The Best Chili Recipe is one that is loaded with beef and beans and absolutely full of flavor… just like this one! Chili is hands down one of my husband’s favorite meals (and I love it because it’s easy to make)!
This easy chili recipe cooks on the stovetop and is perfect served alongside Homemade Cornbread, buttered toast or Buttermilk Biscuits. Add in your favorite toppings like cheese and onions for the perfect meal.
How to Make Chili
While I sometimes make crockpot chili, this easy version is great for a weeknight meal!
Seasonings:
- The seasonings in this recipe are chili powder and cumin. Store bought or homemade chili powder work well in this recipe.
- What is in Chili Powder? Sweet paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, onion powder, oregano and cumin.
- Mix Chili Powder into the raw ground beef before cooking to ensure every morsel is seasoned to perfection.
Beans:
- I use canned red kidney beans but pinto beans or black beans work as well.
- Rinse beans (unless using chili beans) before adding to remove excess salt and starches.
- Chili beans add great flavor! What are chili beans? Usually either pinto or kidney beans with added flavors in a chili style sauce.
How to Cook Chili
- Brown the beef, onions, garlic and some of the chili powder.
- Drain any fat.
- Simmer Add remaining ingredients and simmer uncovered.
To Thicken Chili
When making chili on the stove, I simmer it uncovered which allows the chili to naturally thicken without having to add cornstarch or flour. While thickening chili by simmering is the best option, you may not always have time to let it reduce. If you don’t have time to simmer it to thicken you can sprinkle in a little bit of cornmeal or make a cornstarch or flour slurry and add it in.
If you can spare a few extra minutes, just let it simmer uncovered.
Variations
Spice Level This chili is just right for our liking but you can increase or reduce the spice level to your liking. For extra heat, leave the seeds in your jalapenos or add a few dashes of hot sauce or a sprinkle of chili flakes.
Ground Beef Any ground meat will work in this recipe from chicken to turkey. If your meat has a lot of fat, be sure to drain it before simmering.
Beer I love the depth of flavor that a bit of beer adds. Feel free to skip the beer and use extra broth.
Swap the Spices Spice up your chili any way you’d like. To make a tex-mex chili, toss in a packet of taco seasoning.
Can You Freeze Chili?
100% yes!!! Chili freezes and reheats beautifully. We freeze it in single sized portions for lunches or in freezer bags for a quick and easy weeknight meal.
Defrost in the fridge overnight and heat in a saucepan (or the microwave) to serve.
More Chili Recipes You’ll Love
- Instant Pot Chili
- Easy Crock Pot Chili Recipe
- Texas Chili
- Green Chili Recipe
- 15 Bean Slow Cooker Chili
- Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
- Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Chili
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 onion diced
- 1 jalapeño seeded and finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 ½ tablespoons chili powder divided, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 green bell pepper seeded and diced
- 14.5 ounces crushed tomatoes 1 can
- 19 ounces canned red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices
- 1 ½ cups beef broth
- 1 cup beer
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar optional
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine ground beef and 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder.
- In a large pot, brown ground beef, onion, jalapeno, and garlic. Drain any fat.
- Add in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 45-60 minutes or until chili has reached desired thickness.
- Top with cheddar cheese, green onions, cilantro or other favorite toppings.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Tex Mex© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Toppings for Chili
My #1 favorite of course is cornbread or just plain ol’ toast with butter. Pretty much any bread to sop up whatever is left in the bottom of my bowl! 30 Minute Dinner Rolls are great with chili too! If you need to stretch out the meal, serve it over white rice.
I always put out a collection of toppings… and while everyone has a different idea as to what goes with chili I have a few staples:
- sour cream
- red or green onion
- cheddar cheese or monterey jack
- jalapenos
- cilantro, avocado & lime wedges
- croutons or tortilla chips
Is Chili Healthy
Yes, it’s lean beef loaded with tomatoes and beans (and veggies if you’d like). Tons of fiber, protein and flavor all in one bowl! Be sure you’re using lean beef and drain any fat (or use ground chicken/turkey if you prefer).
