The best chili recipe you’ll ever eat is right here! Our classic beef chili is made with ground beef, beans, diced tomatoes, homemade chili seasoning, and our secret ingredient – a little maple syrup.
5-Star Chili Recipe
So many of you have made this chili recipe and it has OVER 1,000 5-star reviews. It is hands-down our most popular chili recipe on Fit Foodie Finds and we can’t wait for you to make it!
If you’re looking for a 5-star, award-winning chili recipe –> it’s right here! We’ve won multiple chili bake-off contests with this tried-and-true recipe and it’s truly the best chili recipe ever.
Cook ground beef in a large stockpot with onion, garlic, beans, chili seasoning, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and our secret ingredient –> a little maple syrup.
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.
- Ground 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 (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.
- 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.
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Chili 101
What is the best secret ingredient for chili?
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?
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?
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 jalapeño, hot sauce, or green chiles), or add a jar of salsa.
What are good chili toppings?
Good chili toppings include shredded cheese, green onion, sour cream or Greek yogurt, Fritos, tortilla chips, and chives.
How do you make chili spicy?
How do you make chili spicy? To make this beef chili spicy, you can add a few tablespoons of diced jalapeños, poblano peppers, or green chiles. You can even add a few tablespoons of hot sauce.
What can I use instead of ground beef in chili?
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.
Recommended Kitchen Tools
Variations
One great thing about chili is that it’s so versatile! You can really use any ground meat (or no ground meat at all). All variations of beans are up for grabs and if you like it spicy, add some vinegar-based hot sauce or diced jalapeños.
You can also make this recipe in the crockpot or Instant Pot.
- Slow Cooker Directions: partially cook the beef on the stove. Then, transfer all ingredients in your slow cooker and mix. Cook on low for around 4 hours. Check out our slow cooker chili recipe.
- Instant Pot Directions: add all ingredients to the Instant Pot and mix. Cover and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Check out our Instant Pot chili recipe.
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, it’s kid-friendly and protein-packed! PS: the base of this chili mac is made from this beef chili recipe!
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.
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.
Can I freeze this chili recipe?
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 airtight 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.
To thaw + reheat: let thaw overnight in the fridge. Then, transfer back into a large stockpot and heat over low/medium.
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 sauté 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.
Do I only use 1 cup of broth. Even though I am tripling the recipe ?
Hi, I’ll be making this tonight, but I was wondering if I can make it in the crockpot?
Scroll up. She tells you how to do it.
Great recipe! My family loved it. I want to try it with stew meat next time. Anyone ever do that?
For 4 years I’ve been trying to make a chilli for my boyfriend that even comes close to his grandmas. We don’t have the recipe so I was just trying a bunch of best chilli recipes online. He didn’t like any of them. This one he is happy and said it was absolutely perfect! The only thing I did was leave out the maple syrup because he hates anything tasting sweet. I’m going to add it to mine though because I love sweet chilli. He even made me send him the recipe so he could tell all his friends to use it because they apparently make terrible chilli lol. Thank you for making this finally happen. He is walking around in the best mood ever now and he was in a bad mood all day. Love it!
SOOOOOO glad this was a winner for you! I have a feeling you could change your b/f’s mind with the maple! It really makes it even better.
This recipe was the recipe I’ve been looking for all my life… I made it on Halloween and eating as leftovers right now and it’s even better today than it was last night. The maple syrup really was the game changer, and everyone was going back for seconds! 🙂
The maple, right?!
I followed the recipe exactly and it is extremely spicy. Is it really suppose to be 3 tablespoons of chili powder?
Hi! It shouldn’t be spicy at all. Chili powder is very mild. I’m wondering if yo used a hot chili powder or something like that!
The recipe is great!! Great taste will be better tomorrow
I won the best chili at my church’s trunk or treat! It really is award winning chili! Thanks for the great recipe!
WOW. This makes me all sorts of happy!!!
It was a rainy, overcast day here and I’d pulled out some ground beef to make tacos, but had a sudden hankering for chili. Found this recipe, and it was an absolute home run! My husband went back for seconds and told me to add it to the rotation, which is seriously high marks. I used Pinto and Black beans because that’s just what we had on hand. The flavor profile in this chili makes it really versatile, and I liked how I didn’t feel overly heavy or gross after eating it. 10/10, will make this again!
Thank you so much for your review!
Delicious! Only thing I changed was 2 cans of kidney instead of pinto beans.
For anyone that says that the one tablespoon of maple syrup made it too sweet 🤣 .. you can’t taste it at all but gives lots of flavor, I don’t get it!
Thank you for the recipe, I’m sorry you have to deal with negative feedback from people that more than likely didn’t follow recipe. 😀
Versatile and easy to make, it’s my go-to and the only chili recipe I’ll ever need. Whether for a cozy dinner or a game day gathering, this chili never fails to impress, making it an absolute must-try for all chili enthusiasts!
Super yummy! Quick question – you recommended using the homemade chili seasoning that you provided a link to instead of the spices listed in the recipe – if I did that, how much of the chili seasoning would I use? Maybe 3 Tbsp? They are the same spices listed in the recipe, but not quite in the same proportions. Thanks!
This recipe is so good! Perfect seasoning and it’s pretty flexible. I’ve made it twice now and my husband and I love it.
Simmering now. Just did a taste test and am glad I made a double batch.
When you doubled it, did you also double broth? I’m doubling it also. I’m worried 2c broth will be too much.
Absolutely the best!!! Everything goes so well! I just changed ground beef for turkey because we try to cut back on red meats. I added Rotel tomatoes because I thought it needed more spice but it doesn’t. Kids and husband loved it!! Our new go to! Thank you!
I am not a chili person and for some reason I had a hankering to fix some for dinner. And then I stumbled upon your recipe. I am now truly a chili lover! My hubby’s said “make no changes.”
This chili was delicious. This will be my go to recipe.
Love the recipe! I saw it said 6 servings but any idea what the serving size actually is?? A cup? Would love to know for tracking purposes! Thanks!
This chili is amazing. My husband loved it so much he told me to write the recipe down so there would be no way I could lose it. I did add 2 smaller cans of green chilies, and pinto beans in chili sauce. Used brown sugar instead of maple syrup,. Loved the flavor, not a strong tomato taste. A real winner!
So glad you all loved this chili. It’s seriously my family’s favorite!
This chili is amazing! I subbed out the beef for ground turkey and added black beans, corn and a little bit of brown sugar and it seriously came out 10/10. Even my boyfriend said “that’s a good recipe” LOL