Make this Wendy's Chili recipe copycat with ground beef, beans, green chiles, onion, celery, tomato sauce and seasoning. It's so much better than the restaurant kind!
Serve it with Cornbread Muffins or Cheesy Garlic Bread. Top it with cheese, sour cream, sliced jalapenos or chopped parsley.
One of the easiest restaurant favorites you can recreate at home are soups. This chili is a copycat of the famous Wendy's chili and dare I say, it's much better! Especially if you make it a day ahead because chili always tastes better the next day. I serve it with cornbread muffins or biscuits and top it with a generous amount of shredded cheddar. This chili is not too spicy so kids love it too, but feel free to amp up the chili powder or add sliced jalapeno peppers.
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs ground beef
- olive oil
- onion
- celery
- chili powder
- cumin
- red kidney beans
- pinto beans
- green chiles
- tomato sauce
- diced tomatoes
- water
- salt and pepper
How to make Wendy's Chili from scratch?
- Start by heating up oil in a large soup pot. I used my Dutch oven.
- Add onion and saute for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add celery and saute for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add chili powder and cumin and stir in. Saute for 2 minutes.
- Add beef and cook until no longer pink, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.
- Add remaining ingredients.
- Simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours on medium-low setting. Stir often.
Storing:
Yes! Chili is always better the next day. The longer you let the flavors to mingle, the better. Make this chili up to 3 days in advance.
Freezing:
Chili freezes very well. After cooking, cool it completely. Then transfer into freezer-safe containers. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge, then heat up in a pot on the stove.
Can I make it in a crockpot?
It's quite easy to make this recipe in a slow cooker. Simply follow the steps of sauteing veggies and browning the meat in a pot, then transfer everything into your crockpot. Add remaining ingredients, stir everything and cook on LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 6 hours.
More soup recipes:
For more recipes like this one, feel free to browse our Soup Category.
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Wendy's Chili Copycat
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 2 celery ribs chopped
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 3 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 lbs lean ground beef
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 30 oz canned red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 30 oz canned diced tomatoes
- 30 oz canned pinto beans
- 4 oz can green chiles
- 1 cup water or beef stock
Instructions
- Heat up oil in a large soup pot, like Dutch oven.1 tablespoon olive oil
- Add onion and saute until almost translucent.1 yellow onion
- Add celery and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir often.2 celery ribs
- Add chili powder and cumin and stir in. Saute for 2 minutes. This activates the seasoning.3 tablespoons chili powder, 3 teaspoons ground cumin
- Add beef and cook, breaking it down with a wooden spoon. Cook until no longer pink.2 lbs lean ground beef
- Add beans, diced tomatoes, green chiles and water. Stir well.½ teaspoon salt, 30 oz canned red kidney beans, 30 oz canned diced tomatoes, 30 oz canned pinto beans, 4 oz can green chiles, 1 cup water or beef stock, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Bring the mixture to boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Stir occasionally.
- Serve with shredded cheddar, sour cream and chopped cilantro or parsley.
Notes
- Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use calorie counter you are familiar with.
- You can use four 15oz cans of beans to get the needed amount.
Homecooked beans are even better.
Francine Long says
I agree with the comment about the tomato sauce. The chili looked very anemic until I added a 28 oz can of tomato sauce in addition to the can of diced tomatoes. Otherwise, it is very much like Wendy's chili. Thanks!
Lori says
This is a wonderful recipe! I've made it several times. However, I don't see tomato sauce on the recipe itself. I see it in the broken down steps at the top, but some may not read those. Like I didn't my first time preparing it.
Thank you for sharing!
Katie says
My family would go crazy for this. Can't wait to try it!
wilhelmina says
Chili perfection! I was so impressed with this easy chili, we gobbled it up!
Krissy Allori says
Oh my gosh, this is great. It tastes just like the chili from Wendy's. Awesome. Thanks.