This is the world’s best chili recipe! It is a contest winner, total crowd pleaser and the best chili recipe on the internet. It is packed with flavor, texture and color. Make it for your next gathering, large or small, and you will get rave reviews. Add jalapenos for extra spice or go mild!
Original post: April 2018 | Updated: February 2023
Why This Recipe Works
You have just found the world’s best chili recipe ever. That is a massive claim, but you will soon agree! You are about to have either a very happy tummy, a very happy family or very happy guests.
My husband and I have been making this delicious soup for years. Together we have tweaked it many, many times. Here are a few of the reasons we deem this to be the perfect meal:
- It is absolute comfort food perfection and such an amazing chili recipe that the whole family will love.
- It’s versatile! My famous Pip and Ebby chili recipe is a favorite easy recipe for game days, lazy weekends and weeknight meals.
- This classic chili recipe is perfect for those cozy cold weather snowy days and for larger gatherings like game day parties or holiday feasts.
- We’ve never thrown a single morsel of it away because this award winning chili recipe (Seriously! It wins every contest I enter!) always gets gobbled down in its entirety.
- It has the most perfect consistency and there is such a depth of flavor.
- This beef chili recipe is a GREAT quick and easy comforting soup, but can easily be transformed into a leaner turkey chili (or even venison!).
If you absolutely cannot find a chunk of time to make this delicious dish, consider trying my Easy 5-ingredient chili for a much-condensed version. Enjoy!
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Ground Beef Dinner Ideas
If you have extra ground beef on your hands, browse through this comprehensive roundup of delicious ground beef recipes!
Chili Ingredients and Equipment
Ingredients
Ground beef – To keep this chili on the leaner side, use ground turkey, ground chicken or lean ground beef. To add a delicious flavor, replace 1 pound of ground beef with 1 pound of ground sausage.
Bell peppers – Any color of bell pepper tastes delicious. Green, yellow, red or orange!
Jalapeno peppers – Although the end result is not “spicy,” omit the jalapenos and cayenne pepper to ensure a totally mild soup. You can cater the spice level to your liking. Personally, I consider this the secret ingredient the thing that helps this soup win chili cook-offs.
Use fresh jalapeños when you can! In a pinch, canned jalapeno peppers will suffice.
Tomato juice – For a thicker chili, use half the amount of tomato juice in the recipe.
Beans – While red kidney beans and pinto beans are super tasty inside, feel free to swap out any variety of beans. Or you can omit the beans altogether! Use this no bean chili as your guide.
Spices and seasonings – Chili powder, cumin, sugar, oregano, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper are the perfect combination of spices!
In small amounts, you may add garlic powder or regular paprika to the recipe.
Favorite toppings – Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, sliced green onions, cilantro, lime wedges, chopped red onion, crushed corn chips or crushed saltine crackers.
Equipment
Slow cooker – This makes a very large batch, so you’ll want to use an 8-quart crockpot or larger.
Extra large saute pan – I adore my 7-quart saute pan! There are a lot of ingredients to cook before adding them to the slow cooker and you won’t want anything to spill over.
Dutch oven – An alternative to using a large saute pan is to use a 7-quart Dutch oven.
Chili bowls – If you serve hearty soups often, it’s worth it to invest in a set of chili bowls! These have handles so you can avoid burning your fingers.
Ladle – I love a heavy-duty, extra large ladle for thicker soups like this one.
Wooden spoon – This is a dense mixture to stir, so a good wooden spoon will be helpful and save your hands from cramping up.
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How To Make The Best Chili on Earth
Step 1
In a large saute pan or Dutch oven, cook 2 pounds lean ground beef over medium-high heat until it is no longer pink. Transfer the meat to a bowl. Drain the excess fat from the skillet, but do not clean it out.
Step 2
Add the olive oil to the skillet and reduce heat to medium.
Add the chopped onions, green bell pepper, garlic, parsley and jalapeño peppers (if using) and sauté veggies over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the onions are soft and fragrant (about 5 minutes total time).
Remove the pan from the heat and add the chili seasoning ingredients to the beef mixture: 3 tablespoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons cumin, sugar, oregano, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir until combined.
Step 3
If you are cooking it on the stove top, add the cooked meat back to the skillet. If you’re using a slow cooker, add the meat-veggie mixture to the slow cooker.
Add the tomato juice (replace a portion of the juice with 2-3 cups beef broth or beef stock to add a kick of flavor, if desired), diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans and pinto beans to either the skillet or crock pot, depending on which you are using.
On the stove top, bring to a boil, dial the heat back to medium-low and let chili cook for 2 hours (stir occasionally). In the slow cooker, cook on low heat for 7 to 8 hours.
Enjoy immediately! Allow leftovers to cool, then store in the refrigerator in a sealed container.
Recipe Notes
- Serve warm with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream! Other great topping options include sliced green onions, avocados, crushed tortilla chips or minced jalapenos (give your meal a nice kick!).
- This is more of a soupy homemade chili recipe, so in order to thicken, replace the diced tomatoes with crushed tomatoes and reduce the amount of tomato juice by half.
