Chili sin carne from cans
A spicy bean stew from canned tomatoes, beans, onion and a few spices – cooked in a single pot in 20 minutes. Ideal for canoe trips, campsites and short hikes where the weight of the cans does not matter. Important: open cans carefully, never keep leftovers in the open can and take the empty cans back with you.
- Preparation 10 minutes, cooking 15–20 minutes; for 2 people 2 cans of 400 g (about 1.6 kg to carry)
Explained simply
Chili sin carne means “chili without meat”. It is a red, spicy stew of beans and tomatoes. The great thing: the beans and tomatoes from the can are already cooked. You only have to heat and season them.
First you fry an onion in a little oil. Then the spices go in very briefly – just until it smells good. After that you tip in tomatoes and beans and let everything bubble gently with the lid on. Now and then you stir so nothing burns on the bottom.
With cans you have to be careful: the lid and the rim are as sharp as a knife. Never reach in with your fingers. And you take the empty cans back home – they do not belong in the forest.
How it works
Canned food is heated in the closed can at the factory. That is why beans and tomatoes are already cooked when you open the can. With chili it is therefore not about cooking them through but about seasoning and thickening. The onion brings sweetness and roasted flavour, the spices bring warmth and colour.
Many spices release their flavour best in fat. That is why paprika and cumin go briefly into the hot oil. But ground spices are as fine as dust and burn within seconds – then everything tastes bitter. The tomatoes stop the toasting at once because they lower the temperature.
While simmering, water evaporates and the sauce gets thicker. On a low flame this happens slowly and evenly. On a high flame the bottom gets too hot and the chili sticks before it even bubbles on top.
What really matters
Check the cans when you shop and pack: badly dented, rusty or bulging cans stay at home. A bulging can may be a sign that something inside has spoiled. Cartons or pouches are lighter and have no sharp edges.
Stir up from the bottom every few minutes while it simmers. Salt only goes in at the end, because canned tomatoes and beans are often already salted. If you are cooking with children, leave out the chilli heat and put it out separately for the adults.
Never keep leftovers in the open can. It is uncovered, the food takes on a metallic taste and the smell attracts animals into the camp at night. It is best to cook only as much as everyone will eat straight away.
Safety: what to watch out for
A stove always belongs outside – never in the tent, never in the vestibule, never in the car. Burning gas or spirit produces carbon monoxide. You cannot see or smell this gas; it makes you tired and can knock you out. On top of that, tent fabric catches fire within seconds. If it rains, cook under a tarp with open sides or wait.
The most common accidents when cooking outdoors are scalds. A narrow stove with a full pot tips over easily. Put it on firm, level ground, hold the pot by its handle while stirring and only let children near the stove together with an adult. With a scald, cool it at once with cool running water; with large wounds, burns to the face or in children call 112, in Austria also 144.
Ready-made chilli and spice mixes can contain celery or mustard; bread and tortillas contain gluten. Ask beforehand who has an allergy. Cooked food is eaten straight away and not left without cooling for more than two hours – as the WHO recommends. Rinse empty cans with a little leftover water and take them out in the rubbish bag.
Step by step
Set up a safe cooking spot
Put the stove outside on firm, level ground or a flat stone – well away from the tent, dry grass and leaves. A windscreen keeps the flame steady but must not enclose the stove completely. Lay everything out before you light it: pot with lid, cooking spoon, water, ingredients. Check the cans for dents and bulging.
Caution: Never cook inside the tent or vestibule.
- 1
Set up a safe cooking spot
Put the stove outside on firm, level ground or a flat stone – well away from the tent, dry grass and leaves. A windscreen keeps the flame steady but must not enclose the stove completely. Lay everything out before you light it: pot with lid, cooking spoon, water, ingredients. Check the cans for dents and bulging.
Never cook inside the tent or vestibule.
- 2
Chop the onion, open the cans
Cut the onion into small cubes on a board or a pot lid – always cut away from your body. Open the cans slowly with the ring pull or can opener. Drain the beans in a sieve or hold the lid in front as a strainer and rinse them briefly with a little clean water.
Can rims are sharp – do not reach in with your fingers.
- 3
Fry the onion
Put the oil in the pot, set the stove to a medium flame and fry the onion cubes for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until translucent. Hold the pot by its handle while you do this.
- 4
Toast the spices briefly
Turn the flame down low. Add paprika, cumin and chilli and stir for only about 20 to 30 seconds – until it smells good. Then go straight on with the tomatoes, otherwise the spices turn black and bitter.
Season mildly for children – rather add chilli at the table.
