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 thought the flavor was good, but I wonder if there is a mistake on the sugar? 2 TBSP seems too high – definitely recommend reducing by half or more – or start with a TSP and then add more by taste only. I also thought the ratio of beef to serving was high – In the future, I’d double the recipe except for the beef, and use a variety of beans – black beans and kidney beans to bump up the protein and fiber.
Name says it all. We ate it 3 meals in a row. My daughter been asking for it since. Maybe next time will add little less sugar but alll in all easy awesome recipe. Made it in my Instant Pot.
Absolutely loved this! We used a clove of fresh garlic and jalapenos, as well as added 2 tbsp of cayenne pepper! Will highly recommend and save for the futire!!
I’ve made chilli a few times before but today was my first time trying this recipe & it’s by far ny favorite recipe. Instead if the tomato sauce I just added 2 cans if chopped tomatoes.
Very tasty. I added a larger can of diced tomatoe and more tomato sauce and more beans to make a larger batch. Also, used Elk hamburger which was awesome. Used a bit of molasses in place of the sugar, added a 1/4 teaspoon of liquid smoke and used mrs dash southwest chipotle in place of the cayenne. Love that this recipe sets up the base proportions so you can tweak it to make it your own.
A very nice and simple recipe. I did a double batch. If you love Chili the way I do you have to make a big pot. Chili gets better and better every time you reheat it. I followed most of the recipe except that I left out all sugar. I added the optional cayenne pepper. I also added two cups of mixed peppers and two cups of fresh mushrooms at the same time I cooked the onions. I really liked the Chili and it will be my go to recipe. If anything it may have a little to much ground cumin but the more I reheat it the better the spices have blended. Overall very flavorful and spicy, and easy to make. A real winner.
Thanks. We double the recipe. Be sure and drain the fat off meat before adding other ingredients. I leave out tomato paste. Since we double, for the second can of tomatoes i add Rotel instead. We leave out Cumin and Salt. We add 5 teaspoons of the sauce only from La Costena Chipotles Peppers in Abobo Sauce (no seeds, no peppers). Add more or less to adjust to your preferred heat
This is a great recipe and it’s really easy to make.
totally 5 stars, I was not expecting it to be this good.
thank you!
This recipe was amazing and easy to make. My daughter made it for dinner tonight. My family of four enjoyed it.
Great solid recipe for a full flavored chili. I added some chopped celery for a little extra veg. Also added a second can of beans because I love them. Thanks for this quick easy recipe!
Too much cumin for my taste and my family thought it was too spicy but the spice was my favorite part!! AMAZING recipe
Omg, I have to say, at first when I tried it, it was good but I wasn’t impressed. Since it was all for me, I had a lot of left over. Then the second day, I reheated and it was so much tastier. The third and final day Amaaaaazing! So delicious I didn’t want it to end. Changes I did was just 1 teaspoon of cumin, and only 1 Tbsp of sugar.
One day I added avo and shredded cheese, another I added sour cream and crackers, another day the way it is alone. All were delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I tried the recipe. For me it was not the best Chili. (I had the best chili recipe and misplaced it.) 🙁
This recipe calls for too much Cumin and sugar in my humble opinion. I’d recommend 1 Tablespoon or less cumin and taste it and 2 teaspoon sugar. I also added a can of diced green chilies. To each his own. Have a great day.
Absolutely the best chili I’ve ever had!! I come back to this recipe over and over again. I follow the recipe exactly and am always pleased with the results.
I made this recipe a few weeks ago,. I could tell it was going to be too spicy so i only added 1/2 the spices.I used the remaining spices today with ground turkey turned out PERFECT!
I’ve used this recipe twice now and it’s my favourite. Mainly because it’s so easy and delicious! I used about 1/3 the amount of minced beef and it’s just as great! recommend this to anyone!
The whole family loved this chili recipe! The flavor is a crowd pleaser and the recipe is easy to whip up. I added 3/4 of a small can of tomato paste to thicken it up a bit. It’s delicious!
Thanks for the tip about thickening it!
This is my go to chili recipe. I double it for a family of six (four teens!) and the left overs are gone the next day! We love it!
I thought it turned out good, but I think we will use a little less chili powder next time. It was a little too spicy for me.