The best chili recipe you’ll ever eat is right here! Our beef chili is made with ground beef, beans, diced tomatoes, and a homemade chili seasoning.
Chili for Days
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.
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:Ā 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!Ā In less than 45 minutes you can have dinner on the table!
Classic Chili Ingredients
There’s a big debacle on the internet whether classic chili has beans or no beans. In my opinion beef chili is a base of 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.
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, diced tomatoes, and tomato puree.
Beans
While traditional beef chili does not call for beans, we like to up the anty a little bit in the nutrition department and include 2 different variations. Pinto beans and kidney beans add texture and fiber to this beef chili recipe.
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.
Secret Ingredient
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.
Chili 101
What is the best secret ingredient for chili?Ā 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.
Does traditional chili have beans?Ā Traditionally, chili used to be served without beans, but in my opinion, it’s so much better with beans!
How do you make chili more flavorful?Ā To 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)
- Add a jar of salsa
What are good chili toppings?Ā Good chili toppings include shredded cheese, green onion, sour cream or Greek yogurt, Fritos, tortilla chips, and chives.
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
Instant Pot Chili Recipes
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.
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.
More Chili Recipes
Best Beef Chili Video
Best Chili Recipe
The best chili recipe you’ll ever eat is right here! Our beef chili is made with ground beef, beans, diced tomatoes, and a homemade chili seasoning.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef (we used 85% 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/chicken broth (or water)
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.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1/6 Calories: 367 Sugar: 11 Fat: 14 Carbohydrates: 38 Fiber: 11 Protein: 24Keywords: chili recipe
Delish recipe! Since we had 3 mini April MN snowstorms yesterday, it felt like a chili kind of day. I omitted 1 TBSP of chili powder since my 4 year thinks everything is too spicy and even he gobbled it up (with lots of cheese on top, of course!). And loved that I could whip it up so quickly!
★★★★★
I used this recipe for my first ever attempt at chili, and I really liked it! I added a diced green pepper (like my papa does) and some cayenne for heat. It turned out really well! Super yummy with cheese and sour cream on top.
★★★★★
Yay! So glad you loved this, Sarah!
Made this tonight! Seriously so good!! Perfect for Minnesota winter nights – which apparently have already begun!šš
★★★★★
Iāve had/made a lot of chili in my day… and I gotta say… this is the best dang chili Iāve ever had.
★★★★★
YASSS! Love that <3
I love chili! And this recipe is awesome, our new go to. YES to chili with beans, and a chopped jalapeƱo. You used to have a slow cooker chicken quinoa taco chili type recipe that was my absolute favorite!! Where did the recipe go? š
★★★★★
This is delicious! Prob my fave FFF recipe to date. Seasoning was spot on- no adjustments needed- and followed recipe to a T, except I added a chopped jalapeƱo before boiling and threw in a can of garbanzo beans (in addition to the kidney and pinto beans) because I had it on hand. Excellent!
Weād love it if you gave us a 5 star rating ššš»
Chili with out beans is like a hot dog without a bun, i love beans and i use kidneys & pinto’s and i use a small can of V8 in mine and stewed tomato,onion,garlic,cumin,chili powder
Hello! Trying your recipe tonight!! I donāt see in the directions where it mentions when to add the maple syrup. Thanks!!
Hi! Great catch! Just updated the recipe. Should be step 3. We’d love to know what you think about the recipe once you make it. Give us a rating <3
As this should have read “Chili with Beans”
Any Red-blooded American knows that Chili had no Beans in it. Now if it states Chili with Beans then we know what to expect. (And if you don’t believe me go to the grocery store check out the Chili Cans they will say Chili with Beans. That way you know your going to have Beans with your Chili.
My chili always has beans!
Hey Larry! Feel free to omit the beans. Hope your day gets better <3