Congratulations, you’ve found the actual BEST Chili Recipe! It’s won dozens of cook-offs and is about to knock your socks off. Made with bacon (and the option to omit bacon if needed) and ground beef and simmered on the stove for just 30 minutes, this is my family’s go-to cool weather comfort food.
Chili Cook-Off Champion!
Something savory/cozy for you today because believe it or not Fall is here, which means cold weather and hearty comfort foods like baked ziti, my favorite meatball recipe, and this best chili recipe!
This recipe is actually one that I shared last year, and since then I’ve made it probably 50 times. Not only am I completely obsessed with it, as of this writing it’s also won over two dozen Chili Cook-offs! While I’ve never entered it into a cook-off myself, so many of you who have tried this chili recipe have commented or e-mailed me that it’s taken home first place and I don’t even know how to express how happy that makes me!
So, yeah, I do feel a little bit extra proud of this chili cook-off champ recipe right here.
Not only does it taste amazing, it’s shockingly simple to make. Basic, no-fuss ingredients and just 30 minutes of simmering yield a complex and rich flavor that’s simply unparalleled.
This best chili recipe (alternating weekly with my potato soup) is on regular dinner rotation for me as soon as the weather starts to dip below 70 degrees. It’s easy to make, incredibly filling, and the flavor is out of this world.
Let’s get started.
How to Make the Actual Best Chili Recipe
- Start with bacon! Cook until crisp, remove to a paper-towel lined plate, and reserve a bit of the grease for cooking your veggies. The flavor that develops from this step elevates a great chili recipe to the best chili recipe.
- Cook your onion and pepper until soft, add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add your ground beef, cook until mostly browned (but not all the way cooked through).
- Add all your seasonings.
- Stir well, cooking beef through.
- Add the remaining ingredients (and your bacon from step 1!), give everything a good stir, and allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes and until liquid is reduced.
Tip: Make your chili even better by choosing the right toppings when you serve it! Sour cream is a must, but shredded cheddar, corn chips, sliced jalapeños, avocado, or green onions are all great choices, too!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, leftovers can be frozen in an airtight container for at least 3 months.
Kind of. For best flavor, you will still need to follow steps 1-4 of the recipe as written, then you can transfer everything to the crockpot and heat it there (I don’t add the bacon back in until I’m ready to serve). Cook on low until ready to serve.
The bacon imparts an incredible flavor and is the secret ingredient that makes this chili the best chili recipe and an award winner. If you’re entering a cook-off, use it! However, you can leave it out if you absolutely must. Please see the notes in the recipe for instructions on making this chili bacon-free.
I most often use 90% lean ground beef but any percentage will work just fine (I’ve used all of them, but usually end up draining some grease if I use 80%). Ground turkey or chicken or really any ground meat will work here, but keep in mind the flavor will be slightly altered!
What Goes Well with Chili?
Obviously, bread is my chili side-dishes of choice. Because this chili is so hearty and filling on its own, a slice of cornbread makes for a sufficient side for chili.
Enjoy, and make sure to check out my other easy dinner recipes!! And make sure you let me know what you think when you try this! I love hearing about the cook-offs it wins and if you really agree that it’s the all-time BEST chili recipe!
Let’s cook together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card!
The Best Chili Recipe (Award Winning!)
Ingredients
- 5 strips uncooked bacon chopped¹
- 1 large yellow onion diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 red pepper diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced (about 1 Tablespoon)
- 1 lb ground beef (455g) (I use 90% but any will work)
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder²
- 1 Tablespoon ancho chili powder²
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoons ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper³
- 1 ¼ cup beef broth (295ml)
- 15 oz can dark red kidney beans lightly rinsed and drained (425g)
- 15 oz can black beans lightly rinsed and drained (425)
- 14.5 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes undrained (411g)
- 7- oz can fire roasted green chilis (198g)
- ¼ cup tomato paste (66g)
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Preferred toppings particularly sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and corn chips
Instructions
- Place chopped (uncooked) bacon in a large pot or Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until crisp and cooked through. Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate and drain all but 1 ½ Tablespoons of grease.
