This is the BEST Chili Recipe EVER! I’ve had a lot of chili in my life, and this is hand’s down the WORLD’S BEST CHILI recipe I have ever tasted. It has two types of meat, lots of beans, and it’s loaded with cheese, sour cream, crackers, and more. You will want to eat this year round, not just during the cold months.
Best Chili Recipe
Looking for the world’s BEST chili recipe? Then you’ve come to the right place! This recipe has been in our family for years, and it’s truly the best of the best.
This isn’t just a good chili recipe, it’s the BEST Chili Recipe EVER. I was blessed to grow up in a family with Susie from Simply Sated as my mom. She spoiled us nightly with delicious meals and I can hear my dad saying “Everyone who thinks Mom made a great meal, hold up your hand!”
I’m ashamed to say that I never learned how to cook when I was younger, because I just preferred to eat what my mom was fixing rather than learn for myself. I mean, can you blame me? Her recipes are SO good.
Anyway, one of my all-time favorite meals from mom is her famous chili (aka World’s Best Chili Recipe)! Nothing makes me think of home more than mom’s hearty and delicious chili. You guys are in for a treat today! (If you’re looking for the best ever White Chicken Chili, we also have that recipe for you!)
Get ready for the World’s Best Chili with one of my favorite recipes. Everyone will love this one, and you’ll be making it for every occasion.
World’s Best Chili Recipe
aka My Mom’s Chili Recipe!
Different versions of this amazing chili recipe have been in our family for decades. My Great Grandma Lil used to make it on Christmas Eve, and it’s still a tradition in the Adee family today.
When I FINALLY decided I wanted to learn how to cook, my mom drove from Kirksville to St. Louis to teach me the staples. Of course the BEST CHILI RECIPE was on the list of recipes I needed to learn right away.
We laughed at my lack of knowledge as she taught me her best tips and tricks, and she left my freezer full of all the best meals. There were many Tupperware containers filled with this chili. It got me through months of being a single social worker!
It was a weekend that inspired a big life change, a passion, a new career, a LOT. Pretty awesome looking back on it. And to think it sort of started with this chili recipe…
Best Chili Ingredients
This wouldn’t be the world’s best chili without the best chili ingredients. I love the mix of different beans, plus there’s beef AND sausage. Talk about delicious!
What’s in this recipe?
- Ground Chuck
- Sausage Roll
- Tomato Sauce
- Diced Tomatoes
- Yellow Onion
- Garlic
- Back Beans
- Red Beans
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Cider Vinegar
- Water
- Chili Seasoning
- Ketchup
- Yellow Mustard
- Salt & Pepper
And of course I love adding a few toppings to each bowl after cooking. My favorite topping are sour cream, cilantro, a but of shredded cheese, and some crackers. Just perfect!
How to make this Chili Recipe
Like all family recipes, it’s every generation’s job to put their own spin on the classics. I called mom to discuss this, because it’s very serious business. We both agreed that sausage would be a great addition!
This chili now calls for ground chuck as well as crumbed sausage, adding a delicious depth of flavor and heartiness. To quote my mom, “Delicious! If I do say so myself!”
There’s always room to add new ingredients to chili, and I love that I can add to our family’s traditional recipe to make something new and delicious!
Easy Recipe for Every Occasion
This easy chili recipe has been made for holidays, week days, date nights, and every day in between. It’s even been made while tailgating at the Royals 2015 ALDS Championship game (Some of the best memories of my life!). I made fun of mom for cooking chili dogs in Kauffman’s parking lot, but they sure were tasty. Could it be the reason we won it all??
How do you make chili thicker?
To make chili a bit thicker, just add a few tablespoons of corn starch or flour and some hot water. Thicken it to your liking and allow it to simmer while stirring. So easy!
What are the best kinds of beans to make chili?
We use black beans and red beans in this BEST Chili recipe, but you can also use pinto or kidney beans. I love the added flavors, colors, and protein.
How long will chili keep in the fridge and freezer?
If not eating, you should freeze or refrigerate chili within 2 hours of cooking. It will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for 4-6 months. Awesome, right?
