This classic Ground Beef Chili Recipe is made with ground beef, canned tomatoes, and beans. It’s simmered on the stove for a punch of flavor.. Yum!
This post may contain affiliate links. This means we receive a commission on the sale of certain items. This is at NO additional cost to you. Visit the policies page to learn more.
Ingredients, Substitutions, & Budget
This total recipe costs $13.11 to make. It makes 8 servings which works out to $1.64 per serving.
Your grocery costs are probably different than mine. Location, shopping habits, seasonal availability, and other things can all have a major impact on the cost of food. Find out how I calculate what a recipe costs.
Ground Beef Chili Ingredients
There are 17 ingredients in this dish.
Beans ($3.18)
28oz of canned beans is going to work out to one large or two small cans. You can use whatever beans you like. I use one can of pinto beans and one can of 6-bean mix.
The most popular type of beans for chili are pinto, kidney, and black beans.
You can substitute with dried beans that you cook yourself. I never do this but I really should. Dried beans are so much cheaper!
Jalapeno Pepper ($0.44)
Adding a chopped hot pepper will really give your chili some kick. If you don’t like spicy, feel free to omit the pepper.
Feel free to use whatever hot pepper you want. Jalapenos are available year-round (for a reasonable price) where I am which is why they’re my go-to.
Canned Diced Tomatoes ($3.75)
42oz of canned tomatoes is going to work out to 3 small cans or 1 large plus 1 small can.
28oz (1 large or 2 small cans) is used to make a basic tomato sauce. I like to use Fire Roasted Tomatoes for this. You can substitute a jar of tomato sauce for this.
14oz (1 small can) is used to add chunkiness to the chili. I usually use plain diced tomatoes.
Health Note: if you’re concerned about BPA (and IMO you should be), check can labels for “BPA-free.” Many brands still use BPA in their can linings.
Here in Canada, I know that Aylmer and Muir Glen tomato brands are both labeled as BPA-free. Your brands may vary depending on location.
Coffee or Beef Broth ($0.08)
Coffee is one of the “secret” ingredients of a great chili. Coffee will really help enhance and bring out the flavors in the chili.
Beef broth (or bone broth) is a good substitute if you don’t have/want coffee. Chicken stock, vegetable stock, and water can all be used as substitutes.
13 More Ingredients
- Onion ($0.56): yellow or red onions work best but use whatever you prefer and have on hand.
- Garlic ($0.50): fresh garlic is always going to be the best. You can substitute 1 tbsp of pre-minced garlic or ½ tsp dried garlic instead (but it won’t be quite as flavorful).
- Butter ($0.26): oil will work as a substitute.
- Ground Beef ($5.99): I usually use 90% lean ground beef but you could use a higher or lower fat content. You could try substituting with ground turkey or ground pork. Another option is to use stewing beef (but you’d need to simmer for longer to get tender beef).
- Chili Powder ($0.54): you can use plain chili powder, chipotle chili powder, ancho chili powder, or any other chili powder you want. I usually do a mix of plain and chipotle.
Plain chili powder is “hotter” than most other varieties and has a stronger chili flavor. Chipotle chili powder is milder and has a smoky flavor. - Cumin ($0.18)
- Smoked Paprika ($0.12): you can substitute with regular paprika but it will lack the smokiness.
- Cinnamon ($0.02)
- Cayenne Pepper ($0.02): cayenne pepper is completely optional. This will add heat and spice to your chili. The recipe calls for ¼ tsp which IMO is pretty mild (I usually add a lot more). Add a bit and taste then add a bit more.
Note: cayenne pepper will get spicier the longer it cooks for and the more of it you eat. It really builds in flavor. Less is more until you’re comfortable with this spice. - Salt ($0.08)
- Black Pepper ($0.03)
- Baking Soda ($0.02): baking soda will cut some of the acidity from the tomatoes. Many recipes use sugar to “sweeten” chili but what they’re really doing is tamping down the acidity. I don’t like added sugar when something else will do the job.
Feel free to omit the baking soda or add a bit of sugar instead. - Lime Juice ($0.69): sometimes I skip adding the lime juice directly to the chili and serve each bowl with a fresh lime slice instead.
How Can You Reduce the Cost?
There are two ways you can easily (and dramatically) reduce the cost of this recipe:
- Use dried beans! You can substitute ¾ cup of dried beans for every can of beans. My cost for dried beans is $0.60 per cup which would be $0.90 for this recipe. That’s a savings of $2.28 (or 29 cents per serving).
- Reduce/omit meat: meat is expensive. Use less of it, a cheaper cut of it, or substitute it for more beans, or omit it entirely. You could save up to $5.99 (which is up to 75 cents per serving).
Equipment & Plating
Chili doesn’t require much to make yourself.
Large Pot with Lid
I like to use my large pot for chili because it has so many ingredients! I’d always rather have extra pot space instead of not enough.
Immersion Blender
You could use a regular blender instead but it’s not quite as simple. You’ll want to let it cool a bit, keep plenty of free space at the top, DON’T make it airtight (leave the vent hole open at the top, toss a damp cloth on it), and be careful!
An immersion blender is better because you can just stick it in the pot you’re already using, swish it around, and voila. Blended.
Learn about the best immersion blender for your kitchen.
Note: You can use already made tomato sauce (although be aware that it may have extra seasonings, salt, fat, sugar, etc) instead of blending your own.
