This beef chili recipe is hearty and flavorful, made with ground beef, beans, diced tomatoes, homemade chili seasoning, and my secret ingredient – a little maple syrup.
If you’re looking for a 5-star, award-winning chili recipe –> it’s right here! I have won multiple chili cook-off contests with this tried-and-true recipe. And so have you! Scroll down to the comments to read all about other people winning chili cook-offs using this recipe 😍
5-Star, Award-Winning Beef Chili
Thousands of you have made this chili recipe and it has OVER 1,000 5-star reviews. It is hands-down my most popular chili recipe on Fit Foodie Finds, and I can’t wait for you to make it!
A quick rundown: Cook ground beef in a large stockpot with onion, garlic, beans, chili seasoning, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and my secret ingredient –> a little maple syrup.
Made with Classic Ingredients
There’s a big debate 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! I’m a big fan 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, I 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 my homemade chili seasoning and keep a batch in your cabinet at all times.
#1 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. So many of you have been surprised that my chili recipe calls for this ingredient — it’s my go-to natural sweetener for both sweet and savory dishes, and this chili recipe is no different!
What is the secret ingredient, you ask!? This 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. I’ve tested this chili recipe with both brown sugar and honey instead of maple, and both work just great.
How to Make Chili on the Stove Top
- Brown the ground beef with the minced onion and garlic.
- Add the beans, tomato products, and maple syrup.
- Add the chili seasoning and broth and bring to a boil.
- Let simmer for around 10 minutes to thicken.
- Serve with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!
Additional Cooking Methods
- 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 my 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 my Instant Pot chili recipe.
Tip! Thicken the Chili
The best way to thicken chili is to let it simmer on the stove over a low heat. This will reduce the moisture from the tomato products and thicken it right up.
Storing it in the fridge overnight will also thicken everything and often times, you need to add a splash of broth or water before serving the next day.
Other Variations
One great thing about chili is that it’s so versatile! Here are some ingredient swaps to make this recipe your own (I’ve tested each of these variations with great success!):
- Meat: You can really use any ground meat (or no ground meat at all). I recommend trying ground turkey, ground chicken or a plant-based ground.
- Beans: All variations of beans are up for grabs. Readers in the comments have added black beans and loved it, and I couldn’t agree more.
- Spice: If you like it spicy, add some vinegar-based hot sauce or diced jalapeños. Delish!
- Tomato products: Many people in the comments said they swapped diced tomatoes for fire-roasted tomatoes and it turned out great. I tried this for a chili cook-off and loved it, too!
Great Jones
The Dutchess
This is hands-down my favorite Dutch oven. It’s a 6.75 quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven that’s super high-quality and gorgeous.
Topping Ideas
In my opinion, chili isn’t chili without the toppings! Here are some of my go-to topping ideas:
- Chips – tortilla chips or Fritos!
- Chives
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Green onions
- Hot sauce
- Shredded cheese
Got Leftovers?
Got leftovers? The options are endless for how you enjoy this chili again and again. 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 me? 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 I did in my Chili Mac and Cheese recipe.
Check it out!
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!
Storage Options
This chili recipe keeps well in the fridge to enjoy throughout the week. I’ve also tested freezing it for later, and that works great, too.
Storing in the Fridge
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.
Storing in the Freezer
Beef Chili is the perfect chili recipe to freeze! I 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.
I recommend freezing your chili 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, I used 85/15
- 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
- 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 my slow cooker chili recipe.
-
- Meat: feel free to swap the ground beef for ground turkey, chicken, bison, or a plant-based ground. I’ve tested this recipe with each meat option listed here. You may need to add a little oil when browning because these alternatives have a lower fat content.
- Nutrition information is for 6 servings and does not include toppings.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Don’t forget to tag your posts on social media with the hashtag #fitfoodiefinds, we’d love to see what you’re up to!
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!
Instead of sugar, I added a little cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons of worcestershire sauce and it came out yummy.
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 I’ve 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 that’s what I had and I thought it was a great substitute.
Great substitute! So glad you loved this chili as much as we do 🙂
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 haven’t made this yet myself (hoping to tomorrow!) but her recipe for the chili seasoning (separate link) said it’s 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/