The best chili recipe you’ll ever eat is right here! Our classic beef chili is made with ground beef, beans, diced tomatoes, and a homemade chili seasoning.
So many of you have made this chili recipe and loved it so much that you keep coming back for more. This is hands-down our most popular chili recipe on Fit Foodie Finds and we can’t wait for you to make it!
Best Chili Recipe!
Chili for days you say? That’s right! This classic chili recipe will give you chili for days because boy does it serve a crowd. And, did we mention that it’s truly the best chili recipe on the internet?
This is truly the best chili recipe ever. It’s filling, flavorful, and fool-proof delicious. A big bowl of this is perfect for game day, a weeknight dinner, or even a fall party.
Why You’ll Love it
- Amazing Meal Prep: Chili is an excellent meal prep idea because it will literally give you chili for days. This particular recipe serves 6-8 and you can easily double it and freeze for later! Plus, you can turn it into our Chili Mac and Cheese recipe for more variety!
- Healthy: Our beef chili recipe is made with lean ground beef, beans, and tons of veggies making it high in protein, fiber. It’s also made with a homemade chili seasoning canceling out any additives you may find in the store-bought kind.
- Made in No Time! In less than 45 minutes you can have dinner on the table!
Made with Classic Chili Ingredients
There’s a big debacle on the internet about whether classic chili has beans or no beans. In my opinion, the best chili recipe is a base of ground beef, tomato, spices, and BEANS. I love the number of fiber beans add to this dish and I promise you won’t regret adding them.
Beef
The star of the show here is ground beef. I’ll give you one secret, the fat in your beef matters! We’re big fans of 80% or 85% fat because that little bit of fat adds so much flavor. If you go any leaner, you risk compromising flavor and texture.
Can I substitute a different ground meat? Ohhhh, if you must! Yes, ground chicken or turkey both work for this recipe. We’ve even made this chili recipe with a plant-based ground to make it vegetarian.
Tomatoes
One of the reasons I love chili is because it’s made with tomato products. Thick, creamy, and so delicious. This recipe calls for 3 different kinds:
- tomato sauce (gives this recipe a delicious tomato flavor)
- diced tomatoes (adds great texture)
- tomato puree (helps to thicken and intensify the flavors)
Beans
While some traditional beef chili does not call for beans, we like to up the ante a little bit in the nutrition department and include 2 different variations to make this the most epic chili beans recipe. Pinto beans and kidney beans add texture and fiber to this beef chili recipe.
Feel free to swap the beans for a different kind such as black beans, garbanzo beans, or cannellini beans.
Chili Seasoning
Do yourself a favor and make your own chili seasoning. I promise you the flavor is better AND there isn’t any added junk. Try our homemade chili seasoning and keep a batch in your cabinet at all times.
homemade chili seasoning ingredients
- Chili powder
- Garlic powder
- Ground cumin
- Smoked paprika
- Salt
- Ground pepper
#1 Secret Ingredient for THE BEST CHILI RECIPE
Every chili needs a little bit of sugar in some form to bring out all of the savory flavors from the chili seasoning. Our classic chili recipe calls for a little bit of maple syrup. It’s warm, unrefined, and absolutely delightful.
Don’t have maple? Swap it with some brown sugar or even some honey.
Chili 101
The best secret ingredient for chili is a little bit of sugar. Whether you use white sugar, brown sugar, or my favorite, maple syrup, a little bit of sugar will bring out all of the savory spices of your chili.
Traditionally, chili used to be served without beans, but in my opinion, it’s so much better with beans!
o make chili more flavorful, we suggest using more homemade chili seasoning. We always recommend making your own spice blend at home because you can really control the flavor that way. Other ways to add more flavor include: more salt, more heat (diced jalapeƱo, hot sauce, or green chiles), or add a jar of salsa.
Good chili toppings include shredded cheese, green onion, sour cream or Greek yogurt, Fritos, tortilla chips, and chives.
How do you make chili spicy? To make this beef chili spicy, you can add a few tablespoons of diced jalapeƱos, poblano peppers, or green chiles. You can even add a few tablespoons of hot sauce.
Recommended Kitchen Tools
How to make truly the BEST chili recipe!
Here is a quick rundown of How to Make Chili. Make sure to scroll all the way down to the recipe card to get the full ingredient list and instructions.
