Wendy’s Chili copycat made with kidney beans, onions, chilis, bell peppers and tomatoes with a spicy chili powder and cumin spices. The perfect copycat!
Sadly, I had not made a Wendy’s Frosty for her, but the chili is in fact a very spot-on copycat. Plus I love serving it with my Jalapeno Popper Cornbread Muffins.
Wendy’s Chili seems like it would be a tough recipe to make, but honestly the most difficult part is waiting for it to cook low and slow. In fact here are some tips and tricks for making this the PERFECT chili recipe.
- Add in a tablespoon of butter at the end of cooking. It helps mellow flavors and provide the best texture. It adds a richness with minimal calories (it is only 1 tablespoon for the whole pot!).
- Cook on a “simmer” which is lower than “low” usually. Cooking on a simmer is just the smallest of bubbles.
- If you find your chili doesn’t look the same as below you may have the heat on too high so too much water has evaporated or on too low and too much water is remaining.
- If you’re nervous about cooking it uncovered just stir more frequently. You’ll be able to feel if any of the chili is sticking to the pot.
Slow Cooker Wendy’s Chili Recipe?
- Brown the beef before adding to the slow cooker. Add in the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
Looking for more soups?
- Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Soup
- Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup
- Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Slow Cooker Creamy Minestrone Soup
Looking for more copycat recipes?
- Bonefish Grill Bang Bang Shrimp (Copycat)
- Cheesecake Factory Louisiana Chicken Pasta (Copycat)
- KFC Original Recipe Chicken (Copycat)
- P.F. Chang’s Orange Peel Chicken (Copycat)
- Panda Express Orange Chicken (Copycat)
Tools used in the making of this Wendy’s Chili Copycat:
Cast Iron Dutch Oven: Great heavy bottomed pan is amazing for low, even cooking and high quality for not a lot of money! Plus the lid is a second pan!
Pot Strainer: MY LIFESAVER. I strain everything in a pot through this and it is SO MUCH easier than a colander. Perfect for cooking 1 pot meals.
Pinto Beans: I also use this variety with jalapenos when I don’t want to go to the store for fresh jalapenos.
Kidney Beans: My favorite for salad toppings too, this variety is my favorite.
Recipe
Wendy's Chili (Copycat)
- Yield: 12 servings
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Course: Main Course
- Cuisine: American
- Author: Sabrina Snyder
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef 85/15
- 29 ounces canned tomato sauce
- 29 ounces canned kidney beans not drained
- 29 ounces canned pinto beans not drained
- 28 ounces canned tomatoes chopped (not drained)
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 diced jalapeno de-seeded and de-veined
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.
- In a heavy bottomed stockpot brown the ground beef.
- Drain the fat.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients (except the butter) and bring to a boil.
Lower to a simmer and cook uncovered (please keep at a simmer level) for 2 hours stirring occasionally.
- Add in the butter and stir until fully melted and incorporated.
- Serve.
Nutrition Information
Yield: 12 servings, Amount per serving: 358 calories, Calories: 358g, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 56mg, Sodium: 1259mg, Potassium: 1048mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 540g, Vitamin C: 20.8g, Calcium: 108g, Iron: 5.3g
All images and text © for Dinner, then Dessert.
Very good thank u
Very good chili but I went light on the bell pepper. Very easy to put together. Made some jalapeño cornbread to go with it. I like mine with sour cream and shredded cheddar. Delicious
I have tried several of these Wendy recipes. They are all similar in ingredients–this one may need an edit as there seems to be a duplication of the 29oz of tomato sauce. Also, one of the commenters is right about the real product has a mix or 14 1/2 can of kidney beans and 14 1/2 oz can of pinto beans–both drained. Otherwise, this appears close. Who can really discern a difference in kidney and pinto in chili?
Ole!
Do I need tomato sauce and canned tomatoes? I never made chili before. THanks!
Yes, you’ll need them for this recipe.
Very close to Wendy’s chili, But they use red beans and kidney beans, not pinto beans.
Omg this is seriously just like Wendy’s chili! Absolutely easy to make and you can’t tell the difference because it seriously tastes just like it! Excellent recipe!