Rich and hearty homemade Beef Chili Recipe loaded with vegetables and beans is comfort food at its greatest! This (under 30-minute) chili recipe is going to become your go-to recipe for cooler weather.
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Beef Chili Recipe
Ground meat and beans are the basis for a classic chili recipe. You can elevate the flavors of a traditional chili by adding vegetables so for this beef chili recipe, we added carrots and green peppers.
Make this your own by adding other diced vegetables you have on hand. These can include celery, mushrooms, zucchini or red peppers and can be added with the carrots and peppers.
How to Make the Best Beef Chili?
- Brown ground meat, add diced onion and cook until onion is softened.
- Add carrots, green pepper and garlic. Cook until veggies are tender.
- Add diced tomatoes (with juice), broth, beans and ingredients for chili seasoning. Stir well. Simmer 15 min until vegetables and beans are tender.
- Turn off the heat and allow the chili to rest 5 minutes before serving.
TIP: If you don’t like chunky diced tomatoes, then finely cube or puree them before adding to the chili.
Can Beef Chili be Frozen?
Yes, chili may be frozen. Cool chili completely and store in an air-tight container up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat to enjoy!
Since reheated chili tastes just as good as fresh, Chili may also be refrigerated and enjoyed for several days.
Chili Toppings:
This chili is a mild chili with the indicated seasonings, if you want a spicier chili, add more chili powder to taste. 🙂
Serve the beef chili with your favorite toppings of sour cream, cheddar cheese, crushed tortilla chips, fresh cilantro or green onion.
Be adventurous and serve the hearty chili over a halved and pitted avocado or baked potato! So good and original.
More Cozy Cold Weather Recipes to Try:
- Slow Cooker Turkey Chili Recipe – a crowd-pleasing chili
- Potato Chicken Soup Recipe – so comforting
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili – super fast and easy
- Creamy Tomato Basil Soup – comfort in a bowl
Beef Chili Recipe

Ingredients
Beef Chili Ingredients:
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 medium onion, finely cubed
- 1 large carrot, cubed
- ½ medium green bell pepper, cubed
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 15.5 oz can kidney beans, , drained and rinsed
- 3 cups beef broth
Chili Seasonings:
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 2 ½ tsp chili powder
Instructions
- Brown beef in a Dutch oven over med-high heat, breaking up the meat while stirring.
- Add onion and cook until tender.
- Add diced carrot, bell pepper and minced garlic. Cook until vegetables are tender, stirring as needed. Drain excess fat.
- Pour in diced tomatoes with juice, add beans, broth and seasonings. Stir well to combine.
- Turn heat down to a gentle boil and allow chili to cook 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally (longer if meat and vegetables aren’t desired tenderness).
- Taste chili and additional seasonings if needed. Turn off heat and allow chili to rest 5 minutes.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Curling up with a bowl of hot chili in the winter is a real treat. What is YOUR favorite cold-weather comfort food?
I Love this Beef Chili Recipe. I made this today and it turn out great and soo delicious. Thank you so much Natasha love your recipes.
You’re very welcome! Sounds like you found a new favorite!
I Love this Beef Chili Recipe. I made this today and it turn out great and soo delicious. Thank you so much Natasha love your recipes.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Raye!!
Hi Natasha! I love your recipes, and even though it’s about 100 here today, I could still go for a bowl of this Beef Chili! Today’s my birthday, so I should be able to eat what I want Thanks for sharing your recipe! I was wondering what ratio beef you used…lean or 80/20 or something in between? Thanks again!
Happy Birthday Elizabeth! Yes, I agree it is your say on your birthday on what you eat! We used 80/20 for this recipe.
The best just added sour cream before serving
Yes! Great combination. Thank you for that awesome review, Deborah.
What can be used instead of wine ?
Hi Umber, this recipe doesn’t include wine. Were you possibly referring to another recipe?
Oh Natasha Natasha! My tongue did flips. I made this today…. Oh there is a Heaven and this is Devine! Thank you!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Followed recipe and hubby & I both loved it..Will make often for sure.
Hi Wendy! I’m so happy you both enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for sharing that awesome feedback with me!
