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Canning Chili Con Carne

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Enjoy the convenience of your own homemade canned chili straight from your pantry shelf!  Canning chili is easy and it enables you to enjoy shelf-stable food that will keep for up to a year.  Just grab a jar, heat it up, and enjoy!

Be sure to also check out my tutorial on Canning Baked Beans!

canning chili recipe pressure canner homemade canned con carne preserving food storage prepping

I’ve been canning for many years, but the first several years only used the water-bath method.  So that means I had mostly been making jams, relishes, chutneys, pickles, salsas and other high-acidic foods that are safe for water-bath canning.  For most other things you need a pressure canner.  Pressure canning enables you to safely preserve a ton of other foods, like this chili con carne.  Unlike freezer meals that take up a lot of space in the freezer and generally only keep for up to 3 months, pressure canned meals can be stored on the shelf and keep for about a year.

So forget the canned foods at the grocery stores that are full of preservatives, additives and fillers – can your own food!  It not only tastes a heck of a lot better, it’s a heck of a lot better for you!  You have full control over what goes in it – and what doesn’t.

I’ve been pressure canning up a storm of foods lately – mostly soups, stews, and a variety of flavored beans, and I’ve gotta tell you, it’s so satisfying to walk into your pantry or basement and see shelves stacked with homemade canned goods that you know will be there when you need a quick and tasty meal!  Not to mention they’re perfect for emergency preparedness and food storage should the need ever arise.

Canning chili is easy and I’m going to show you how!

pressure canner chili con carne recipe

Canning Chili Recipe

Let’s get started!

The beans:  Soak them in water overnight so they’re covered by at least 4 inches of water.  The next day, drain and rinse and boil in fresh water for 30 minutes.  Drain and set aside until ready to use.

Prepare the pressure canner:  (Depending on which brand and model you use – follow the instructions for you pressure canner)  Fill it with 4 inches of water, put the lid on (but do not put the weight on) and bring it to a boil while you’re finishing up the last steps of the chili-making process.

Now on to the chili: Fry the beef in a little bit of oil until no pink remains. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. ย Drain off as much fat as you can. ย (Too much oil will interfere with the canning process and prevent the jars from sealing properly.)

Add the seasonings and cook for another minute.  *Do not add any flour or cornstarch for thickening, it will interfere with the canning process.

cooking beef and onions in pot

Add all remaining ingredients.

Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

cooking the chili in a pot

Ladle the chili into hot sterilized jars leaving 1 inch headspace. ย Using a funnel is best to avoid spillage. You can get this Ball Utensil Set which includes the funnel and jar lifter, both of which are musts.

Then use a wet paper towel or cloth dipped in vinegar and run it along the rim of the jar to make sure there is no sauce or oil (which will prevent the lids from sealing).

Tap the jars to remove any air bubbles (again, bubbles will interfere with the canning process and can cause the contents to leak out).

canning chili recipe pressure canner homemade canned con carne preserving food storage prepping

Place the lids on each jar and firmly (but not excessively so) screw on the rims.  Follow the directions for your specific pressure cooker.  I use and like the Presto 23-quart Pressure Canner.  It’s good quality and big enough to hold quart- and gallon-sized jars and lots of pint-sized jars.

You’ll need to process pint jars at 10 pounds for 75 minutes.  Quart jars are processed for 90 minutes.  

jars in a pressure canner

Keep the jars stored in a cool, dark place.  They’ll keep for at least one year.

Enjoy the convenience of wholesome, ready-made homemade food!

canning chili recipe pressure canner homemade canned con carne preserving food storage prepping
canning chili recipe pressure canner homemade canned con carne preserving food storage prepping

Pressure Canner Chili Con Carne

Canning chili is easy and it enables you to enjoyed homemade shelf-stable canned chili for a year. It's delicious and so convenient!
4.86 from 14 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Overnight Soaking 12 hours
Total Time 14 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 88
Calories 84 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Instructions
 

  • Place the soaked/rinsed beans in clean water in a large stock pot and bring to a rapid boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse. Set aside.
  • Heat the oil in a very large stock pot (at least 12 quarts) and brown the ground beef. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, 6-8 minutes. Drain off as much fat as you can. (Too much oil will interfere with the canning process and prevent the jars from sealing properly.) Add the seasonings and cook for another minute. *Remember, do not add any flour or cornstarch for thickening, it will interfere with the canning process. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Ladle the chili into hot sterilized jars leaving 1 inch headspace. Using a funnel is is best to avoid spillage. Then use a wet paper towel or cloth dipped in vinegar and run it along the rim of the jar to make sure there is no sauce or oil (which will prevent the lids from sealing). Tap the jars to remove any air bubbles (again, bubbles will interfere with the canning process and can cause the contents to leak out). Place the lids on each jar and firmly (but not excessively so) screw on the rims.
  • Follow your pressure canner's instructions for processing. I use the Presto 23 Quart Pressure Canner (you'll need one this large to process quart-sized jars). For this model you'll bring 4 inches of water to a boil, place the bottles inside and let it vent for 10 minutes. Then place the weight cap on it and process pint jars at 10 pounds for 75 minutes and quart jars for 90 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool until the temperature drops to zero.
    Remove the jars and let them sit undisturbed for 24 hours, then store in a cool, dark place. Will keep for at least a year.
    Makes about 22 pints or 11 quarts.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cupCalories: 84kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 7gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 231mgPotassium: 293mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 268IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 2mg
Keyword Canning Chili, Homemade Canned Chili
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

kimberly killebrew the daring gourmet

Hi, Iโ€™m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!