- Saute ground beef: add ground beef, onion, and garlic to a stockpot or Dutch oven and saute for 7-10 minutes to fully brown.
- Add rest of the ingredients: Next, add the rest of the ingredients including the chili seasoning and mix to combine.
- Simmer: Bring chili to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Serve: Serve immediately with your favorite toppings!
Topping Ideas
In my opinion, chili isn’t chili without the toppings! I’ll share what we at our bowl of chili with and some other ideas.
- shredded cheese
- chips – tortilla or Fritos
- green onions
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
- chives
- hot sauce
Check it out!
Best Chili Mac and Cheese
Chili mac and cheese might be the best dinner of all time. Make it once and eat it all week long. Bonus, itās kid-friendly and protein-packed! PS: the base of this chili mac is made from this beef chili recipe!
Can I make this chili recipe in the Crockpot or Instant Pot instead?
This ground beef chili can easily be made in the slow cooker or Instant Pot. While we haven’t tried either of these methods, you can follow a similar method to the other crockpot and Instant Pot chili recipes we have on Fit Foodie Finds.
Crockpot Chili Recipes
- Crockpot Chicken Chili
- Lazy Girl Turkey Chili
- Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
- White Bean Chicken Chili
Instant Pot Chili Recipes
Leftover Chili Ideas
Got leftovers? Here are a few ideas on how to repurpose this recipe:
Chili Baked Potatoes: Top either a baked potato or baked sweet potato with leftover chili and shredded cheese.
Chili Nachos: Are you a fan of nachos just like us? Place a bag of tortilla chips on a baking sheet. Then, top with leftover chili, shredded cheddar cheese, and other nachos toppings.
Chili Mac and Cheese: It doesn’t get much better than combining 2 of your favorite things into 1 dish. That’s exactly what we did in our Chili Mac and Cheese recipe.
Can I freeze beef chili?
Beef Chili is the perfect chili recipe to freeze! We wrote an entire post on how to freeze soup and it works the exact same way for chili.
- Let your beef chili cool completely.
- Then, transfer it into an airtgiht container or freezer-safe gallon-size bag.
- Remove as much air as possible and seal.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
We recommend freezing in a freezer-safe gallon-size bag or freezer-safe storage container. Make sure that you remove as much air as possible before sealing.
How do I store beef chili?
Store beef chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To reheat: Either place multiple servings of the beef chili back into the stockpot and heat over medium heat until boiling or place 1 serving of chili into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
Great Jones
The Dutchess
This is hands-down our favorite Dutch oven. It’s a 6.75 quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven that’s super high-quality and gorgeous.
Best Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef we used 15% fat
- 1/2 medium yellow onion finely diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 15-oz. can pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15-oz. can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 cup beef broth chicken broth or water works too
Optional toppings
- shredded cheddar cheese
- Fritos
- green onion
Instructions
- First, heat a large stockpot over medium/high heat.
- Then, add ground beef, yellow onion, and minced garlic and sautƩ for 7-10 minutes or until beef is fully browned.
- Next, add pinto beans, kidney beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and maple syrup to the pot and stir to combine.
- Add spices and 1 cup of broth and stir to combine.
- Bring beef chili to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10-15 minutes to thicken.
- Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Tips & Notes
- Nutrition information is for 6 servings and does not include toppings.
Delicious recipe! My husband loved this chili! I did tweak the recipe slightly. I omitted the beans and tomato paste. The maple syrup was a subtle addition and the sweetness brought out the flavors of the spices. I wonder if people may be using pancake syrup instead of real maple syrup. There is a huge difference and not at all interchangeable in recipes. I used New Mexican chili powder which is the best, in my opinion. I
Let me start by saying yummy yummy all in my tummy. This is my second time trying this recipe. It came out amazing the first time and on a rainy day I just figured why not. My son at first didnāt care for the sweetness with the maple but finished at least three bowls so itās safe to say he loved it as well. I loved the maple it was not too sweet just a small hint. Once this marinated overnight just know the flavors will intensify and get even better. I always make a side of jiffy cornbread and add Fritos, cheese and sour cream to my bowl. – delicious
So good. Made it to use with Navajo tacos. But I may sneak a bowl before everyone gets home from school and work.
Thank you!
