Beef Chili

4.87 from 191 votes
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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.

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!

4 bowls of beef chili with Fritos on top.
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5-Star, Award-Winning Chili Recipe

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. Oh, and this just in, so have you! Scroll down to the comments to read all about other people using this recipe in chili cook-offs 😍

A quick rundown: 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 Beef Chili

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.

beef and onions in stockpot.

How to Make Chili (Stove Top)

  1. Brown the ground beef with the minced onion and garlic.
  2. Add the beans, tomato products, and maple syrup.
  3. Add the chili seasoning and broth and bring to a boil.
  4. Let simmer for around 10 minutes to thicken.

Other Cook 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 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.

How do you thicken 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.

stockpot of the best chili recipe.

Chili Variations

One great thing about chili is that it’s so versatile! Here are some swaps to make this recipe your own:

  • Meat: You can really use any ground meat (or no ground meat at all). We recommend trying ground turkey or chicken.
  • Beans: All variations of beans are up for grabs. Readers in the comments have added black beans and loved it.
  • Spice: If you like it spicy, add some vinegar-based hot sauce or diced jalapeños.
  • Tomato products: many people in the comments said they swapped diced tomatoes for fire-roasted tomatoes and it turned out great.

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
bowl of beef chili with cheese on top.

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 long does chili last 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.

Great Jones the Dutchess

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.

bowl of beef chili with Fritos and shredded cheese.

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.

  1. Let your beef chili cool completely.
  2. Then, transfer it into an airtight container or freezer-safe gallon-size bag.
  3. Remove as much air as possible and seal.
  4. 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.

4.87 from 191 votes

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.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 6
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Ingredients 

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.
    beef and onions in pot.
  • 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.
    Best chili with spoon.
  • Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
    Four bowls of the best chili with cheese and tortilla chips.

Tips & Notes

  • Nutrition information is for 6 servings and does not include toppings.
  • 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.

Watch It

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”LZV0Hbyw” upload-date=”2019-09-15T09:00:00.000Z” name=”Best Beef Chili” description=”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.”]

Nutrition

Calories: 367 kcal, Carbohydrates: 38 g, Protein: 24 g, Fat: 14 g, Fiber: 11 g, Sugar: 11 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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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.

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About Lee Funke

Lee is the founder of Fit Foodie Finds and based in Minneapolis, MN. She started this website in 2010 as a way to share her love for real food and wellness. The internet has changed so much since then and so has Fit Foodie Finds. Today we're a female-run recipe website publishing hundreds of tried and true recipes developed and tested by our team.

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Melanie
Melanie
November 1, 2023 1:08 pm

5 stars
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! ๐Ÿ™‚

Ashley
Ashley
October 31, 2023 3:41 pm

I followed the recipe exactly and it is extremely spicy. Is it really suppose to be 3 tablespoons of chili powder?

Jennifer
October 29, 2023 2:29 pm

5 stars
The recipe is great!! Great taste will be better tomorrow

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Jill
Jill
October 29, 2023 9:49 am

5 stars
I won the best chili at my churchโ€™s trunk or treat! It really is award winning chili! Thanks for the great recipe!

Chelsea
Chelsea
October 25, 2023 8:13 am

5 stars
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!

Mandi
Mandi
October 21, 2023 5:20 pm

5 stars
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 ๐Ÿคฃ .. 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. ๐Ÿ˜€

Wendy
Wendy
January 8, 2024 7:53 pm
Reply to  Mandi

How would it give lots of flavor if you canโ€™t taste it at all? Maybe the extra can of beans toned down the sweetness in your version. Or maybe you just donโ€™t mind some sweetness in your chili so it isnโ€™t noticeable to you.

Pachee
Pachee
October 14, 2023 10:02 am

5 stars
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!

Bethany A
Bethany A
October 14, 2023 9:52 am

5 stars
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!

Elizabeth
Elizabeth
October 10, 2023 7:35 pm

5 stars
This recipe is so good! Perfect seasoning and itโ€™s pretty flexible. Iโ€™ve made it twice now and my husband and I love it.

Jeff Riddle
Jeff Riddle
October 10, 2023 2:01 pm

5 stars
Simmering now. Just did a taste test and am glad I made a double batch.

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Delilah
Delilah
October 27, 2023 12:28 pm
Reply to  Jeff Riddle

When you doubled it, did you also double broth? I’m doubling it also. I’m worried 2c broth will be too much.

Melanie
Melanie
January 5, 2024 3:10 pm
Reply to  Delilah

I doubled the recipe and I put in double broth, but I also simmered it for longer

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