The best chili recipe you’ll ever eat is right here! Our classic beef chili is made with ground beef, beans, diced tomatoes, homemade chili seasoning, and our secret ingredient – a little maple syrup.
5-Star, Award Winning Chili Recipe
So many of you have made this chili recipe and it has OVER 1,000 5-star reviews. It is hands-down our most popular chili recipe on Fit Foodie Finds and we can’t wait for you to make it!
If you’re looking for a 5-star, award-winning chili recipe –> it’s right here! We’ve won multiple chili bake-off contests with this tried-and-true recipe and it’s truly the best chili recipe ever.
Cook ground beef in a large stockpot with onion, garlic, beans, chili seasoning, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and our secret ingredient –> a little maple syrup.
Made with Classic Chili Ingredients
There’s a big debacle on the internet about whether classic chili has beans or no beans. In my opinion, the best chili recipe is a base of ground beef, tomato, spices, and BEANS. I love the number of fiber beans add to this dish and I promise you won’t regret adding them.
- Ground beef: The star of the show here is ground beef. I’ll give you one secret, the fat in your beef matters! We’re big fans of 80% or 85% fat because that little bit of fat adds so much flavor. If you go any leaner, you risk compromising flavor and texture.
- Tomatoes: One of the reasons I love chili is because it’s made with tomato products. Thick, creamy, and so delicious. This recipe calls for 3 different kinds: tomato sauce (gives this recipe a delicious tomato flavor), diced tomatoes (adds great texture) , tomato puree (helps to thicken and intensify the flavors)
- Beans: While some traditional beef chili does not call for beans, we like to up the ante a little bit in the nutrition department and include 2 different variations to make this the most epic chili beans recipe. Pinto beans and kidney beans add texture and fiber to this beef chili recipe.
- Chili seasoning: Do yourself a favor and make your own chili seasoning. I promise you the flavor is better AND there isn’t any added junk. Try our homemade chili seasoning and keep a batch in your cabinet at all times.
homemade chili seasoning ingredients
- Chili powder
- Garlic powder
- Ground cumin
- Smoked paprika
- Salt
- Ground pepper
#1 Secret Ingredient for THE BEST CHILI RECIPE
Every chili needs a little bit of sugar in some form to bring out all of the savory flavors from the chili seasoning. Our classic chili recipe calls for a little bit of maple syrup. It’s warm, unrefined, and absolutely delightful.
Don’t have maple? Swap it with some brown sugar or even some honey.
Chili 101
What is the best secret ingredient for chili?
The best secret ingredient for chili is a little bit of sugar. Whether you use white sugar, brown sugar, or my favorite, maple syrup, a little bit of sugar will bring out all of the savory spices of your chili.
Does traditional chili have beans?
Traditionally, chili used to be served without beans, but in my opinion, it’s so much better with beans!
How do you make chili more flavorful?
o make chili more flavorful, we suggest using more homemade chili seasoning. We always recommend making your own spice blend at home because you can really control the flavor that way. Other ways to add more flavor include: more salt, more heat (diced jalapeño, hot sauce, or green chiles), or add a jar of salsa.
What are good chili toppings?
Good chili toppings include shredded cheese, green onion, sour cream or Greek yogurt, Fritos, tortilla chips, and chives.
How do you make chili spicy?
How do you make chili spicy? To make this beef chili spicy, you can add a few tablespoons of diced jalapeños, poblano peppers, or green chiles. You can even add a few tablespoons of hot sauce.
What can I use instead of ground beef in chili?
Ohhhh, if you must! Yes, ground chicken or turkey both work for this recipe. We’ve even made this chili recipe with a plant-based ground to make it vegetarian.
Recommended Kitchen Tools
Chili Variations
One great thing about chili is that it’s so versatile! You can really use any ground meat (or no ground meat at all). All variations of beans are up for grabs and if you like it spicy, add some vinegar-based hot sauce or diced jalapeños.
You can also make this recipe in the crockpot or Instant Pot.
- Slow Cooker Directions: partially cook the beef on the stove. Then, transfer all ingredients in your slow cooker and mix. Cook on low for around 4 hours. Check out our slow cooker chili recipe.
- Instant Pot Directions: add all ingredients to the Instant Pot and mix. Cover and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Check out our Instant Pot chili recipe.
Topping Ideas
In my opinion, chili isn’t chili without the toppings! I’ll share what we at our bowl of chili with and some other ideas.
- shredded cheese
- chips – tortilla or Fritos
- green onions
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
- chives
- hot sauce
Check it out!
Best Chili Mac and Cheese
Chili mac and cheese might be the best dinner of all time. Make it once and eat it all week long. Bonus, it’s kid-friendly and protein-packed! PS: the base of this chili mac is made from this beef chili recipe!
Leftover Chili Ideas
Got leftovers? Here are a few ideas on how to repurpose this recipe:
Chili Baked Potatoes: Top either a baked potato or baked sweet potato with leftover chili and shredded cheese.
Chili Nachos: Are you a fan of nachos just like us? Place a bag of tortilla chips on a baking sheet. Then, top with leftover chili, shredded cheddar cheese, and other nachos toppings.