Small Tools
To make this recipe, you’re going to want the following small tools:
- Can Opener
- Chef’s Knife
- Cutting Board
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Spatula or Wooden Spoon
Looking to stock your kitchen with the best equipment? Learn about the best kitchen tools you should own!
Serving
Chili doesn’t need much for serving, just these:
- Scoop Spoon: for scooping your chili out into bowls.
- Soup Bowls
- Soup Spoons
Alternative Cooking Methods
IMO stovetop is the best chili but you can also make it in an Instant Pot or Slow Cooker.
Instant Pot
It’s pretty simple to convert this stovetop recipe to an Instant Pot one.
- Instead of using a pot on the stove, start by setting your Instant Pot to saute mode.
- Follow steps 1 to 9.
Note: The saute mode on the Instant Pot only does one temperature so you’re going to need to watch it a lot closer to avoid burning. You can reduce the “simmer” time to 5 minutes.
- For step 10, add the ingredients as listed, Put the lid on your Instant Pot, lock it, and set it to pressure cook for 15 minutes. Do a 10-minute natural release, flip the switch to release the remaining pressure, and then open.
- Follow step 11.
I find that Instant Pot Chili is a lot thinner than stovetop and “simmering” it to thicken it doesn’t quite work. For that reason, I prefer the stovetop method. It takes longer but I get a consistency that I think is much better.
Slow Cooker
To make chili in a slow cooker, you’re going to follow the recipe as is, except for step 10.
Instead of letting it simmer on the stove for 30+ minutes, transfer your chili to a slow cooker and cook it on low for 4 to 6 hours.
What to Eat it with
Chili is a hearty, filling meal on its own but that doesn’t mean you don’t want something on the side. Try serving it with one (or more) of these:
Got Leftovers?
Eat them! Either reheat them and eat them as is or repurpose your leftovers into a completely new meal.
- Reheat: leftover ground beef chili can be reheated in the microwave or on the stove.
- Refrigerate: you can store leftover chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: You can freeze extra chili for up to 3 months. Allow it to cool completely and store in an airtight container with room at the top.
Note: frozen chili reheats best if it’s thawed in the refrigerator overnight first. - Repurpose: Use your leftover chili in a different recipe like a topping for baked potatoes, add it to mac n cheese, or as the base of shepherd’s pie. The sky is the limit. Have fun and enjoy.
Ground Beef Chili Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Onion, large ($0.56)
- 1 Jalapeno Pepper ($0.44)
- 5 cloves Garlic ($0.50)
- 2 tbsp Butter ($0.26)
- 1 ½ lbs Lean Ground Beef ($5.99)
- 3 tbsp Chili Powder ($0.54)
- 1 tbsp Cumin, ground ($0.18)
- 2 tsp Smoked Paprika ($0.12)
- ¼ tsp Cinnamon ($0.02)
- ¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- 42 oz Canned Diced Tomatoes, separated ($3.75)
- 2 tsp Salt ($0.08)
- ½ tsp Black Pepper, ground ($0.03)
- 28 oz Canned Beans, drained and rinsed ($3.18)
- ¾ cup Coffee or Beef Broth ($0.08)
- 1 tsp Baking Soda ($0.02)
- 3 tbsp Lime Juice ($0.69)
Optional Toppings
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Green Onions
- Sour Cream
- Avocado
- Cilantro
- Lime Wedges
Instructions
- Dice onion (1), chop & seed (if desired) jalapeno (1), and mince garlic (5 cloves).
- In a large pot over medium heat, heat butter (2 tbsp). Add the onion and pepper. Cook until onion is soft, stirring regularly (about 5 minutes).
- Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is fragrant (about 1 minute),
- Increase heat to medium-high and add ground beef. Cook, stirring to break up or crumble the meat, until the beef is brown (about 7 minutes)
- Remove meat mixture from pot and set aside. (There’s no need to drain the meat. The fat will be skimmed off the chili at the end.) Leave some liquid at the bottom of the pot.
- Reduce heat to medium, add chili powder (3tbsp), cumin (1tbsp), smoked paprika (2tsp), cinnamon (1/4tsp), and cayenne (1/4+tsp). Cook, stirring frequently, until well combined and fragrant (about 2 minutes).
- Add 28oz of canned diced tomatoes, salt (2 tsp), and black pepper (1/2tsp) to pot. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Blend tomatoes until smooth.
- Stir in baking soda (1tsp). The tomato sauce will bubble up, stir until the bubbles recede.
- Add remaining diced tomatoes (14oz), beans (32oz), coffe/broth, and cooked beef. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for at least 30 minutes (2 hours is ideal).
- Before serving, skim any excess fat off the surface and stir in lime juice (3 tbsp).
- For a thinner chili, you can add a bit of water. To thicken the chili, continue simmering, uncovered, until desired consistency is reached.
Notes
- First, shift your pot so that it’s half on and half off the burner. Wait a couple of minutes. This will cause the bubbling hot side to push the fat over to the smoother cool side.
- Scoop & serve your chili from the hot side.
- Chill the remaining chili (allow to cool then put in the fridge overnight).
- The fat will float to the top and solidify so you can just peel/break it off.
- Take a paper towel and lay it down on top of the cooler side of the chili.
- Push it lightly into any bubbles and air pockets (but don’t push it down into the chili).
- Remove from chili. It will be soaked with grease. Discard.
- Repeat with as many paper towels as necessary until fat is (mostly) gone.
Enjoy Your Chili!
Did you make this ground beef chili recipe? How did it turn out? What changes did you make? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Until next time. Xoxo