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 is an excellent recipe. My husband doesn’t like sweet meat so instead of 2 table spoons of sugar I use 2 Table spoons of ketchup. I figured it will make it just slightly sweet without tasting the sugar. The first time I made this chili I tried only adding 1 table spoon of sugar and he said it was too sweet so that’s why I use ketchup instead. Other than that slight change, I follow as directed and it comes out perfect everytime.
This Chili was really good! I didn’t use the cayenne pepper and cut back salt to 1/2 teaspoon because of health restrictions. I will be making this again.
I love your recipe, Amanda. I’ve madeit several times now. I have another recipe that is also amazing, but it takes hours and has a ton of ingredients. This one is honestly just as good and is now my go-to. Thank you! You’ve made my life easier and my family gets chili for often now! <3
Best chili ever! I didn’t have beef broth so I used chicken broth. Amazing!
Really good, simple chili. I have made it several times. Instead of cayenne I add a chopped fresh jalapeno.
My husband loves this chili so much that I have to double the recipe and it’s just the two of us.
Do you drain the fat off the ground beef before adding the seasonings ??
I dont drain the fat, it adds more flavor.
I always drain a good bit when I make this. I leave a little for flavor. I like to use the 90/10 hamburger meat from Sam’s and make a big batch. LOVE this recipe ❤❤
I never do. Flavor lies in the fat!
Nope!
I did, but I used 80/20 and cooked the meat separate and thed added the meat to the onions after I drained the grease.
Sherri, it’s 90percent lean ground beef so there really won’t be fat to speak of ( and it will really need the cooking oil to start). If you use 85 percent beef, then drain it.
Not if you are using ground beef with only 10% fat.. But if using 20 % I would drain about half the fat out … But not all of it .. Also be sure if you’re gunna drain a little not to cook it with the onions otherwise you will lose that onion flavor
I would, I used grass fed 80/20 but there wasn’t anything to drain … u did pat the meat with a paper towel to remove any excess grease.
I used 85/15 ground beef, and drained the fat. Turned out delicious
I was wondering the same thing myself.
Can’t speak for the author of this excellent recipe, but if you use 90% or higher lean beef, there won’t be a whole lot to drain. Most of the liquid is actually water and will evaporate if you keep cooking the beef at low heat. But by all means drain off any fat if you use 85% or lower ground beef.
I found that the 90% beef really doesn’t leave enough fat to worry about draining it off. What is in the pan gives extra flavor. I would think that if you prefer to drain it- go for it!
I just made this last night and it was DELICIOUS. I was actually wondering the same thing but I ended up not draining it. I did use the 90% lean beef suggested so there wasn’t too, too much to drain but I’m going to try to drain it last night.
Like a previous review, I will also try only one tablespoon of sugar. I would say this recipe is mildly spicy with the cayenne suggested. If anyone wants it to be very spicy, you’d have to double the cayenne.
I was looking for the “world’s best chili”.. this is what popped up.. I’m telling you this is the BEST!! I think not draining the oil off , and the beef broth was a great spin.
I made some substitutions (I was out of kidney beans so I used black and was out of chili powder so I googled a substitute chili powder recipe and made that), this was delicious! I was bummed there were no leftovers to enjoy! I am saving this recipe and will definitely make again (I already bought the missing ingredients so I can copy it AS IS this time!)
I don’t personally, and have never had an issue. To me it’s just added flavor, but then I again everyone has their own take on these things.
I almost never drain off the fat when using ground beef. That’s just flavour as far as I’m concerned. Used this recipe this evening the chili turned out great.
I know the recipe called for 90% lean ground beef so maybe using that produces less fat in the pan. However, I used 80/20 so there was definitely grease and I drained it after I browned the beef and before adding the spices. I think it would be way to greasy if you don’t drain a higher fat ground beef.
I’ve made this recipe several times and I do not drain the beef after cooking it.
definitely a favorite
Making it today very easy I used veg broth ground turkey pork and beef mix..added two cans of beans cause my guy loves beans tastes great
Quick and taste great.
Love, love, love this chili. We omit the cayenne (there’s plenty of heat without it) and use no salt beef broth AND only half the amt of salt called for. It’s perfect, even for this salt lover! So good!
