The Best Classic Chili is a traditional chili recipe just like mom used to make with ground beef, beans, and a simple homemade blend of chili seasonings.
This classic chili is perfect for a weeknight meal because it can be made in minutes. The only thing to chop is an onion.
I’ve been playing around with this recipe for the past few months, making it many times. My family didn’t mind the repetition at all because I really do believe that I ended up with the best chili ever!
How To Make Homemade Chili
Note: This is a summary. The full printable recipe and step by step video are located at the bottom of this post.
- Heat olive in a large soup pot.
- Add chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add ground beef and break it apart with a wooden spoon.
- Cook for 6-7 minutes.
- Add chili powder, cumin, sugar, tomato paste, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and optional cayenne.
- Stir until well combined.
- Add diced tomatoes, kidney beans, beef broth, and tomato sauce.
- Stir well.
- Simmer for 20-25 minutes.
- Let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
What do you top chili with?
In addition to the chili ingredients listed in this recipe, you may also want to have these things as toppings.
- shredded cheddar cheese
- sour cream
- sliced green onions
- saltine crackers or oyster crackers
- diced avocado
How To Store
Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Or, store in the freezer for up to three months. Transfer the container to the refrigerator to thaw the day before you want to reheat it.
Pro Tip – Is It Too Spicy?
The brand of chili powder you use will have a huge difference in how spicy your chili will be. Different brands of chili powder have VERY different levels of spiciness.
I always use McCormick Chili Powder (No affiliation) because it is flavorful without being spicy.
More Great Chili Recipes
Find more of my recipes on TikTok
The Best Classic Chili Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion -diced
- 1 pound 90% lean ground beef
- 2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder*
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper** -optional
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth
- 1 (15 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 (16 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large soup pot and place it over medium-high heat for two minutes. Add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the ground beef to the pot. Break it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook for 6-7 minutes, until the beef is browned, stirring occasionally.
- Add the chili powder, cumin, sugar, tomato paste, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and optional cayenne. Stir until well combined.
- Add the broth, diced tomatoes (with their juice), drained beans, and tomato sauce. Stir well.
- Bring the liquid to a low boil. Then, reduce the heat (low to medium-low) to gently simmer the chili, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Let the chili rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Check out all of my great ground beef recipes.
I did a little adjusting and came up with the best chili I have ever made.👍
Followed recipe other then used
Rotel Diced tomatoes
No cayenne
No sugar
Delish with cornbread.
I never leave comments but this one deserves it. Absolutely delicious.
This is a five-star chilli recipe. My family loved it. Best chilli I have tasted in forever.
This is what chili should taste like. Just made it this afternoon. I like cumin, so that amount was fine. Added some cremini mushrooms and a small chopped green pepper as well as a tsp of caoco powder with the cumin. Threw in a rind of parmigiano for extra oomph. A sprinkle of msg elevated it to a whole new level !
Grated some 9 year old cheddar on top of a dollop of sour cream….ecstacy
Can you substitute brown sugar for the white sugar the recipe calls for?
Sounds yummy! Can you give us your honey cornbread recipe?? I appreciate it!
Krusteaz makes an excellent one,use 1/3 cup of butter instead of the oil, it’s delicious!
Thank you so much! I made this for our company and it felt so great to get so many compliments. Only thing I did was tossed in a dash of wine since I added too much cumin. It helped! I had sour cream, extra chopped onions, scallions, and shredded cheese available for toppings.
Good chili recipe. Very sweet with the sugar.
It is the best chili I have ever had. I followed the recipe exactly, including all spices. Absolutely perfect.
Thank you so much for this recipe, my husband loves it!! It’s so easy and quick. I have a family of 6 so I use 2 lbs of meat and 2 cans of beans so it can fill up everyone. I also use ground turkey instead of beef and it still comes out amazing.
This is excellent chili, even better the next day! It was just what I was looking for! Thank you!
So so good, thank you, my husband and I loved it!
I dont usually use a recipe to make chili, i just throw the ingredients together. For some reason I decided to try your recipe and im glad I did! I must admit i was hesitant to use the called-for amount of cumin and chili powder but Im glad i stuck to the recipe, it turned out super flavorful! I did use fresh garlic (cooked it in with my onion first) and I love cumin so i was okay with the amount but i get why people might want to add less.
I used the cayenne and did not find the chili to be really spicy. I will probably add some Franks hot sauce to mine when serving. Also, i always use one can of dark red and one can of light red kidney beans in my chili so i did that here. It doesnt change the flavor.
Thanks for a great spice mix and spice ratio for chili! I will follow your recipe again.
Easy and absolutely delish!!!! I added a red bell pepper and a jalapeño too!!
So yummy
This recipe is awesome! I’m vegan, so I tweaked it by using 1 and 3/4 teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon vegetable base with 1 1/2 cup of water instead of the beef stock (the bouillon is more flavorful than regular veggie stock). And I also used Beyond Meat sausage and 1 link of Kroger’s vegan chorizo, and 1 tablespoon of sugar instead of 2. Perfection! I love cumin, so I thought 2 tablespoons was perfect, but to each his/her own.
Great recipe! The only thing I changed was the cumin..reduced it to 1.5 tsp
Very tasty!!!
Great recipe. I really enjoyed it. One small suggestion: add the paste when you add the broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce and beans. The liquid really helps to break up the paste much more efficiently.
I love this recipe. Classic good ol’ chili. And I love that I had everything on hand except onion so I just through some onion powder in as I was cooking the meat. I substituted ground beef for ground turkey. No need to drain ground turkey. Instead of beef broth I used chicken bullion and because I love beans I even through in a can of pinto and a can of black. Made it a 3 beans chili and it turned out amazing!!