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The Best Chili Recipes For Every Type of Cook

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Football season chili, best chili recipe
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The best chili recipes vary across the country. In fact, there are several debates over chili. Should chili have beans in it? There’s chili, then there’s chili. We aren’t particular to any type of chili, with beans or without, as long as we have it. We’re not going to say who has the best chili around; or if it should have beans or not. We’ll leave that for the purists, traditionalists, and aficionados. All we know is that chili is the perfect meal and one of our favorite meals to feed our family.

We put together this quick round-up of classic chili recipes that have been adapted for everyday life. We have slow cooker chili, quick and easy chili, and even an instant pot chili recipe. We think we’ve covered all the bases for making your next meal.

Grab pen and paper because one of these will end up being your best recipe for chili and you’re going to want to make this tonight.

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Simple, Perfect Chili Recipe

bowl of chili with lime wedges next to it.
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This Perfect Chili Recipe is from Ree Drummond of Food Network which is the Pioneer Woman’s beef chili recipe.

Level: Easy
Total Time: 1 hr 40 min Active: 30 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground oregano
  • 1 tsp salt
  • .25 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • .25 cup masa harina
  • One 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • One 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • Shredded cheddar cheese, for serving
  • Chopped onions, for serving
  • Tortilla chips, for serving
  • Lime wedges, for serving

Method

  1. Place the ground beef in a large pot and throw in the garlic. Cook over medium heat until browned. Drain off the excess fat, and then pour in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and cayenne. Stir together well, cover, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If the mixture becomes overly dry, add 1/2 cup water at a time as needed.
  2. After an hour, place the masa harina in a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup water and stir together with a fork. Dump the masa mixture into the chili. Stir together well, and then taste and adjust the seasonings. Add more masa paste and/or water to get the chili to your preferred consistency, or to add more corn flavor. Add the beans and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with shredded Cheddar, chopped onions, tortilla chips, and lime wedges.

Nutritional Facts: not available

Slow-Cooked Chunky Chili Recipe

bowl of chili with shredded cheese and sour cream as garnish.
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This Contest Winner and Test Kitchen Approved Chili Recipe from Taste of Home is a big hit and sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Level: Easy
Total Time:Prep: 15 min. Cook: 4 hours
Yield: 12 servings (3 quarts)

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound bulk pork sausage
  • 4 cans (16 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 cans (10 ounces each) diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 medium green pepper, chopped
  • 1 envelope taco seasoning
  • .5 tsp salt
  • .25 tsp pepper
  • Shredded cheddar cheese, optional
  • Chopped red onion, optional
  • Sour cream, optional

Method

  1. In a large skillet, cook beef and sausage over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Transfer to a 5-quart slow cooker. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
  2. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or until vegetables are tender. If desired, serve with shredded cheese, chopped onion, and sour cream.
  3. Freeze option: Before adding toppings, cool chili. Freeze chili and toppings separately in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally and adding a little water if necessary. Sprinkle with toppings.

Nutritional Facts
1 cup: 329 calories, 13g fat (4g saturated fat), 44mg cholesterol, 1158mg sodium, 33g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 9g fiber), 21g protein.

Easy Homemade Chili Recipe

bowl of chili with shredded cheese, sour cream, and crackers.
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This Homemade Chili Recipe from AllRecipes has over 400 ratings!

Level: Easy
Total Time: Prep: 10 mins Cook: 20 mins
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredient

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
  • 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans
  • 1.5 cups water
  • 1 pinch chili powder
  • 1 pinch garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method

  1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the beef and onion and saute until meat is browned and onion is tender. Add the stewed tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, beans and water.
  2. Season with the chili powder, garlic powder, salt and ground black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Nutritional Facts
Per Serving: 394 calories; protein 30.6g; carbohydrates 48.8g; fat 9.2g; cholesterol 45.9mg; sodium 525.6mg.

Instant Pot Chili Recipe

bowl of chili with fritos and shredded cheese as garnish.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re an Instant Pot fan, then this Instant Pot Chili Recipe courtesy of Delish is going to be right up your alley.

Level: Easy
Total Time: Prep: 15 mins Cook: 1 hour
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1.5 pounds ground beef
  • 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
  • 1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 1.5 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • .5 tsp cayenne
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Shredded cheddar, for serving
  • Sour cream, for serving
  • Fritos, for serving
  • Thinly sliced green onions, for serving

Method

  1. Set Instant Pot to Sauté function and add oil. Add onion and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute, then add tomato paste, stirring to combine. Add ground beef and cook, breaking meat up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 7 minutes. Drain fat, if necessary.
  2. Return insert to Instant Pot and add broth, beans, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Season with salt and pepper. Lock lid and set to Pressure Cook on High for 14 minutes.
  3. Follow manufacturer’s instructions for a slow release, then remove lid. Serve with desired toppings.

Nutritional Facts: (per serving) 482 calories, 34 g protein, 35 g carbohydrates, 9 g fiber, 5 g sugar, 23 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 727 mg sodium

Tips and Tricks

  • For a slightly healthier chili recipe, use lean ground beef.
  • Turkey chili is another alternative if you are staying away from red meat.
  • If you are a vegan or vegetarian, you can omit any meat and still enjoy the great flavors
  • If you’re a bbq fan, try a little (or a lot) of smoked brisket instead of ground beef.

Recommended Equipment

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can you freeze chili?

Absolutely, chili freezes great for up to 3 months and when you reheat it, you would swear it’s fresh.

2. Can you use different types of beans?

Yes! You can use kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, or cranberry beans.

3. Do you have to have beans in it?

Nope! Texans will tell you beans don’t belong anywhere near your chili.

4. What goes well with chili?

If you want toppings for your chili, use shredded cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, diced onions, or sliced jalapenos. One thing you cannot go without is cornbread. Chili and cornbread were meant for each other.

And there you have it, chili. Even if it’s canned chili.

If you happen to have leftovers and don’t know what you can make with chili, then you need to learn more about chili dogs, chili burgers, Frito pie, walking tacos, and even nachos! There are definitely some unique chili recipes out there but there is no doubt that these dishes are the best chili on earth. Just don’t forget the cornbread.

Editors' Recommendations

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Joe Morales
Joe Morales
Former Digital Trends Contributor

Joe Morales is a trained chef with over five years of experience working in fine dining and Michelin recommended restaurants. Joe specializes in food media publishing for print and digital publications and was responsible for writing food, drink, and culture articles. His work can also be found in OUTvoices and Joe Eats World. Joe likes to brunch, cook, and spend time with his husband and their dog Oliver. Please reach out to The Manual editorial staff with any questions or comments about Joe’s work.

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