Choose low sodium or low sugar products to reduce the salt and sugar in this recipe.
an I’m going to start following your recipes thanks for the recipe
This was probably my most favorite chilli I’ve made! Thank you
I didn’t have beer so I used V 8 juice, I didn’t have a jalapeño so I used a little Cheyenne Pepper, I used a can of rotel tomatoes and a can of fire roasted tomatoes and chilli beans because my husband hates kidney beans. It sounds like a lot of substitutes but I used what I had and it was delicious! 😋
Delicious! Straight forward and tastes like restaurant chili. Yum!
This recipe is super easy. I did not have any jalapeno so I did not use that, and we do not like bell peppers so those were out too. But I did substitute in a heaping tablespoon of diced Chipotles and sauce. Also instead of diced tomatoes I used two cans of crushed tomatoes with the chili seasoning. Turned out great. It’s now my go-to and I think I’m going to have to start reading double batches from now on.
I’ve made my chili using all these ingredients (minus the beer) all of my life. I do cook the veggies separate from the ground beef, just my personal preference. My difference is that I add beefy onion lipton soup packet, after my meat is cooked and drained…along with paste, broth and seasonings. I wish that I could have the jalapeno..use red pepper flakes instead. Holly’s recipe is a guarantee to a yummy pot of chili…Thank you!
so then it’s not the same recipe.
This chilli recipe is so easy and delicious!
Love this recipe!!! Thanks
It was delicious, but I made it too spicy for myself. Which spices should I cut back on to make it a little less hot?
The spice could have been from the jalapeno. You could either remove all the seeds from the jalapeno or if you really wanted to cut back on the heat leave it out.
Easy and delicious!
Wow, I really love your chili recipe. Best chili recipe I’ve ever had. Thank you, it’s hard to stop eating. it. Thanks again. ❤️
Tried this and it was great!
Nice and easy. 1 pot.
Used 3 lbs of ground beef instead of 2 and it was perfectly thick and hearty. 👌
For the beans I used 2 cans. 1 with dark red kidney beans and one with chili beans.
10/10
great recipe!
Thanks for the recipe. It was delicious.
Overall a really great recipe! 2lbs of ground meat is really quite a lot. I used 1lb and it was still quite meat heavy for how much liquid this recipe calls for. Probably just personal preference though. Also, general rule of thumb: don’t cook your meat with your vegetables. Cook your meat with the called for amount of chili powder but then drain the excess fat, set your meat aside temporarily, and cook your vegetables in the residual fat. Cooking it all together will likely give you really soggy vegetables by the end of the cook time, since they’ll absord a lot of the fat that you would have been able to drain if you cook the meat first. Also, and maybe more importantly, cooking the meat and veggies together might sacrifice some texture and depth of flavor to the meat/not cook the meat thoroughly before you add the liquids. And I don’t really see a need to put in the green pepper separate, after the liquids have been added, as the recipe suggests. Do all the veggies together and season them lightly before adding liquids so that they absorb even more of the same flavors that the rest of the chili will have!
Great chili recipe Holly. Added a small can of hot rotel diced tomatoes bc my husband loves heat. Riley, Perhaps it’s time to start your own recipe blog. Holly’s been providing delicious recipes for years and many of us have learned a lot from her site.
My sentiments exactly. And nicely said. 👍🏼
Gee Liz, sounds like you have a great chili recipe and also teach how to cook, too! I’d like to see your version of chili if you would post it. BTW, you CAN cook your meat and veg together if your good enough.
Riley, you must be a teacher, otherwise you should start a blog with your own recipes.
I followed your smart suggestion to separately cook meat and veggies, and liked the control it gave me! Surely ok and simpler to consolidate them on a busy day, but I enjoy taking the time. Anyway, I was also fussing with perfecting the beans since I started with dry instead of canned for superior texture. (Have I only cooked with dry beans handful of times? Am I still going to sing their praise? Yes and yes). I made a few other mods according to my taste and fridge contents, like fermented chili paste instead of jalapeño.
Overall a dependable recipe that opens a lot of options. This is what chili should taste like.
Great recipe. I modified to make it just a bit spicier. I love the veggies included in the chili as it adds an additional crunch to the texture.
Amazing results, I recommend leaving out the beer. I tried it both ways there’s truly no difference.