Learn how to can chili (meat and beans) using safe pressure canning guidelines. Recipe yields 8 qts. of old-fashioned chili, for long term storage.
Last summer I canned a variety of foods to stock our pantry with, in order to have plenty for Fall and Winter. I canned vegetables from our garden, fruit picked at local farms, as well as homemade soups and stews. One project I tackled was learning how to can chili (using my recipe) for long term storage.
I’m glad I did, because we were able to have jars of Mom’s Old-Fashioned Chili in our pantry to eat whenever we wanted through the long Winter! Homemade chili must be canned using a pressure canner, so I slightly adapted my recipe so it conformed to safe canning guidelines and the results were wonderful! Currently I only have ONE jar left from all the quarts of chili I canned last summer, so I feel the need to “can” some more coming on!
Some people feel like you should add cooked beans AFTER you open the jars so the beans don’t get soggy, but I have not found this to be the case. I add the beans and can them at the same time, with no problem.
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Making Canned Chili
This recipe as written makes about 8 quarts of chili. The process is fairly simple. At the same time I was cooking the chili, I was preparing the pressure canner, with 3″ of simmering water. I did this according to the pressure canner’s manufacturer instructions. The jars and lids were also prepped following USDA canning guidelines.
Ground beef, diced onions and a large diced green pepper were cooked in a large pan until done. Grease was drained from pan and discarded. Meat mixture was then transferred to a very large stockpot.
Adding LOTS Of Flavor!
To the meat mixture, add canned diced tomatoes, kidney beans, chili beans, pinto beans, and black beans. I also added water and the spices (oregano, cumin, salt, chili powder, cayenne powder, paprika, salt, and Worcestershire sauce).
The chili was cooked on medium-high until it was boiling. At this point, give it a taste, and adjust salt, if necessary, to suit your preference.
How To Can Chili
Prepared (clean and hot) canning jars were filled with the hot chili, leaving a 1″ headspace in each jar. Air bubbles were removed, and the jar rims were wiped completely clean with a wet dishcloth to ensure a good seal.
I centered flat lids on top and screwed down the rings until they were fingertip tight. Quart jars were processed at 10# pressure for 90 minutes. If using pint sized jars, process at 10# pressure for 75 minutes.
Once cooking time was completed, I followed manufacturer instructions for letting the pressure drop to zero naturally, then followed instructions for safely removing the vent and lid. PLEASE follow your own pressure canners manufacturer instructions!
Once I removed the HOT jars of chili, I placed them onto a dish towel on the counter (don’t place them directly on countertop because temperature variations could lead to cracking the jars), and let them sit undisturbed overnight.
Once they had completely cooled, I checked to make sure each jar was properly sealed, wiped down the jars, put a label on each one, and into our pantry they went!
I’ve canned chili several times since then, and have had great results. It has been wonderful to have my homemade chili waiting to be opened and used in our pantry, for a good hot bowl of soup or a chili cheese dog with the hubby!
Hope you will consider trying this recipe. PLEASE be sure to follow all recommended safe canning methods to ensure your success!
Looking For More PRESSURE CANNING Recipes?
You can find all of my canning recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. A few pressure canning recipes you might be interested in include:
- Split Pea and Ham Soup
- How To Can Green Beans
- How To Can Ranch-Style Beans
- How To Can Beef Stew with Vegetables
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Recipe adapted from: http://www.thegratefulgirlcooks.com/moms-old-fashioned-chili/

Learn how to can chili (meat and beans) using safe pressure canning guidelines. Recipe yields 8 qts. of old-fashioned chili, for long term storage.
- 3 pounds ground beef
- 2 medium onions , diced
- 1 large green bell pepper , diced
- 56 ounces canned diced tomatoes (including juice)
- 31 ounces canned kidney beans, drained
- 31 ounces canned chili beans (including liquid)
- 31 ounces canned black beans, drained
- 15.5 ounces canned pinto beans, drained
- Water (use 3½ large 28 ounce cans of water - use empty diced tomato cans)
- 3 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 Tablespoons cumin
- 4-5 teaspoons salt
- 3 teaspoons paprika
- 1½ Tablespoons garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 8 Tablespoons chili powder
- 5 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- Additional salt to taste (if necessary)
- While cooking chili, prepare your pressure canner, with 3" of simmering water. Prep jars and lids according to safe USDA canning guidelines.
- Brown ground beef, diced onions and diced green pepper in a large pan until fully cooked. Drain grease and discard. Transfer meat mixture to a very large stockpot.
- Add canned diced tomatoes, kidney beans, chili beans, pinto beans, and black beans to meat mixture. Stir. Add water,spices and Worcestershire sauce. Stir all ingredients well to combine. Cook chili on medium-high until it begins boiling. Give it a taste, and adjust salt, if necessary.
- Fill prepared (clean & hot) canning jars with hot chili, leaving a 1" headspace in each jar. Remove air bubbles with utensil, and adjust headspace, if necessary. Wipe jar rims clean with a wet dishcloth, to ensure a good seal. Center flat lids on top and screw down rings until fingertip tight. Process quart jars at 10# pressure for 90 minutes. If using pint jars, process at 10# pressure for 75 minutes.
- Once processing time is completed, let pressure drop to zero naturally, then follow instructions for safely removing vent and lid. PLEASE follow your pressure canners manufacturer instructions!
- Remove HOT jars of chili, place onto a dish towel on counter (don't place jars directly on counter as temperature variations could lead to cracking the jars). Let jars sit and cool undisturbed overnight. Once completely cooled, check to ensure each jar is properly sealed, wipe down jars, label each one, and store in pantry!
The chili thickens a little as it is processed. Once you open a jar, you may want to add just a little bit of water to the chili before heating, to thin it out. Caloric calculation is for 1 quart jar of chili.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!