I hope your family enjoys this recipe in the future as much as ours has for years. It really is the best ever. If you’re wondering what to pair with the World’s Best Chili, we recommend Oatmeal Molasses Rolls, or going all the way and making the BEST CHILI DOG RECIPE ever as a special treat!
The best chili recipe deserves a place in your recipe box and the chili deserves a place in your stomach!
Watch the Video and See the recipe card for details on How to make the Best Chili Recipe Ever. Enjoy!
We love chili around here, so try some of these other good chili recipes:
- Spicy White Bean Chicken Chili
- Lazy Day 6-Ingredient Chili
- Cincinnati Chili Recipe
- Creamy White Chicken Chili
- Instant Pot Chili Mac
- Slow Cooker Chili Recipe
- Best Vegetarian Chili Recipe
- Healthy Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 16 ounces sausage roll
- 1/2 cup sweet yellow onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 pounds ground chuck plus water for cooking
- 1 can tomato sauce 8 ounces
- 1 can diced tomatoes 14.5 ounces
- 1 cup water this is an ingredient. The water above is just for the chuck prep
- 1 can black beans 15 ounces, drained and rinsed
- 1 can red beans 15 ounces, drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 ounce chili seasoning
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Optional Toppings
- chopped onions
- hot sauce
- sliced jalapenos
- shredded cheese
- crackers
- sour cream
- cilantro
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and crumble as it cooks. When almost fully browned, add the onion and garlic. Saute until onion is translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Drain oil if necessary and set aside.
- Place ground chuck in a Dutch oven and use a wooden utensil to crumble. Cover completely with water. Bring water to a boil and boil the meat until brown. Drain the beef in a colander and return to the dutch oven.
- Add the sausage and onion mixture to the ground chuck and stir to combine.
- Mix in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, both types of beans, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, chili seasoning, ketchup, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix well and cook the chili, stirring often, over medium-low heat at least 1 hour or until chili has thickened and flavors meld. If it cooks down too much, you can add a bit more water.
- Serve with favorite toppings such as chopped fresh cilantro, chopped onions, cheese, crackers, hot sauce, sliced jalapenos, or a topping of your choice.
Video
Nutrition
How awesome!!! Thank you!
some similar chili recipe is here in Balkan made in Serbia, Bulgaria , Romania, some time with rice
Please correct the spelling of black beans! Thank you.
That’s awesome!! I love hearing things like this!! Great additions too!
Made this for a Chilli cookoff won first place beat 9 0thers added celery green pepper n bacon
I love when I help someone add a new recipe to their collection! Enjoy!!
Made this chili for dinner tonight and it was a huge hit with the family! Thank you for a great recipe and great tasting chili! I will definitely be making this again!
For sure. You can leave them out! I’d add less liquid and just add as much as you’d like to get to the desired thickness.
Yes you could!!
When and where do you add the one cup of water?
Can we use only ground beef and eliminate the sausage.
My family and I can’t tolerate the taste of sausage. Instead of jalapenos I would use a sauce like green chili sauce this gives everything a wonderful taste with just a little taste of spicy. Thank you. ( I usually make a southwest chili….wonderful taste.)
Can this be a successful chili without beans? I dislike the taste and texture of beans.
I will try it after I modify it. I would have to use Italian sausage and get rid of the black beans and use kidney beans in place of red beans. Don’t know if I would use the vinegar. either
Ok I guess first of all going to agree to disagree. Your chili recipe is probably tasty but I’m going to say to brown your meats, drain and add onion and garlic so you don’t drain away flavor. Then once your onions are translucent add your spices without any liquid yet so your chili seasonings will bloom and once the aroma hits your nose you can continue. Add your tomatoes, rinsing your cans for water. Then add beans but why rinse? Will help to thicken the chili some. Taste test. Does it need a bit more chili powder or salt? Sometimes if I need more liquid cause it’s going to simmer, I’ve used a 12oz. can of spicy V-8…makes them say that was tasty! Anyway I’ve made a lot of chili variations and dearly love my chili. Pinto beans are my favorite though too and sometimes a bit of green pepper adds nice flavor. Less is more, No ketchup or mustard, No basil, just basic flavors and you’ll attract more people. Not trying to tell you how to make your chili, just from my trial and error.
