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.
Best chili I have ever made. Followed exactly including cayenne pepper 🌶. My husband really enjoyed it as well. Great consistency and flavor.
My husband absolutely loved this recipe! I followed the recipe except I put only 1 Tablespoon of cumin and a can of pinto beans instead of kidney beans. Delicious!!
My favorite recipe!
This was actually my first time making chili. I added 2 ingredients because I’m like that, and it was amazing. I added a 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of Carolina Reaper powder and about a teaspoon of Smokehouse Maple seasoning. It was sweet on the lips and deceiving before I started sweating.
Loving so many attributes of this recipe: Quick to make, easy to adjust dry ingredients as I decided ( on the spot, after tasting) to make extra and freeze for another time. I have a 22 month young babe at home, am almost due to have another and my hubby works out in the snow cutting and splitting wood. Baby doesn’t like much spice, I like a little more but have to watch for acid reflux (so I added vinegar in the chilly) and my hubby likes spice that makes him sweat a little. This RECIPE IS PERFECT for our family.
Thank you for sharing your skills with the world.
I made this chilly twice and my family has said they will not eat canned chilly again. This is a REALLY GREAT Chilly. Love it.
always a great recipe. Do you know how I adjust it for use with an instapot?
Too sweet for chili. I would cut out all the sugar, or at least half of it.
Planning to make this this weekend – can you clarify “tomato sauce”? Do you mean like a Passata or do you mean a marinara sauce? Sorry, I don’t want to mess up!
Great recipe! I used ground turkey, not a huge fan of beef. It turned out Awesome. I used the cayenne as well. Not to spicy! Just the right amount. I served with cheese, sour cream and Doritos on top! 🙂 Don’t knock it until you try it.
I made this recipe with my high school cooking class. They LOVED it, and the classroom and building smelled delicious for hours. I chose to substitute the beef broth with water and a little more of the spice seasonings. I’m going to try adding paprika next time.
I followed the recipe almost exactly and it turned out amazing. Only thing different I did was adding a bit of water to the chilli so I could easily get it to the boiling point before letting it simmer. I don’t know why people think that the recipe calls for too much cumin, maybe they aren’t measuring it properly or are just overly sensitive to spices. I just used a regular tablespoon and levelled it so it’s not a heaping tablespoon. Also used two cans of red kidney beans rather than one
First time making chili. Growing up it was one of my favorites that my dad would make. Always thought (Wrongly, as I learned last night) that it was a long semi-complicated process. This was very easy and turned out very good! I put it on top of corn chips with sour cream and cheese. Couldn’t have asked for a better result. Thank you!
Amazing recipe. Love it! Thank you for sharing.
This is one of the best chili recipes I’ve ever tasted and it’s so easy to make!! I add 1/2 tsp. of cayenne pepper and that goes great with the sweetness from the sugar.
My boyfriend loves home cooking and I love to get in the kitchen and make nice meals for him! I work the nightshift in the ER and don’t always have the time to cook. So when I found this recipe, was excited to try it! He actually said this is the best tasting chili he has ever had! I had only added one tablespoon of sugar and found it to be a little too sweet, so next time will cut to 1/2 tablespoon. Always better to add more later than too much in the beginning! Easy and quick to make! Topped with cheddar cheese and diced raw onion! Warms you up on a cold night! This recipe is a keeper! BTW: Cayenne pepper 🌶️ is great if you like the kick!
Great recipe! Made a few tweaks in part due to young kiddos eating it, but turned out great IMO:
-no cayenne, small can of mild green chilies instead
-sub Pinto beans
-add heavy cream to taste (think I probably did about 1/3 C
Used an immersion blender to smooth it out a little bit a the end (kids don’t love finding a bunch of beans) and it was a crowd pleaser. Would recommend doubling this recipe since leftover chili is even better than the original and not much is left with just one batch!
My family loves this chili, it’s quick and taste even better the next day. I’ve made this recipe several times-never disappoints!
Excellent recipe!
I used beef ‘Better than bouillon’ and beer for the liquid. I also added half a tablespoon of madras curry for some adventure. It was a hit.
Loved this recipe, I really liked that it uses beef broth, cuts down on the acidic flavor some chilis have. Will be my forever chili recipe.