- 5
Add tomatoes and beans, simmer
Tip the tomatoes and beans into the pot, stir and put the lid on. Let everything simmer on a low flame for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir up from the bottom every few minutes so nothing sticks. If it is too thick, add a splash of water.
Lift the lid away from you – hot steam.
- 6
Season to taste
Taste with a clean spoon, not the cooking spoon. Only add salt now – canned tomatoes are often already salted. Turn the stove off once the chili is hot all through and bubbling.
- 7
Eat it hot
Ladle the chili into bowls or mugs. Children eat from their own bowl, not from the pot. Bread, tortillas, couscous or instant rice go well with it. Anything left over does not go back into the open can but is eaten soon or thrown away.
- 8
Pack out the cans, clean the pot
Rinse the empty cans with a little leftover water, press the lid carefully inwards and pack them in the rubbish bag – they do not stay in the forest. Wipe the pot out with bread or paper and wash it well away from water.
Common mistakes
- Toasting the spices too long in hot oil – they turn bitter
- Too high a flame – the chili burns on the bottom of the pot
- Reaching into the open can with your fingers
- Keeping leftovers in the open can
- Salting heavily right at the start
- Leaving empty cans in the forest or throwing them into the fire
Quick view
Materials
Canned beans (kidney, white or black beans)
Per person about half a can (200 g); drain and rinse briefly with clean water
Do not use cans with heavy dents, rust or a bulging lid.
Do not use opened cans for storing food – move leftovers into a clean box or eat them straight away.
Chopped tomatoes in a can or carton
Per person about half a can (200 g)
Cartons are lighter than cans and have no sharp edges.
Onion
Per person half an onion
Keeps for several days without a fridge if it stays dry and airy.
Cooking oil (rapeseed or olive) in a leak-proof bottle
Per person 1 tablespoon
Hot oil can spit and catch fire – never pour water on burning fat; put the lid on and turn the stove off.
Spices in small tubs (paprika, cumin, chilli, herbs)
Per person 1 teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon cumin, 1 pinch of chilli, salt
Ready-made spice mixes can contain celery or mustard – read the ingredients.
Ground spices burn very quickly in hot fat and turn bitter.
Table salt
To taste, only at the end
Salt improves keeping quality but does not replace heating through.
Manual can opener
If the cans have no ring pull
Electric can openers do not work during a power outage.
Stove
Never operate inside a tent, shelter or enclosed room – carbon monoxide and fire risk.
Stove fuel (canister, liquid fuel, alcohol)
Store fuels apart from food and in original containers or bottles intended for them.
Store cool, well ventilated and out of children's reach.
Metal pot (stainless steel, aluminium, titanium)
With lid, at least 1 litre for 2 people
Hot – scalding risk.
Long cooking spoon (wood or heat-resistant plastic)
A long handle keeps your hand out of the hot steam.
Knife (fixed or locking blade)
Small knife for the onion
Cut away from your body.
Rules on carrying knives differ by region – check local rules.
Clean drinking or treated water
About 100 ml per person for rinsing the beans and thinning
Treat water from streams or lakes first – also for rinsing vegetables and beans.
Carry enough for cooking, drinking and washing up.
Bowl or large mug with spoon
Children eat from their own bowl – not straight from the hot pot.
Rubbish bag (resealable)
For the empty cans
Suitable for
- Campsites, canoe and bike trips, short hikes
- Groups – easy to double
- Vegetarian and vegan without changes
- Emergency stock at home during a power cut
Not suitable for
- Long backpacking trips – cans are heavy
- People who cannot tolerate pulses
- Cooking in a tent or vestibule – never
Prerequisites
- Able to use the stove safely, or an adult helps
- A permitted, safe cooking spot outside
- Cans without dents, rust or bulging
Safety
- Can lids and rims are as sharp as a knife. Press the lid inwards with the spoon or lay it flat inside the can, never reach in with your fingers. Do not use badly dented, rusty or bulging cans. Do not keep leftovers in the open can: it is uncovered, soon tastes of metal and attracts animals.
- Ready-made chilli or spice mixes can contain celery or mustard. Anyone eating bread or tortillas with it gets gluten. Ask before cooking whether anyone has an allergy; with breathing trouble, swelling of the face or circulation problems after eating call 112 at once and use any adrenaline auto-injector there is.
- Eat cooked food hot straight away. Do not leave leftovers without cooling for more than two hours – and never overnight in the lukewarm pot. Anything left over is heated until it is steaming hot all through before eating, or it is thrown away. Pack food and rubbish animal-proof at night.
- Only use clean or treated water. At a campfire the fire rules apply: only where it is allowed, never with wildfire danger, pot stable on a pot support, water ready to put the fire out and the fire extinguished completely at the end. Take packaging and food scraps back with you, scatter washing water well away from streams and lakes.
