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This Easy Chili is ready in just 30 minutes. It’s fast and simple and loaded with beans, beef, chili seasoning, garlic, and onions. This is a classic recipe made simple!
For a long time, the only chili recipes we could find required hours and hours of cooking time. Whether it was on the stovetop or in the slow cooker, the chili always required a slow simmer for at least 4-6 hours. But what about when you don’t have time to simmer but you still want to make a delicious and easy chili?
That got us thinking, can you make an easy chili in under an hour? You sure can. And we are about to give you the recipe! Now, the ingredients don’t differ that much from a chili that is slow-cooked – and that’s ok. The main takeaway here is that these ingredients are simple (and probably already in your kitchen) and there isn’t a lot of them!
This recipe goes to show that you can do a lot with just 30 minutes and a short list of ingredients. All you need is ground beef, beans, onions, garlic, seasonings, and tomato sauce for this recipe. That rich flavor still develops and you’ve made it in a fraction of the time!
Looking for more easy chili recipes? Try out these other reader favorites: Hot Dog Chili, Crockpot Mexican White Chili, and Instant Pot White Chicken Chili!
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Chili
First, let’s talk about why this recipe is so great. It easily became a family favorite and here’s why:
It’s so quick. We’ve already said this and we’ll say it again. You can decide at 4:30 that you want to make chili and it will be ready by 5 because this recipe just takes 30 minutes to make.
Thisrecipe is kid-friendly. Oftentimes kids don’t love chili because it contains a lot of ingredients that they may not like (we’re talking about chipotle peppers, cayenne, etc.). But this recipe has a basic ingredient list that will satisfy everyone’s tastebuds.
It’s a one-pot recipe. Not only will the recipe be done in record time, but you also won’t have a big mess to clean up!
What You’ll Need
Here’s what you need to make this Easy Chili recipe. The goal is that you don’t have to run to the store for anything!
Olive Oil
Yellow Onion: White or sweet onions will also work.
Garlic: We highly recommend sticking to fresh garlic for this recipe.
Ground Beef: We used ground sirloin 90% lean. You can also use ground turkey or even ground chicken!
Tomato Sauce: We like to use unsalted so that we can adjust the level of salt ourselves.
Water
Chili Seasoning: You can use store bought or our favorite Homemade Chili Seasoning!
Salt
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: You can add more if you like it spicy.
Chili Beans: We love Bush’s chili beans, they add a great layer of flavor to your chili!
Recipe Variations
The joy of this recipe is that you can mix up some of the ingredients to make use of what you have in the kitchen already.
Try different beans. You can use pinto, white chili beans, black beans, or kidney beans.
Use another ground meat. You can also use leaner ground turkey or chicken and save some calories!
Use chicken or beef stock instead of water. This will make the flavor richer.
Add some heat. If you aren’t feeding little ones, you can add more heat by adding more chili powder, chipotle peppers, or cayenne pepper.
How to Make This Easy Chili
You’ll have dinner on the table in 30 minutes! Here’s how to make this simple dinner recipe.
First, saute the onions and garlic in a dutch oven. You want to be sure that you cook them to be soft and translucent but not browned.
Then add the meat. Break up the meat while it cooks so that there are not any large chunks.
Add the seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, water, and tomato sauce. And then let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
Lastly, add the beans. Then simmer for an additional 10 minutes before serving.
Serve the chili warm. And, of course, don’t forget the toppings!
Tips for Success
Follow these tips to make sure that your recipe turns out perfectly!
Deglaze with water if needed. If you notice that the beef, onions, and/or garlic start sticking to the bottom of the pan, add a little water. When the water hits the hot pan it will help release the stuck-on pieces of food and add more flavor to the dish.
If the chili gets too thick: If it gets thick add a little water or beef broth, especially after storing it in the refrigerator.
Use lean meat. The chili tends to get greasy when you use meat that has a higher fat percentage.
Topping Ideas
We love adding different toppings to our bowls. That’s the fun part! And here are some of our favorite ideas.
Store leftovers in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days.
Then you can use a microwave to reheat or you can do it on the stove.
Can I Freeze Homemade Chili?
Yes! Freezing this recipe is a great idea. We recommend using freezer-friendly bags so that they can be stored flat in the freezer. This recipe can be frozen for up to 3 months.
4.4 from 7 votes
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Yield: 4to 6 servings
Easy Chili
This Quick and Easy Chili is exploding with flavor and made in 30 minutes with just one pot with easy kitchen stables!
Prep Time5 minutesminutes
Cook Time25 minutesminutes
Total Time30 minutesminutes
Ingredients
1tablespoonolive oil
1medium yellow onion, chopped
2tablespoonsminced garlic
2poundsground beef
18 oz can tomato sauce
1cupwater
2tablespoonschili seasoning
1teaspoonsalt
½teaspooncrushed red pepper
127 oz can chili beans (do not drain or rinse)
Optional Toppings:
Shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped onions
Sour cream
Jalapeños
Cilantro
Avocado
Instructions
In a Dutch oven or large deep sided pot add oil and sauté onion for 2 minutes, add garlic and sauté 2 more minutes.
Add ground beef and simmer over medium heat, break up any large pieces of meat (if there is a lot of grease from the meat drain it before going further).
Add tomato sauce, chili seasoning, salt and red pepper flakes, continue simmering 20 minutes.
Add chili beans, stir and simmer 10 more minutes.
Serve warm with all your favorite toppings.