As an adjunct to my below comment about simmering time, if you do the 3 hour method as I suggest, add the canned beans, any fresh veggies like bell pepper or fresh tomato, and any herbs you’d like (oregano is good in chili) at about the 2 hour point 🙂 Hope that helps …
Not a bash on the recipe which sounds pretty decent and similar to what I’d make, but I don’t understand how anyone can think that 15 mins, 30 mins, or even 1 hour is long enough to simmer chili and have it come out tasting like proper chili. At 52 yo, I’ve made chili at least 100 times in my life, with very similar recipes to this, and I’m here to tell ya … chili doesn’t really become chili til it’s been simmered at very low heat for 2.5-3 hours. It’s just not possible, the chemistry doesn’t work. Again, no offense, but if you want GOOD chili, take a good recipe like this, then allow it to simmer uncovered, on very low (barely any bubbling) for about 3 hours, check on it every 20 mins to add water or broth as needed to avoid it thickening too much.
Thank you for sharing that with us, Brett! I can imagine cooking it for that long will only enhance the flavors!
I agree with brett_jv. I love my chili and make it once a month but I use a slowcooker while I’m at work. Slow and easy is the trick. As for you brett_jv. Such a young person, I’m 65, you do the math. As for this recipe I will give it a try.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me Randy!
This chili is very good. I thickened it with a bit of masa harina and water. Turned out great. I will probably add a second can of beans as I prefer more beans in chili. The recipe is a keeper!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite Tina!
Tina, I agree with you in adding masa harina. I have done that myself, yes and more beans good fiber. I thank you for sharing that in your comment some people don’t know that. God Bless.
Tried this recipe, added a can of tomato paste just to thicken it a bit, but it turned out good!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Peter! Thank you for sharing that great review!
i wanted to try a new recipe. i made this exactly as stated, but it came out so soupy, it wasnt thick at all, or even a little! i even poured some out, to see if that helped, but it did not. not sure if thats how it was suppose to be? but if so, not a fan at all. im starting to make a whole new chili now, so we can eat dinner
Hi Ashley, it isn’t normally soupy but also isn’t thickened with anything so it is a lighter liquid. If you prefer it thicker, you can drain the beans or use a little less broth. You can also simmer it longer to reduce it down and thicken it up naturally.
Ashley, you can add a little mesa harina to the recipe, but be careful you will get it too thick.
I haven’t tried this but it looks SUPER GOOD! I was wondering if you know or have any salsa recipe. If you cook beans what do you pair it up with? Do you know a recipe of beans sauce or something like that?
In addition, you should make a blogpost describing the importance of it and purpose. I am a beginner in cooking and in baking so I would like to learn some things. I like cooking and baking but I am not very experienced.
I remember learning in Middle and High School why eggs are essential in baking and soda etc…
Do you have a measuring conversion chart that you use? I would greatly appreciate if you share it with me.
Hi Lana, thank you so much for our suggestions. We have a few amazing salsa recipes following this link here. We make dried beans following this recipe here.
Hi Natasha, I just wanted you to know that I made this delicious chili recipe with a few tweaks and I won 2nd place out of about 35 entrants for our church chili cook-off this last Halloween (2018). I was sooo good. Thank-you for all your wonderful recipes!
Oh my goodness that is incredible!! That is so exciting and congratulations! I guess we could now call this a prize winning chili!! Awesome and thank you for sharing that with us 🙂
Chili without beans is pasta sauce. This looks like a great chili, will try it soon. Had to give a medium rating because I haven’t actually made it yet.
I love chili especially when it’s so cold out. It’s one meal that I can eat over and over again. So good!
Exactly! Thank you for sharing your great review, Jen!
Thank you for the recipe! Love it!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it
This chili is absolutely Perfect! I always make it on cold days and we eat it all week for lunch! Thanks for the great recipe!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
I loved all of the meat in this chili recipe. Thanks!
Yes! That is definitely my kind of chili recipe – plenty of ground beef 🙂
I love how comforting it was! Taste really good!
Hi Toni, I’m so glad you loved it! Thanks for sharing your awesome review!