This easy Homemade Chili recipe is a WINNER, packed with hearty ground beef, sausage, beans, and a blend of bold spices, simmered to rich perfection. It's made in one pot or a slow cooker and freezes well, too.
My classic Chili recipe is ready for your chili cook-off!
My classic Chili recipe is ready for your chili cook-off!Every year I have at least one reader who writes in that this chili recipe won an award at a chili cook-off! It's the BEST, and my go-to when I need something hearty, comforting, and easy to whip up. It's endlessly adaptable, too — sometimes I’ll toss in extra veggies or a strip of crispy bacon for added flavor, and it's just as delicious made vegetarian with extra beans. Whether we’re piling it onto cornbread waffles, chili dogs, french fries, drizzling it over nachos, or ladling it up with a side of cornbread, it’s a meal that always brings people together.
How to make our award-winning Chili Recipe:
Cook Meat and Combine: Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and sauté the onions for about 5 minutes, until soft and lightly caramelized. Add the ground beef and sausage, breaking it apart with a meat chopper as it cooks, and continue until browned. Drain grease, then stir in the vinegar and cook for 1 minute to deglaze the pan.
Simmer and Serve: Add the diced tomatoes, tomato juice, ketchup, beans, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and cayenne. Stir well and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer uncovered for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. If you need it thicker, sprinkle a big spoonful of cornmeal over the top and stir it in. Use a ladle to serve warm with sour cream, shredded cheese, and your favorite sides like cornbread, potato skins, biscuits, or a green salad.
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Recipe
Easy Homemade Chili
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion , diced
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork sausage (I use Jimmy Dean)
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes , petite, undrained
- 4 cups tomato juice*
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 15 ounce cans pinto beans , undrained
- 1 16 ounce can kidney beans , undrained
- 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you want it spicier)
- cornmeal to thicken, if desired
- shredded cheddar cheese , optional
- sour cream , optional
Instructions
- Saute onion: Add the olive oil to a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1 large onion
- Brown meat: Add ground beef and sausage to the pot and cook, breaking apart into small pieces with a meat chopper or wooden spoon until browned. Remove the grease.2 pounds lean ground beef, 1 pound ground pork sausage
- Add the vinegar and cook for 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato juice, ketchup, beans, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and cayenne.¼ cup red wine vinegar, 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, 4 cups tomato juice*, 1 cup ketchup, 2 15 ounce cans pinto beans, 1 16 ounce can kidney beans, 3 Tablespoons chili powder, ¾ teaspoon garlic salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoons ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
- Simmer: Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring, then reduce the heat and simmer over medium-low heat for at least one hour, or up to 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until thickened. The more it simmers, the thicker and more flavorful it will be! (and if you'd like it even thicker, stir in a sprinkle of cornmeal).cornmeal
- Serve: Ladle chili into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cheese.shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe August 2019. Updated October 2021, September 2023 and September 2025.
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This was great! I had leftover shredded beef and used that. So, so, good. Thanks for a great recipe.
I have made this for the last 2 years, it is my go to chili recipe! It makes ton, freezes well. It s a crowd pleaser for sure. My daughter loves it!
I want to try this for my daughter’s chili bar request for her bday next week. Do the beans have to be added with liquid or can I drain them and replace with more juice?
You can drain them, and add additional broth if needed.
Delicious 😋!
Thank you so much for the recipe!!
Question; If I don’t have tomato juice, should I add some water?
No, water will not add the boost of flavor is needs. A tomato juice substitute for this recipe is 2 cups tomato sauce mixed with 2 cups of water.
Question:
What if you cook your own beans from dry. What should you add in place of the liquid from the canned beans? Broth?
Also, what about the liquid ratio of using fresh tomatoes vs canned? How much of what liquid would you need to add?
Thank you
Family loved it! I made it for my family and even the kids liked how mild it was (I did omit 1 tablespoon of chili powder as I have a child that is very sensitive to heat) my boyfriend added cayenne pepper as did our friend but they liked that they could control how spicy they wanted it. Definitely saving this and it’ll probably be my go-to chili recipe
I don’t typically leave a review on a recipe, but this was so good I just had to say something. I wanted to make this because I am trying to empty my pantry for a move and I had most everything already. I used kidney, pinto and white great northern beans as that’s what I had on hand, I also used beef, the sausage and ground turkey to make up the 3lbs of meat because also, that’s what I had. My tomato juice was V8 juice because I didn’t have plain tomato juice. Idk if that changes the flavor a lot, but this was literally the best chili I’ve ever made! I have made the same chili recipe for years and never tried anything new. I will be replacing it with this from now on.
Another good recipe, thank you. I made this chili last week as a trial run for the upcoming chili cookoff. The only change I made was to slice a large jalapeno in half and toss it in to simmer and impart a little flavor and heat. I simmered on low for a full 3 hours. The jalapeno was removed after the chili was done. I’d like it a little hotter but the folks here in the Michigan U.P. don’t understand what hot is. It came out great, thank you for the recipe.
The BEST chili recipe!!!!!
Thank you!
Extremely delicious recipe. Just made today. Was wondering how much one serving size is though? It says the whole recipe is 8 servings.
I Make the full recipe. When cool I divide into meals, and freeze. Instant chili for when the mood strikes!