Name: One Pot Beer Chili with Cornbread Topping
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin); 1 lb ground beef; 1 medium onion (diced); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 1 - 14.5 oz can red kidney beans (drained, rinsed); 1 - 15 oz can of corn; 1-2 tbsp real maple syrup; 1 tsp cumin; 2 tbsp chili powder; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp ground pepper; 1/2 tsp onion powder; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 1/4 tsp smoked paprika; 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper; 1 - 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes; 1 - 8 oz can tomato sauce; 1 cup beer (lager recommended); sour cream (for serving); fresh sliced jalapeño (for serving); 1 cup flour; 1 cup yellow cornmeal; 1/4 cup sugar; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 cup buttermilk* (room temperature); 2 eggs (room temperature); 1/4 cup honey

Flavorful beef chili made with lager beer, baked with an easy homemade honey cornbread on top. One pot beer chili with cornbread topping is the perfect sweet-heat layered combination and can be enjoyed year round.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

beer chili cornbread served in a white bowl with a follow of sour cream on top and slices of jalapeño and chopped cilantro

There are so many things that I love about this one pot beer chili, but first, you must know about a very special ingredient here: MAPLE SYRUP. I love a smokey chili with a twist of Tex-Mex, and the beer with a hint of maple syrup really does the trick. Beer chili with homemade honey cornbread baked on top is truly the best of both worlds and a brilliant combo, in my opinion.

Tools you’ll need

If you don’t already have an enameled cast iron dutch oven, its time to invest in one! I’m a big fan of one pot meals and its my go to. I use both Le Creuset and Berghoff {above}. I use a 5.5 qt for this recipe.

How to make one pot beer chili with cornbread

Prepare the beer chili

Start out by heating one tbsp of olive oil in your dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic in a until softened, 5 minutes. Add ground beef to pot and cook until browned, for about 5-8 minutes. Once the beef is browned, add in the rest of the chili ingredients and bring to a simmer.

Let the mixture simmer for 25-30 mins, until liquid is reduced. It is important to make sure the liquid is reduced! You do not want it to be soupy, it should be a thick consistency. If the chili has too much liquid, the bread may not bake all the way through the center, or it will just take a long time.

Note: Trying making this with pumpkin beer in the Fall! It’s my favorite kind of beer to make this one pot beer chili with.

Handy tip: Prepare Ahead!

You can easily prepare ahead by making the chili in advance and then refrigerating for 1-3 days until it’s time to bake! Simply warm it up in your dutch oven, prepare your conrbread batter and bake away! If it seems too dry, you can add another cup of beer while warming it up.

Prepare the cornbread

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. While the chili simmers, make the cornbread batter. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and honey until well blended. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking soda and salt. Pour wet ingreidents into the dry ingredients. Slowly mix with a spatula until combined.

Layer

Once the chili is ready, remove from heat and spread the cornbread mixture evenly over the chili. Note: chili can be transferred to a buttered 2 quart casserole dish for the baking, or keep it all in the dutch oven.

Bake

Bake in oven for 28-35 mins until the top is golden and the cornbread is done. Mine takes exactly 28 mins in my dutch oven, baking time will vary if you use a casserole dish.

Serve!

Serve in a bowl with a dollop of sour cream and fresh sliced jalapeños.

beer chili cornbread in a white enameled dutch oven on a picnic table with a Budweiser bottle of beer

Tips & Tricks

Chili can be transferred to a buttered 2 quart casserole dish for the bake, or keep it all in the dutch oven.
Add something fun to the cornbread mix! I’ve done a cup of extra corn to give it more texture. You can also do a cup of shredded cheddar or diced jalapeños.
If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, substitute with 1 cup of whole milk, mix in 1 tsp of white vinegar and stir. Let that sit for 10 mins before using.