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.
Hello, chili is the greatest ever. My question is I added a bit to much of the hot spices what can I add to bring the spice ness down? ?
A bit more sugar at a time; taste after each addition
The more tomatoes you add the milder it gets. However, you can add a second batch of all ingredients except the spices and freeze what you don’t need for another day.
If you’ve already made it and want to tone it down add sour cream in, if you like it, it helps
Made your chilli tonight, was very good!
To tone it down, add a little bit of brown sugar.
Try lemon juice (fresh) is best a little at a time until you get the heat where you want it.
Its suddenly so cold outside. This chili was sooo perfect and quick.
I used dried onions and morningstar crumbles as substitutes making this nicely vegan. The bit of sugar was genius.
This is the best chili I’ve ever made. We didn’t have chili powder so I substituted habanero sauce, and cut back on the sugar a bit. It was so delicious I’m having it for breakfast. Thanks for the easy and tasty recipe!
I made this chilli and it was delicious. But I was wondering if I could make this in a crock pot. I have an event coming up next weekend and wanted to make this chilli.
Thid recipe is far better than any chili I have ever made. Love it!
How many adults does this feed?
OMG this is just how chili is supposed to taste! Not too much tomato flavor (like bad diner chili) or too much cumin. Just perfect. My husband (who is pretty picky) said he could eat this every Sunday during football season. Thank you!!
THIS iS AMAZING! I tried chili for the first time ever using this recipe. It came out so much better than I could have ever hoped. And it was so easy! I will definitely make it again. I can’t wait to try your other recipes. Thank you so much!!
Best chili ever!!
Could I make this receipt without the onion? Would it hinder the taste that much? Thanks so much!
I think the onion gives it a bit of tangy sweetness. You might need to add a bit more sugar, and possibly a green or red peper. But I am not sure you would notice much of a difference.
This recipe is fabulous. I make a couple of mods. No one in my house likes onions, so I skip them, and I like the acidic bite of the tomatoes, so I skip the sugar. My wife can’t handle spice, so I leave out the cayenne and put some hot sauce on the table. The first time I made it, my wife, my daughter, and I ate the entire pot.
Could you please give me an estimate on the serving size? I’m making this for 50 people and I’m not sure how large to make the servings… 1/ 2 cup, 1 cup????
Best recipe ever! I added potatoes which was fantastic. Will definitely make again.
Awesome recipe!! Thank you for perfecting and sharing it. I will definitely make this again when I am in the mood for some delicious chili!! My family loved it!!
The chili came out wonderfully! Served it with a side of cornbread, I also added some siracha sauce, jalapeño and chili peppers because I love spicy and it was a hit at dinner! Will definitely be making this again soon!
So delicious! Thank you for sharing! Tastes just like my mom used to make!:)
I am a bit confused on the ingredients, because doesn’t chili powder already contain cumin, garlic powder, etc.?
Chili seasoning does, so chili powder is necessary for this recipe.
This recipe was the best I have ever made!!!!! My kids loved it!!! I will keep this recipe for the future. Thanks for sharing it!!!
Just made this for dinner. Super easy and delicious. My husband won’t eat beans so I skipped them and just added a little more beef. This will be my go to chili recipe from now on.
This is delicious! The cumin gives it amazing flavor. I used Brooks Chili beans and didn’t drain them because I love their flavor as well. Thanks for the recipe, it is now my go to!