The 21 Best Chili Recipes Ever

It's a bit ironic that a dish named chili is perfect for cold winter nights, but that doesn't bother me. Everyone knows it's a tried and true meal that starts to warm you up the moment you inhale its comforting aromas.

There are chili purists who insist chili can be made only one way, but in reality, there are as many ways to make it as there are home cooks. These are 21 of the best chili recipes Simply Recipes readers turn to repeatedly, from traditional beef to white chicken chili to stuffed-with-vegetables spicy vegetarian chili.

The one thing most people can agree on, though, is the best side to serve with a piping hot bowl of chili. It's a slice of cornbread, right?

Chili Con Carne

This chili with meat (that's what its name means in Spanish) is a traditional Texas recipe, perhaps introduced by Canary Islands immigrants in the 1700s. Beans were probably added in later. It's a fantastic chili that's even better the next day, as many chili recipes are.

Easy Pumpkin Chili

Pumpkin adds great flavor and texture to this chili. It adds body and a bit of creaminess, giving the chili a hearty backbone with minimal effort. It also adds a nice pumpkin flavor that pairs extremely well with the spices.

White Chicken Chili

White chicken chili is not as spicy as beef chili. Think of it as the filling of a savory chicken burrito in stew or thick soup form. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping.

Cincinnati Chili

Cincinnati chili adds cinnamon, allspice, and cloves to the common ground beef chili seasonings for a chili that's different from what most people are accustomed to, especially when served on top of spaghetti. It's still chili, though. Really good chili.

Easy No-Bean Chili

If you're on team "no beans belong in chili," this recipe is for you. Use ground beef or cubed chuck roast along with the usual chili spices and tomatoes. This comes together in under an hour but simmer it longer to add even more depth of flavor.

Best Beef Chili

You can feed a crowd with this beef and bean chili recipe that yields 16 cups. If you don't have a crowd, it freezes well in portions.

Easy Vegetarian Chili

Mushrooms, bulgur wheat, and beans are the hearty additions to this vegetarian chili. It's perfect topped with vegetarian toppings such as cilantro, red onion, and avocado.

Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

Cook this hearty, creamy, tangy chili quickly in the Instant Pot. It's milder than most red chilis, so it's also kid-friendly.

Vegetarian Cincinnati Chili

Fill this plant-based version of Cincinnati chili with lentils and meaty minced mushrooms instead of meat. It's still packed with that authentic flavor.

Ground Turkey Chili With Black Beans

You can substitute ground turkey for ground beef in any chili recipe (although chili purists may disagree). This version puts the turkey front and center to create a mildly spicy chili with black beans.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

Not sure if you want to make both chili and wings on game day? The solution is to make this super simple and flavorful chili that you top with blue cheese, sour cream, cheese, or tortilla chips.

Instant Pot Beef Chili

In under an hour, you can have the long-simmered flavor of chili by pressure cooking it in the Instant Pot. The cooking method may not be traditional, but the ingredients are: ground beef, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, pepper, onion, and seasonings.

Spicy Vegetarian Chili

Spicy, flavorful, and delicious, this is a chili even a carnivore can enjoy. It's full of veggies such as eggplant, onions, zucchini, red bell pepper, jalapeño, and canned plum tomatoes plus white and kidney beans.

Chili Mac and Cheese

Two of the best comfort foods become one in this recipe. It combines ground beef chili ingredients with classic mac and cheese ingredients. The result? The perfect dish for a cold night.

Turkey Chili (with Leftover Turkey)

If you have leftover turkey, this is the best thing next to pot pie to do with it. Shredded turkey, kidney beans, onion, garlic, and crushed tomatoes create this big pot of chili.

Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

This tomato-based chicken chili simmers in the slow cooker all day long. Aside from dicing the onion and celery, everything else goes straight in the slow cooker with no extra prep besides measuring.

Hearty Pumpkin Chili

One of the secrets to this pumpkin and pork chili with an autumn vibe is adding a bottle of beer. You can use pumpkin beer or any lager or amber beer you have on hand.

Easy Green Chicken Chili

Using rotisserie chicken is part of the "easy" of this easy chili. Aside from cutting the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, this is a measure and dump chili the whole family will love.

White Turkey Chili

White beans, white meat in the form of cubed turkey, mild green chiles, and turkey stock are the base of the slightly spicy white chili. It's done on the stovetop but there are directions for the slow cooker, too. Your choice.

Chili Dog

This chili was created to complement a hot dog. You can make it ahead so it's ready for when you grill hot dogs. Don't forget the cheese and red onion as garnish.

Copycat Wendy's Chili

Fans of Wendy's chili will want to give this version a try. It's a recipe created with with some advice from a Wendy's employee.