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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    Linda Thom
    Linda Thom
    November 8, 2024 5:04 pm

    5 stars
    First time putting Maple Syrup in a Chili recipe and I love it! Very good recipe and I added a can of Chili Beans and a can of Red Kidney Beans! Very good recipe!

    image
    Emily Richter
    November 18, 2024 10:20 am
    Reply to  Linda Thom

    Wahoo!

    Sue
    Sue
    November 4, 2024 5:42 pm

    5 stars
    Awsome recipe! I used tomato soup (undiluted) instead of tomato sauce, added a drained can of mushrooms and tsp white sugar instead of maple syrup and end result was delicious!

    Sue
    Sue
    November 4, 2024 5:41 pm

    5 stars
    Love this recipe. Now I added a can of mushrooms, used tsp of white sugar over maple syrup and used tomato soup over tomato sauce but end result was absolutely delicious!

    image
    Emily Richter
    November 5, 2024 11:35 am
    Reply to  Sue

    Love that you made that recipe your own, Sue!

    Gay
    Gay
    November 2, 2024 2:16 pm

    5 stars
    Love this chili!! I don’t too much care for kidney beans so the day before I cooked my own beans. I think this makes the chili so much better even which is hard to do thanks for the recipe.

    tammy
    tammy
    October 27, 2024 12:21 pm

    5 stars
    Sounds so good. Another thing that gives it an even more healthy boost is oats. I love adding oats. they mix in you do not even know they are there. Makes the chili even better for the heart and thicker

    Sharon
    Sharon
    October 19, 2024 8:21 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious recipe! Thank you for sharing it. I had a bit of oregano and onion powder. Hubby loved it too. This will be a go to recipe for this fall. ๐Ÿ˜

    image
    Emily Richter
    October 21, 2024 11:38 am
    Reply to  Sharon

    Such a great fall recipe!

    Alyssa
    Alyssa
    September 20, 2024 8:23 am

    5 stars
    This recipe was absolutely delicious! I have tried making many kinds of chilis before and really loved how flavorful this one was. It was mild enough for me (I have reflux) and very good with some white rice. Bookmarking it so I can make it all winter ๐Ÿ™‚

    Macaria Valerie
    Macaria Valerie
    September 3, 2024 1:46 am

    5 stars
    This beef chili recipe looks absolutely delicious and perfect for a cozy meal! I love how hearty and flavorful it seems, with just the right balance of spices and tender beef. The step-by-step instructions make it so easy to follow, even for a novice cook like me. I can already imagine how comforting and satisfying this chili will be on a chilly evening. Thanks for sharing such a mouthwatering recipeโ€”I canโ€™t wait to try it out!

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    Vian
    Vian
    August 28, 2024 5:07 am

    I am making this chilli for a sunday dinner this week and I am wondering what is meant by “chilli powder” in the recipe, is it supposed to be 3 tablespoons of your homemade chilli powder or 3 tablespoons of pure chilli powder? It’s a bit difficult to find a good way to ask this question, I am just wondering if the spices in this recipe together make your chilli powder or if you are supposed to add 3 tablespoons of your homemade chilli powder in addition to the other spices mentioned here.