Easy Stove Top Beef Chili is the simplest, best chili recipe for those times you’re craving filling comfort food! This is that hearty, thick, classic chili recipe that hits the spot every time!
In my opinion, the best chilis are the ones that are nice and meaty with the iconic flavor from chili powder with just the right amount of tomatoes and beans. I also prefer my chili nice and thick rather than thin or soupy.
While many chili recipes require lots of spices, I find a classic chili seasoning blend has everything you need already.
Chili powder is a blend of paprika, ground cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, Mexican oregano, and sometimes onion powder.
The balance of flavors that already exists in chili powder is precisely why I use only chili powder and no additional spices.
Combining lots of ground beef with sweet bell peppers and crushed tomatoes and a generous amount of chili powder results in what I consider to be the best beef chili. I use just enough broth to combine everything together so that the result is very thick and hearty.
For the times I’m feeling beanless chili, I make my Instant Pot Pumpkin Chili recipe, but for all other times, it’s this easy stove top beef chili or my 3 Bean Turkey Chili all the way.
All of that said, it’s your chili so you can customize it as you’d like! I have offered a few suggestions below for potential changes to make unique flavors and textures.
Let’s dive into the simple ingredients needed to make this very basic yet very delicious easy beef chili recipe!
Ingredients for Easy Beef Chili:
Avocado Oil: Used to sauté the vegetables and brown the beef, avocado oil is a great cooking oil with neutral flavor that has a high smoke point. Use olive oil or vegetable oil if it’s what you have on hand.
Onion, Bell Pepper, Garlic: The ultimate chili veggies! Yellow onion, bell pepper and garlic bring an infusion of big flavors to the chili with a touch of natural sweetness.
I use both red pepper and green peppers, but you can pick and choose your favorite bell pepper colors.
Ground Beef: Pick up two pounds of your favorite ground beef for this ultra meaty chili. I love using grass-fed ground beef because it has a nice infusion of omega 3 fatty acids, and I also enjoy the flavor more than regular ground beef. I tend to use fattier ground beef, like 85/15 or 80/20, but you can absolutely use lean ground beef (90/10 or leaner) depending on your personal preference. Swap the ground beef out for ground turkey or ground chicken if you’re looking for a lower fat high protein meal.
Chili Powder, Sea Salt & Black Pepper: The very simple seasonings used to make this easy chili recipe! As I mentioned before, I stick with just chili powder, salt, and pepper rather than using the individual spices found in chili powder.
I use a whopping three tablespoons chili powder, which may sound like a lot, but for my personal taste, the resulting chili contains a stellar classic beef chili flavor.
Crushed Tomatoes: A big can of crushed tomatoes brings the perfect amount of tang and acidity to this healthy chili recipe. Feel free to use 28 ounces of diced tomatoes, chopped up fresh tomatoes plus 2 to 3 tablespoons of tomato paste, or a can of tomato sauce if you prefer.
Black Beans: Use 1 to 2 cans of black beans, or your favorite chili beans. If you love lots of beans, use three cans of whatever combination of beans you love. I personally prefer black beans, so that’s what I went with.
Chicken Broth: Because I love thick chili, I use a relatively small amount of chicken broth. You can also use beef broth or beef stock. Add more for a thinner consistency if you’d like.
Pure Maple Syrup (Optional): To offset some of the acidity from the tomatoes and to add a nearly imperceptible tiny amount of sweetness, I add just a touch of pure maple syrup. You can skip the sweetener altogether if you don’t do sugar, or use brown sugar, regular sugar or coconut sugar as a replacement.
Optional Additions:
- If you love the flavor of ground cumin, add 1 to 2 teaspoons.
- For some herby flavor, add 1 to 3 teaspoons of Italian seasoning or individual dried herbs like dried parsley, oregano, etc.
- Add 1 to 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for spicy smoky chili
- Omit the beans if you aren’t into them. You can replace them with chopped sweet potatoes or butternut squash if you’d like for some complex carbs.
- Use a combination of black beans, pinto beans, and/or red kidney beans if you’d like.
Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients, let’s make this amazing homemade chili recipe.
How to Make Easy Stove Top Beef Chili:
Heat the avocado oil in a large thick bottomed pot such as a large Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the chopped bell peppers and garlic. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the bell peppers soften, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Scoot the vegetables off to one side of the pot and add the ground beef, chili powder, sea salt, and black pepper.
Brown the meat for a couple of minutes before using a spatula to break it up into small bits and mix everything together.
Pour in the crushed tomatoes, black beans, chicken broth, and pure maple syrup. Stir everything well and cover the pot.
Bring the chili to a full boil, the reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the chili cooks, you can prepare your toppings or any additional side dishes you’re serving with the chili.
Serve chili with your favorite toppings, like diced avocado, sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, fresh cilantro, green onion, tortilla chips, lime wedges, chopped red onion, etc. Enjoy this meal with my Gluten-Free Cornbread or Gluten-Free Bacon Cheddar Biscuits.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
This yummy chili becomes even more flavorful the next day once it has had time to sit and develop complex flavor. Use leftover chili on hot dogs to make chili dogs, chili mac, or stick with a regular bowl of chili with your favorite toppings.
If you have a very large pot, feel free to make a double batch if you’re feeding lots of people or are using this as a meal prep recipe. Based on the amount I eat, this chili recipe makes four large servings, but can also comfortably feed 6 if other side dishes are involved.
You can also prepare this easy ground beef chili recipe in the slow cooker if you’re looking for ultra tender meat and fully developed flavors. Slow cook in your crock pot for 4 hours on high heat or 8 to 10 hours on low heat.
The next time you’re craving a good chili for a simple weeknight dinner, whip up this easy homemade chili!
Looking for something a little different? Try one of my other chili recipes!
More Healthy Chili Recipes:
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Crock Pot Turkey Chili with Black Beans
- Best Steak Chili Recipe
- Turkey Pumpkin Chili
- Nightshade-Free AIP Chili Recipe
- Crock Pot Vegan Pumpkin Chili
Bowls of chili on repeat!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 3 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 15-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups chicken broth*
- 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup**
- 1 tsp sea salt, to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the avocado oil in a large thick bottomed pot such as a large Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped bell peppers and garlic. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the bell peppers soften, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Scoot the vegetables off to one side of the pot and add the ground beef, chili powder, sea salt, and black pepper.
- Brown the meat for a couple of minutes before using a spatula to break it up into small bits and mix everything together.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes, black beans, chicken broth, and pure maple syrup. Stir everything well and cover the pot.
- Bring the chili to a full boil, the reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the chili cooks, you can prepare your toppings or any additional side dishes you're serving with the chili.
- Serve chili with your favorite toppings, like diced avocado, sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, fresh cilantro, green onion, tortilla chips, lime wedges, chopped red onion, etc.
Notes
Nutrition
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Wendy
Thursday 16th of March 2023
I had to know what "easy chili" tasted like. It was very good! However, I ended up tweaking it toward my usual recipe in which I added garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, oregano, paprika. My family loved it! Then I realized that I forgot the cumin powder! And that is exactly why my family loved your recipe so much better! We usually have chili left over to freeze. NOt this time. Thank you for sharing your lovely recipe and making us realize that chili doesn't need a whole lot of ingredients. And most importantly, that it doesn't need cumin!
Julia
Thursday 16th of March 2023
Oh yaaay! I love that your family enjoyed the chili! Thanks so much for reporting back and for sharing your changes - this is definitely helpful to others who want to try the same thing! Many thanks! xo