The Best Classic Chili

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The Best Classic Chili – This traditional chili recipe is just like mom used to make with ground beef, beans, and a simple homemade blend of chili seasonings.

The Best Classic Chili recipe in a red bowl topped with cheese and sour cream

This classic chili is perfect for a weeknight meal because it can be made in minutes.  The only thing to chop is an onion.

How do you make good homemade chili?

  • Heat olive in a large soup pot. 
  • Add chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Add ground beef and break it apart with a wooden spoon.
  • Cook for 6-7 minutes.

onions and ground beef sautéing in a soup pot

  • Add chili powder, cumin, sugar, tomato paste, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and optional cayenne. 
  • Stir until well combined.

chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, sugar, salt, and pepper over browned beef and onions in a pot

  • Add diced tomatoes, kidney beans, beef broth, and tomato sauce. 
  • Stir well.

diced tomatoes over chili seasoned ground beef and onions in a soup pot

  • Simmer for 20-25 minutes.
  • Let the chili rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

beans, beef broth, and tomato sauce added to chili seasoned beef, onions, and tomatoes in a pot

What do you top chili with?

In addition to the chili ingredients listed in this recipe for chili, you may also want to have these things as toppings.

  • shredded cheddar cheese
  • sour cream
  • sliced green onions
  • saltine crackers or oyster crackers
  • diced avocado

What goes well with chili for dinner?

I’ve been playing around with this chili recipe for the past few months, making it many times.  My family didn’t mind the repetition at all because I really do believe that I ended up with the best chili ever!

Watch the step by step recipe video for this chili recipe below.

Find more of my recipes on TikTok

The best classic chili recipe in a red bowl topped with cheddar cheese and sour cream

The Best Classic Chili Recipe

4.96 from 3628 votes
The Best Classic Chili - This traditional chili recipe is just like mom used to make with ground beef, beans, and a simple homemade blend of chili seasonings.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Video

Servings 6 servings
Calories 334 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion -diced
  • 1 pound 90% lean ground beef
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper* -optional
  • 1 1/2 cups beef broth
  • 1 (15 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes
  • 1 (16 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

Instructions

  • Add the olive oil to a large soup pot and place it over medium-high heat for two minutes. Add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the ground beef to the pot. Break it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook for 6-7 minutes, until the beef is browned, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the chili powder, cumin, sugar, tomato paste, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and optional cayenne. Stir until well combined.
  • Add the broth, diced tomatoes (with their juice), drained beans, and tomato sauce. Stir well.
  • Bring the liquid to a low boil. Then, reduce the heat (low to medium-low) to gently simmer the chili, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Remove the pot from the heat. Let the chili rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

I typically skip the cayenne pepper because I have a young kiddo.  Then, I put out some hot sauce for those adults that want to add some spiciness to their chili.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6th of the recipe | Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 1249mg | Potassium: 1110mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1445IU | Vitamin C: 12.8mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 7.5mg
Course Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Keyword best chili, chili recipe, classic chili, homemade chili
Cuisine American
Author Amanda Finks

Check out all of my great ground beef recipes.

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Comments

  1. Added chopped celery and green pepper with the onion (and added an extra 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil, but kept everything else the same, including the cayenne (yippee cay aye!!) My new favorite chili recipe go-to!! Thanks!

  2. Came out a little too sweet for my liking. Not bad, maybe a bit of user error on my part. Will try again.

  3. 5 stars
    So so good!

    The only change I made was to use half stew beef (cut into 3/4” pieces) and half hamburger. I seared the stew beef and then added the beef broth the recipe called for. Simmered for about 45 min, then moved to a bowl. Put the onion then the burger in the pot per the recipe, and added the stew beef back in when that was cooked thru. Then continued on as per the recipe, using the liquid from the cooked stew beef, and adding more beef broth to get back to the called for 1.5Cup. I love the chunks of meat in a chili. I also used 1/2 red kidney beans and 1/2 white kidney beans. I simmered uncovered for about 3 hours to thicken it up a bit like I like it.