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Recipe Rating




4.86 from 14 votes

89 Comments

  1. Can I replace water with boxed store bought beef broth (i.e. Swanson)? And if so, does the printed date on box affect the shelf life of the chili (i.e. if it had an expiration date of 5 months from now). I was researching whether store bought broth can be used in canning recipes and cannot find the answer! Your expertise is appreciated. This is my first year pressure canning…

  2. I tried this recipe a few days ago. We had one jar not seal so we were able to taste a preview. This is a really good basic go to chili recipe. I did reduce the beans and add more meat because that’s how we like chili. Thanks for the recipe, it came out great!

  3. I have fresh tomatoes that I need to use. How would you recommend I replace the canned tomatoes and sauce with fresh?

    1. cook the chili longer before canning, cause it will be more watery. OR dice fresh tomatoes and cook them down before hand so they are ready cause they already have the water cooked out of them

  4. This is a delicious and super easy recipe. I made it, saved a quart for dinner. Next batch in pints, just because it makes so many! Your recipe is now part of my canning repertoire. Thank you!

  5. I’ve been using water bath method of canning hot chili for years, but i store the chili in the fridge and consume it before 90 days. My recipe is 1 qt dry red beans+ 1 pt dry black beans soaked over night then boiled for 90 mins in spaghetti cooker which keeps beans from burning. 2 lbs ground beef browned with 1 whole yellow or white onion diced, 3 bell peppers, red orange yellow diced, one fist garlic minced. Put beans in 6 qt slow cooker add water from the spaghetti pot to just the level of the beans. 1 qt fresh salsa, 12 oz can diced tomatoes, 1can tomato paste, 1/4 – 1/2 cup chili powder (2 parts cumin, part cayenne, 1part chipotle, 1 part tumeric). Add browned meat mixture and stir well. Cook on high for four hours. Jar chili into quart jars in boiling bath. Keep rolling boil for 20 mins without lids in covered pot. Add lids and bands finger tight. All the jars that have a good seal will pop when cooling creates a vacuum. These will keep for a long time in the fridge. The jars that don’t ‘pop’ can be refrigerated and used up in two weeks. Once s jar is opened consume or discard left overs, do not re referigerate.

    1. you’re not canning, you just using the jars as expensive tupperware, to safely can low acid foods/meat, you need to use a pressure canner. you shouldn’t refer to what you’re doing as “canning” you’ll give people the wrong idea.

  6. Hello! Can I use tomato paste instead of tomatoes or sauce? My family doesn’t like chunks of tomato and I don’t have have any sauce but plenty of paste. Thanks so much!

    1. Hi Carol, yes you can use tomato paste instead of tomato sauce but you’ll need to add water. Tomato paste is highly concentrated so you’ll need to use mix together 1 part tomato paste and 1 part water. That will give you “tomato sauce.” You can use this in place of the tomatoes as well.

  7. Hi, I’m teaching my 27 year old autistic daughter how to can. I’m telling how important it is to following directions carefully. Well she got mixed up on teaspoon vs tablespoon. Had to toss all the seasoning due to not knowing what of what was in it. I explained don’t worry, everyone makes mistakes. I still do. That reassured her. Low and behold I forgot to add the water to the recipe. Didn’t realize this till after it was all canned and In the pressure cooker. I pointed out my mistake to her. Still turned out awesome. Plus we both prefer thicker chili!!

  8. Hi there,I find this interesting,.can I used water bath instead of pressure canning? because I don’t have pressure canner.

    1. Hello. If you mean the envelopes of dry seasoning mix like French’s, McCormick’s, or Carol Shelby, then yes. Just don’t use the little packet of masa that comes with Carol Shelby Chili Kit. Save that for when you open a jar to reheat and eat,just add to taste and a little water as it thickens quite a bit. You might have to use more than a few envelopes for such a big batch, but you can tinker until it tastes like you like it.

    1. Hello. Technically you can, but since you’ll be in essence cooking the beans twice, they will be practically goo when you open and heat a jar to eat. You could can the chili without any beans at all, and add canned beans to your chili when you open and heat a jar to eat. I’ve done both before.

  9. I was a city girl never heard of canning..After we got married we moved to the country, Our first garden I went to the Texas Extention Serve and pick up everything I could find..I bought a canner and a water bath..IALSO met a couple of our neighbors that were so supportive..I canned over 4 cases of green beans 4 cases of purple hill peas, I lost count of the tomatoโ€™s cases.I could only can 2 cases of corn because we had planted way to much, and we had to pick it all and give away all we couldโ€ฆGod bless all the people that can today and share with othersโ€ฆโ€ฆ

  10. I was wondering if itโ€™s safe to add some green and red peppers to this? Also, can I use diced beef instead of ground beef? Thank you!

    1. Hello, yes you could. Since you always judge the length of processing time based on the lowest acid ingredient, the peppers would be safely processed as the meat and beans are the lowest acid component. Not only will your chili be that more delicious, but very pretty as well. Meat is meat no matter how it is dispersed in the jars; ground, diced, shredded, chunked. Even partially grilled for flavor, but raw inside. It will be safely cooked during canning.

  11. I made this today substituted Turkey Breast meat for the beef and used Turkey Broth instead of water. I added 2 red and 2 green peppers. Omitted the beef bouillon. This was very good and easy.

  12. I made a batch, using at least double the chili powder, and we tried a jar that didnโ€™t seal. It was great! I am making another batch so my sonโ€™s family will have quick dinners for the cold winter ahead. Thank you for a great recipe!!