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.
Making this tonight for the 4th or 5th time. It’s delicious, my family loves it! Perfect spice level (not too spicy) Thank you so much for the recipe! The only thing I do differently is I add my veggies to the onion and jalapeños while the ground beef is browning, otherwise they never seem to cook all the way through. God bless ❤️✝️
Well I have found my new go to chili I made a few minor adjustments cuz I made a bigger badge in to get the jalapeno and then the brown sugar cuz I’m diabetic but all in all love this recipe I added sekuma and I added some black beans I think other than that well I added an extra teaspoon of Truman but other than that and some tomato sauce added to it it’s pretty much exactly the same and outstanding chilling that’s so impressed like I said I found my new go to chili and I’ve made good chili for years but this stuff is phenomenal
So happy you loved it, Sharon!
This chili recipe is absolutely perfect. It has now become my go-to for chili.
I forgot to buy the Jalapeno so I added some extra chilli powder and a little extra cumin because I love cumin. Anyway it’s a great recipe and my wife l loved it and she’s the pickiest person I’ve ever met.
Excellent! Very tasty. Best I’ve had. Will make this my go to chili recipe.
Oh. My. God. We’ve had chili and cornbread, chili cheese Omelettes , and tacos made with chili out of this recipe !! The. Best!!! Thank you!
This is the best chili. My husband and I will always make this recipe now.
So good and simple to make! I omitted the beer (none in the house since i’m pregnant), used green pepper instead of jalapeño, used maple syrup instead of brown sugar, and ate it with some hot sauce and sliced avocado. I love recipes like this that you can throw in one pot and walk away. Can’t wait to have leftovers tomorrow!
This was really good (many recipes don’t have as much tomato in it). I add a drained can of corn (for looks and to increase veggies the kids eat)/ and a few shakes of Frank’s Hot Sauce.
The only chili recipe my entire family loves, including my husband who doesn’t like chili! Thank You! I did cook all the mince, garlic, green peppers, onion, and seasonings together and then slowly incorporated the tomato and water products one at a time because I didn’t have time to let it simmer. I used an entire 170g (one small can) of tomato paste and mixed it with 1 1/2 – 2 cups hot water as we did not have beer. A new addition for me was the beef stock (I used a pod of Knox concentrated beef stock) and I think it balanced it well without overwhelming the mix. Thank you for helping us find a recipe the whole family loves! Just one of many this site has helped us with. :)
This is the best chili! Made it exactly as listed. Used the beef stock instead of the beer. The key is the chili powder. Use the recipe supplied. Way better than plain old chili powder. The one thing I did do was mash half the kidney beans. Still get the bean with out the texture. Beanlicious! LOL
Can you make this in a crockpot?
Hi Lauren, it should turn out delicious in a crockpot too. We also have this delicious crockpot chili recipe you could try as well!
What kind of beer do you recommend using?
Hi Rachel, You can use any beer you have on hand. The darker the beer the more flavor it will have. For a light flavor, we enjoy using a light beer like bud light.
As they say… it requires a sophistication and expertise to create something “simple”(-ly DELICIOUS!) This recipes got me from “my” longtime chili flavor to “real restaurant” sumptuousness, with a few changes. This chili is not patently different than my basic recipe BUT the proportions of ingredients make a HUGE difference. The “Chili Powder” recipe is revelatory! I have already used a packet starter and added various flavorings to taste; however, the Chili Powder is waaaaay better than pre-mixed brand packets— and you can customize to any fickle tickles of your palate. A couple of things I do which make it to my taste: I add gourmet hot Italian sausage & crushed San Marzano tomatoes.
Those sound like amazing additions, Maggie! So glad you enjoyed this recipe.
This recipe had great flavor, but husband didn’t like how much liquid it had. I would scale down the liquid to maybe 1/2 of bear and 1 cup beef stock.
Great recipes!!
I couldn’t wait to try this recipe! It is easy and tastes wonderful. Just the right amount of EVERYTHING! If you haven’t tried it, you are really missing out. We had cornbread with ours. I also printed it for my granddaughters cook book I just made her for her Birthday last month!
This was the best pot a chili I have ever made!!! Definitely a keeper! That’s why I always turn to Holly when I need a recipe- the recipe always turns out perfect
❤️❤️
Best Chili I’ve had!, followed recipe exactly, even added optional items, brown sugar is key!, no change to the recipe required, it’s a keeper. Thank you Holly!
I made this today and it was truly amazing!!! What I did differently was to add the minced garlic when browning the beef, as well as salt, pepper and garlic powder. I always liked seasoning the meat before adding in anything else. I used the chili seasoned diced tomatoes in the can which adds extra flavour. I used beer as the recipe called for and not extra broth. I had it on a slow simmer for 1 hour and that was it!! So easy to make. I made a whole pot and I’m left with 1 bowlful for lunch tomorrow!!