Forget Ground Beef: 10 Meats To Toss Into Your Chili Tonight (And Why They're Better)

Chili can be a contentious topic. Everyone seems to have a different, favorite way to make it, and everyone is convinced that their way is the right way.

Maybe you grew up in a meat-and-tomatoes-only, hold-the-beans household. In contrast, perhaps the thought of leaving beans from your bowl feels practically sacrilegious. Maybe you like it super-mild or super-spicy. You could possibly prefer a regional variant of the comfort food dish, such as Cincinnati-style chili. Whatever the case may be, though, it's safe to assume that a very large amount of the chili you've eaten over your lifetime has contained one key ingredient: ground beef.

Ground beef shows up in the majority of chili recipes, no matter how unique the recipe may be otherwise — and for good reason. Ground beef is (relatively) cheap, works well with the other typical chili ingredients, and is generally liked by most meat eaters. However, just because you've always made your chili with ground beef, that's no reason to not branch out and try something new. Here are 10 meats to toss into your chili tonight and why they make a great alternative.

Ditch traditional tomato-based, bean-filled chili for creamy white chili filled with shredded chicken. You'll still get the Tex-Mex thrills of a typical recipe, but this take is both creamier and lighter, all at the same time. Plus, when you swap the ground beef for shredded chicken from a boneless, skinless chicken breast, you could gain some nutritional benefits; 4 ounces of boneless, skinless chicken breast has 110 calories, 3 grams of fat, and ½ gram of saturated fat, compared to 3 ½ ounces of 80% lean ground beef's 250 calories, 19 grams of fat, and 7 grams of saturated fat.

Recipe: Creamy White Chicken Chili

Some home cooks may steer away from venison for a few reasons. It's not as readily available at the average grocery store. Its flavor profile is also very distinct. However, that unique flavor profile can really amp up your chili in a way that ho-hum ground beef just can't. Pair that flavor with a mole-inspired, cold brew coffee-infused chili base and you have a recipe that will make you the talk of your next tailgate.

Recipe: Venison Mole Coffee Chili

Similar to venison, bison isn't necessarily going to be hanging out next to the beef in your local Walmart. However, if you can get your hands on some, it could very well take your chili up to the next level. Compared to beef, bison is a bit leaner and sweeter, and this recipe complements those notes well by incorporating not just cinnamon, but also thyme, rosemary, and two different types of chiles.

Recipe: Bison Chili

Like chicken, turkey is a common alternative for those wanting a chili protein that's slightly healthier (at least in some areas) than ground beef. Ground turkey can contain less overall saturated fat. Plus, when comparing the prices of ground beef and ground turkey with the same lean meat versus fat percentages, the turkey will generally be more affordable. A good rule of thumb? The cheaper the ground beef, the fattier. 

This particular slow cooker spicy turkey chili recipe ups the nutritional value further. It adds in sweet potatoes and two types of beans.

Recipe: Easy Slow Cooker Spicy Turkey Chili

Chili is, at its heart, a stew (or can be made as a soup, depending on your preferred recipe). Like all stews, chili is such a versatile and flexible food that you really can develop your own take on the dish by sourcing inspiration from other favorite meals. Take, for example, tacos al pastor. It's a favorite at authentic Mexican restaurants, blending thinly sliced pork with pineapple — and you can channel those same flavors into your chili when you swap out your ground beef for a pork shoulder or butt, plus a bit of pineapple juice.

Recipe: Taco Al Pastor-Style Pork Chili Recipe

Pork belly definitely has had a moment in recent years, popping up on trendy menus as a delightfully flavorful addition to a range of dishes. If you've yet to try it at home and, in this case, in your chili, you're missing out. Pork belly is rich, fatty, tender, and oh-so-savory, in a way that ground beef just is not. Note that this recipe does also include beef, but if you don't have any on hand or want to swap out the beef entirely, you can just rely on the pork belly for that decadent flavor.

Recipe: Paleo Beef And Pork Chili Recipe

Don't be intimidated by the thought of using brisket in your chili. It adds a smoky, tender richness made possible in part thanks to the low and slow cooking process used for this cut of beef and, no, you won't need to break out a smoker or stand over your grill for hours. Let the oven or a slow cooker do all the work. Your friends will be impressed.

Fun fact? Shake Shack actually introduced a smoked brisket chili in 2025, and our review is pretty positive — especially if you're looking for a good chili to put on a hot dog.

Recipe: Smoky Brisket Chili

Wherever ground beef is used, Italian sausage can often take its place, adding a boost of extra flavor — it's true for meatballs, meatloaf, and, yes, chili. Throw in the typical chili seasonings, a few cans of beans, and a can of beer, and you have a chili with depth that you won't get from your typical ground beef-based recipe. Again, this is a chili recipe that also includes beef in addition to the suggested Italian sausage, but in equal parts, so you can just leave the beef out if you prefer.

Recipe: Best Beer Chili

Italian sausage provides a greater level of flavor than ground beef alone, but if that's still not enough for your tastebuds, consider chorizo. It's typically a little spicier and bolder. Pair it with your very basic other chili ingredients, like beans and tomatoes, chili powder, and maybe some peppers. You can literally keep everything else the same in your favorite chili recipe, but swapping out the ground beef for chorizo will make everything taste brand-new.

Recipe: Classic Chili Recipe with a Twist

Combine ground short rib with hot sausage, plus a bunch of seasonings, beer, and molasses, and you've just made yourself a thick, meaty, no-beans chili that's part-sweet, part-spicy. Short rib is a nice swap for ground beef in chili thanks to its extra richness and fattiness. Just make sure that you give it long enough to cook, so all those flavors meld. You can opt for using either ground short rib, like this recipe suggests, or you can brown and cook short rib on the bone, shredding it and pulling it apart once done, for incorporation into your broader chili dish.

Recipe: Hopped-Up 90-Minute Chili

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