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.
Better than my mom used to make. Lol
If you are serving more than 2 people you definitely want to double it.
I only had chicken broth and used some shredded steak. So good I am even going to print out the recipe (which is a rarity)
Thanks!
I made this for my parents and my siblings. They loved it and told me I had to make it again sometime. Thank you so much for this recipe!
I made the recipe as published here. mmm nothing to envy Wendys.
Very yummy and easy to make. Added 2tbls each of paprika and chili flakes. Topped it off with shredded cheddar cheese. Everyone loved it.
Simple. Brilliant. Best chili I’ve ever made …and I’ve made a lot. It never occurred to me to add a bit of sugar, but it made sense when I read it!
Can this be cooked using a crock pot or slow cooker?
I put a tbsp & half because 2 tbsp was to sweet for me. Everything else was perfect & I loved it.
Damn good chili! Made this a few nights ago (doubled so we had leftovers), and each time we devoured, it tasted better and better. The only change I made was adding extra cayenne pepper as I somehow ran out of chili powder (who does that?!). I topped with freshly grated Tillamook cheddar (the best!), a dollop of sour cream and a few extra dashes of hot sauce. And of course served with cornbread. Definitely adding this one to my collection – thank you for sharing!
Fantastic chili recipe. Made as stated other than I used my frozen tomatoes in place of petite. For myself, I might have cut back on the cayenne pepper, but hubby thinks it’s just right amount. Served with cornbread. Will make this again.
Can this be made in a crockpot
I made it in the Crock-Pot. I cooked the ground beef and onions first then added them to the Crock-Pot with the rest of the ingredients. I cooked on high for 4 hours.
I’ve made this two weeks in a row because I love the flavor. It’s very classic chili the combination is just how I like it. I love adding avocado, sour cream and cheese to my chili to make it creamy and I put a tad more cayenne than suggested because I like a spicy chili.
Made this recipe with Rancho Gordo pinto beans. Soaked dry beans overnight and rinsed, cooked about 2 hrs. I cooked onions & meat in a separate pan and added some brown sugar also. Instead of broth I added the beans & pot liquor and cooked a while longer. Served with cornbread- yummy!
What is pot liquor?
I just made it. I used cubed Chuck loin roast. I used half for k-bobs last half tonight for chili. I used diced tomato’s with green peppers and garlic. 1tbs Chile pepper 1tsp cumin. All the rest the same oh 2 cans kidney beans. Plus 2soup spoons of mild jalepeno peppers. Yummy and relatively quick.
My husband thought it was the best chili he had ever had. And did not realize that I had substituted ground turkey for the beef.
Great classic recipe. Sweeter than I thought it would be, but I added a little liquid smoke and it really set off the flavor. Delicious!
I added 1 1/2 TABLESPOONS of salt and pepper to my chili 😂😂 it will still be good I hope
My first time making chili bean…everbody loved it ..this recepie is a keeper.thank you
Hi Amanda would it be the same recipe with extra meat ( like 2.0 lbs of meat for example ) or would I need to double the seasoning also, I’m a little leary when it come to cumin as it is easy to overpower your dish , thanks for the recipe, I may just wing it and let your followers know how it came out in case I don’t receive a reply before making the chili. Thanks for the recipe , James T.
Double everything if you want to make extra chilly
Making this for the first time now. I will simmer it for a couple hours. Took a couple tastes and decided I should have left out the sugar. I think because the tomato paste I used was very sweet. So I added a tablespoon of white vinegar to cut through the sweet, as well as some additional cumin because I love cumin. It’s tasting pretty darn good now and will just get better with time. Thick spaghetti, then chili, then kidney beans, then shredded cheddar, then grated onion. That’s how I build it.
Double all the seasoning minus the cumin
I made this last night for me and my boyfriend and omg, it was SO good!!! I used a little extra cayenne, a teaspoon of adobo (I’m Puerto Rican, cant help it) and added an extra teaspoon of pure sugar. So so so good. Thanks for sharing your recipe!!!!
This is second time we made the recipe. I’ve added angus ribeye steak in chunks and it’s amazing and hearty. For those that like a kick I have cooked jalapeños on side.