The 21 Best Chili Recipes Ever

There are as many chili recipes as there are home cooks. Here are 21 of the best of them.

By
Robin Shreeves
Robin Shreeves
Robin Shreeves
Robin Shreeves is a food and beverage writer.
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Published February 11, 2024
Robin Shreeves
A blue Dutch oven full of beef and been chili with a ladle in it

Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

It's a bit ironic that a dish named chili is perfect for cold winter nights, but that doesn't bother me. Everyone knows it's a tried and true meal that starts to warm you up the moment you inhale its comforting aromas.

There are chili purists who insist chili can be made only one way, but in reality, there are as many ways to make it as there are home cooks. These are 21 of the best chili recipes Simply Recipes readers turn to over and over again, from traditional beef and bean to white chicken chili to stuffed-with-vegetables spicy vegetarian chili.

The one thing most people can agree on, though, is the best side to serve with a piping hot bowl of chili. It's a slice of cornbread, right?

Simple Tip!

For next-level chili, try our Homemade Chili Powder recipe.

  • Chili Con Carne

    chili con carne topped with cheddar and red onion in a brown bowl
    Elise Bauer

    This chili with meat (that's what its name means in Spanish) is a traditional Texas recipe, perhaps introduced by Canary Islands immigrants in the 1700s. Beans were probably added in later. It's a fantastic chili that's even better the next day, as many chili recipes are.

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  • White Chicken Chili

    White bean chicken chili in a serving bowl with chips

    Elise Bauer

    White chicken chili is not as spicy as beef chili. Think of it as the filling of a savory chicken burrito in stew or thick soup form. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping.

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  • Cincinnati Chili

    Cinncinnatti Chili
    Alison Conklin

    Cincinnati chili adds cinnamon, allspice, and cloves to the common ground beef chili seasonings for a chili that's different from what most people are accustomed to, especially when served on top of spaghetti. It's still chili, though. Really good chili.

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  • Vegetarian Cincinnati Chili

    Vegan Cincinnati Chili Served over a Platter of Pasta and Topped with Cheese and Onions

    Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel

    Fill this plant-based version of Cincinnati chili with lentils and meaty minced mushrooms instead of meat. It's still packed with that authentic flavor.

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    Continue to 5 of 21 below.

  • Slow Cooker Beef and Bean Chili

    Tailgate Beef Chili Recipe in a crock pot.
    Nick Evans

    Imagine filling your slow cooker in the morning, going to work, and coming home to the enticing aroma of ready-to-eat chili filling the air.

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  • Easy No-Bean Chili

    Bowl of Easy No-Bean Chili Topped With Shredded Cheddar, a Dollop of Sour Cream, and Sliced Green Onions

    Simply Recipes / Nick Evans

    If you're on team "no beans belong in chili," this recipe is for you. Use ground beef or cubed chuck roast along with the usual chili spices and tomatoes. This comes together in under an hour but simmer it longer to add even more depth of flavor.

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  • Best Beef Chili

    Beef and beans chili
    Sally Vargas

    You can feed a crowd with this beef and bean chili recipe that yields 16 cups. If you don't have a crowd, it freezes well in portions.

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  • Easy Vegetarian Chili

    vegetarian chili topped with diced onion and avocado in a blue bowl
    Alison Bickel

    Mushrooms, bulgur wheat, and beans are the hearty additions to this vegetarian chili. It's perfect topped with vegetarian toppings such as cilantro, red onion, and avocado.

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    Continue to 9 of 21 below.

  • Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

    bowl of white chicken chili with parsley garnish on a purple place mat
    Coco Morante

    Cook this hearty, creamy, tangy chili quickly in the Instant Pot. It's milder than most red chilis, so it's also kid-friendly.

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  • Ground Turkey Chili With Black Beans

    Black Bean Chili
    Elise Bauer

    You can substitute ground turkey for ground beef in any chili recipe (although chili purists may disagree). This version puts the turkey front and center to create a mildly spicy chili with black beans.

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  • Buffalo Chicken Chili

    Buffalo chicken chili with beans in a white bowl surrounded by tortilla chips and green onion
    Aaron Hutcherson

    Not sure if you want to make both chili and wings on game day? The solution is to make this super simple and flavorful chili that you top with blue cheese, sour cream, cheese, or tortilla chips.

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  • Instant Pot Beef Chili

    beef and bean chili topped with green onion and cheese in a white bowl
    Coco Morante

    In under an hour, you can have the long-simmered flavor of chili by pressure cooking it in the Instant Pot. The cooking method may not be traditional, but the ingredients are: ground beef, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, pepper, onion, and seasonings.

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    Continue to 13 of 21 below.

  • Spicy Vegetarian Chili

    vegetarian chili in a chili pot
    Elise Bauer

    Spicy, flavorful, and delicious, this is a chili even a carnivore can enjoy. It's full of veggies such as eggplant, onions, zucchini, red bell pepper, jalapeño, and canned plum tomatoes plus white and kidney beans.

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  • Chili Mac and Cheese

    Spoon in Chili Mac Dish
    Aaron Hutcherson

    Two of the best comfort foods become one in this recipe. It combines ground beef chili ingredients with classic mac and cheese ingredients. The result? The perfect dish for a cold night.

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  • Turkey Chili (with Leftover Turkey)

    turkey chili with tomatoes and beans topped with cheese in a brown bowl
    Elise Bauer

    If you have leftover turkey, this is the best thing next to pot pie to do with it. Shredded turkey, kidney beans, onion, garlic, and crushed tomatoes create this big pot of chili.

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  • Chili Dog

    chili cheese hot dog with red onion on a bun on top of a grey plate
    Elise Bauer

    This chili was created to complement a hot dog. You can make it ahead so it's ready for when you grill hot dogs. Don't forget the cheese and red onion as garnish.

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    Continue to 17 of 21 below.

  • Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

    Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Chili Chicken Chili in the crockpot
    Emma Christensen

    This tomato-based chicken chili simmers in the slow cooker all day long. Aside from dicing the onion and celery, everything else goes straight in the slow cooker with no extra prep besides measuring.

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  • Hearty Pumpkin Chili

    pumpkin and pork chili in a white bowl with a red and white patterned napkin and a spoon
    Aaron Hutcherson

    One of the secrets to this pumpkin and pork chili with an autumn vibe is adding a bottle of beer. You can use pumpkin beer or any lager or amber beer you have on hand.

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  • Easy Green Chicken Chili

    chicken chili topped with tortilla crisps and avocado slices in a white bowl with a spoon in it
    Nick Evans

    Using rotisserie chicken is part of the "easy" of this easy chili. Aside from cutting the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, this is a measure and dump chili the whole family will love.

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  • White Turkey Chili

    white turkey chili topped with cheese and cilantro in a white bowl with tortilla chips on the side
    Elise Bauer

    White beans, white meat in the form of cubed turkey, mild green chiles, and turkey stock are the base of the slightly spicy white chili. It's done on the stovetop but there are directions for the slow cooker, too. Your choice.

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    Continue to 21 of 21 below.

  • Copycat Wendy's Chili

    Bowl of copycat Wendy's chili at a table setting with a bowl of saltines on a brown and white kitchen towel, a bottle of tabasco, a drink, and a white table napkin

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood

    Fans of Wendy's chili will want to give this version a try. It's a recipe created with with some advice from a Wendy's employee.

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