Beef Chili

4.87 from 194 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.

#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 194 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.
    • Meat: feel free to swap the ground beef for ground turkey, chicken, or bison. You may need to add a little oil when browning because those have a lower fat content.

    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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    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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    Laura
    Laura
    December 11, 2020 9:50 am
    Recipe Rating :
         

    5 stars
    I made this recipe the first time I ever cooked for my in-laws and wanted to impress them with my (beginner) cooking skills, ha! It was delicious and everyone loved it. The maple syrup is so subtle, but adds a lot of flavor. This has become our go-to chili recipe in our family! We love to add cheese & frito corn chips to the top. Our version is probably not nearly as healthy as the recipe is intended, but it makes it so yummy.

    Lisa E Griffin
    Lisa E Griffin
    December 9, 2020 9:23 pm
    Recipe Rating :
         

    5 stars
    I typed in “world’s best chili”, and this is the first recipe that came up. OH MY GOD!! I have made a LOT of chili over the years, won Navy cook-offs, etc., but have been trying new recipes forever. This is the one! The only change I made was my own fault–I fell asleep during the simmering, so it was a little thicker than it should have been. I added another 3/4 cup of beef broth, (made with Better Than Bouillon), and let it cook another ten minutes. Thank you thank you thank you! I can’t wait to try your other recipes. My daughter just asked if there was any left over for her lunch tomorrow. Nope! We scraped the tureen! Doubling it next time and staying awake!

    Farmgal87
    Farmgal87
    November 4, 2020 10:56 pm
    Recipe Rating :
         

    5 stars
    This is a wonderful recipe!! I didn’t have any tomato sauce so I used a big squirt of ketchup instead and added a small can of diced green chilies. I also reduced chili powder to 2 Tbs to accommodate the kids and added an additional can of beans to stretch the recipe further. It had a wonderful balance of sweet, spice, and acid! I make chili often and this recipe was definitely one of my best batches ever. I served it with shredded Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, and chives. Comfort food at it’s finest!

    Donna
    Donna
    November 4, 2020 1:05 pm
    Recipe Rating :
         

    5 stars
    I loved this receipe. I used fire roasted diced tomotoes and added some fresh diced green and red peppers. I omitted the beans because I am not a huge fan of them but I think next time I will put them in. Delish!!

    Ricky
    Ricky
    October 29, 2020 9:23 pm
    Recipe Rating :
         

    5 stars
    I subbed the beef for some plant โ€œbeefโ€.
    Chili still slaps. Also accidentally made twice as many onions. Still slaps.
    Winter is here!!

    Lisa E Griffin
    Lisa E Griffin
    December 9, 2020 9:27 pm
    Reply to  Ricky

    I have nothing against plant beef– but I’m wondering if I could fool my strictly red meat boyfriend. If I hid the product and didn’t tell him about the substitute, do you think he would notice?

    Caleigh C
    Caleigh C
    December 14, 2020 4:20 am
    Reply to  Lisa E Griffin

    From a vegan who lives with non-vegans – Honestly, probably not. I’ve had straight up vegan beef served to non-vegans who couldn’t tell the difference, and in a chili where everything is all simmered anyway? No chance ๐Ÿ˜‰

    MG
    MG
    October 19, 2020 2:04 pm
    Recipe Rating :
         

    5 stars
    This is seriously delicious and one of the best fall weather meals. The seasoning blend is perfect! My husband said it tasted like his Grandma’s, which is a solid seal of approval! I like my chili a bit thicker so i think next time I will try either adding some corn or draining some liquid from the diced tomatoes. Will be adding this to the cold weather rotation! Thank you!! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Susan
    Susan
    October 19, 2020 10:56 am
    Recipe Rating :
         

    5 stars
    I thought I had tried all the chili recipes in the world but this one is definitely going in the #1 spot in my chili file. My family loved this recipe. I used “Better Than Bouillon” for the broth (check out the interesting Food52 article on it) and I used an immersion blender on the diced tomatoes (some around here don’t like their tomatoes chunky) and LOVED it.

    Simon Beckett
    Simon Beckett
    October 14, 2020 3:26 am
    Recipe Rating :
         

    5 stars
    Perfect!!! Can I use frozen beef for this?

    Lindsay
    Lindsay
    October 6, 2020 8:40 pm
    Recipe Rating :
         

    5 stars
    So easy and delicious! I added some red pepper flakes for a little extra kick

    Last edited 4 years ago by Lindsay
    Aela
    Aela
    September 17, 2020 4:36 pm
    Recipe Rating :
         

    5 stars
    Yum!!! Add hot peppers for extra spice