- Add up to 1 tablespoon brown sugar for an added touch of sweetness.
- For a more Mexican flair, replace some or all of the beans with black beans.
- Turn this into an extra hearty chili by adding diced potatoes or another hearty vegetable such as carrots.
- Add a few tablespoons of tomato paste for an extra rich flavor.
- Store leftovers that have been cooled to room temperature in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in heavy duty freezer bags in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Turn this into a spicy chili by adding hot sauce, red pepper flakes or extra jalapenos. A little bit goes a long way with any of these ingredients.
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What To Serve With Chili
Homemade cornbread is a great option to serve alongside this bowl of comfort. Dinner rolls, chopped salad and garlic bread taste delicious, too!
Chili Dinner Ideas
Chili dinners are the best in those cold winter months! If you are looking to round out your meal, peruse this roundup for ideas about what to serve as appetizers for chili dinner.
How To Thicken Chili
If you make a delicious batch and find that it is not thick enough for your liking, we have some simple methods that will fix it! Read on for tips about how to thicken chili.
How Long Does Chili Last
If you are wondering how long chili lasts in the fridge or if your batch is still fresh, click over for all the info!
Leftover chili freezes very well! Place in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 4 months for best results.
Substitute for Beans in Chili
Whether you can’t eat beans or you just don’t have any on hand, learn what to substitute for beans in crockpot chili!
How To Make Chili In An Instant Pot
This comforting meal turns out like absolute perfection when made in an Instant Pot. Head over to my posted Instant Pot chili to get the full instructions!
What To Do With Chili Leftovers
If you have leftovers (and it’s very possible that you will because this makes a really big batch of chili), please check out these delicious recipes to help use them up:
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What People Are Saying About This Recipe
“I will NEVER make another chilli recipe in my life again!! This is so good! I absolutely hate cooking and all the prep so the first time I made this I told myself I would never again do it. It was so good that it was worth the chopping up of a few veggies and measuring of a bunch of spices. I make it at least 2-3 times every fall/winter now!“ ~ASHLEY
“This IS THE BEST Chili! This recipe has been on rotation in my home for awhile now. Everyone raves about how it IS the BEST chili they be ever had! Thank you for sharing this with us! “ ~SARA
World’s Best Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup flat-leaf Italian parsley finely chopped
- 2 jalapeño peppers finely chopped (optional)
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 46 oz tomato juice
- 28 oz diced tomatoes
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 16 oz kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 16 oz pinto beans drained and rinsed
- Shredded cheese and sour cream for topping
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook ground meat over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Transfer the meat to a bowl. Drain excess grease from skillet, but do not clean.
- Add the olive oil to the skillet. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, parsley and jalapeño peppers (if using) and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and fragrant (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and add the chili powder, cumin, sugar, oregano, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir until combined.
- If cooking on the stove top, add the cooked meat back to the skillet. If using a slow cooker, add meat-veggie mixture to the slow cooker. Add the tomato juice, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans and pinto beans to either the skillet or slow cooker, depending on which you are using.
- On the stove top, bring to a boil, dial back to medium-low and simmer for 2 hours (stir occasionally). In slow cooker, cook on low for 7 to 8 hours. Serve warm with cheese and sour cream.
Notes
- Serve warm with cheese and sour cream! Other great topping options include sliced green onions or minced jalapenos (give your meal a nice kick!).
- For a thicker chili, replace the diced tomatoes with crushed tomatoes and reduce the amount of tomato juice by half.
- To keep this chili on the leaner side, use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef.
- To add a delicious flavor to the recipe, replace 1 pound of ground beef with 1 pound of ground sausage.
- For a different flavor, replace some or all of the beans with black beans.
Jessica
Hi Megan, I know this is a really dumb question, but when you say tomato juice do you mean like V8 tomato juice? I’m planning to make it this week! The recipe looks delicious. Thanks!!
Megan Porta
Not a dumb question, Jessica! Plain old tomato juice can be found near V8 in the grocery store. I have also used V8 in a pinch and it works great, too. Enjoy!!
M
Jessica
Thank you!
Hadley
46 ounces of tomato juice sounds like a lot. I have 25 ozs on hand, will that be enough liquid or is the full 46 ozs necessary?
Megan Porta
I’ve received a lot of feedback from people who prefer using less tomato juice, so 25 oz will be great~!
M
Michelle Kennedy
This chili recipe is amazing, thank you! I didn’t have parsley or tomato juice nor did I use sugar, however the chili still turned out great. It has the right kick using 2 jalapenos.
Kelly
I accidentally used too much parsley for my liking.. Is there anyway to cover up that flavor so it’s not as strong? Thanks!
Megan Porta
Hi Kelly! Maybe add a bit more chili powder and/or sugar. I hope this helps and that I’m not too late!
M
Kari
Do I have to use kidney beans? Two cans of beans, or can I use one can of pinto? Also I have roasted garlic tomato sauce, will that be ok? Or do you recommend regular? Thanks
Kari
Oh and hello!
