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.
This went over super well with my family! We added it to our favorite meal board! I only used about half an onion because none of us like too much onion and it seemed to hit the spot just right. I also used diced tomatoes with chilis so I didn’t add any cayenne pepper and it had plenty of kick.
The best chili recipe ever!!! Perfect blend of spices.. Even my kids who never liked chili loved it..I added an extra can of beans for thicker chili. Topped mine with chopped red onion, sour cream, crushed crackers and shredded cheese. Saving this recipe to use it again and again.
Need green peppers
Wow great chili I doubled the recipe everything came out great
I’m eating this right now! This is one of the best recipes for chili, hands down! Thank you for sharing.
Just eating it right now. Both of us oohing and ahhing. So easy! Skipped the sugar, guesstimated on a few amounts, but followed the recipe as written otherwise. Thanks.
This Chilli was amazing! I make it all the time! Totally recommend
It was overall a good flavor. I liked the way the sugar played off of the spices. However, for us I felt for us the amount of spice recommended for the volumn of ingredients made it too intense and over powered any flavor of meat, so I will be decreasing the amount of Cumin and Chili Powder next time. I would recommend half the Cumin and Chili Powder that was in the recipe, then if more is needed it can be gradually added in.
too tomatoey
Jacob, try cooking your tomatoes a little longer to reduce the tomato taste. Choice of tomatoes can make a difference as well as the size. Maybe a smaller dice would help. I always cook it longer at a low temperature. Hope this helps.
You could always add more seasoning.
i did half the tomato sauce and 2/3 or the diced. added ghost pepper hot sauce 1 teaspoon, 4 diced crimini mushrooms and a diced green bell pepper. Best. Chilli. Ever. Thanks for the foundation recipe (my new fav)
so dont add so many tomatoes…….
5 STARRS
VERY GOOD CHILI!! It tastes amazing but I would recommend only putting 1 tablespoon of sugar instead of 2 and adding some bell peppers and minced garlic in there too but it tastes AWESOME!
The first time I made this I thought it was too sweet and didn’t have enough beans. Second time around I doubled the beans and tomato paste – it was excellent!
Very good. Next time will double the meat and beans plus add 3 Tbl chopped canned green chilies.
My family loved the chili…they said it was the best chili I’ve ever made!
This was so yummy! I wanted to try exactly and it was great. Next time I’m going to add a couple jalapeños for a little bit more spice.
I enjoyed it but, it was too much sugar for me. I thought it over powered the taste of the chili. And it could use a bit more chili powder.
Other than the sugar very good.
2 tablespoons of cumin?? I followed recipe and only tasted cumin
I have made this chili for about a year. From the start I left out sugar but followed all other steps. My family asks for it every other month. I tweak it every so often, using white onion instead of yellow, black beans instead of kidney or pinto, and sometimes add diced bacon. Always delicious!
My family absolutely loves this chili!!!!!
Wanted something quick and easy for neighborhood chili competition. Never made it before. Won 1st place! I added bay leaf…just cuz that’s what mom did with everything. Also added maybe a 1/2 teaspoon of Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce (didn’t want to buy cayenne pepper just for this occasion).
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. It was so good I had a bowl for breakfast! 🙂