How it works
Canned beans and canned tomatoes are already cooked – you only have to heat and season them. The onion is fried briefly in oil, which creates roasted flavours. The spices go into the hot oil for a moment because their flavour dissolves best in fat, but they must not burn. Then everything simmers on a low flame until the sauce thickens. Because nothing stays raw, the dish is simple and safe – as long as it is eaten hot.
Advantages
- Almost nothing can stay raw – very simple
- Lots of protein and fibre from beans
- Vegan and cheap
- Ready in 20 minutes
Disadvantages
- Cans are heavy and have to be carried back out
- Sharp can rims
- Burns easily with too high a flame
- Beans do not suit every stomach
Deep knowledge
Background
Chili sin carne is the meat-free form of chili con carne and a campsite classic, because all the main ingredients come from cans and are already cooked. For safety when cooking outdoors, the same basic rules apply as at home: work cleanly, heat thoroughly, do not leave cooked food without cooling for hours and use safe water – as the World Health Organization describes in its “Five Keys to Safer Food”.
The US food safety agency USDA FSIS advises against using badly dented, rusty or bulging cans. Stoves never belong inside a tent: the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explicitly warn about carbon monoxide from fuel-burning devices in tents and enclosed spaces.
Variants
- Mild for children
- Leave out the chilli completely and add a small can of sweetcorn instead. Each adult spices up their own portion. Grated cheese or a dollop of yoghurt (brought cooled for a day trip) makes it even milder.
- Vegan and extra filling
- The basic recipe is already vegan. For more filling, cook a handful of red lentils along with it with a little more water (about 10 minutes) or eat the chili over instant rice or couscous.
- Lighter to carry
- Instead of cans, use tomato paste from a tube and beans in a carton or pre-cooked beans in a pouch. Cartons weigh less and have no sharp edges.
Common mistakes
- Toasting the spices too long in hot oil – they turn bitter
- Too high a flame – the chili burns on the bottom of the pot
- Reaching into the open can with your fingers
- Keeping leftovers in the open can
- Salting heavily right at the start
- Leaving empty cans in the forest or throwing them into the fire
Limits and risks
- Quantities are guidelines for hungry adults – children need less
- No shelf-life figures for leftovers outdoors – when in doubt, throw them away
- Not well suited to multi-day backpacking because of the weight
Material alternatives
Derived from material properties: a substitute must have all relevant properties. Observe the notes on the substitute.
- Stove fuel (canister, liquid fuel, alcohol)
- Dry firewood (Collect only where permitted.), Tinder (Carry in waterproof packaging.), Char cloth (charred cotton) (Store dry in a tin.), Finest-grade steel wool (Store separately from batteries – fire risk.), Fatwood (resin-rich wood) (Collect only dead wood where permitted.), Petroleum jelly cotton balls (Use only pure cotton.), Cooking oil or cooking fat (tallow, lard) (Never put out burning fat with water – cover it with a lid to smother it.), Tree resin (spruce, pine) (Resin is flammable and sticks to the skin when hot – melt it only slowly over low heat.), Birch bark (from dead, fallen wood) (Never peel from living trees.)
- Metal pot (stainless steel, aluminium, titanium)
- Single-wall stainless steel bottle (Heat only single-wall bottles without paint/plastic; remove the lid before heating.)
Results come exclusively from structured entries. No improvised instructions are generated.
Sources (7)
- World Health Organization (WHO) (2006): Five Keys to Safer Food Manual · Keep clean, heat thoroughly, do not leave cooked food standing for hours, use safe water
- United States Department of Agriculture – Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS): Shelf-Stable Food Safety · Canned food: do not use badly dented, rusty or bulging cans
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning – Prevention guidance · Never use stoves or other fuel-burning devices inside tents or closed spaces – carbon monoxide
- European Parliament and Council of the European Union (2011): Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers · Celery and mustard as allergens that must be declared, e.g. in spice mixes
- Allergy 77(2): 357–377 (A. Muraro et al., European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology) (2022): EAACI guidelines: Anaphylaxis (2021 update) · Signs of a severe allergic reaction and immediate action (adrenaline, emergency call)
- European Resuscitation Council – Resuscitation (journal) (2021): European Resuscitation Council Guidelines 2021: First Aid · Cool burns and scalds at once with cool running water; call emergency services for severe burns
- Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics: The Seven Principles of Leave No Trace (Principle 5: Minimize Campfire Impacts) · Pack out rubbish, scatter washing water away from water, keep fires small or use a stove