Notes
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days. This recipe can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Most Common Chili Spices. Cumin, Chile Powders, and Paprika are the most common spices in chili followed by garlic, onion, coriander, Mexican oregano, and bay leaves. These ingredients can be combined to create a savory and well-balanced pot of top notch comfort food.
For each pound of meat, you will need about one 28-ounce can of tomato (diced or pureed), two 15-ounce cans of beans, 1 to 2 cups of minced onion, and 1½ to 2 tablespoons of chile powder. But this isn't a hard and fast formula — I frequently change proportions depending on my mood.
Place soaked beans in a large pot; cover with fresh water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently until beans are tender but firm. Most beans will cook in 45 minutes to 2 hours depending on the variety.
The best beans for chili are pinto, kidney, and black beans, like in this easy and tasty recipe. This 3-bean chili freezes great for meals later in the week. If you prefer thinner chili, add an extra can of tomato sauce. The green chiles are not hot and add a wonderful flavor, so don't be afraid to use them.
The chili can cook on a high simmer with the lid off for 30-45 minutes, or up to 2 hours on a low simmer with the lid on. The longer that you simmer a chili, the more flavorful it will be, because it allows the spices and seasonings to develop further.
Stir some puréed pumpkin into your chili just after sautéing your aromatics (onions, garlic, etc...) and before adding any liquid. This will deepen and sweeten its flavor, making it a great balance for all the chile peppers and heat.
If you want more of a smoky flavor, add cumin, Spanish paprika, ancho chili powder, or a combination. If you are looking for more heat, add cayenne, crushed red pepper, or Hungarian paprika. If it's too spicy add a little brown sugar and some sweet paprika.
Beans and non-vegetable fillers such as rice and pasta are not allowed." If that sounds a bit uptight, the ICS's Homestyle Chili competition defines chili as: "any kind of meat, or combination of meats, and/or vegetables cooked with beans, chili peppers, various spices, and other ingredients.
Most chili lovers will tell you that this is the ideal cut of meat for stew and chili. Chuck is initially a very tough cut of beef, but when you consider the fact chuck is highly marbled, it turns out this is perfect for the low-and-slow way to cook the perfect Texas chili.
Chili cooks low and slow, so you need enough liquid to tenderize the meat and keep everything from drying out. That liquid should also add flavor to the chili, so use chicken, beef, or vegetable stock, or beer.
The best ground beef for chili has some fat, so 85% lean is ideal. Don't be tempted to use extra-lean beef or drain off the fat after browning the meat. The fat bastes the meat during cooking, which adds richness to the sauce and keeps the meat moist.
You'll want to drain the kidney beans, but rinsing them is optional. Doing so will reduce the amount of sodium that gets carried into the dish. I choose to let mine sit in the strainer for awhile, but I don't rinse them.
You know the saying, “save the best for last?” To keep your beans nice and plump, add them about 20 minutes before you finish cooking. This will give them plenty of time to impart that perfectly seasoned chili flavor to your recipe without overcooking.
No, red beans and kidney beans are actually different types of beans. The main difference? Red beans are smaller and rounder (like pinto beans), but red in color. However, these beans still are fairly similar and can generally be used interchangeably in recipes that call for either dried or canned beans.
Absolutely!Both slow cookers and pressure cookers are great options for cooking chili with dry beans. When using a slow cooker, combine all the ingredients including the soaked beans, cover with liquid, and cook on low for around 8 hours or on high for 4 to 6 hours.
Sweet onions are great for caramelizing due to their higher sugar content. You can cook them into your chili, serve them raw over top, or even elevate your chili with a sophisticated caramelized onion topping! Some of my favorite sweet onions are Walla, Walla, Maui, and Vidalia Onions.
Many chili aficionados add a little sweetness to their chili with some brown sugar or even maple syrup to complement the earthy peppers and balance out some of the spice. But adding corn cobs to your chili is the secret to bringing natural sweetness without adding sugar.
Diced Tomatoes: I prefer to use “petite diced tomatoes” because the chunks are smaller and I find that they incorporate into the final dish much better than the much larger chunks that you find in regular diced tomatoes.
Stir in beans, chicken broth, green chiles, salt, cumin, oregano, black pepper, and cayenne pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until flavors have blended, about 30 minutes. Remove chili from heat; stir in sour cream and whipping cream until incorporated. Serve hot and enjoy!
For quicker-cooking chili like this recipe, don't cover the pot. You want the liquid in the chili to reduce, and leaving the lid off is crucial. If you're simmering the chili for a longer time, partially cover the pot to prevent the liquid from evaporating too quickly.
Although the internet abounds with recipes for quick-cooking chilis that take as little as 20 minutes (via MyRecipes), this stewed dish truly benefits from a longer cook time that will gently coax all the flavors out of the meat, legumes, vegetables, and spices in the recipe.
Professional chefs shared their favorite ways to turn a can of chili into a tastier option. Cocoa, beer, and cinnamon are ingredients that'll boost the flavor of your dish. Fresh toppings are an easy way to add new flavor and texture to the premade meal.
Cinnamon is a fairly common addition to chili, but you can also use small amount of nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and other sweet spices to make it more aromatic. Even a bit of star anise can enhance the beefy, spicy flavor of chili without being too licorice-forward (add too much, though, and it may taste more like pho).
Ingredients like tomato paste, cinnamon, coffee and liquid smoke can all add flavor hints that will make your chili cook-off entry unique. Roast your vegetables and use broth or beer instead of water for even more flavor in your pot.
Introduction: My name is Wyatt Volkman LLD, I am a handsome, rich, comfortable, lively, zealous, graceful, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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