Basic Chili Recipe For Beginners
Is this your first time making chili? Then you’ve come to the right place! Check out this basic chili recipe for beginners that tastes great and is easy to make with step-by-step directions.
If you’ve never made chili before – but want to – you’re in the right place.
There is a time and a place for fancy, special-ingredient chili recipes.
Your first time making chili is neither of them.
This chili recipe is a basic chili recipe. The kind of chili you’d expect to find at a diner or family restaurant.
It’s got great flavor – but it’s not spicy or heavy on one certain flavor/ingredient.
I encourage you to avoid jumping straight to the recipe. This post contains a lot of useful information to help first time chili makers make a perfect batch of basic chili!
Chili 101: Ingredients
Don’t let chili’s long list of ingredients scare you off. Most of these ingredients are affordable, and you may have most of them in your fridge or pantry.
Ingredients (pictured): Red onion, ground beef, bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, Roma tomatoes, chili beans, apple cider vinegar, chicken bouillon, Mexican fajita spice blend, garlic powder, cayenne pepper
Other ingredients (not pictured): Canned tomatoes, ketchup (or tomato paste) brown sugar, olive oil
Are Any Of The Chili Ingredients Optional?
Yes. While I encourage you to try this recipe with all of the ingredients, it is possible to make it without using every single ingredient.
For example: If you don’t like spicy food at all, you can omit the jalapeño peppers and cayenne pepper.
Conversely, if you really like spicy food, you can add MORE hot peppers and spices.
But remember: Once you start omitting ingredients, the flavor will change.
Chili Making 101: Browning The Meat
The first step in making this chili is to brown the onions and meat. Here’s the process:
- Chop the onion: Cut off the ends of the onion, cut in half, and remove the outer papery layers. Finely chop.
- Cook the onion: Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot, over medium-high heat. Add onions, cook and stir for about 2 minutes, until they begin to soften.
- Add the ground beef to the pot. Continue stirring the meat and onions to break up the meat. Cook until meat is browned, as shown in photo above.
First Time Making Chili? Avoid These Mistakes.
Avoid these common chili-making mistakes:
- Adding too much of anything right away – You can ALWAYS add more ingredients, but you can’t take them out. Avoid dumping in 3 tablespoons of cayenne pepper because you like spice. This recipe is intentionally conservative – but can be customized to your liking at the end when you taste it.
- Skipping browning the meat: The first step in making chili is to brown the meat and onions. This is the flavorful start to the chili making process. Follow the recipe instructions, below.
- Not tasting as you go: I highly encourage you to taste the chili as you go, adding more ingredients to your liking. The recipe below details how to do this.
- Skipping the acid: This recipe calls for apple cider vinegar. It’s my favorite secret ingredient to add to chili. Do not skip this! If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you can substitute red wine vinegar or fresh squeezed lime juice.
- Skipping chili toppings: Toppings make the chili, in my opinion. Choose budget-friendly toppings like sour cream, onion (save a spoonful from your batch), hot sauce, and tortilla chips.
More Chili Inspiration
Once you’ve mastered traditional chili, it’s time to try a delicious variation:
The best bowl of chili is one with lots of toppings! Get chili toppings ideas.
Enjoy any leftovers you may have! Chili tastes great one or two days after it’s made.
Finally – let me know how your first batch of chili went! What did you like? Where do you need more guidance? I’m happy to help!
Basic Chili Recipe
See notes below to learn how to customize this chili recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
- 1lb ground beef (85 or 90 percent lean)
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons ketchup or tomato paste (whichever you have on hand)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 15.5 ounce can chili beans (do not drain)
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons chili powder (or Mexican seasoning blend)
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, stirring for about 2 minutes until they begin to soften.
- Add ground beef and stir to break up the meat. Cook for about 4 minutes until meat is browned.
- Add chopped vegetables (bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, and tomato), and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring several times.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients. Turn down heat to medium, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring every minute or so.
- Customize: Taste the chili and customize, if desired. Add more ketchup or tomato paste for a stronger tomato flavor; add more cayenne pepper or hot sauce for a spicier chili; add more brown sugar for a sweeter chili; add a teaspoon or so more of apple cider vinegar if you want a more flavorful chili.
Chili For Beginners: FAQs
What is the best chili recipe for beginners?
The best chili recipe for beginners is a recipe that is easy to make, uses easy-to-find ingredients, and doesn’t require any special equipment. This recipe meets all of those requirements and is also a basic recipe that isn’t too bold or spicy.
How long does it take to make a batch of chili?
If this is your first time making homemade chili, it may take you slightly longer to make this recipe. But generally speaking, you should be able to make a homemade batch of chili in about 30 minutes.
What is the secret to making really good chili?
The secret to making the tastiest chili is to get really good at making a basic pot of chili – and then customizing it to your liking. Since everyone likes their chili a little different, it comes down to customizing chili by adding more spice, acid, meat, sweetener – or another flavor component. The more you make chili, the better you’ll become.
Is chili better the next day?
Chili is often better the next day after the flavors have had a chance to blend. Leftover chili can be eaten plain or with a lot of toppings – or it can be used to top baked potatoes or used to make chili cheese fries.
My chili is too salty/spicy/sweet/blah – what should I do?
When it comes to making really good chili as a beginner, practice makes perfect. If your first batch has turned out too salty, for example, you may want to add some water and cook to thicken it a bit. If it’s too spicy, you could try adding more water to dilute or serve it with a dollop of sour cream to tame the eat. If it’s too sweet, you may need to add another can of tomatoes. If it’s too blah, try adding more spices, some chicken or beef bouillon or use lots of toppings like tortilla chips, green onions, shredded cheese, and hot sauce.
Hi, thanks for adding your recipe, please can you tell me if I can do this in a slow cooker and what steps needed if so?
I haven’t tried this, but I would recommend browning the beef and onions and vegetables on the stovetop, then transferring all ingredients to the slow cooker. Hope it works well!