This easy-to-make southern homemade chili will be your go-to recipe for comfort food! Whether for a family meal or a tailgate party, your friends and family will devour this simple meal.
Delicious Homemade Chili
This Southern homemade chili recipe is hearty, studded with seasoned ground beef and chili beans in a rich tomato-based broth. Top your bowl of chili with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, a dollop of sour cream, etc. Pile on all your favorite toppings.
Consider making up a batch of our homemade cornbread for sopping up the chili. We actually crumble it right over the chili and stir it in. Don’t judge until you’ve tried it!
Why not serve an appetizer of chips with our authentic Mexican salsa, too? It pairs so well with the chili and a cold beer!
What You Need to Make Homemade Chili
- 2 pounds 80/20 ground beef. We’ve found this to be the perfect combination.
- Crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. This combination gives the chili a thicker base.
- 1 yellow onion. Sweet onion adds great flavor. Vidalia is a great choice, too.
- 1 tsp minced garlic. Combined with the onion, this is mirepoix, the perfect start for any soup or stew.
- Spices. Our favorite combination for chili.
- 1/2 cup brown sugar. Gives this meal a little sweetness.
- 1 bottle of Guinness Stout. A game changer!
- Beans. We used kidney, white kidney, and black beans.
See recipe card below for a printable list of ingredients and instructions.
Equipment Needed
- Dutch Oven or Large Pot
- Meat Chopper or Wooden Spoon
- Sharp Knife
- Cutting Board
- Can Opener
Step 1: Heat oil in a Dutch oven on medium to medium-high heat.
Step 2: Add onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. You want the onions to soften, and garlic to become fragrant.
Step 3: Add ground beef. Cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is browned and cooked through.
Step 4: Add tomatoes and stir to combine with meat.
Step 5: Add spices and brown sugar.
Step 6: Add Guinness and stir to combine. Simmer for 1 hour.
Step 7: Add beans.
Step 8: Simmer for 20-30 minutes more.
Serve with your favorite chili toppings. We like green onions, sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese.
Variations and Substitutions
- Ground turkey, chicken, or other ground meat can replace lean beef.
- If you want the flavor but do not want to use alcohol in the recipe, reach for a nonalcoholic beer.
- If you have leftover pulled pork or brisket, you can use that as the meat in this southern-style chili!
- You can use whole tomatoes that you finely dice up if that is what you have in your pantry. Even Rotel works great in replacement of classic diced tomatoes.
- Add more spices, such as chili and garlic powder, to enhance the flavor.
- Green chiles add a lot of flavor to chili. Drain the juice from a small can. For a milder taste, use a green bell pepper.
- You can use only one type of bean or mix them with other beans, such as pinto beans, red kidney beans, red beans, black beans, etc., for more variety.
- For a less sweet chili, 1/4 cup of brown sugar is used.
- Adding cocoa powder to the stout beer can significantly deepen the flavors.
- Spice up the chili with red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper. Taste test as you add so you don’t overdo it.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use lean ground beef or a blend of beef and pork and skip the beans. If you prefer more veggies and beef, this is more of a “Texas-style chili.”
Allowing your chili to simmer longer with the lid off will help some excess liquid evaporate and thicken it. Adding a tablespoon of cornmeal will also thicken it.
Cornbread, corn chips, tortilla chips, rice, shredded cheese, green onions, and fresh lime juice are popular chili pairings. Even cinnamon rolls are a popular pairing! This easy chili recipe has endless options to pair with it.
Brown the beef and cook it with the onions and garlic. Then, pour it into the slow cooker and add all the other ingredients. Stir and slow cook for 6-8 hours or high 4-6 hours. This is great for a busy weeknight when you want to plan in the morning.
More Delicious Soup Recipes
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Heat oil in Dutch oven.
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Add onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.
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Add ground beef. Cook, stirring occasionally until meat is browned and cooked through.
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Add everything else except beans. Simmer for 1 hour.
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Add beans and simmer for 20-30 minutes more.
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Serve.
We love this chili topped with green onions, sour cream, and freshly shredded cheddar cheese. We usually top it with crumbled cornbread, too! Don’t knock it until you try it!
Serving: 1 | Calories: 335kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 650mg | Potassium: 555mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 617IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 4mg