Holly, about salt. I was lowering my salt intake for health and blood pressure reasons. I had labs done, got an emergency call from my doc saying I had hyponatremia, low salt in my blood, a condition that is lethal!!! Yes you can die from not enough sodium in the blood. A year later, my sodium is just under the normal average. I’d be very careful with this. And you can’t just dump a bunch of salt in your body, it will go the other way. Balance is key. I wanted to pass this along.
Native Texan here. I only use one tablespoon of sugar, otherwise follow the recipe. Very good if you like beans in your chili. I do use the cayenne and find it mildly spicy by Texas standards. Using Rotelle in place of petite diced kicks it up even more.
I have this bubbling on the stove now. Used corona beer instead of beef stock and Rotelle tomatoes. Keeping it on the mild side because I am sharing with my friend who is very ill with cancer.
I also reduced the Sugar to 1lbs and I found that was too sweet; I think the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and tomato paste had enough sugar… might go down to 1tsp or omit completely next time … and I will be making this again.
I use 1/2 of the ground beef that is recommended for the recipe and then I add and a nice grilled ribeye steak chopped up and put in the sauce. It gives it that extra great steak flavor.You should try it.
I just omit the beans
I wish I would have read the reviews before making this. It was far too sweet for me. I would only use 1 tablespoon or less. The amount of sugar ruined the chili for me.
I’m a vegetarian. I use fake beef crumbles, fake beef stock. Brown the onions first & put it all mixed in a crock pot all day. Added 2 tbls butter & another 1/2 cup broth. This is the best chili I’ve ever had. Always go back to this one. THANK YOU!!!
Love the spice blend. I didn’t have a can of tomato sauce so substituted a can of V8🤗
This is the BEST chili recipe. The combination of spicy and sweet is wonderful. I sometimes add black beans and some canned or frozen corn. My husband loves this chili, and he’s pretty particular.
This recipe is WOW! My husband thought it was too sweet so I will add 1 TBS of sugar when I make it again. I also added a green pepper as a personal preference but the basics of this recipe make it versatile and delicious.
5 stars
I skip the diced tomatos and beef broth
I just use tomato sauce
I also add 1/2 box of cooked sphaghtti too. It’s a Cincinnati, OH thing and the way my mom made it.
I alwaya refer to this recipe for my dry ingredient amounts.
Only way I ever had chili as a kid. also from Cincy!
Perfect! Best chili I’ve ever had.
I make this chili every time I make it! My family loves it, so much when my Gma hears I’m making it she has me come grab Tupperware for them as well! Highly recommended
Very nice reciepe Amanda. What initially impressed me after making this chili was, strangely, the color. The chili gravy shimmers with a deep redish brown hue which IMO gives the appearance that what you’ll be experiencing is a delicious rich flavor. I am certainly not a food snob, I just like what I eat to look good. More importantly was that the flavor of this receipe is much of everything I like in a chili. I made only minor adjustments simply to appease my own pallet and my constant desire to put my own spin on things I enjoy. I had cut the 1 lb of lean beef to a half pound and added a half pound of ground pork sausage. I added two small/medium Pablamo peppers (chopped) and three small/medium Jalapenos (chopped). Since the pandemic I have been outdoors doing more of what I love such as traveling the US car camping with my kayak and mountain bike in tow. I enjoy one pot meals you can simply heat up and make in advance. Nothing is better IMO than a meal that only gets better in flavor after it’s been refrigerated or even frozen to heat up later. I reside in Missouri (about an hour and a half West of St. Louis) and headed next week to the Current River for an outing. I’m not at all afraid of the cold but certainly will appreciate this receipe at the end of the day around a fire. Thanks for sharing.
Absolutely hearty & delicious! My hubs, twins and daughter ate it all up!!
I make this chili all the time because chili is just one of my favorite foods and I, admittedly, make it year round. I’ve made this recipe for about a year and a half maybe longer and I love it every time. I occasionally tweak it with a little beer ( sounds weird but it’s really good) but usually I’ll just keep it simple and throw it in the crock pot for a few hours and boom. Happy husband and happy me!