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.
Awesome recipe no changes I might be young but my mom was very impressed with me so thanks
We’re down to one package of ground beef in the freezer and a couple cans of red beans and tomatoes in the pantry. My husband likes it when we “clean” the fridge and pantry before ordering more groceries and I was in the mood for a quick chili recipe. I came across this one and it was a hit!! I paired it with seasoned homemade cornbread and shredded cheddar and diced onions. The only thing I added to it was a few dashes of habanero sauce instead of the cayenne and just a pinch of sugar instead of the two tablespoons. I almost ate it all while waiting for it to simmer! So good! Thank you!
What a keeper! Perfect as is with no changes. I will be making over and over!
Scaled up this recipe for 50 people. It turned out great, and was done super quickly. I’d highly recommend it.
Good to know. I am thinking of making it for our yacht club dinner. Need to feed a large group.
Hey there. I’m from Malaysia. My 10 year old son made this dish for his dad today (Father’s Day). Turned out awesome. Thank you for sharing.
If I leave it cooking for hours it will get even better?
I do all of my chili in my slow cooker on low. Talk about flavor! I make 15 quarts every fall and freeze it in quart size Ziploc freezer bags for our very cold winter in front of the fireplace. Just as good as when made.
The best Chili seasoning EVER!!!
First time we made it as is then adjusted the next time. Way too much cumin flavor for us. This time I’m using black beans, very little cumin and brown sugar instead.
I made this last night, for dinner today. To me, recipes like this always taste better the second day. Just had a bowl and it is perfect! Followed the recipe exactly. No additions or deletions or substitutions, otherwise it’s a different recipe, right?! You did a fine job! Will add this recipe to my “good things to eat” notebook…and I’m pretty picky?
I only had half of the chili powder available. And it was still amazing. I used all other spices, the kids and the husband loved it. So flavorful and surprisingly easy. It’s a keeper.
Very yummy!! First time making chili and will definitely use this recipe again. Thanks for sharing!!
Amazing! I made this vegan with Gardein Beefless Crumbles and vegetable stock.
Such a great recipe! Followed it exactly and it’s such a crowd pleaser!! Warms up great as well. Go to chili recipe!
I love this recipe so much and it’s perfect to tweak for different palettes. I’m sugar free so I leave that out, my kid won’t eat red meat, so I make it with ground turkey sometimes. We’re dairy free, so I’ve topped it with homemade vegan sour cream, which adds a nice creamy balance for the spice. Today, I broiled a jalapeño and diced it up- if you like spice, that’s a winner! I half the beans (Texas roots), so it’s more meaty. The blend of spices is really a knockout combo even though I added cinnamon and smoked chipotle powder, I assure you, this recipe doesn’t require anything else. Over rice or spaghetti and you’ve got a great dinner and next day lunch.
Really yummy, but too sweet. Reduce the sugar and it’ll be perfect!
Love this recipe! Has become a staple in our dinner rotation. Here are the modifications I made:
2/3 tablespoon sugar (as opposed to 2)
1 tablespoon coriander (instead of 2 of cumin)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (as opposed to 1/2)
Personally, I like it spicy and not too sweet.
I also added the diced tomatoes and mixed them with the beef and onion mixture and let that cook for a few minutes before adding the tomato sauce or beef broth as I felt it helped allow the tomatoes to absorb some of the flavoring and get rid of that “canned” taste.
Modifications aside, originally I made this recipe exactly per the instructions and it was delicious!
YUM!!! I usually make chili without a recipe, but I’m going to use your recipe from now on. The flavor factor is wow! I keep eating it while waiting for it to simmer for 25 minutes because it’s so good! Like several others, I reduced the sugar to 1T. I added a can of cannellini beans and a can of corn (I like corn in my chili). It’s hearty and delicious. Thank you!
This was incredible!! I doubled the recipe when I really should have tripled it- it was gone in just an hour! It’s hearty and perfectly spiced with that tiny amount of cayenne pepper. I’m going to make it again without ground beef for our meatless dinner to help combat climate change (daughter’s idea, but hey, they’re tomorrow’s leaders), and also use ketchup instead of tomato paste. Can’t wait! Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe.
The reason I like 70/30 for burgers is that if you make four in a pan you have enough oil to do a pound of french fries, also the tube slices into 1/4lb patties like mcdonalds. On med. Heat they get 6 min to a side timed by wristwatch.
For this reason I would add the ground beef first, and after the 6min turnover add the onions because 12 min is too long for good fried onions. Also, spices are oil soluble ingredients, so that oil is a good thing, in which the spices should be heated.
Made this last week with ground turkey instead of beef and vegetable stock instead of beef broth. I doubled (or quadrupled? I don’t remember) the cayenne because my husband loves spicy. I’m making this again tonight but I will cut the cumin and sugar in half because while I like the flavor of cumin the amount this recipe used was a punch to the face and gave it a strong curry flavor and the sugar made it a little too sweet. I think whoever makes this recipe in the future should do the same and add more cumin/sugar later on to their liking. Otherwise great recipe, even with the cumin and sweetness. Just prefer less.
I agree that it is on the sweet side – but, I also think this is one of the best bases for chili.
I am leaving the ‘base’ recipe alone – meaning the requested measurements are left in place – what I have enhanced is, adding one chopped (seed removed) jalapeno, half a chopped poblano (seeds removed), and a bit more red pepper. With that being said, allow it to simmer longer, and if possible, eat it the next day. mmmmm…
Wish I had read your comment first! I, too used ground turkey instead of beef and vegetable broth. I also found it to be too sweet, though I didn’t mind the cumin. I also like things spicy so I added a to of red pepper flakes! Thanks for your suggestions.