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Home » Dinner » Beef » The Best Chili Recipe

The Best Chili Recipe

Created: January 18, 2019 Updated: January 4, 2023 by Lyuba Brooke 32 Comments

34.5K shares
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This Chili recipe is so delicious, made with bacon, ground beef, vegetables, beans, and a perfect combination of spices to make chili seasoning. This perfectly comforting and classic dish makes a great weekend dinner. Make a big batch of it because chili is even better reheated than it is freshly made. 

Chili is also a great dish to serve at football parties and my Boozy Chili is a perfect choice for that. Turkey Chili is a great healthy option for a protein loaded and lean dinner. No matter what chili you make, don’t forget to serve some homemade cornbread with it.

top view of chili in a white bowl with jalapeno and cheese toppings.

Why It’s Best Cold Weather Food

Would anyone be surprised if I said that beef chili is my kid’s favorite dish? I am still surprised, especially since it is baby girl’s absolute favorite thing to eat. Yes, my 16-month old loves chili more than anything.

I am more than happy to spend a couple of hours making a big batch of chili for the family. Chili is a healthy dish because it’s made with lean meat, vegetables, and beans. It’s loaded with protein, fiber, and iron.

Besides tasting great, I like adding beans to my chili because it does have great nutritional value. So if you’re debating whether to add beans to chili or not, I say go for it!

Now, my Texas friends, don’t come after me for putting beans in the chili. I know that the original Chili Con Carne is made with meat and chilis and many Texans stay true to the original chili recipe. On the other hand, the idea of putting beans in the chili has been around for a long time now and in a way, it’s just as classic as the original way.

Tradition or not, when it comes to cooking for yourself and the family, we all do what we like best. And of course, what tastes the best.

ingredients to make chili recipe in a cutting board.

Step-By-Step Instructions:

searing diced bacon in a Dutch oven.
breaking up ground beef to sear it in a pot.

1. Sear the bacon and ground beef. Sear diced bacon first, until it’s mostly done and add ground beef. Beak it up as much as you can and mix and cook until most of the meat had turned dark. Take it all out of the pot and set aside.

cooking ground beef and bacon together.
cooking diced veggies in a Dutch oven.

2. Sauté veggies. Add a little more oil if needed and sauté onions and peppers until mostly softened. Once softened, make room for minced garlic and sauté until garlic is fragrant. Mix everything and add back the meats.

adding minced garlic to the softened veggies in a pot.
stirring seared veggies and ground beef together.

3. Beans, tomatoes, and seasoning. Drain beans and add them to the pot. Add can of diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and all the seasoning. Mix everything very well and stir in the beef stock.

adding beans, tomatoes, and seasoning to the chili.
adding beef stock to the chili in the pot.

4. Cook! Bring the chili to a low boil and then lower the heat to low. Cover with a lid but leave a small crack for the steam to escape. Cook on low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remember to stir from time to time!

stirring cooked chili in a pot.

How To Make It In A Crock Pot

Slow cooker lovers will be happy to know that chili recipe can just as easily be made in a Crock Pot.

Begin by browning bacon in a cooking pan, over medium heat. Add ground beef, break it all up, and cook until beef is browned. Transfer beef and bacon mixture into a Crock Pot.

In the same pan where you cooked beef, add onions, peppers, and jalapeno. Sauté veggies until softened and add smashed and minced garlic. Sauté until garlic is fragrant and transfer veggie mixture onto the Crock Pot as well.

Add tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, broth, and seasoning to the Crock Pot. Stir everything well, cover, and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 6 hours. (Open and stir about once an hour.)

Tips and Trick For The Best Results

There are a few things you can add to make your chili taste great.

  • First of all, the chili seasoning. Chili seasoning is basically the spices and herbs that go into chili. Be generous with chili powder and make sure to add cumin, oregano, and paprika. I recommend smoked paprika for a smoky taste in chili.
  • To help regulate spice level in chili, you can add jalapenos or other spicy chili peppers. Adding spicier chili peppers can increase the spice level dramatically and if you add seeds from those peppers, that will bring up the heat even more.
  • I prefer to make chili ahead of time and eat it the next day. It really does taste best when it gets a chance to sit in the fridge overnight.
closeup of chili in a bowl with cheese and jalapenos.

Freezing Instructions:

You will be happy to know that you can easily freeze chili.

After chili is cooked, you will want to cool it as quickly as possible if you plan to freeze it. This will give bacteria less chance to build and extend the shelf life of food. The best way to cool chili quickly is to place the pot of chili into a larger container filled with ice and make sure to stir it from time to time as it cools.

Once it cools, portion it into smaller freezer bags, let all the air out, and close it well. Remember to label and date. Lay the bags flat on the cutting board and freeze. Chili can be frozen for up to 6 months.

To Thaw: Make sure to slow-thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Creating a Chili Bar

1. If you’re making chili for a game day, creating a chili bar is an awesome idea. Chili bar is basically a spread of awesome chili and an array of toppings that people can use for their chili.

