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.
Easy, delicious and economical for a crowd. I served over rice and offered cheese, tabasco and sour cream for toppings. Left overs reheat well.
Thank you for this Great recipe! It tastes delicious and it very quick and easy to make. It’s the only chili I make now and my family of 5 ( including 3 kids under 13) love it. I skip the cayenne, half the cumin and beans, add a red, yellow, or orange bell pepper and serve with noodles or crackers just for our preferences but it was perfect exactly as written.
This is probably the best chili recipe I have ever made! My family loves chili and I’m always looking for a good recipe and I finally found it! This chili is delicious! Make it!!
Amazing and so delicious. I had never made Chili in my life and my husband who loves Chili was so in love! Very yummy!
This chili was perfect! So delicious and perfectly seasoned.
This recipe is delicious!! Like I printed it out and added it to my recipe keeper to be made again & again delicious!!
Slight changes I made:
-Added a diced red pepper – added when cooking the onion
-Omitted the sugar
-Reduced chili powder to 1/2tsp
-Added a heaping tbsp of flour at the end to thicken.
Enjoy!!!
This is probably my 10th time making this chili. The seasoning so on point! It’s fantastic and if I could rate it higher than 5 stars I would. I now have to double the recipe because my husband loves it so much he wants more left overs.
Thanks so much for the top notch recipe!
I love this recipe! It is my go-to for chili night. It is very versatile and the whole family enjoys it. I like to pack it full of extra veggies (peppers, celery, carrots and a can of mixed for good measure) and find that a little less than 1/8 tsp of cayenne is perfect to satisfy everyone and both my 8 and 10-year old can tolerate that little bit of heat. I also use an extra 1/2 cup of beef broth. We finish it off with a top of cheddar cheese and some tortilla chips. No matter what I do to it, it always turns out great!
A little sweet for me I never had sweet chili before.! I will ad some HEAT!,!
Amazing !!! Definitely a keeper Thank you for sharing
My late wife was the chili maker. So this was the first chili made myself. VERY impressed and loved!!
this will be my go to recipe from now on. Thank you.
Love this recipe!! I did add a can of white beans and corn to the pot. Served with corn bread and cheddar cheese. Will definitely make again.
GREAT recipe, i did substitute Deer burger for hamburger i also added 2 more cans of dark red kidney beans, i like lots of beans !! its a keeper. i usually make my own chilli with a lil this N that but by the time i get it looking exactly how i want it i have to start putting stuff into a second pot, (then i have to add a lil more meat ect to fill 2nd pot up, it happens EVERYTIME ! Ive decided to find a good recipe and follow it so i dont end up with 2 whole pots and it worked perfectly !! delicious chilli, thank you for sharing..
Best Chili ever!!
Fantastic classic recipe! You nailed it! I nailed it making it! 😀
This was such an easy recipe, and it smells so good! I added green and red peppers, as well as corn, just to spice it up a bit.
So delic!! Thanks for sharing!
Just made this! It was very very good!
This completely ruined my chili it was too hot to even eat!!
I love this recipe.
I modified a National chili cook off winning recipe and have used it for years. Wifey wanted a simple, quick chili so I tried this one. No joke, it’s better than the one I usually make that takes way more time. This is my new standard. Added more paste and stock to get the consistency I like.