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.
Great recipe. I left out the cumin, and reduced the sugar by 1/4. I added chopped mushrooms. And I left it cook for a few hours. If you decrease the spicy ingredients, you can add hot sauce at the end to accommodate the diner’s taste. This is a great recipe as a basis. I served four and there was plenty for seconds.
Tom in Scottsdale, AZ
I have now made this recipe 3x in the last 6 weeks. It is FABULOUS!!!!Thank you so much. I cannot wait to check out some of your other recipe’s. Keep them coming. With appreciation, Jackie
I’ve been making this recipe for over a year. It was the first chili recipe I ever made, and it’s been a favorite recipe since then. I like that it has a good meat to bean ratio (more meat than beans). There’s constantly 6-7 servings. I add sour cream, cheddar cheese, sweet corn, and sometimes jalapenos. I usually make sweet cornbread with it too. Once I doubled the recipe and froze half, and it still tasted great a month later, although it did take over 24 hours to thaw in the fridge.
This is a great recipe. I reduced the sugar as I like to put some dark chocolate in my chili and I reduced to cumin to 1 tablespoon. But definitely a low hassle good yield chili recipe.
Excellent! My spouse complimented every spoonful! Will make again with real garlic, less sugar (although it is not sweet), and bay leaves. Easy and delicious!
Finally found a recipe that tastes like chili.
I really like this recipe, but 2 tablespoons of sugar is too much. I ended up with really sweet chili. Next time, I will cut back to 1 tablespoon or less.
This was the best chili that I have made! My husband doesn’t do spicy, so I omitted the cayenne. I will definitely make this again!
I didn’t have beef broth so I made my own out of bullion cubes. I also didn’t have tomato sauce so I used pasta sauce. I used fresh garlic instead of garlic powder and we use 80/20 beef. My husband says it’s the best chili he’s ever had – and he’s eaten ALOT of chili.
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This is an awesome recipe! This the the first homemade recipe that turned out GREAT!
Best chili I’ve ever had, thank you for the recipe
Thanks for the recipe 🙂 It was too sweet for me. I added some vinegar that someone suggested to tone it down but it didn’t really work. I’d just leave it out next time.
I have never made chili before, and this was super easy! I did sub with ground turkey and chicken broth, used half red and half white kidney beans for color, and added half a can of black beans too. I wanted it to have more liquid than the video showed, and therefore used 3/4 of the amount of meat. Used all the spice as listed except no sugar, and half the cayenne, but next time I am going to use 3/4. It was fantastic!
This is a very rich tasting chili. My grandkids who don’t like chili couldn’t get enough! I doubled the recipe but did not double the spices. I added a little extra salt and garlic powder. This is going to be the family go to recipe.
This recipe was a hit with my family! So tasty and wholesome. We served with cheese buns!
Made this chili about a month ago to taste test and is now our new Christmas Eve go-to meal!! It’s super delicious and easy. One of the best (if not THE BEST) chili dishes I’ve ever made!
Meant to add to my previous post … I thought the cumin would be too much… absolutely wasn’t!
made it for the first time, and it came out fab.
This was great chili. I made a double batch for a party outside, and there was barely any left at the end. I also added a can of garbanzo beans, which is a personal fave of mine. Thanks for the recipe!