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    Home » Best Easy Chili Recipe

    Best Easy Chili Recipe

    Published: Sep 1, 2019 · Modified: Oct 28, 2022 by Laura · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    The best quick and easy chili recipe! Made in 30 minutes on the stovetop, this beef chili is a delicious family-friendly dinner to enjoy in the fall! It's made from scratch (no packaged seasoning)!

    overhead view of Easy Chili Recipe in a bowl topped with sour cream, cheese, corn and green onions

    I created this easy chili recipe the night I went into labor with my 5th baby on Super Bowl Sunday! I didn't expect to still be pregnant, so I planned nothing for our football-watching menu. But lo and behold I wasn't snuggling my sweet newborn quite yet, so I quickly whipped up this beef chili recipe before the game started, and it turned out so good. 

    Since that night, I have made it many times and tweaked it to perfection. It's a go-to meal for me when I'm short on time (because it only takes 30 minutes to make, just like this cashew chicken stir fry and this homemade mac and cheese), but still want to feed my family a hearty, healthy meal!

    We actually call this quick chili recipe, "Keilah Chili" since she was born a few short hours after we all enjoyed it! 😉 So It holds a special place in my heart! 

    Overhead view of a metal stock pot full of the best easy chili recipe with a spoon in it

    Easy Chili Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions 

    One of the great things about this beef chili is that it's easily customizable! Here are some notes about the ingredients and possible substitutions!

    overhead photo of the ingredients in this Beef Chili recipe
    • Ground beef. I like to use lean ground beef (93/7). However I have used 85% lean beef as well. I have also used ground turkey with excellent results.
    • Minced garlic. if you don't have minced garlic on hand, you can substitute garlic powder. Just add it with the rest of the spices. 
    • Bell peppers. any color variety of bell pepper works well in this recipe! If you like to add some heat, add some spicier peppers!
    • Spice mixture. I have written this recipe with the spice ratios and combination that we love the most. If you change it I cannot guarantee the results! The one thing I will say is that you can add more chili powder, or some cayenne powder to increase the heat if you wish! 
    • Fire roasted tomatoes. I love the flavor that the fire roasted tomatoes adds to this recipe (and this sausage gnocchi). You can absolutely substitute regular canned, diced tomatoes as well! 
    • Kidney Beans. I use one can of kidney beans because my husband is not a fan of beans so I don't like to make our chili too "beany." However you can add another can (2 cans total) if you love beans. You can also use any type of beans you like! My other favorites are black beans, great northern (white) beans, and garbanzo beans (chickpeas)!
    • Tomato sauce. I always have canned tomato sauce on hand (to make homemade pizza sauce). If you'd like to substitute homemade tomato sauce go for it!
    • Corn. Fresh and frozen corn both work well in this chili recipe! 
    overhead view of a spoon taking a scoop out of beef chili in a bowl

    How to make chili

    This beef chili recipe is super easy to make, and I always have all the ingredients on hand! Let's walk through the process step-by-step, and don't forget to watch the video! 

    Make the chili seasoning 

    This easy chili recipe doesn't rely on packaged  seasoning mixes! Instead we make a homemade seasoning blend that can be tweaked according to your own personal preferences! I make ours pretty mild (just like this slow cooker chicken chili) to feed  5 kids (and myself because I am a spice wimp)! So feel free to adjust the heat accordingly. 

    overhead view of a glass bowl of homemade chili seasoning with a wooden spoon

    Brown the meat 

    Once the spice mixture is ready, brown the ground beef with the garlic. Cook it over medium-high heat until it's mostly browned for the best texture and flavor. 

    Drain the fat

    Depending on the percentage of fat in your ground beef, you may need to drain the fat off halfway through cooking! 

