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.
I used Rotel instead of regular diced tomatoes. I love this recipe
So glad you enjoyed it!
Hi, could you tell me what brand of chili powder you use. I clicked on link and it goes to Amazon.com but says the app is no longer supported. So it doesn’t show the brand . Thanks
I use McCormick. Sorry for that! Here’s the link: McCormick Chili Powder
This is such a delicious chili. It hits all the right notes for me and my family. I grow chilis in my garden and of course have to chop and add a few for a touch more heat. Also didn’t have enough tomato sauce on hand so I added one can of tomato sauce and 2 cans of La Costena chipotle salsa (chipotle pepper sauce) for the additional tomato sauce needed and it turned out great. Thanks for a great chili recipe….this is a regular in my home.
Sounds like a great substitution, Cynthia. Thanks for the 5 stars.
Excellent family meal with a cold Winters in Chicago we have made this three times this winter today will be my fourth.
That’s awesome, John. Thanks for coming back to let me know how much of a hit it is.
I’ve been eating Wendy’s chili forever!!! They recently changed the recipe and now I don’t like it anymore, I don’t want the pinto beans that they have added recently…?
Yes, for years, along with the kidney beans, it used to be just pink beans, but now the ingredients on the website, along with kidney beans, list “pink and/or pinto beans”. I suspect that pink beans have become more difficult to source, and/or have become more expensive. I like the taste and texture of the pink beans better than the pinto beans.
We loved this, even my mother in law who does not like spicy food. This has a lot of spice but mild hotness. At first I only used less than 1/4 c. Chili powder thinking it was too much but added in the rest to taste right. Only thing I changed was I used canned roasted medium hot green chili peppers. Also made it with 1 3/4 lb beef which was all I had. Much better than my chili which only had 1 lb beef. Thank you very much? Making this again in time for getting snowed in this weekend.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Chili is always what I crave when getting snowed in. Pure comfort food!
Do you not sauté the peppers and onions first?
I didn’t but you could if you wanted to. Enjoy!
It doesn’t matter what kind of beans go in the recipe (had black beans, and pinto beans. It’s very good, thank you for sharing your recipe!
My guest loved this chili recipe made as is and felt it tasted ‘just like Wendy’s chili’. I will make this again as it’s super easy. Thanks for the recipe. If I could post a picture, I certainly would as it was lovely.
It doesn’t matter what kind of beans go in the recipe (had black beans, and pinto beans. It’s very good, thank you for sharing your recipe!
Yes, it’s very versatile.
Making this, literally as it’s simmering as i write this.
But my house smells like i bought a gallon of Wendy’s Chili, it’s that close. I did a few small mods, but essentially made the recipe as written. Smells so good, i’ve tasted it and it will definitely be a regular in my house. The main thing I changed was in another version who used V8 instead of Tomato sauce and it adds a little of the characteristics of V8 which isn’t a bad thing.
Overall, it’s really good and maybe better than Wendy’s in some ways. Probably healthier since i know exactly what’s in it.
Love the recipe on Wendy’s Chili. I’ll fill the freezer for the remaining winter!
Glad to know it’s such a hit in your house! Thanks for the 5 stars.
How can this be adapted for the crockpot?
Yes, I included slow cooker instructions in the post above. Enjoy!
Wendy’s uses kidney and pinto beans. If the chili you’ve tried has anything different, they are not making it by the original recipe. I used to have the original recipe, but sadly, I’ve misplaced it. I got the recipe from my cousin, who managed a a Wendy’s, in the 70’s and 80’s.
Betty Missouri
Ashley I remembered seeing this recipe from my cousin, who managed a Wendy’s, in the 70’s and 80’s. I know I took a snap shot of it but I can’t find it still looking.
It was the best Chilli
I am going to try this recipe. If I find the recipe I will try to find this spot again and send it to you.
I worked at Wendy’s in the early/mid 90s. I love their chili always have. Flavor is wonderful. This recipe is pretty much on point!
Thanks, Heather!
I just made this the 2nd time in 2 weeks
I have had 4 people I shared it with gave me 5 stars. It’s very delicious almost the same as the restaurant Wendy’s.
I saved the recipe for future making
Wow, that’s awesome! Thanks for coming back to let me know.
Hi Sabrina, my question is…Can this recipe be made without meat in beginning? I have one son who is vegetarian and one not. I was wondering if I can add ground beef later. If so, how would or should I season the meat during the browning process. My idea was to split the chili, half with meat half without. Please help! These twins are making it very difficult to feed everyone at dinner time ?
I’m thinking that would work. You may need to thicken the meatless portion though so once split, possibly add more beans. Good luck!
What can I substitute instead of the jalapeno de-seeded and de-veined? Can I use a canned product of some kind?
You can substitute with canned Serrano chili peppers.
Stove top simmer or can I use a crockpot on low?
If you want to use the slow cooker, I’d suggest 6 hours on low or 3 on high. Enjoy!
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.
I can… dont like kidney beans
Very close to Wendy’s chili, But they use red beans and kidney beans, not pinto beans.
I just ate Wendy’s chili and there was pintos in the there.
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!
Absolutely…