Looking for your new favourite chilli con carne recipe? Pick one here, as well as sides, and all my tip & tricks to make AMAZING chilli

Looking for your new favourite chilli con carne recipe? Warming, comforting, adaptable chili has to be the ultimate versatile classic that will always please a crowd. Read on for my favourites, top chili tips and serving and side suggestions!

a collage of 4 image of different chilli dishes

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The best chilli con carne recipes

Regardless if you call it chilli or chili, there are SO many ways to make and serve chilli that there will always be a favourite for everyone!

A Texan style chili with slowly cooked chunks of stewing steak and no beans will always be enjoyed by the chilli purists, but why stop at that?

Choose chilli made with ground or minced beef, beans, no beans or lots of beans, pack with vegetables or add just a few. Chicken, turkey or veggie? Hotter than Hades or mild and comforting?

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Then decide how to cook your chilli – on the stove top, slow cooker or in the oven – you can even make it in a pot over the campfire!

Take your pick of a side to soak up all that chilli juice – we love rice, baked potatoes, cornbread or tortilla chips.

And to finish pile your chilli high with as many of your choice of toppings as you like.

Classic chilli con carne

This is MY favourite chilli – chunks of beef slowly cooked so they fall apart, in a rich thick sauce, with some, but not excessive heat and ideal for filling the freezer.

This is perfect everyday chili recipe to have in your kitchen repertoire, one to adapt to your tastes, and make again and again and again.

a close up of a bowl of chilli con carne garnished with tomato, lime and avocado

Classic Chilli Con Carne

With soft fall apart chunks of beef, in a rich sauce this is the best chilli ever which I've been making for over 30 years!

Read my top tips for great chilli, and then take a pick from the rest of my recipes.

Top tips for chilli

There are no rules – ask a group of people which their favourite recipe and they will all give you a different answer.

You can’t rush chilli – cook it slowly for at least 90 minutes to give the flavours time to develop.

Make a big batch – I usually cook for two but chilli is one of those dishes that works well being scaled up. Always make enough to feed 6-8. It keeps and freezes well and one of my kitchen mantras is cook once, eat 2 or more times!

Let chilli rest – like curry, chilli is FAR better made in advance, left to rest for the flavours to soften and meld together then reheated. It freezes and reheats well making it a perfect get ahead meal.

Don’t go mad on the heat. A great chilli is not (always) a hot chilli – it is about the balance and depth of flavours. Too much heat hides all those other delicious tastes.

a bowl of freshly cooked chilli con carne surrounded by the traditional chilli toppings

How to add flavour to chilli

Brown the meat – I know some recipes go for a dump and go approach – but it is so much better to fry the meat and onions first so they have some colour

Use your own spice blend – Chilli is NOT just about the heat – sure there is some heat but it is about layers of flavour and spices – as well as chilli powder I’ll almost always add cumin, coriander, some woody herbs and some smoked chilli or paprika. Ideally fry the spices too until they release their flavour and smell fragrant

a bowl of the reddish ochre seasoning blend

Chilli con carne seasoning

Chili seasoning mix saves both time and effort when making a chili. Adjust the mixture to your taste for the perfect warming bowl of chili exactly as you like it.

Don’t be afraid of fat – it is where lots of the flavour is in meat – choose cuts which have some visible or mince / ground beef with a fat content of around 20%. Ideally fry in dripping rather than oil.

Taste and season – salt is not your enemy. You need a little to adjust and enhance the other flavours.

Chocolate is key – The Mexicans knew what they were doing when making mole – add a spoon of cocoa or a few squares of dark chocolate to your chilli. A spoon of good quality instant coffee power works in the same way.

Cook slowly, cool and reheat – you do not need to use a slow cooker to cook slowly. A good chilli needs at least 90 minutes to cook. It is also better having been cooled (or frozen), and reheated – making it the perfect afterwork dish.

Rich, dark and packed with vegetables, delicious pumpkin beef chilli served from a big blue casserole dish.

Twists on a classic chili

These are my favourite meat chillis, made with chicken and turkey as well as beef. Ringing the changes with different vegetables, beans and cooking methods.

Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne

The slow cooker version of my classic chilli – with tender fall-apart chunks of beef, in a rich sauce with optional added vegetables. Ideal for batch cooking for the freezer.

Lifting a spoonful of rich red-brown chilli from the dish.

Pumpkin Beef Chilli

A classic ground beef chilli recipe becomes a true one-pot dinner when enriched with fabulous golden pumpkin in season. An easy, adaptable recipe that’s perfect for both the oven and the slow cooker, with easy-to-follow notes on both.

Pumpkin Chilli chicken

Pumpkin chilli chicken is light, bright and tasty, and great for batch cooking or feeding a crowd. Packed with veg and as economical as it is easy, it’s a great option to liven up a midweek evening.

A blue glazed bowl full of deep, dark beef mince chilli with toppings and tacos.

Slow Cooker Ground / Mince Beef Chilli

Deep, dark and delicious, this slow cooker ground beef chili is made with minced beef, beans and vegetables and all the most temptingly warming spices for a dish that you will long to come home to.

A warming bowl of rich ground turkey chili with rice, nacho chips and all the trimmings.

Slow Cooker Turkey Chilli

This slow cooker chilli is made with turkey mince for a lighter, but still fully flavoured chilli. Perfect for batch cooking.

Vegetarian chilli recipes

Fabulous meat free chilli recipes for the non meat eaters – serve alongside another chili to feed a crowd.

Quorn Chilli

Fuss-free, effortless and delicious, this easy Quorn chilli recipe is so easy to pull together for a meat-free midweek dinner. It’s great for feeding a crowd and freezes well, making it perfect for batch cooking.

5 Bean Chilli

A hearty 5 bean chilli is the perfect store cupboard dinner. Healthy, rich and full of flavour, it’s perfect for colder days. Serve on its own, heaped onto a baked potato, or with rice. Instructions for stove top or slow cooker

Side dishes for chilli

A great side will make a chilli even better – here are some options for when you want something a bit more than plain rice or a baked potato.

Colourful, appetising Mexican style rice with beans

Mexican Rice and Beans

Delicious Mexican inspired one pot of rice and beans – perfect for soaking up the juice from chili

Slow Cooker Cornbread

Cornbread is a classic with chilli – this version is made in the slow cooker

Make your own crispy tortilla chips, easily made from wraps and perfectly ready for you choice of dip.

Crispy baked homemade tortilla chips

These are the best homemade tortilla chips – crispy, tasty, healthier than the packet version, and perfect with your favourite dip. Made in minutes too! Vegan.

Chilli FAQs

What is the classic chilli con carne?

It depends who you ask – purists would say it is the Texan style made with braising or stewing steak and no beans!

Does traditional chilli have beans?

It depends whare you live – in the American south it is a big no to beans, elsewhere many people add beans (and lots of vegetables) – they add flavour, texture and make the chilli go further

What is the difference between chilli and chili?

Here in the UK we have a chili with two l’s. In America it is one l. Wherever you are it is the same basic dish.

Can you freeze chilli?

Yes – and in my view freezing, defrosting and reheating improves the chilli

What is the secret ingredient in chilli?

Chocolate is an unlikely and not so secret ingredient. Coffee will work in much the same way as chocolate. Each cook has their own recipe and ingredients, such as adding a pinch of cinnamon or cloves.