It is a passion of mine to make chili. I believe I make the beat however will be updating it with JD sausage after reading this. Let me request you try a can of original baked beans chili beans, kidney beans also sub v8 juice for tomato.. Also add green bell peppers to onions and meat while cooking. Rest is good. :)
If you have a Wal Mart close, they should carry it there.
Becky, I found this recipe on pinterest and i’m making it as i type this, the only thing is, i’m making it in a slow cooker. I don’t own a dutch oven so i browned the sausage, onion and minced garlic, drained and put in slow cooker, browned the chuck, put it in the slow cooker and mixed well, then i just added the rest of the ingredients including the cup of water, i used a 28oz can of the petite diced tomatoes and i added a tblspn of chopped basil, i’m cooking on low for 6 hours, i’ll let you know how it turns out.
Enjoy Loretta! Perfect for the colder weather :)
What is ground chuck? Is it ground beef?
Looks yummy will def try.
If I don’t have a dutch oven how would you cook it in a crock pot?
YES! Best smells ever, right?! Hope you loved it :)
I live in Texas and I’m making this tonight (even though it’s still hot here). It’s cooking now while we watch football…my house smells amazing and the chili looks delicious! Thank you!
This is by far my favorite chili recipe. I did not have the chili season packet, so I got a homemade chili seasoning recipe on line. I also added a little bit of brown sugar and cayenne pepper for a nice spicy/sweet kick. Awesome!
Where can I buy that chili seasoning in lakewood ohio?
Hi Valerie, I’m so sorry to hear that. You were right to add the water to the chili, I’ll make that more clear in the recipe. But I’m surprised there wouldn’t be enough liquid still since you did add it. Did it possibly just cook down too much? You could add a bit more water to make it to your liking. For us, this consistency was perfect. I just hate to hear that you’re having issues.
I’m currently making this chili and feel like I’ve missed something. I’m assuming the cup of water is to cover the ground chuck and boil it, which I did; however, there is no liquid in my pot. I went ahead and added a cup of water to the pot thinking maybe it was just missing from the cooking directions but even then, I have almost no liquid. I followed the directions exactly as well as the measurements.
You really can do it either way. My mom swears by boiling because she says it gets a more even cook, but I like to do whatever is easier at the time. Whatever your comfortable with is best :) Hope you LOVE the recipe! So excited that you’re giving it a try!
I plan to make this chili over the weekend but have a question. Why is the ground chuck cooked in water instead of being cooked in a skillet? I’m sure there’s a good reason!
THANK YOU Kimberly!
Now THAT is a pot of chili! What a special recipe – chili was always our Christmas Eve dinner too. :)
They are!!!! Thanks girl appreciate it!
I agree! Thanks Ginny.
Recipes that are passed on through the family over the years are the greatest. Thanks so much for sharing with us!
Your Mom’s recipes are THE BEST! Thanks for sharing this one.
Thanks Michelle! Hope you love it!
You are a doll my friend. THANK YOU! (for everything)
Oh my, yessss! You’ve outdone yourself, friend!! **Runs to check out mom’s blog!!! **
I love chili! This seriously does look like the best ever!
You are too sweet Teri! You completely made my day and I’ll make sure my mom sees your comment as well. Thank you!!
That chili looks yummy! Pinned to my chili board and printed. But I first hopped over to Mom’s blog.Signed up,pinned,printed her tortilla soup. Think the rate some good genetics going here! The brain was absorbing as you watched mommy cook! And adorable you BOTH are! Thanks!
Yes you can definitely double the chuck if omitting the sausage. And I have found Williams at Dierbergs and at Schnucks! It would be in the condiment section or in the section with the chili beans. Thanks for saying hi, happy to see someone from STL!
Where in St. Louis can I find Original William’s Chili Seasoning? This sounds yummy!
Also, if I wanted to omit the sausage would I double the chuck?
Thanks Mom. Inspired by you :)
Thanks Justine!
I’m getting so warm and toasty just looking at this chili. It really does look like the best chili ever!
I loved this post, I love your photos, I love this chili, I love Jimmy Dean Sausage, and I can’t wait to try your spin on this family favorite. Terrific job, Bec!