Traditional Chili

This is the BEST Classic Chili recipe full of flavor and is hearty and comforting! It is loaded with ground beef, beans, onions, celery and garlic in a richly seasoned tomato base. There is also a pinch of ground clove and ground allspice to bring depth of flavor and warmth. The flavor of this chili recipe is amazing and it is nice and thick, like a chili should be!

I might even go as far to say you could win a chili cook off contest with this recipe!?

If you want to make quick work of your chili, check out this recipe for Damn Good Instant Pot Chili. If you like it spicy, really spicy, check out this recipe for Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Chili. Or if you want a chicken chili give this Instant Pot Chicken Chili a try!

Jump to:

• This is The Best Classic Chili
• Classic Chili Recipe Ingredients
• How To Make Chili
• Variations
• Recipe Tips
• What to Serve With This Classic Chili Recipe
• How to Store Traditional Chili
• More Dang Good Chili Recipes
• Did you make this recipe?
• Classic Chili
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• Leave a comment and rate this recipe!

This is The Best Classic Chili

1. This is an OLD recipe that has been perfected for years… like 20+ years. Tried and True.
2. This Chili has perfectly balanced flavors – not too spicy, not too tangy, not too sweet.
3. It has beans… chili has beans.
4. No skimping on spices and herbs. This chili packs a punch of flavor.
5. No bell peppers! If a chili has bell peppers I don’t want it. I said what I said.
6. Even though the ingredient list looks long, they are all ingredients you probably have on hand (half are from your spice cabinet).
7. It is pretty easy to toss together. I will even make this on a weeknight in the winter.

Classic Chili Recipe Ingredients

Classic chili ingredients like ground beef, beans, onions, celery, garlic and plenty of spices makes the very best chili.

Ground Beef: We recommend using an 85/15 or 80/20 ground beef for the most flavor. Using a “meat chopper” makes quick work of crumbling the ground beef while it cooks.

Onions, Celery & Garlic: This is the start of really great flavor of “filling” for your chili. It can be considered a mirepoix, although not the traditional one we think of (onions, celery and carrots). We like to use a yellow or white onion.

Green Chilies: Instead of adding a bell pepper we opt for a can of diced green chilies. It adds a more mild flavor.

Beans: We believe that chili includes beans around here😁. A mix of two kinds of beans; northern beans and chili beans. The canned chili beans will be in a sauce that starts to make the chili nice and flavorful.

Canned Diced Tomatoes: add a nice texture variation and flavor.

Tomato Sauce: we add just enough tomato sauce to add to the “soup” of the chili, but not too much, we like chili to be nice and thick!

Sugar: balances the acidity of all the tomato ingredients in the chili.

Spices: THIS is where it is at. If you didn’t add all the yummy spices would it even be chili!? We add a hearty mix of chili powder, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, clove, all spice, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

How To Make Chili

Make This Traditional Chili Recipe In Advance

I think we all know that chili gets better with time! Let it sit in the fridge a day or two and the flavors all come together. You can make this chili recipe a couple days ahead and keep it for up to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge.

Variations

Since chili is kind of a “dump and cook” type of soup it is really easy to change up the flavor to suit your family’s tastebuds. Here are a few things to make this recipe your own:

1. Use ground turkey instead of ground beef. (check out this ground turkey chili recipe)
2. Add a little spice and use chili beans in spicy sauce.
3. For extra spice add a pinch of cayenne or extra red pepper flakes.
4. For extra extra spice add a chopped jalapeno when you sauté the onions.
5. Try using black beans instead of northern beans.
6. Add 1 cup of chopped green peppers for a veggie heavy version of this chili.
7. For a vegetarian version add a veggie crumble in place of the ground beef- like impossible, morning star or make your own with this vegan ground beef recipe.
8. Another vegetarian option would be to omit the beef all together and add an extra can of beans.

Recipe Tips

• Use an 85/15 ground beef, it has enough fat to be flavorful, but not so much fat your chili is greasy.
• If you want to add a kick of heat, dice up a jalapeno and add it with the celery and onion.
• Drain most of the grease from the ground beef before moving on with the recipe, it will prevent your chili from becoming greasy.
• Don’t skimp on the chili powder, that is what gives it “chili flavor”.
• Make sure you don’t drain the chili beans, you want that chili sauce IN your chili.
• The second type of beans can be just about any bean you like in your chili; cannellini, great northern, red beans, kidney beans, black beans. Just make sure you drain them before adding.
• Remove the bay leaf before serving.
• Taste before serving… Want it hotter, add red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper. Needs more flavor, sprinkle in some more chili powder, cumin and salt. Too tangy, add a little more sugar.

How to Thicken Chili

If you need to troubleshoot your chili texture, looking for it to be really thick, here are a few tips:

1. Just getting started – Don’t add the extra cup of water or broth. This will ensure your chili is super thick.
2. Already made the chili – If you get to the end of the recipe and you want it to be a bit thicker, keep simmering. Turn the pot of low, remove the lid and simmer for 15 minute increments, stirring frequently. This will evaporate some of the liquid and thicken the chili base.
3. If you are really in a bind, as a last resort, you can stir together 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cool water, pour it into SIMMERING chili. It should thicken pretty quickly, you can repeat this as needed.

What to Serve With This Classic Chili Recipe

Nothing better than a big hearty bowl of chili on a cold or snowy night. Serve it up with a large veggie tray with ranch dip, chips with spinach artichoke dip, and one of these cornbread/biscuit recipes: Buttermilk Cornbread, Best Ever Cornbread, Sweet Corn Muffins or Garlic Cheddar Biscuits.

Chili Toppings

A great way to serve this Classic Chili is to put out a buffet of toppings for people to choose from. Here are some starter ideas:

• Fritos or tortilla chips
• Fresh diced avocado
• Sour Cream or Plain Greek Yogurt
• Shredded cheese
• Jalapenos (fresh or pickled)
• Tabasco or hot sauce
• Chopped green onions or white onions
• Cornbread
• Saltine Crackers

How to Store Traditional Chili

Reheating Leftovers

Reheat individual portions or the whole recipe on the stove top, in your crock pot or in the microwave.

The chili will thicken in the fridge as it sits. So you may need to add a few splashes of water, chicken or beef broth to loosen it up a bit.

How to Freeze Traditional Chili

You can also FREEZE your chili which makes it a great option for family meal prep or even taking to a Meal Train!!

To thaw your chili for serving there are a couple options:

• Pop it in the fridge overnight and then simmer on the stove top to warm through for serving.
• Soak the chili (in it’s freezer container) in cool water, changing the water about every 30 minutes until it is thawed enough to scoop into a pot for warming on the stove top.
• Put the frozen block of chili in a crock pot in the morning on low, it will be nice and warm when it is time for dinner.
• Thaw the chili with the defrost function on your microwave.

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