I don't care what chili recipes you've tried before this one- my recipe is hands-down the best. It's made with ground beef, Italian sausages, fresh vegetables, canned beans, and flavorful spices. Ready in under one hour on the stovetop.
Looking for more classic recipes? Try my chicken noodle soup or ground beef and broccoli next!
About This Recipe
If you're wondering how to make the best homemade chili, I'm your guy. I've made it so many times that my wife no longer looks forward to chili week, but I still make it because it is one of the tastiest and easiest meal preps.
I've tested basically every ingredient or technique- beans or no beans? Ground beef or chuck? Grinding your own spices or using store-bought?- and after all that trial and error, I've landed on what I think is the ultimate homemade chili recipe.
My recipe is incredibly simple but yields an undeniably flavorful chili. The key is to balance the five tastes: sweet, salty, savory, sour, and bitter. It might sound weird, but any good chili should have all those components. Here is a quick breakdown of the main ingredients divided into those categories (see the next section for more info on each ingredient):
- Savory: Ground beef, Italian sausage, onions, garlic
- Sweet: Brown sugar
- Salty: Beef broth, salt
- Sour: Tomato paste, diced tomatoes
- Bitter: Beer, bell peppers, celery
Key Ingredients
Ground beef: I recommend either lean or extra-lean ground beef. Most Italian sausages are quite heavy on the fat, so I don't recommend using fatty beef as well. If you only have fatty beef, cook the beef first, and drain some of the fat.
Italian sausage: This is my secret for making the chili 1000x better. Pork is tastier than beef, in my opinion, and the extra spices in Italian sausage bring this recipe up a notch.
Vegetables: Onion, garlic, celery, green bell pepper, diced tomatoes.
Spices & seasonings: Chili powder, black pepper, salt, sugar, Worcestershire sauce.
Beef broth: For this, I used Better Than Bouillon beef base mixed with water.
Kidney beans: I've always wondered why some people are so strongly against beans in a chili. To me, they are an excellent addition. Not only do they pair well with all the other flavors, but they add tons of protein and fiber.
Beer: Any beer will work, but I typically use a darker beer like Guinness.
Tomato paste: Adds a strong acidity and also thickens the chili.
Instructions
STEP 1: Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef, Italian sausage, onions, garlic, celery, and bell pepper. Cook for 5-6 minutes until the meat is no longer pink.
STEP 2: Add the chili powder and continue cooking for 1 minute.
STEP 3: Add the rest of the ingredients, except the kidney beans, and bring to a boil. Reduce to an energetic simmer, and cook uncovered for 40-60 minutes until the chili has reached your desired thickness.
STEP 4: Add the kidney beans and continue cooking for another 10 or so minutes. Season with extra salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!
Best Homemade Chili (Seriously)
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ pound Italian sausage
- 1 large yellow onion (chopped)
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 ribs celery (chopped)
- 1 medium green bell pepper (seeded and chopped)
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup beer (or beef broth for kid-friendly)
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper (or more to taste)
- 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans (drained)
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over high heat. Add the beef, Italian sausage, onions, garlic, celery, and bell pepper. Cook for 7-8 minutes until the meat is no longer pink.
- Add the chili powder and continue cooking for 1 minute.
- Add everything except the kidney beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce to an energetic simmer. Cook uncovered for 40-60 minutes until the chili has reached your desired thickness. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the kidney beans.
- Taste and season with extra salt and pepper as necessary. Enjoy!
Rosalynn
OH MY GOODNESS so delicious 😋 I know my husband will love this thank you!
Grumpy
You're welcome, Rosalynn! Lmk if he likes it 😀
Shelley Walton
Pretty good and very easy thank you
MN family
This was excellent! My family said it was their favor chili they ever had! Thank you!!
Grumpy
Yay so happy to hear that!