Our Favorite Chili Recipes

This take on Cincinnati chili forgoes the traditional spaghetti accompaniment, though you can serve it over hot cooked noodles if you like. While many cooks think of cinnamon only as a spice for baked goods and sweets, it’s fantastic in savory dishes—particularly roasted, braised, and stewed meats like beef, pork, and chicken.

This hearty vegetarian chili from December 2011 uses quinoa, which adds body, texture, and protein.

Craving an adventurous upgrade from the classic beef-and-tomato-based chili? Then look no further. This recipe combines three varieties of budget-friendly beans for textural contrast, along with a kitchen sink’s worth of aromatics. Miso is the ticket to achieving pronounced depth in this vegetarian soup, while peanut butter helps build body. Find white miso in the refrigerated section near the produce. To make this dairy-free, use coconut yogurt in place of Greek yogurt to amp up the creaminess. Bonus: One serving delivers half your daily fiber goal.

Instant umami boosters like Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste build savory depth in minutes. Flank steak cooks quickly yet has the beefiness of tougher cuts like brisket. Coating the meat in flour before searing allows for more browning and will help add body to the chili.

The secret to a lightening-fast chili is to keep it simple, with starchy, creamy Great Northern beans as the main bean and canned green chiles (already broiled, skinned, and chopped) as your heat source. We blend half the beans to build body, leaving the rest whole for texture. Precooked rotisserie chicken also saves time, but you could use any leftover protein, such as chopped cooked pork tenderloin or cooked ground turkey. Top the chili with creamy sour cream and crunchy radishes, or try diced tomato, cilantro, or sliced jalapeños. Serve with multigrain tortilla chips.

The ultimate vegetarian chili powered by fall flavors. Sweet potato, black beans, and plenty of aromatics simmer in a velvety, pumpkin-infused tomato broth that is ultra rich and comforting. A pinch of cinnamon and dash of chipotle chili powder add a robust flavor profile that will warm you up from the inside out. Add any pumpkin-flavored beer you like. As far as toppings, the sky is the limit. We swoon over a hearty dollop of 2% Greek yogurt, fresh cilantro, and green onion.

A good veggie chili is really all about the texture. Overcooked vegetables simply won't do. Here, we combine crisp peppers, carrots, mushrooms, and beans with nutty wheat berries—a hearty whole grain that adds a desirable chewiness to this plant-packed pot, and won't break down after a long, slow-simmer. Liquid aminos help boost umami, but you can sub low-sodium soy sauce instead. It's a "big hit with adults and kids" according to reviewer Alexa, just be sure to seed the jalapeño to tone down the heat for your little ones. Top with ripe avocado for a pop of bright flavor and creamy finish.

White chili with both pork and chicken? Yes, please! Ground pork is seasoned with warm spices while tender chicken breast packs a lean but mighty punch. But even with the double dose of meaty goodness, plant power remains strong here. Two beans (chickpeas and cannellini) thicken and enrich the base while char-roasted peppers and corn fill this pot to the brim. Plenty of garlic, fresh lime juice, and smoky chipotle peppers make this chili sing. Rich half-and-half adds creamy goodness while tangy, fresh tomatillos and silky avocado top with tasteful elegance. Chili doesn't get much heartier than this!

This cold-weather delight is hot and hot: both in spiciness and temperature. It’s sure to warm you up from the inside out and fill you up too, without weighing you down. Bottled marinara makes for a super simple base starter, but watch sodium levels, as store-bought versions can get very high. Look for varieties with less than 350mg per half cup: It's better to start low and adjust salt levels as you cook. We love the extra heat from the double dose of jalapeño peppers, but you can cut the amount in half or seed the peppers for less heat. Reviewer Vickierigsby said, "Wow we loved this recipe. We always eat it over sweet cornbread. Yum, leftovers make for great chili dogs."

A wee bit of canned chipotle chiles goes a long way in infusing this hearty chili with rich, smoky flavor and a hint of heat.

When you need a chili fix, and you need it fast, this recipe delivers. Twenty minutes are all you need for a piping hot pot of poultry, beans, and chili. We veer from the traditional beef and red bean formula and instead turn to ground turkey and white beans for a tasty variation. We call for ground turkey, not ultra-lean ground turkey breast, because the former stays more moist (you can also use ground sirloin if you prefer). One poblano pepper offers mild to medium heat, depending on the pepper; to ensure a mild version, sub in green bell pepper.

This is a real crowd-pleaser and one that doesn’t necessarily scream “vegetarian,” so you can feel confident serving it to the meat eaters in your life. The combination of creamy pinto, nutty cannellini, and meaty red kidney beans gives the chili great texture, heft, and flavor, while butternut squash adds a hint of sweetness to offset the heat of crushed red pepper. If you’re sensitive to spice, start with one-fourth to one-half the amount of pepper; you can always add more, but you can’t take it away once it’s in there.