Air Fryer Chilli Con Carne

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Delicious air fryer chilli con carne. An easy comforting meal to cook in the air fryer, requires no extra oil and is perfect for busy weeknights.  

You can also use the concept in a lot of different mince air fryer recipes and shows you that the air fryer is not just for snacks.

Mince In Air Fryer

So, you are cooking mince for chilli con carne, for spaghetti Bolognese or even for a cottage pie.

It will always start by sauteing some onion in a frying pan with oil, you then add in your mince, brown it all over and then add in any extras. You have stood over the pan stirring it and then you use it in whichever recipe you want.

However, air fryer mince is a different concept. Instead, you place the mince into the air fryer basket, add onion and any extras too if desired, then you come back when the air fryer beeps, then one quick stir, and a few minutes later it is done.

There is no oil added, there is no continuous stirring, and it is done. You can then mix it with sauce for a quick Bolognese or with a chilli sauce (like we have done) to make a delicious chilli con carne.

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Shop Local Air Fryer Challenge

We love shopping local and have a favourite greengrocer that we get weekly veggie boxes from and a local butcher that supplies a lot of the meat you see on Recipe This. We often find that the quality is much better, and the prices are similar too. We challenged ourselves to make as many meals as possible out of a veg box + meat box and share with you the results.  

This air fryer recipe is one of those recipes and click here to view our air fryer shop local recipes.

Can You Cook Mince In An Air Fryer?

Yes, you can air fry mince and its delicious in the air fryer. Its amazing that you don’t miss the oil at all and you can then use it in the same way you would if you had just cooked it in the pan. Then you can transfer the mince from the air fryer basket to a silicone pan and then add sauce or cheese, or maybe some cooked pasta and you have a dinner in the making.

Can You Cook Chilli In The Air Fryer?

Yes, you can cook chilli in the air fryer and its easy. We will be showing you how to cook a simple chilli con carne using a silicone pan and our air fryer basket.

Chilli or Chili?

There is often some confusion as to whether it is chilli with two l or chili with one l. Well in the UK we call it chilli but often call it chilli con carne, whilst in the US its single and just called chili.

Can You Put Sauce In An Air Fryer?

Yes, you can put sauce in the air fryer, but that sauce needs to be in something unless you want to spend hours scrubbing out the air fryer.

That same rule also applies to anything that is a liquid that you want to air fry. Such as the batter used to make our air fryer chocolate cake with, or the batter made in our air fryer banana souffles.

The easiest way I have found to cook with sauce in the air fryer is our air fryer silicone cake pans.

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Chilli Con Carne Air Fryer Ingredients

Mince – We used some amazing lean minced beef from our local butchers. The leaner the better with the air fryer as it wont cause a lot of fat to sit in your air fryer which then leads to the air fryer not smoking.

Veggies – We also cook with the mince the carrots and onion. Though note you have to chop your carrots small otherwise they will have a crunch to them and wont be fully cooked.

Beans – Chilli con carne wouldn’t be the same without some kidney beans. So of course, we included a full can of drained kidney beans in this recipe.

Sauce – We also added a full can of chilli con carne sauce, though you could use your own or use a different brand.

Seasoning – Then for the seasonings its personal choice to what you want to include but we love salt, pepper, mixed herbs and usually some smoked paprika as well. Then for extra heat for your air fryer chilli you can add cayenne pepper but I’m feeding kids and they wouldn’t be able to handle the heat!

Can You Recommend An Air Fryer?

I often get asked which air fryers I recommend and which one I use. In 95% of our air fryer recipes, we use either the Philips Air Fryer XL or the Cosori XL because they are the best ones, we have found out of many air fryers we have tried over the years. You can click on the links above and read up on them.

Plus, we recommend you head over to our air fryer recipes category as we have more than 500 tried and tested everyday air fryer recipes and have been air frying for 10+ years.

Chilli Con Carne Without Kidney Beans

If you don’t like kidney beans (like Sofia who picks them all out) then you will be pleased to know that you can make chilli con carne without them.

But because of texture and because you want the filling cheap family meal, I recommend subbing your kidney beans for another member of the beans family such as baked beans, black beans etc.

Ninja Foodi Chilli Con Carne

You will be pleased to know that you can also cook chilli in Ninja. You can cook it in the pressure cooker, or just use the air fryer. And don’t forget the air fryer lid is brilliant for melting some cheese on when you are done.

How To Thicken Chilli Con Carne?

The easiest way to thicken chilli is to add in a little cooked mashed potatoes. Potatoes are a natural thickener and I always keep extra mashed potatoes in the freezer, ready for when we have a dinner than needs thickening.

You can also do the same with a lot of slow cooker recipes such as when you do a slow cooker shepherd’s pie.

How To Cook Chilli In Air Fryer?

• Prep. Break up and spread the mince out in the air fryer basket. Peel and thinly dice the onion and carrot and sprinkle over the mince. Air fry for 6 minutes at 180c/360f, stir and then cook for a further 3 minutes. Your mince is now cooked and ready for making into a chilli.  
• Mix. Then transfer the mince to a silicone baking pan which must be a deep one for it to all fit (this is the one we have) and then add in everything else and stir slowly as it will be very full. Then transfer the silicone baking pan back to the air fryer and air fry for a further 8 minutes at 180c/360f.

What To Serve With Chilli Con Carne Instead Of Rice?

You might be wondering what sides go with chilli con carne. Well, my first choice would be instant pot brown rice, then after that instant pot no drain mashed potatoes, or the British favourite chilli con carne over some baked potatoes.  

Though if I had to choose I would serve my chilli con carne in air fryer with some air fryer baked potatoes.

More Air Fryer Mince Recipes You Will Love!

• Air Fryer Lasagna
• Air Fryer Lamb Koftas
• Air Fryer Hamburgers
• Air Fryer Thai Meatballs
• Air Fryer Meatloaf

Your chilli con carne in air fryer recipe is below, note you can print it out with or without photos, adjust servings, or click between metric and imperial depending on where you are in the world.

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