Black Eyed Peas Beer Chili
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This Black Eyed Peas Beer Chili is the ultimate game day recipe! It’s made with both beef and black eyed peas, and uses beer instead of broth, making it crazy flavorful and a crowd-pleaser. Plus, it’s ready in about 45 minutes!
Black eyed peas chili is the ultimate game day recipe, especially when it includes beer! So, if you have extra beer lying around, this is THE recipe to whip up, and an incredibly delicious dinner recipe.
Besides this chili, my other game day favorites include my black pepper whipped feta, bbq chipotle wings and of course loaded nachos, all of which I make regularly when hanging out with friends.
Recipe features
- You can use ANY kind of beer — whatever is in your fridge!
- Seasoned with smoked paprika and chipotle seasoning, which pair perfectly with the beer
- Made in a dutch oven and ready in 45 minutes
- Even better when topped with a little sour cream + cheese (always!)
Ingredient notes:
Beef – Lean ground beef is my go-to, but you could also use chuck roast; simply cut it into cubes, then fully cook it before letting it simmer with the other chili ingredients
Black eyed peas – Ok so I know these are the star of the recipe, but you can also sub black beans, pinto beans or even chickpeas if you prefer
Diced tomatoes – Always opt for fire roasted diced tomatoes if you can because they are much more flavorful than plain ones.
Beer – You can use ANY kind of beer. Seriously, whatever you have in your refrigerator will work! I tend to opt for a pilsner or pale ale — both work great.
Method
First: Cook the beef. Begin by adding the ground beef, along with the onion, bell pepper and a little oil to a dutch oven and stir over medium heat until the beef is no longer pink and the veggies are soft. Then, add the garlic and sauté for one more minute.
Second: Add seasoning. Next, add the smoked paprika, chipotle, oregano, salt, sugar, and tomato paste and sauté for one minute, then pour in the diced tomatoes with their juices, the drained and rinsed black eyed peas, along with the beer.
Third: Simmer. Bring the chili to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer it for at least 30 minutes. The soup will thicken, so either enjoy as-is, or add a little bit of water to thin it out.
Tips and FAQ’s
How to store black eyed peas chili:
Store: Wait until chili cools, then transfer it to a sealed container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze: You can freeze the chili for up to 3 months. To reheat, simply thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, then heat it back up in your dutch oven.
Can this be made in the slow cooker?
Yes! Simply brown the beef in a skillet, and sauté the onion and garlic. Transfer them, along with the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the black eyed peas to your slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 4 hours. Then, stir in the black eyed peas and cook for 30 more minutes.
Is this chili spicy?
A little! I think the beer cuts some of the spice, but if you do not want it to be spicy, cut the amount of smoked paprika and chipotle seasoning in half, and use regular diced tomatoes instead of fire roasted.
More delicious chili recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Black Eyed Peas Beer Chili
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef, diced
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced, seeds removed
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp chipotle seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 6 oz. tomato paste
- 28 oz. fire roasted diced tomatoes, with juices
- 30 oz. canned black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
- 12 oz. beer
- 1 cup water, optional, as needed
Instructions
- Add beef, onion, bell pepper, and oil to a large dutch oven, then cook over medium heat until the beef is no longer pink and the vegetables are soft. Then, add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute before adding in the paprika, oregano, chipotle, salt, sugar, and tomato paste and sauté for 1 more minute.
- Next, add the tomatoes with their juices, then add the rinsed black eyed peas and pour in the beer. Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover the pot and simmer the chili for 30 minutes.
- As the chili cools, it will thicken. If you like your chili thick, leave it as-is, but if not, you can add a little bit of water to thin it out.
- Top chili with cheese, sour cream, jalapeño, crushed tortilla chips, or whatever else you'd like and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in February 2017. It was updated with new text and photos in February 2021.
I retired my crockpot a while ago – bored of making the same old stuff. This was a game changer! Delicious and full of flavor without the mess. We used Dortmunder Gold from Great Lakes and it paired perfectly. Definitely keeping this one in our chili rotation!
Erin, what brand of beer did you used? Would definitely try your recipe as soon as I’m free. Thanks for sharing this!
Hi! I believe I used a New Belgium beer in this recipe.. I think any beer that isn’t too flavorful (i.e. craft beer with citrus hints) should work.
Does draft beer work? We don’t have any new belgium beer here in my country though. Anyways, thanks for letting me know! Have a great day always! 🙂
So I was reading in the comments about the chocolate stout. I always add a little chocolate Chips in my chili and I just so happened to have a organic Samuel Smith chocolate stout. I already had added the whole can of pale ale before I read the comments, but added half of the Stout anyway, it was a game changer for sure!! My husband loved it!!
Wow this sounds incredible — thanks for the tip!
Do you use canned or dried black-eyed peas for this recipe?
I used dried and I’d recommend only using dried. If you use canned peas, they will become too soft in the slow cooker. Let me know if you try it!
If you do this in the slow cooker and use dried black I’d peas, do we increase the liquid in the recipe? Par boil the peas first?
Yes! If you want to use dried beans, I recommend cooking the beans beforehand, then adding them to your slow cooker with the other ingredients. Otherwise, if you add the dried beans right in, they’ll take significantly longer to cook than all the other ingredients.
I told myself I was gonna make chili this week but then I made taco meat 😛 oops! Maybe it was a sign that I had to wait for THIS recipe…..
It was definitely a sign 😉
I’m obsessed with chipotle seasoning so this has my name written all over it! I’ve never tried chili with beer. I totally would have gone through the same debate and wussed out, haha! You’re convincing me to give a try though. I bet the flavor pairs really well with the smoky spice. Mmm…
Funny you say that because chipotle seasoning makes me think of you (creepy?) because the first time I’d even heard of it was from your blog! Also, I totally understand the beer debacle. I was like uhhh uhhhhh should I?! I took the risk and it worked! Really well if I do say so myself 🙂
I grew up eating chili almost every Sunday dinner for the duration of football season. It’s a ridiculously good comfort food, isn’t it? This version looks delicious- I’m thinking about using a chocolate stout for some of that rich goodness.
Ohhh! That would be amazing.
I love using beer in my chili. It just adds that extra special touch. I can’t imagine having to dance after eating chili. I can only eat chili with sweatpants on, at the end of a long day.
It was horrible haha
Yum! I’ve never seen black eyed peas in chili before, but I can see how it would work. It’s too warm here for chili right now, but once it starts to act like winter again I think a big pot of chili sounds delicious!