Chili Mac and Cheese: It doesn’t get much better than combining 2 of your favorite things into 1 dish. That’s exactly what we did in our Chili Mac and Cheese recipe.
How do I store beef chili?
Store beef chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To reheat: Either place multiple servings of the beef chili back into the stockpot and heat over medium heat until boiling or place 1 serving of chili into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
Great Jones
The Dutchess
This is hands-down our favorite Dutch oven. It’s a 6.75 quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven that’s super high-quality and gorgeous.
Can I freeze this chili recipe?
Beef Chili is the perfect chili recipe to freeze! We wrote an entire post on how to freeze soup and it works the exact same way for chili.
- Let your beef chili cool completely.
- Then, transfer it into an airtight container or freezer-safe gallon-size bag.
- Remove as much air as possible and seal.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
We recommend freezing in a freezer-safe gallon-size bag or freezer-safe storage container. Make sure that you remove as much air as possible before sealing.
To thaw + reheat: let thaw overnight in the fridge. Then, transfer back into a large stockpot and heat over low/medium.
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Best Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef we used 15% fat
- 1/2 medium yellow onion finely diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 15-oz. can pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15-oz. can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 cup beef broth chicken broth or water works too
Optional toppings
- shredded cheddar cheese
- Fritos
- green onion
Instructions
- First, heat a large stockpot over medium/high heat.
- Then, add ground beef, yellow onion, and minced garlic and sauté for 7-10 minutes or until beef is fully browned.
- Next, add pinto beans, kidney beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and maple syrup to the pot and stir to combine.
- Add spices and 1 cup of broth and stir to combine.
- Bring beef chili to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10-15 minutes to thicken.
- Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Tips & Notes
- Nutrition information is for 6 servings and does not include toppings.
Making this for the seventh or eighth time tonight! Best chili ever, my whole family loves it and I make it over and over!
So delicious!!!
Says 2 cups of broth, but then in the directions says 1 cup. Not sure if a typo or just missed. But I think I added 2 cups and the family loves it! I also make double and freeze.
Great tasting chili. I make it monthly for my family and they all love it. I made a few modifications to the recipe, I added a small can of green chili peppers and used black beans instead of pinto beans.
Love that you add more heat!
Really great tasting chili. I could really taste the beef and all the classic tastes of a chili. This is really a solid recipe. I did omit the maple because we are cutting back on sugar right now. I will be making this again and again. Oh I also added Trader Joe’s fire roasted diced tomatoes and that’s makes a difference as well.
I need to get to TJ’s to try their fire-roasted tomatoes. Sounds yummy.
Can you make this chili on the stovetop, but transfer it to a crockpot just to keep it warm for an event?
Absolutely!!!
This recipe is amazing! I was a bit skeptical about the maple syrup, but decided to add it anyways and glad I did! It doesn’t make the chili sweet at all, but adds a great flavor. The only changes I made was I used Rotel diced tomatoes w/chilis and only a small can of tomato sauce as that is all I had. This was the best chili recipe I’ve made and the leftovers were even better!
The maple is truly the secret!!
Really good. Stuck with the recipe except adding green chilies, just cause I had a can hanging around. Good flavor and just the right amount of heat. Thanks so much!
I make this recipe over and over and over. Everyone loves it! It’s whats for dinner tonight!
I made this recipe yesterday and it is delicious. I made it in a crockpot. I added jalapenos. It’s great! I also used chili beans instead and rotel diced tomatoes with green chili’s.
I prepared this for a big group meeting after skiing, and we spent a long time in the hot tub enjoying it, adults and kids alike. Without a doubt, I’ll cook it again, but maybe with some mushrooms this time.
Please get ready to play pico park with us.
I won a chili cook off with this recipe. The highest compliment came from an older gentleman who said that when he tasted it, it tasted like he had “gone home.” This recipe is as delicious as it is easy.
OH WOW!!! I love this for you <3
This is seriously the best chili recipe I’ve ever made!! This recipe will definitely be saved for future use again. It tastes super light and is very filling. I made a few modifications (did two cans of rinsed kidney beans instead of the other beans, did about 2 lbs of elk meat, added two red bell peppers, omitted the maple syrup, added 1/4 tsp chipotle powder, and used rotel tomatoes and chile). It turned out SO good that I’m writing this review halfway through eating my first bowl.
Elk meat!!! I must try this.
Made it for a crowd after skiing and it simmered extra long when we were in the hot tub and everyone enjoyed it, kids and adults alike. I might add some mushrooms next time, but I will definitely be making it again.
Now I’m just jealous of your vacation!
I started using a very similar recipe in college. I learned it by watching and adapting the chili that my high school made. [I worked in the cafeteria washing the lunch trays.] The components were the same – except for two. They would add hot water to the ketchup and mustard squeeze bottles and rinse them out into the chili. The mustard gave it TANG & the Ketchup gave it sweetness. I also like to add red and green peppers.
I LOVE the mustard idea!! I need to try this.
Great recipe! For the “sweet” I add our favorite barbeque sauce; it does add some sweet, but also some well liked barbeque flavors. I don’t add as much broth, and instead of tomato sauce, I add the same amount of tomato puree.
I think we should rate recipes as made according to the recipe, but chili is personal, and this one allows the cook to personalize. Thank you!
BBQ is a great idea!