vegetables: Add chopped vegetables for a heartier chili like diced red bell peppers or green bell peppers, carrots, fresh tomatoes, or corn kernels.
- Beans: If you are fan of chili with beans, simply add a can or two, drained and rinsed, like black beans, kidney beans, or pinto beans.
- Spices: Adjust the seasonings to taste and add other spices like paprika, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, allspice to make this more like your favorite regional chili. This simple, basic Chili Seasoning Mix is great too!
- Toppings: Classic toppings for Oklahoma Chili are sour cream, cheddar cheese, green onions or chives, sliced jalapeños, hot sauce, and avocado.
Slow Cooker Oklahoma Chili
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- Brown ground beef in a large skillet until cooked through. Drain and add to the crockpot.
- Add remaining ingredients to slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours
- Serve with your favorite chili toppings.
EVEN MORE CHILI RECIPES!
Beef and Beer Chili
Easy Wendy’s Chili Copycat Recipe
Turkey Chili
Cincinnati Chili
HOW TO SERVE OKLAHOMA CHILI
- Serve: Oklahoma Chili can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 hours before it needs to be stored. To serve longer, keep in a crockpot on low for up to 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Store: Cook the chili completely, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Place cooled Oklahoma Chili in a sealed container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerate and reheat on the stovetop.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 24 ounces tomato sauce
- 29 ounces diced tomatoes in juice
- 1 yellow onion , chopped
- 2 tablespoons masa
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Place the ground beef in a large pot and mix in the garlic powder.
- Cook over medium heat until browned. Drain off the excess fat, and then mix in the other ingredients.
- Stir together well, cover, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped onions, sour cream, Fritos and corn bread.
Nutrition
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As a NE Oklahoman, beans are absolutely a must in chili. If there’s no beans, its hot dog sauce! It’s always up for debate, Oklahoma is divided into regions, but in Green Country, chili has beans!
Awesome taste; has a perfect consistency, and is so easy! Great on hot dogs, Frito chili pies, and nachos or just by itself topped with cheese.
This is about how I have made this chili for years & years, I always seem to add pinto beans to me it’s the best texture and flavor.
I see the amount of black pepper and cayenne is quite a bit … my husband cannot handle heat — is this chili quite strong in the end?
Best ever
Can you tell me the number of servings for this recipe? It sounds delicious!
5 people ate about 2/3 of the recipe, so I would say 8?
I haven’t tried a chili recipe without beans before. It was really tasty! I really like the tip about using masa as a thickener.
It works perfectly!
The flavor is out of this world! And we really love that there are no beans in it!
Thanks for the 5 stars, Suzy.
Easy, and delicious! I love classic chili recipe and this one hits the spot! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks for the 5 stars, Traci.
This chili looks so flavorful and hearty! I bet it is delicious. 🙂
Enjoy!
This is absolutely delicious! I love that it’s such a crowd pleaser for the whole family
I’m glad it was a hit! Thanks for the 5 star rating.