    Add peppers & onions

    Once the meat is mostly (but not totally) browned, add the peppers & onions, stir, cover and cook until they are soft!

    two photos showing how to make this Easy Chili Recipe, the left shows adding green peppers, the right shows adding onions

    Add the rest of the ingredients & cook

    Next, add the rest of the ingredients and stir until everything is combined. Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, or spice factor according to your preferences. 

    two front-view photos of a saucepan. The left shows adding the diced tomatoes, and the right shows adding seasoning and corn in this Easy Chili Recipe

    If you're short on time, cook this easy chili recipe on medium heat for 15 minutes before serving, stirring occasionally. If you have a longer, simmer until you're ready to serve.  The longer the chili is simmered, the more the flavors will meld together. 

    two front-view photos of a saucepan. The left shows adding the kidney beans, and the right shows stirring this Easy Chili Recipe

    Serve

    People often ask,  "what can you add to chili?"  Once your chili is finished cooking, gather your favorite fixin's and get ready to serve! Some of our favorite easy chili additions are: 

    • Green onions
    • sour cream
    • shredded cheddar cheese
    • crushed tortilla chips
    • cornbread (or cornbread croutons, cornbread muffins or this healthy skillet cornbread)
    • pretzel bread (try it and thank me later)
    beef chili in a stockpot with a spoon taking a scoop

    Store

    Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

    To Freeze

    • Let it cool to room temperature then transfer it to an airtight, freezer-friendly container and freeze for up to 2 months. 
    • To thaw, simply remove it from the freezer and let it thaw on the counter or in the refrigerator. 
    • Reheat in a stockpot over low heat.
    overhead view of Easy Chili Recipe in a bowl topped with sour cream, cheese, corn and green onions

    Recipe FAQs

    How do you store beef chili? 

    If you don't gobble this easy chili recipe up in one sitting, then it can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days. You can also freeze this beef chili for up to 2 months in an airtight, freezer-friendly container. 

    Do you drain beans for chili? 

    Yes! Drain and rinse the beans before adding them to this beef chili recipe!  

    How do you thicken chili? 

    If you like super thick chili, here are a few ways to thicken it up really nicely!
    Cook the chili uncovered over medium-high heat. This will cause the water to evaporate and naturally thicken the chili! 
    Make a mixture of 1 TBS cold water, 1 TBS flour or cornstarch, add it to the beef chili and cook uncovered. 
    Add a few tortilla chips to a food process and process them to make fine crumbs. Add 1-3 TBS of tortilla chip crumbs to the chili and cook uncovered! 

    How long should you cook beef chili? 

    If you're short on time, cook this easy chili recipe on medium heat for 15 minutes before serving, stirring occasionally. If you have a longer, simmer until you're ready to serve.  The longer the chili is simmered, the more the flavors will meld together. 

    a bowl of beef chili topped with fresh corn, cheese, sour cream and green onions

    If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don't forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube - be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can your creations!

    Best Easy Chili Recipe (30 Minute Beef Chili)

    Laura
    The best quick and easy chili recipe! Made in 30 minutes on the stovetop, this beef chili is a delicious family-friendly dinner to enjoy in the fall! It's made from scratch (no packaged seasoning)!
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 25 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8 people
    Calories 254 kcal

    Equipment

    • 5 Quart Sauce Pan
    • measuring spoons
    • measuring cups
    • spatula

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1.5 lb ground beef
    • ½ cup onion diced
    • 2 bell peppers diced
    • 2 tsp minced garlic or 2 tsp garlic powder
    • 2 tsp ground cumin
    • ½ tsp coriander
    • 2 TBS paprika
    • 1 ½ TBS chili powder
    • 1 tsp granulated sugar
    • ½ tsp sea salt or more to taste
    • ¼ tsp black pepper freshly ground
    • 1 (14.5 oz) can fire roasted tomatoes
    • 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinse (more to taste)
    • 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
    • 1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
    • ½ cup corn

    Instructions
     

    • Mix cumin, coriander, paprika, chili powder, sugar, sea salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Set aside.
    • Add ground beef to a large pot. Cook until beef begins to brown. (You may need to drain excess fat from the beef halfway through cooking depending on the fat % in your meat).
    • Add onion, bell peppers and minced garlic to the beef.
    • Cook over medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes until beef is browned and veggies are soft.
    • Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and chilies and stir until evenly distributed.
    • Add spice mixture and stir until evenly distributed.
    • Add corn and beans and stir until combined.
    • Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, reduce heat to a simmer until ready to serve.
    • Serve with your favorite chili fixings! Our favorites include: sour cream, green onions, cheddar cheese, and crushed tortilla chips!

