Beef Chili
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Rich, hearty, and loaded with flavor, this beef chili recipe is just the thing for game day, a casual get-together, or a cozy night in.
This beef chili recipe is my absolute go-to. It’s everything you want in a classic ground beef chili—rich, flavorful, and perfectly spiced to warm you up. It simmers low and slow until thick and hearty, with tender beef and just the right amount of heat.
I make my chili without beans—my kids aren’t fans—but if you prefer them, they’re easy to add. Just rinse and drain a can or two of kidney beans, pinto beans, or black beans and stir them into the chili during the last half hour of cooking. Serve the chili with your favorite toppings—shredded cheese, sour cream, scallions, or whatever you like—and cornbread for a cozy, satisfying meal.
“We’re Texans and love your chili! It is so well flavored without being hot…Thank you for another great recipe!”
Video Tutorial
What You’ll Need To Make Beef Chili
- Ground beef & baking soda: I recommend 85% lean ground beef for the best flavor and texture. Tossing the beef with a little baking soda before cooking raises its pH, helping it retain moisture and brown more effectively rather than releasing all its liquid and steaming. This is a small step that makes a noticeable difference.
- Onion, garlic & red bell pepper: Form the aromatic base of the chili. I mince them fairly finely so they practically melt into the sauce as it simmers.
- Spices & herbs: Ancho and chipotle chile powders, cumin, oregano, coriander, and smoked paprika give the chili its deep, smoky flavor and moderate heat. A bit of cinnamon is optional and adds a subtle hint of sweetness. For a milder chili, cut back on the chipotle; for more heat, add cayenne.
- Beef broth: Adds savory depth and reinforces the beefy flavor of the chili.
- Crushed tomatoes & tomato paste: Give the chili its tomato base; the paste adds extra richness and helps create a thick consistency.
- Cornmeal: A small amount thickens the chili as it simmers without making it heavy.
- Molasses: Optional, but a little helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes and the heat of the chiles.
- Lime juice: Stirred in at the end to add acidity and brighten the rich, slow-cooked flavors.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Chili
Prep the beef: Toss the ground beef with the baking soda mixture and let it sit while you get everything else ready. The baking soda works its magic by raising the meat’s pH, which helps it stay juicy and brown more quickly.
Prep the veggies: I use the food processor to quickly mince the onion, garlic, and bell pepper, but you can certainly do it by hand if you prefer. You want the vegetables quite fine so they practically melt into the chili as it cooks.
Cook the vegetables and brown the beef: Cook the veggies until softened, then add the beef. Break it up as it cooks, but leave some larger pieces rather than crumbling it too finely—you want the chili to have some texture. Cook until the beef is nicely browned.
Add the spices and simmer: Stir in the spices and cook briefly, until fragrant—this helps bring out their flavor. Add the cornmeal, broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and molasses, then let the chili simmer low and slow until thick and flavorful.
Finish the chili: Skim off any excess fat from the surface—it’ll be a good amount—then stir in the lime juice. Serve the chili with your favorite toppings and cornbread, or spoon it over a baked potato for an especially hearty meal. Like most chilis, it’s even better the next day, so it’s a great make-ahead meal and freezes well, too.
More Chili Recipes You’ll Love
Classic Beef Chili
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds 85% lean ground beef
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large yellow onion (or 2 small), minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, minced
- 2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
- 1 tablespoon chipotle chile powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, (optional, for a sweeter chili)
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon molasses, such as Grandma's Original (optional, for a sweeter chili)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, from 1 lime
For Serving (optional)
- Cilantro, lime wedges, sour cream, cheese, scallions
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the beef, salt, baking soda, and 1 tablespoon of water. Using your hands, mix until evenly combined. Let the beef mixture sit on the counter for 20 minutes.
- In a large pot over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onions, garlic, and red pepper; cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the beef and increase the heat to high; cook, stirring with wooden spoon to break the meat into ¼-inch (6-mm) pieces, until the beef is browned, 10 to 12 minutes. The beef will release a lot of liquid—do not drain it; you'll skim the fat off at the end.
- Add the ancho chile powder, chipotle chile powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, smoked paprika, and cinnamon (if using); cook, stirring frequently, for 1 to 2 minutes, until well combined and fragrant.
- Stir in the cornmeal, broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and molasses (if using); bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 2 hours.
- Skim any excess fat off the surface of the chili. There will be quite a bit; don't worry about getting all of it, as it adds flavor. Stir in the lime juice, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. For a thinner chili, you can add a bit of water. To thicken the chili, continue simmering, uncovered, until desired consistency is reached.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jenn, this Chili to me is absolute perfection! I add one can of rid kidney beans and two cans of corn at the last 30-40 min and it’s just so great. I’m serving this to guests for a casual lunch next weekend. Are these any pairings of soup or salad or grilled veggies that you would suggest work here?