    Absolutely delicious, and even my boyfriend thought it was great. And he’s super picky! Lol

  4. 5 stars
    This is the best chili I have ever made or had! My husband loves it more! I added 1/2 green and 1/2 orange bell pepper and only used 1 tablespoon cumin and 1 tablespoon sugar( instead of 2 ). We also added 1 can drained pinto beans and one can drained corn (organic). Served with diced avocado! The best!
    (I rarely write reviews!) I think the broth made it so good.

    1. I also used only 1 tbsp of sugar. I think 2 tbsp would probably have been too much. Thanks for the heads up on that.

  5. 5 stars
    Oh dear, lol. I over-spiced it! But it’s DELICIOUS! I live in Colorado, and we like spicy chili, so I added 1/2 a bell pepper and half a jalapeño. Plus, I substituted half the chili powder with chipotle chili powder. Oops!! A tad too spicy for some in the house, but nonetheless DELICIOUS!! THANK YOU for this recipe!!

  6. 5 stars
    Best Chili I ever made. I did modify it a little, but it was basically the same spices. I pit it over elbow macaroni and it was delicious. I like it a bit more spicy, but I am alone the the house in that way, so it was perfect for all of us.

    1. 5 stars
      I was making a practice chili for my churches Chili Cook off.i saw this recipe and gave it a try. This recipe is superb!!the only thing is that I think it could use a bell pepper or a jalepano.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐!!

  7. 5 stars
    So delicious and easy to make. My only adjustment would be the salt portion. My palette may be different than others but I will be making this again.

  8. I wanted to let you know that you didn’t write “olive oil” above but wrote just “olive”. 🙂 Great recipe! Very tasty.

  9. Great chili. I cut the cumin in half and left everything else the same.Added extra frsh minced garlic. Next time I’ll cut the sugar in half as well. I will make it again and again, it’s bookmarked under favorites.

  10. I doubled this, added an extra can of beans and diced tomatoes. I have made a lot of different chilis and am so happy to find one this easy that is this good! My husband is kind of picky with chili and he loved it, too! I only did a little sprinkle of the cayenne, though, because I have toddlers (they loved it, too). This chili is delicious, inexpensive, quick, and only took one pot!

  11. 5 stars
    Really good recipe. I doubled it and added more beans, some celery, and a green pepper.
    I loved it and so did my kids.

  12. yummy yummy my husband loved it and my picky eater 4 yo too. My son liked it so much that he was eating this chili with a glass of milk lol! (I didn’t use cayenne pepper)

    How can I prepare this chili in a slow cooker?

    Thanks a lot

    1. saute the onion, ground beef in pan till no pink is shown, add with all ingredients, cook on low for 2-4 hrs in crock pot

  13. Great base recipe to which I added two of my own secret ingredients. Won the church chili cookoff 1st time trying it!

      1. 5 stars
        You should try adding mixed frozen vegetables and a few little diced pieces of jalapeno for a little spice

  14. 5 stars
    I highly recommend this recipe! It is simple and delicious. Simply delicious, if you will! I had never made chili the same twice because I could never find a recipe that I loved. I have now made this recipe twice! My husband is also crazy about it, which is a bonus!

  15. Definitely easy and quick I really did enjoy the chili first time making it and it was great my husband bragged about it as well. Good for this cold winter night. Definitely will make this again.

    1. Do you mean BROWN the ground beef? Read step 2 in the instructions. That explains cooking the ground beef.

    2. I didn’t have to because I used lean ground beef. If you use less lean ground beef and there is a lot of fat, you’d probably want to drain it.

  16. 5 stars
    My 2 special-needs clients highly enjoy doing “kitchen projects” together. (I provide the verbal directions only.) Today they chose to make chili and I found this excellent recipe. It’s a big hit! Thank you!

About Amanda Finks

I’m a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist living in Zionsville, IN. I’m an avid cook, travel nerd, & lover of good food! I’m trained in Food Science & recipe development. It’s my mission to bring you the BEST recipes your whole family will love!

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