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.
Made this for supper for the first time this evening – I am definitely making this again. 🙂 I made small changes to the recipe: browned beef with chili powder, then added to pot and added more chili powder; added corn to the chili; and less than exactly doubled the yield. It’s great! I happily found myself delighting in spoonful after spoonful before it was done simmering. 🙂
Love this chili recipe! So good and so easy! The only thing I changed is I use diced petite tomatoes with chiles and I/2 bad frozen fire roasted corn. Spices are perfect!!
Made this for Halloween and it was the highlight of the night, everyone loved it and took some home. Making it again tonight for dinner!
Very nice depth of flavor in a short period of time! I used ground pork as that is what I had in the freezer.
Made this with plant based ‘meat’ for my vegetarian friend. She said it was the best chili. Even my meat-eating husband liked it.
I added about tap white pepper, 1/2 tsp cinnamon & smoked paprika, as well as some pinto beans.
Delicious! I’m so glad I tried this recipe!! I’ve been making Chile for years but this is by far the best I ever made.
Had anyone substituted the kidney beans and did pinto or black beans instead? If so, how’d it taste? Did you used canned beans?!
Wow. It’s the best chili I’d made. At the beginning I thought would be too much cumin following the recipe, but it turned out really tasty with all the ingredients. Amazing! Thank you so much
I omitted the sugar and substituted beer for beef broth plus I did use cayenne. Amazing 😋
Really easy and yummy recipe. Made it without the tomato sauce and a bit less sugar. I didn’t feel any heat at first so I put around double the amount of cayenne pepper and it was perfect.
If I do 2 lbs of hamburger should I just double everything else?
I made this recipe and it was absolutely wonderful. I will be using this every time I feel like chili. Thank you for sharing it.
Absolutely wonderful seasonings mix. l be making another batch of the seasoning to keep on hand. My foodie friend never likes my chili! But this time – WOW. I did add the cayenne. It was perfect moderate heat. I used ground round 85/15 and that worked out very nicely. Kudos.
Sorry but this just isn’t the chili for our family. Waaayyyyy too much cumin for our tastes.
Loved this recipe! It made chilli actually taste good again. I have already given it two several people. Thank you Amanda!
I made this today for the first time and while it was simmering on the stove my neighbour messaged me to ask what I was cooking because it smelled so good, both she and her son really wanted to try it and could they have some? I’m not lying! LOL Of course I brought some over and she just messaged me to let me know they loved it! I just tried it too and it’s a keeper! Thank you 🙂
This was the best chili I have ever eaten!
My family really likes this recipe! These are a couple modifications that I like (though it is very good as is!)
I like my chili more solid:
– Drain the diced tomatoes, too.
– Use 2/3 the amount of beef broth in the recipe.
For a some more color:
– Substitute black beans for 1/2 of the kidney beans.
– Instead of the cayenne, thinly slice a couple of fresh jalapenos and stir them in at the end (maybe save some for garnish).
The bright green jalapenos and black beans looked beautiful in the dish!
Listened to the comments and cut out the cayenne and halved the sugar. I also used low sodium beef broth, half the salt, and ground turkey instead of beef. Overall, pretty good! Even though I halved the sugar, I still found it pretty sweet for my taste. I’ll probably do about 1/2 tbsp next time.
I am from Cincinnati, Ohio and we put spaghetti in our chili. Added the spaghetti at the end of the 25 minutes(raw), cooked about ten more minutes—Delicious