2. Make sure to keep chili warm, so keeping it in a Crock Pot is a good idea even if you didn’t cook it in it.

3. Set out plenty of bowls and extra spoons so each topping option can have its own spoon.

4. There are many topping options like:

  • cheese
  • sour cream
  • diced jalapeno peppers, onion, avocado, cilantro, lime wedges, green onions
  • crackers, tortilla strips, pretzels
  • dried chick peas
scooping out some chili from a bowl with a spoon.

Variations You’ll Love:

Meat – you can use just ground beef or mix ground beef and ground pork. You can also go for a leaner meat and just use ground turkey.

Spicier – Love it spicy? Use spicier peppers like serrano or habanero. Your chili will also be spicier if you keep the seeds in jalapenos or other peppers.

Add more veggies – feel free to load your chili with veggies like carrots, more bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, and avocado for topping.

Vegetarian Chili

Turkey Chili

White Chicken Chili

Instant Pot Chili

The Best Chili Recipe

Amazing classic Chili made with bacon, ground beef, vegetables, beans, and tasty combination of spices to make chili seasoning. 
4.27 from 112 votes
Print SaveSaved! Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 8 (Makes about 2 quarts)
Calories: 555kcal
Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

  • 8 oz raw bacon
  • 2 lbs ground beef 85%-15% lean to fat ratio
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 2 bell peppers – various colors
  • 2-3 jalapeno peppers
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 4-6 large garlic cloves
  • 14 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • 4 oz tomato paste
  • 16 oz can low sodium pinto beans or other beans you love
  • 16 oz can low sodium kidney beans
  • 1 cup beef stock or broth
  • 2 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tbsp ancho chili powder
  • 1 tbsp salt more or less to taste
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Prepare ingredients ahead of time by dicing bacon, onion, tomatoes, and peppers. Measure the stock and seasoning, drain the beans, and mince garlic
  • Preheat a 2.5-3 quart pot over medium heat and add a little bit of oil. 
  • Add diced bacon and cook until browned and most of the fat is rendered. 
  • Add ground beef, season with some salt, and cook, breaking up all the clumps of meat as much as possible. Continue to cook until the meat is mostly brown. Take meats out of the pot and set aside.
  • Add diced onion, jalapenos, and bell peppers to the pot and sauté until softened.
  • Make some room in the middle and add minced garlic. Sauté until garlic is fragrant and mix it into the veggies.
  • Add meats back to the pot, stir, and add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, and seasoning. Stir everything well and pour in beef stock. 
  • Bring the chili mixture to a low boil and then lower the heat to low. Cover with a lid but leave a crack for the steam to escape.
  • Cook for about 1.5-2 hours and make sure to stir from time to time. Take the lid off half way through and cook the rest of the time uncovered.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 555kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 1844mg | Potassium: 1065mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1624IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 124mg | Iron: 6mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @willcookforsmiles and tag #willcookforsmiles
collage of two closeup images of chili in a white bowl.

LYUBA

ABOUT LYUBA

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read more...

34.5K shares

Filed Under: Beef, Chili, Dinner, Fall Recipes, Mexican and Tex-Mex, Popular Posts, Super Bowl Recipes

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.

Comments

  1. Anna says

    March 12, 2023 at 12:55 pm

    Hi! This has always been my favorite go-to recipe for chili. I made it last night and it tasted differently than normal- but still delicious! The website says the recipe was updated recently- can you say what ingredients were changed?

    Reply
  2. Kayla Williams says

    October 7, 2021 at 10:54 am

    I made this last night and didn’t change one thing about it! I really loved it & look forward to using more of your recipes in the future! I also made the jalapeño cornbread! Omg! Chili during fall is a staple in my home & this is my new favorite chili recipe! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      October 13, 2021 at 9:21 am

      Thanks, Kayla! I am so happy you liked it!

      Reply
  3. Jackie says

    April 7, 2021 at 10:02 am

    5 stars
    I make your recipe with ground turkey, and the bacon makes all the difference- the meat isn’t dry and bland! I use about a pounding turkey, then add more beans (black and kidney). This is now my favorite go-to chili!

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      April 12, 2021 at 3:42 pm

      Yum! I am glad you liked it, Jackie!

      Reply
  4. Rarredondo72 says

    December 31, 2020 at 1:08 am

    5 stars
    Great chili recipe very delicious

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      January 4, 2021 at 10:15 am

      Thank you! I am glad you liked it!

      Reply
  5. Heather says

    December 27, 2020 at 12:07 am

    I’ve been making chili for yearsssss and this was by far the best! I added a little brown sugar and cocoa. don’t even know if that made a difference so still, thank you!!

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      December 28, 2020 at 2:10 pm

      Your so welcome, Heather! I really am so glad you like it!

      Reply
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Well, hey there!

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read More.

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