Thanks for another phenomenal recipe
Hi Mlak, so glad you like this! This would be nice with this avocado salad. Also, I’m not sure if you’re aware, but I have a feature on the website– for all main dishes, I suggest one or two sides (in this case, cornbread and guac) that I think would pair nicely with them. To see what I’ve suggested, scroll down to the bottom of the recipe. Immediately under the recipe, you’ll see the dishes that I’ve suggested. Hope that helps!
Made the Chili. We won’t be eating till around 7:00 pm. When do I had the lime juice?
Hi Dorothea, I would add it when you reheat it, right before serving. Enjoy!
I decided to make chili tonight, I began throwing some stuff in a pot and after having a quick taste realized I needed someone to save it! I grabbed my phone turning to Once Upon A Chef hoping I could find a chili recipe. You did and my chili is saved. This recipe is insanely good- I can’t wait to begin with it next time! Your recipes are just incredible from breakfast- to dinner and everything in between! Simply amazing! Thank you.
This is definitely a recipe worth keeping and adding to your meal rotation. My husband and his friend rated it the best chili they have ever tasted – and I agree!
I added in one can of pinto beans and one can of red kidney beans. I also used 3.5 pounds of meat (roughly 2.5 pounds of ground chuck and 1 pound of ground pork). I served this garnished with a lime wedge and scallions with white rice and homemade cornbread.
Just a note if you have kids – my teenage son likes the taste of it, but says it’s too spicy. My husband and I love spicy food, so we get all the chili to ourselves!
I forgot to mention that I used the optional 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and only 2 teaspoons of the molasses. Perfect mix of sweet and spicy.
This chili is on point!!! I think it’s the only one I’ll make ever again.
A couple notes from my kitchen:
I cooked my onions down at the beginning for about 20 minutes. I think it adds a very subtle sweetness doing it this way. That being said, I didn’t use cinnamon or molasses.
I usually need to make minor adjustments when I cook, based on what I have. I didn’t have ancho chili powder or chipotle powder, so I used the chili powder that I did have in the house: Molido powder (California Mild Chili). This worked well!
I also added 1 chicken and 1 beef bouillon cube to the pot as it was simmering. I read somewhere doing so adds a small element of extra flavor.
This recipe will be saved for sure– I’m going to make it again for my stepson’s birthday party in a couple weeks.
Thank you Jenn! Amazing! 🙂
This recipe is fantastic–been making it for about 2 years now and feel it’s time I rate this deliciousness. I’ve made it with all-meat (as-is), as well as adapted with half meat/half beans. And finally, since we’ve gone more plant-based this year–all vegetarian. For the vegetarian version, I sub out the meat with about 2 cups of additional chopped veggies (orange bell peppers, zucchini or mushrooms, corn, carrots and celery–whatever I have on hand) and then 1 can each of pinto and black beans, adding more broth if needed or simmering off more if I want it thicker. I still use the beef broth since we’re not vegan. But I would bet the Better Than Bouillon brand of vegetable or mushroom base would work well. Always a winner, this recipe. Thanks!
The best chili I ever had!! I tweaked it a little but by far the seasoning combo was absolutely tremendous and had the greatest taste!!! Thank you and we’ll done!!!!
I have been using this recipe, with modifications, for over 4 years. My late husband totally loved it as it is. I have needed to modify it for my new husband, who hates spicy-hot foods. I removed the chili flavors and doubled the smoked paprika and wow, it’s SO GOOD! I usually pair it with the cornbread muffins, substituting einkorn flour for the wheat flour because of my wheat allergy. Total winner!
Love this recipe. If I were to substitute beans rather than beef. Which beans would you recommend and how much…
Hi Michael, So glad you like this! As the chili has so much beef, I don’t feel confident it would translate well to all beans. I think you’d have better luck looking for a vegetarian/bean-based chili. Sorry!
Mine turned out super spicy–even my husband who likes things spicy said it was too hot. I am not sure I will be able to eat it and I am wondering what went wrong. I did use only one pound of ground turkey instead of the full 2.5 pounds of beef, and added two cans of kidney beans instead. Other than that (which may be a big change), I followed the recipe exactly. Do spices vary in their heat? I made a point to buy and use the ancho and chipotle chili powder called for. Or is it because I used less meat and added beans? I have made many of your recipes and have always had success.
Wendy, sorry to hear this came out too spicy for you! I’d add some sour cream into your bowl as dairy helps to temper some of the heat. Regarding spices, there is some variation depending on the brand you buy, but I don’t think it would be that significant. You asked about the beans possibly making a difference; I think not having the fat from the beef may have contributed slightly to making the chili a bit spicier. If you make it again, I’d try subbing some regular chili powder in for some of the chipotle, chili powder. Hope that helps!