Megan Porta
Hi Kari! NO, you don’t have to use kidney beans! Pinto is great! Roasted garlic tomato sauce would give it an extra little kick that I’m sure would be GREAT!
M
Dawn
This is absolutely the BEST chili ever….it cooks amazingly in the crockpot as suggested!!!!
Kelsey Gruis
I am wanting to try this for the Apple Cup game next week (GO HUSKIES). The game is at noon- is it okay to do the stove top part of the cooking (meat, and sauteed veggies) the night before, and then wake up in the morning to throw everything in the crock pot for 7 hours?
Megan Porta
Hi Kelsey! YES! This would work just fine! It will turn out GREAT!
M
Ellen
This sounds (&looks) absolutely amazing!!! Can’t wait to make it for the hungry men in my family!! thank you
–Ellen
Rochester, NY
Sarah
I was so excited to make my first chili but the recipe was too spicy for me ad my husband ( and he loves spicy). It also did not agree with my stomach, ut I’ll try it one more time and do half the amunt of spice I guess and see how it goes….
Dara
2 questions – if I cut this in half to fit a 4-quart slow cooker, will it be ok to cook on low all day? And can I cook the meat/peppers/onions a day ahead and refrigerate and then dump in the crock pot in the morning?
Megan Porta
Hi Dara! Yes, you can cook on Low for 8-9 hours even if you reduce the recipe. And yes, you can definitely cook the meat/peppers, etc, the day ahead and refrigerate until ready to throw in the crockpot. I hope this helps!
M
Taryn
This was absolutely amazing ! Best chili I’ve ever had. I made it for my entire family and everyone wanted the recipe . It will be the perfect chili to take while we go Xmas tree hunting! Thanks so much for this amazing recipe.
Jayne (from Michigan)
The last time I tried to make chili we ate it on buns because it tasted like sloppy joes, lol. I CANNOT make chili, that is before tonight! This was amazingly simple and absolutely delicious. I didn’t change a thing. Added to my "Pinterest Proven-It’s a Keeper" board!
Jayne ( from Michigan)
(Cooked on top of the stove, approx. 3 hours.)
Mary Bourgeois
Made this for the first time today in the crock. I chose to only add 1T of the chili powder so it wouldn’t be too hot for our non spicy kids. I read the comments and decided to leave out about 1 cup of the tomato juice and in the end I ladles out about a cup and a half of liquid because it was too soupy for our liking. But it was delicious and a big hit! Would definitely make it again and just do less tomato juice!
Jess Ahn
Is it okay to heat up the tomatoes juice, beans, sauce, and diced tomatoes in the crock pot while cooking the other items?
Megan Porta
Hi Jess! Yes, you can definitely start cooking the "other" ingredients while working on your stovetop! Hope it turns out great!
M
Mary Bourgeois
I did that as well!
Mindy
Hi there! I just bought all the ingredients so I can make this chili this week- can’t wait to try it! Just wondering if it’s fine to cook this in the crockpot while I’m at work. I’m not able to come home during the day, & wondering if it’s fine that I’m not able to stir it at all while it’s in the crockpot.
Thanks in advance! 🙂
Megan Porta
Hi Mindy! Yes, you can definitely leave this in the crockpot for the day while you’re at work. No need to stir at all! I hope it turns out great!
M
Ms. Meowington
I have never felt compelled to comment on a recipe before… but I just had to. This is seriously the most amazing chili. I made it for my halloween party this weekend and had none left over! About which, my husband and I were sad. I will make this for years to come. I however, did not put green pepper or beans in it. And we added a ton of cheddar cheese and sour cream in our personal bowls.. oh and fritos. 🙂 PERFECTION. Thank you!
Megan Porta
Yay! SO glad it turned out so well! I love the addition of Fritos…yum!
M
Tonya
I usually don’t leave comments but just wanted to say this is the best chili I’ve ever made! I’m so proud of myself lol. We made is for Halloween night and it came out delicious. My friends had seconds and asked for the recipe. I didn’t have tomato juice so I just added the juice from the canned tomatoes. Probably about half the juice the recipe called for. I also added a bag of frozen corn and a little extra seasoning salt at the end. DELICIOUS!
Megan Porta
Hi Tonya! I’m so happy to hear this turned out so well for you! Adding corn and seasoning salt is a great call. Thanks for the note!
M
Mary
Is this a spicy chili? I’m wondering if I cut out the jalapeños and cayenne to tame it down, do you think it would tase okay still? My mom can’t handle spicey food but really wants chili!
Megan Porta
Hi Mary! It definitely has a kick, but it’s not going to burn your mouth. If your mom doesn’t like spicy food, I’d say cut out the peppers and leave the cayenne pepper in. It’ll still taste great! Hope this helps.
M
HeatherMarie
I used this recipe (18oz of tomato juice is the only thing I changed) and won 3rd place out at 18 pots of chili. I’d say that’s pretty good for never making chili before! Thank you so much for the recipe. It was delicious!
Kimber
It’s true!! It is the best chili ever! Everyone has to have the recipe once they taste it. It started with my daughter making it and now we all do! Thanks so much!