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.
Yum!!! I eased up on the spices cause hubby is a wimp, but it’s perfect and very flavorful. Sugar, who’d a thought? I used less of that too. Really enjoyed this Chili!
i love chili but never made it before , i looked up recipes and this popped up with over 1000k likes and 5 stars . i must say it was really good , i would like it to be a little more spicey next time , i may try to add a little crushed red pepper or more cayenne ! i layered my bowl with tortilla chips then some cheese , put chili ontop with alittle more cheese and sour cream ! sitting fat on my couch ….
Finally a great base recipe for chili! Tried many but this is by far the best. After making it as directed, I have since made some adjustments for our tastes: reduce chili powder to 2 Tbsp, cumin to 1 Tbsp, and omit sugar; sub bottle of beer for broth. Thanks!
Delicious chili and easy. I use extra beans and omit the cayenne also. I will definitely make this again.
Made this recipe for the first time. it’s perfect with added cayenne (1/2tsp). The depth of flavor is what is most attractive about this recipe. Many chili recipes I’ve made are lacking that fullness of flavor and well balanced as well. A keeper for our family. Thanks
I am a vegan and this is by far the best chili recipe. I use vegetable stock in lieu of the beef stock and I do not use meat or any soy product which is tofu or tempeh. I use everything else and this chili is soooooo delicious. I use it just the way it is listed above except no meat products (beef or beef stock)! Love it! Love it! Love it!
I wish I could give it a 100 stars!
The entire household loved this chilli. Best I have ever made. The many various spices made the difference.
Love it !! Thanks you so much for sharing this recipe
I made thus but changed it up just a bit because I don’t eat red meat. I subbed ground turkey for the beef and vegetable broth for the beef broth. I used Rotel in place of the diced tomatoes and added 2 more cans of beans (1 ea of white cannelini and pinto) because I wanted to stretch the portions and love beans. I used McCormick brand chili powder because it is not as spicy, included the cayenne and a diced jalapeno because we like some heat. My 15 year old grandson ate 7 bowls. 7. My pickiest 12 yo grandson couldn’t stop saying how awesome the chili was. His friend almost licked the bowl clean. I had made a batch and a half and between 5 of us there was barely any left overs. This was indeed the best chili. It is now the only recipe I will use and will be adding it to the rotation. I made it early in the morning and then put it in crock pot on warm to sit all day. It made the house smell amazing and was SO worth the wait. You will not be disappointed. I asked the kids and my honey if they could tell I used Turkey and they said they would have never known…. 🙂 Winning.
Love this recipe! My only change is I up the broth a touch, and use a potato masher while it’s cooking to break up the beans and thicken it up. Delicious!
Very easy, however my boyfriend is a hunter, and we had ground Elk in the freezer. No fat it’s leener than beef.
Delicious.
This is a family favorite! I swap sugar for brown sugar and add half a bag of MÉlange À Trois peppers from Trader Joe’s and a little bit of chocolate. So delicious!!
Super easy. I used black beans because I don’t like the others. This was the best chili I have ever made.
My new favorite chili recipe!
Forgot to add the rating!,
Thanks for the recipe! It was yummy! I made it with ground turkey and pinto beans since that is what I had. My husband and I enjoyed it!
Made this twice and it’s now my go to chili recipe. I am so happy that I stumbled upon this gem. Thanks!
I’ve made a lot of chili over the years. The combination of spices made this absolutely awesome. My husband who loves spicy was really impressed. I’ve highlighted this in my recipe list. I think it will be my go to from now on. I put the leftovers into a Chili Mac casserole topped with pickled jalapeno peppers and melted cheese.
This recipe was really. Just wondering, if I wanted to double the amount of meat, would I need to add more liquid as well?
*really good.
Way too much cumin and chili powder. Not enough garlic. I tastes straight up like dry seasoning. I’m going to let it simmer for longer to see if maybe the seasons marry more with everything.