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 recipe is way too sweet. Swap the ketchup for tomato paste and use only half the brown sugar. Other than the sweetness it’s got a great base flavor. True to description this chili has no spice. I prefer the spicier side in chili so I added more heat.
This was my first time making chili, it was delicious, I’ll definitely try this recipe again.. thanks for sharing.
I made this Chili tonight and we loved it! Best chili we have made! We did have to use chili beans instead of kidney beans bc the grocery store was out of them but it was still wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
Great Chili recipe I’ve made it a few times and added extra spice to it used jalapeño diced tomatoes and hot chili beans. Really good and not to spicy. My daughter used bison and was really good. Thanks
I have to agree…lighten up Cayte. What a joke. I use recipes from here all the time. They are a wonderful adversion from processed soups and other foods. They are classic and always delicious. Thank you for your hard work!
Great flavor! Wasn’t sure about the vinegar but I think it made this recipe extra delicious.
Ran out of ketchup, what effect would making the chili without ketchup be?
CANNED BEANS!!! IS NOT FROM SCRATCH!
Feel free to grow your own beans. While you’re at it, grow your own olive tree, pick the fruit and crush it for its oil, then slaughter and butcher the cow and hog, mix up some sausage adding your freshly grown herbs and spices to the pork you ground, add your home-bottled wine vinegar that you made from the grapes you harvested from your vineyard, open some jars/bottles of your homegrown and canned tomatoes and juice, not forgetting your homemade ketchup you made using more of your homegrown spices. Processing your sugarcane or sugar beets into brown sugar is a laborious task, but you’re cooking from scratch., Lighten up, Cayte.
I agree. Lighten up. Homemade doesn’t mean you start with just the earth.
Example –
It’s only homemade pastries if you grew your own wheat for flour.
Cayte for sure lighten up and breathe!
3 tablespoons of Chili powder is waaaaaaaayyy too much.
Now my Chili is too spicy for my family to eat.
I used a can of refried beans in it to help cut down on.spicy
How long do I cook it on high in the slow cooker?
2-3 hours!