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You are going to love this simple Wendy’s Chili Recipe. It’s made with ground beef, beans and tomatoes simmered in a rich, savory sauce. A cozy, budget-friendly meal perfect for weeknights or game days!
We love a good chili recipe. Now that the weather is getting colder, we are always looking for different soups recipes and chili recipes. This Wendy’s Copycat chili recipe just hit the spot when we were craving chili and has become my go-to chili recipe. Check out More Classic American Recipes.
I just made this. I added one onion though and cooked In crockpot . The best chili I have ever made. We also added a little sour cream..crackers..and cheese in our bowls. I used Ritz crackers and a sharp cheddar cheese. Best chili I have ever made!!?
-Cheryl
I really like to find restaurant style food and try and recreate it with better and simpler ingredients. This one wasn’t very hard to recreate as you really can’t go wrong when making chili.
Make sure to check out Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili Recipe and all of our Easy Copycat Recipes.
Ingredients
- Ground Beef – Brown and drain your ground beef. I usually try and use a lower fat content for ground beef. You can even use ground turkey and mix the two.
- Pinto Beans – You can also use chili beans or ranch style beans. We do not drain.
- Kidney Beans – Light or dark kidney beans. We do not drain these beans. We often will add in extra beans for more flavor.
- Celery – Chopped
- Green Bell Pepper – Chopped
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Tomato Sauce – Use regular tomato sauce. I have also added in some tomato juice.
- Diced Tomatoes – You can buy just a can of diced tomatoes, but I usually grab a can with diced green chiles in them.
- Chili Powder – If you are out, see The Best Chili Powder Substitute
- Cumin – If you are out, check out Best Substitute for Cumin.
- Salt and Black pepper
- Cheddar Cheese (for serving) – Use freshly shredded cheese
- Saltine Crackers (for serving) – Optional side
Scroll to the recipe card for the full recipe details.
How to Make Wendy’s Chili Recipe
Step 1 – Brown the ground beef until no longer pink in a large pot over medium-high heat. Halfway through the cook time, add in the celery and bell pepper and cook until they are tender. Drain off any excess grease.
Step 2 – Add in the remaining chili seasoning ingredients except for the cheese and the crackers. Stir to combine.
Step 3 – Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cover and simmer for approximately 30 minutes to combine all the flavors.
Step 4 – Serve topped with the shredded cheddar cheese with the crackers and enjoy!
Wendy’s Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Ground Beef
- 2 cans Pinto Beans 15 oz. each, not drained
- 2 cans Kidney Beans 15 oz. each, not drained
- 3 Stalks Celery Diced
- 1 Green Bell Pepper Diced
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 cans Tomato Sauce (15 oz. each)
- 2 cans Diced Tomatoes 15 oz. each
- ¼ cup Chili Powder
- 1 Tbsp Cumin
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Pepper
- 2 cups Cheddar Cheese for serving
- Saltine Crackers for serving
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef in a large stock pot. Halfway through the cook time, add in the celery and bell pepper and cook until they are tender. Drain off any excess grease.
- Add in the remaining ingredients except for the cheese and the crackers. Stir to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and cover and simmer for approximately 30 minutes to combine all the flavors.
- Serve topped with the shredded cheddar cheese with the crackers and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Kidney Beans – I usually tend to use light kidney beans but have also used the dark kidney beans.
- Pinto Beans – You can use chili beans instead of pinto beans.
- Cayenne Pepper – Need a little kick to your chili, mix in some cayenne pepper. We usually do a small amount so the kids will still enjoy the chili.
- Add some bacon – Everything is better with some bacon. Mix some in to make it even more of a hearty chili. I usually add in cooked bacon so it’s still crispy.
- Vegetables – Do you have some vegetables that need to be cooked? Throw them in this chili to change the texture of the chili and to make it healthier.
Nutrition Facts
What to Serve with Copycat Wendy’s Chili
Chili is great by itself but here are some of our favorite sides when we have chili.
- Saltine Crackers
- Slice Cheese
- Frito’s
- Cornbread
- See What to Serve with Chili for more easy chili side dish recipes.
Chili Topping Ideas
We love to serve chili when we have game day parties or just getting together with friends. This is the chili recipe I always make as it always satisfies everyone’s craving for chili.
We setup a chili bar with all of these yummy toppings. Which ones are your favorite? The options are endless and we make sure we have all kinds of variety.
- Slice Jalapeños
- Diced Onions
- Shredded Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Hot Sauce
- Tortilla Strips
- Avocado
How to Use Leftover Chili
We love having leftover chili. I intentionally will make a double batch so I can have leftover chili for lunch.
I actually think chili taste better the next day. It really gives it time for all the spices to marinate together.
Here are some of our favorite ways to eat leftover chili in a different way.
- Have you made a Frito Chili Wrap? This is one of my favorite ways to eat leftover chili. You need a tortilla, spoon a serving of chili, top with Frito’s and cheese. Wrap it up and it becomes the perfect snack or lunch.
- Top your plain bake potato with a serving of chili. Add some cheese and sour cream and it becomes another dinner idea.
- We also like getting some bread bowls and serving chili in it. The chili really mixes with the bread.
- Make a chili mac dinner. Have some pasta that you have leftover? Mix it with some chili and you now have another yummy dinner idea.
- Have chili dogs one night. My kids love this idea and makes for any easy dinner idea.
- Also see Leftover Chili Recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make this recipe in the slow cooker. We usually make this recipe on the stove top, but you can definitely make this in your slow cooker.
Add all your ingredients to the crock pot. Just cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.
Yes, you can make this chili in the Instant Pot. It is important that you use an 8 qt to make sure that the chili is below the line.
You can turn on the sauté option and brown you ground beef, then drain. You will add remaining ingredients and stir.
Cover the instant pot and turn knob to sealing and set to the device to manual for 30 minutes. Then do a quick release to release the pressure from the Instant Pot after the cook time.
For more tips, see Instant Pot Chili.
If you prefer thicker chili, check out these tips on How to Thicken Chili.
Chili can be easily store in the refrigerator or freezer. After you chili has cooled, simply place in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.
If you want to freeze your chili, place in a freezer safe container and place in the freezer. We like to freeze individual serving so it is a quick lunch for my husband and I.
Having leftover chili really saves me time and money. I know I am getting a great lunch with good ingredients and I avoid fast food.
You can also freeze the chili. See Can You Freeze Chili to learn how.
More Easy Chili Recipes
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Quick and Easy Chili Recipes
250+ Easy Keto
Keto Chili Recipe
Best One Pot
Pumpkin Chili Recipe
If you make this Copycat Wendy’s Chili Recipe, please leave us a comment or a star review. We love hearing from you!
How many grams would you say is one serving?
I haven’t measured out a serving yet in grams. But this recipes does make a large batch of chili and 1 serving is approximately 1/12 of the entire recipe! I hope you enjoy it!
Missing onion in your recipe. Otherwise looks yummy. I always eat Wendy’s chile with a backed potaoe.
John – Yum! We love it too on a baked potato! Perfect for leftovers.