Fully endorse sneaking a bowl before everyone gets home š
We like chili but this recipe was a game-changer. Will be my new go to. The spices popped with the maple syrup. I did put the diced tomatoes in the Ninja before adding and used kidney and northern beans as that was all we had in the house.
What a great recipe!! I had ground beef in the freezer & everything else in my pantry. I added a diced jalapeno & red bell pepper bc I had them in the fridge, and the bit of maple syrup really balanced out the spiciness. This came together so quickly, & tastes fantastic! And made the house smell amazing too haha. Thank you for sharing!
Iml so sorry I added the maple syrup to my chili – and I added a little less. I feel like it Ruined the whole thing – terrible. Chili should NOT have sugar in it . I think it would have been very good otherwise. I wasted a lot of time and money on this.
i agree, this was too sweet for my taste (I used maple syrup as the sweetener) and I had to adjust the spices and dilute it to compensate. Perhaps espresso powder or cinnamon? Or just less/no sugar next time I make it. Otherwise easy chili recipe!
I made this last night and am having leftovers tonight. It is one of my favorite basic chili recipes. I don’t understand the issue with the maple syrup. It is such a small amount and adds an extra touch.
I have always loved eating ice cream and whenever I get a chance I never miss eating ice cream and your ice cream taste and recipe is really amazing I hope you will give us more delicious ice cream information in future.
Quick, easy and delicious. What more could I ask for.
This recipe looks great. What size dutch oven will I need to cook a double batch? I was thinking about buying a Lodge dutch oven in 6 or 7.5 quart size.
I just purchased a Le Crust dutch oven, 7.5 quart size. The size will definitely hold two batches of this recipe.
*Le Creuset*
This was by far my favorite chili recipe Iāve ever tried. It was quick and simple and very flavorful. Perfect for a cold California rainy day. I used one tablespoon of brown sugar instead of maple
Syrup because thatās what I had and I thought it was a great substitute.
Great substitute! So glad you loved this chili as much as we do š
I made the batch of chili seasoning that you suggested and want to know how much of it to use instead of the individual seasonings?
I havenāt made this yet myself (hoping to tomorrow!) but her recipe for the chili seasoning (separate link) said itās 4 servings worth! Hope that helps.
I found this on the recipe for the chili seasonings. Use 3-4 tablespoons of the mix for a batch of chili OR the seasons and amounts in the actual recipe. .
We loved this recipe! The blend of spices was so flavorful without being spicy! It will be a staple in our cold weather dinner rotation!
So happy to hear it, Nicole!
We loved this recipe! Great flavor! Also, quick & easy! Will definitely make again!
So happy to hear it, Portia!
Do you drain the grease after cooking the ground beef? Going to be making this tonight.
I was curious about this as well. I read an article that explains it is up to your preference. It is better for flavor to keep the fat and water in the chili rather than draining it. Draining the fat and water will reduce the fat content and reduce the calories a small amount. If you drain it, you may need to add more water or other liquid to make up for it. After reading this I will not be draining the meat.
https://happyspicyhour.com/do-you-drain-ground-beef-for-chili/
This is a fabulous and versatile recipe. My husband is now on a low fat GI diet and loves this chili. I have swapped the protein out with ground turkey, bison and venison and it’s always fantastic. For a little extra kick I’ve added a 4 oz can of roasted mild hatch green chiles, but it doesn’t need it. If you need lower fat, sub with 93% lean ground turkey or ground venison.
I love this recipe! Iāve made it a handful of times and itās been delicious every time. This time I added some frozen corn and half of a bell pepper diced for some more veggies.
Delish additions!
I’d like to make this chili recipe for my fam. I made a jar of your homemade chili seasoning which I’d like to use, however, I’m confused as to whether I use this IN PLACE of each individual spice in the ingredient list OR along with? If its in Place of, then how much?
I found this on the recipe for the Homemade chili seasonings. Use 3-4 tablespoons of the mix for a batch of chili OR the seasonings and amounts in this actual recipe.
I’m so happy I finally found a chili recipe that is good! I swear this could win an award! I follow the recipe ALMOST exact except I use dried onion instead because I don’t like regular onions and I also use one medium jalapeƱo with less then a quarter of the seeds and a teaspoon or 2 of cyanne. I leave out all the spicy if my kids eat it but they hate chili! Idk how! This recipe it awesome and I make it once a week.
A fan of beef meat say hi to all. š
Made a pot for Halloween, it was a big hit!