    Video

    Notes

    Ingredient substitutions: 

    • Ground beef. I like to use lean ground beef (93/7). However I have used 85% lean beef as well. I have also used ground turkey with excellent results! 
    • Minced garlic. garlic powder can be used in place of minced garlic.
    • Bell peppers. any color variety of bell pepper works well in this recipe! If you like to add some heat, add some spicier peppers!
    • Fire roasted tomatoes. You can substitute regular canned, diced tomatoes. 
    • Kidney Beans. I use one can of kidney beans because my husband is not a fan of beans so I don't like to make our chili too "beany." However you can add another can (2 cans total) if you love beans. You can also use any type of beans you like! My other favorites are black beans, great northern (white) beans, and garbanzo beans (chickpeas)!

    Store

    Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

    To Freeze

    • Let it cool to room temperature then transfer it to an airtight, freezer-friendly container and freeze for up to 2 months. 
    • To thaw, simply remove it from the freezer and let it thaw on the counter or in the refrigerator. 
    • Reheat in a stockpot over low heat.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cupCalories: 254kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 16gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 233mgPotassium: 414mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 2245IUVitamin C: 39mgCalcium: 33mgIron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More delicious recipes

    • This crockpot chicken chili is one of our all-time favorites. Every time I take a meal to a friend, it's this chicken chili. 
    • We enjoy this turkey chili too!
    • Try this slow cooker white bean chicken chili - it's creamy, cheesy and delicious.
    • We love this Slow Cooker Ground Turkey with an Asian flare. It's delicious served over rice.
    • This is the best homemade meatloaf - yum!

    This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through a link you clicked on here, I receive a portion of the sale. Thank you for supporting JoyFoodSunshine! 

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Vanessa

      December 23, 2022 at 2:00 pm

      5 stars
      This quickly became my favorite chili recipe! Sometime I follow it pretty close, sometimes I use it as a framework 😉 (I add carrots and mushrooms chopped really small almost every time)) so yummy! As always, I love your recipes!

      Reply
    2. Vanessa

      December 23, 2022 at 1:59 pm

      5 stars
      This quickly became my favorite chili recipe! Sometime I follow it pretty close, sometimes I use it as a framework 😉 (I add carrots and mushrooms chopped really small almost every time)) so yummy! As always, I love your recipes!

      Reply
      • Laura

        December 23, 2022 at 2:16 pm

        Thank you so much Vanessa! I actually just made a double batch of this yesterday, one for our family and one for a friend! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Michelle

      January 04, 2020 at 8:35 pm

      5 stars
      My husband suggested chili on a VERY cold (-10º) Alaskan night. I just happened to have MOST of the ingredients you suggested and it turned out great! We used ground turkey instead of beef and we doubled the beans. This one is definitely going into the recipe box. Thank you so much for having such an easy and delicious recipe. <3

      Reply
    4. Alex

      October 22, 2019 at 5:19 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! This was a hit with my toddler and my Husband! My toddler throw out the Kidney beans but it’s still a success in my book!

      Reply
      • Laura

        October 22, 2019 at 6:02 pm

        Your toddler sounds exactly like my husband! 😂

        Reply
    5. Emily

      September 05, 2019 at 4:19 pm

      This looks like the best bowl of chili in the whole world. I love chili especially with cheese and sour cream and chips. :-). I love how you call it Keilah chili.

      Reply
    6. Brittany Audra @ Audra's Appetite

      September 01, 2019 at 10:14 am

      You mention beans in the recipe post, but not the actual recipe ingredients. How many cans of beans do you use and what type?

      Reply
      • Laura

        September 01, 2019 at 11:05 am

        Oh my word thank you so much Audra! Sometimes important details get by me even though I read (and re-read) my blog posts dozens of times! I went ahead and fixed that! We use 1 can of beans, usually kidney beans or black beans. My husband loathes beans so I don't make our chili too "beany!" so he will still eat it (LOL). But adding up to 2 cans of your favorite beans would still taste great! I like black beans, great northern beans (white), or garbanzo beans too!

        Reply

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    About Laura

    I’m Laura, a former chemistry teacher turned homeschooling mom of six beautiful babies! I create simple and delicious recipes that are tested and perfected to make cooking and baking joyful and fun!

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