The Best Homemade Beef Chili Recipe (Rich, Thick & Full of Flavor)
This is the beef chili you make once and then never stop making. It's thick and dark and smells incredible from the moment the spices hit the pan. The beef gets deeply browned, the tomatoes melt into the base, and by the time it's done, you have a pot of something that tastes like it took all afternoon. It didn't. Start to finish, you're looking at about 55 minutes, mostly hands-off simmering. A true weeknight workhorse, and just as good the next day warmed up straight from the fridge.
Ingredients
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent with a little golden color on the edges.
- Add the garlic, jalapeño, and red bell pepper. Cook for another 2 minutes until the pepper softens slightly and everything smells fragrant.
- Push the vegetables to the sides of the pot and add the ground beef in one layer. Let it sit undisturbed for 2 minutes to get a proper sear. Then break it up and cook, stirring occasionally, until no pink remains, about 6 to 8 minutes total. Don't rush this step. That browning is where a lot of the flavor comes from.
- Drain off any excess fat if needed, leaving about a tablespoon behind in the pot.
- Add the tomato paste directly on top of the beef and stir it in. Cook for 2 minutes, letting it caramelize slightly. The mixture will look dark and almost jammy. That's exactly right.
- Add the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Stir everything together and cook for 1 minute so the spices bloom in the hot fat. You'll smell the difference immediately.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and beef broth. Stir to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add both cans of drained beans and stir to combine.
- Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until the chili has thickened and the color has deepened to a rich brick red. It should coat the back of a spoon.
- Taste and adjust salt. Serve hot with your favorite toppings.
Tips & Tricks
Brown the beef in batches if your pot feels crowded. Overcrowding steams the meat instead of searing it, and you lose that flavor. A good sear takes maybe 3 extra minutes and makes a real difference in the final depth of the chili.
Toast your spices. Adding them to the hot fat before the liquid goes in wakes them up completely. Chili powder and cumin especially benefit from that quick bloom.
Use 80/20 ground beef. The fat adds flavor and keeps the texture from going dry and crumbly. You'll drain the excess anyway, so don't swap for a leaner grind.
Simmer uncovered. A lid traps steam and keeps your chili thin. Leave it off and let that liquid reduce naturally. The consistency gets much better in those last 15 minutes of cooking.
Variations
Spicier chili. Leave the seeds in the jalapeño and bump the cayenne to 1 full teaspoon. You can also add a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced fine, with the garlic. It adds heat and a smoky depth that's really good.
No beans. Some people feel strongly about this. Skip both cans and reduce the broth to 1/2 cup. The chili will be thicker and more meat-forward, closer to a Texas-style bowl.
Slow cooker version. Brown the beef and sauté the vegetables on the stovetop first, then transfer everything to a slow cooker with all remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.
Turkey chili. Swap the ground beef for ground turkey. Use chicken broth in place of beef broth. It's lighter but still satisfying, and the spice blend holds up well.
Storage & Make Ahead
Leftover chili keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The flavor actually gets better after a night in the fridge, once everything has had time to settle together, which makes it a solid make-ahead dinner.
To freeze, let the chili cool completely and transfer to freezer-safe containers or zip bags. It freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding a splash of broth or water to loosen it up if needed.
This chili doubles well too. If you're already making a pot, make two and freeze half for a future weeknight when you really don't want to cook. Future you will be grateful.
Affiliate link
Affiliate link
Frequently Asked Questions
Ground beef with an 80/20 fat ratio is the sweet spot for chili. The fat adds flavor and keeps the meat tender and juicy through the simmering process. Leaner grinds can turn dry and crumbly. If you want a chunkier texture, you can use coarsely ground beef or even finely diced chuck roast, just plan for a longer simmer time of about 1.5 to 2 hours to get the meat tender.
The simplest way is to simmer it uncovered and let the liquid reduce naturally. If you need it thicker faster, mash about a quarter of the beans against the side of the pot with a spoon and stir them back in. The starch thickens the base quickly without changing the flavor. A small amount of masa harina, about 1 tablespoon stirred in with a splash of water, is another great option that adds a subtle corn flavor.
Yes, and honestly you should. Chili tastes noticeably better the next day once the spices have had time to meld. Make it up to 2 days ahead and store it in the fridge. Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, and add a small splash of broth if it's thickened up too much in the fridge.
As written, this chili has a mild to medium heat level. The jalapeño is seeded, and the cayenne amount is modest. To make it milder, skip the cayenne entirely and use a mild chili powder. To turn up the heat, leave the jalapeño seeds in, double the cayenne, or add a minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. Start with less and adjust as it simmers since the heat builds over time.