- Add onion and pepper and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- Add beef, breaking apart with a spatula as you cook. Once meat is partially (about 50%) browned, add sugar and all spices (chili powders, paprika, cumin, onion powder, black pepper, salt, cayenne pepper) and stir well.
- Add all remaining ingredients — beef broth, beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, chilis, and Worcestershire sauce — and your cooked bacon and stir well.
- Bring to a boil and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Simmer for 30 minutes to allow flavor to really develop.
- Serve with preferred toppings (sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and corn chips are a must!)
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
I originally shared this chili recipe 10/05/2018. Post has been updated to include more notes, a video, and more helpful information 09/11/2019.
Dasch Kingston
Hello. I made this today exactly as you described, and I wouldn’t change a thing. It was the best chili I’ve ever had! The flavor was absolutely delicious. No surprise, we pigged down the whole pot in one setting 🙁
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy it was such a hit for you, Dasch! Thanks so much for your review ❤️
Bonnie
This recipe was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! I just made it for dinner for two grown men and me. There is ONE lonely serving left and I was trying not to lick the pan when I was putting it in the fridge. I doubled the seasonings and added an additional 1/2 lb of hamburger. Definitely the best chili I ever made (and I’m a caterer AND I love to cook!!)
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy it was a hit for your crew, Bonnie! ❤️
Heather
Do you have a suggested method for preparing this in the InstantPot? I’m wondering how long you would cook it in the InstantPot, once the sauteed ingredients are done.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re honestly not sure how that would go without trying it ourselves first 🙁
FLO
My family loved this recipe. I’ll definitely will make it again.
Don
I love my own Chili recipe and have made this particular recipe it in the Insta-pot as well. Honestly it takes about the same time due to release times and clean up. I’ve even copied the recipe just on the stove top and WOW. WHY? I do not know but this will be my go to recipe for chili. I fed a men’s prayer group and they raved about it and wanted the recipe as well. I had the print outs ready (grin) as I knew someone would ask. It is a tad spicy so I just used all dark chili powders for the recipe. You cannot go wrong with this recipe and it is JUST AS easy not using an insta-pot.
Matt
I’m sorry… I must be the only person, but I did not care for this at all. It had way too much cumin flavor, yet lacked any other flavor. Hard pass for me.
Sheena
Just tried this recipe, after cooking chili for years for my family/friends. Never entered a contest, and usually just tossed in ingredients until I got the taste I wanted. Everyone seemed pleased. At my Sister’s house feeding a brand new batch of people and concentrated more on ingredients! This is a hit! Delicious! Rated 10 by all!!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wonderful! Thanks so much for using our recipe and coming back to leave a review, Sheena 🥰 Enjoy the chili!
Jessie Danielson
Can you triple this recipe?
Sam
Sure thing! 🙂
DLS
Made this today. Understand I love my wife’s red chili, and it is still my preferred. She said this was much better than hers. This recipe actually is loaded with ingredients I truly enjoy and use all the time. I cook a lot, almost every night when I am home. My wife doesn’t particularly care for black beans, kidney beans or cumin, LOL. She loved it and I just thought it was okay. Shows the difference in taste buds I guess. I truly thought I would love this recipe and did not. As someone who was a KCBS BBQ judge years back, it became obvious that combinations of spices you like may not always be delicious. That said I would sure recommend trying this if you like red chili. It had a nice mild level of heat, even added a little extra cayenne. Not much maybe another 1/8th or 1/4 teaspoon. It had a smoky flavor. It has a touch of sweet. It is easy to see a lot of people would really enjoy it.
Michelle
OMG! This is the best chili recipe that I have ever made in my 30 years of cooking!
Steven Cannavaro
Amazing
Cory
I kicked up the spice and meat ratios a bit. But this is a phenomenal recipe. I imagine you are giving us the vanilla version if you are winning a bunch of competitions. 😉
It is really a great recipe though. And I love the easy steps. Well done!