The best Easy Wendy’s Chili copycat recipe to recreate the famous hearty and delicious chili with beef, beans, veggies and lots of amazing flavor.
A bowl of homemade Beef Chili is always a comforting meal, but sometimes I crave a big bowl of Wendy’s famous chili. With this copycat recipe, you get the best of the two, homemade chili plus the iconic drive-thru flavor!
Sabrina’s Easy Wendy’s Chili Copycat
Grabbing some Wendy’s Chili is a no brainer when the weather starts turning cold. Their chili is hearty, flavorful, and filled with just the right amount of heat to warm you up. With a perfect blend of beef, beans, and veggies, it is a beloved comfort food for many. Serve with a side of Sweet Cornbread and don’t forget a Wendy’s Chocolate Frosty or Vanilla Frosty for dessert!
Recipe Card
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 jalapeno , diced, de-seeded and de-veined
- 2 ribs celery , chopped
- 1 green bell pepper , chopped
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- In a heavy-bottomed stockpot, brown the ground beef and 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) for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Add in the butter and stir until fully melted and incorporated.
- Serve with toppings of choice.
Nutrition
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Table of Contents
About This Recipe
With this copycat recipe, you don’t have to head to the drive-thru when you are craving a delicious bowl of the famous chili. It has all the same flavors and textures as the original, down to their signature brothy consistency. Also, homemade chili a lot more budget friendly and you can enjoy delicious leftover chili all week long!
Chef’s Note
While grabbing a bowl of chili from the restaurant is convenient, there’s something special about recreating this classic dish in the comfort of your own kitchen. Plus making a homemade Wendy’s Chili recipe means you have full control the ingredients, adjust it to your taste and make it even better than the original version!
Can this be Made Ahead of Time?
Absolutely! This chili recipe actually benefits from being made ahead of time as it allows the flavors to develop and deepen further. Prepare the chili as instructed, let it cool, and refrigerate in an airtight container overnight. The next day, reheat it gently on the stovetop for a more flavorful meal.
How to Store
- Store: Allow the chili to cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container. Store it in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
- Reheat: the best way to reheat this chili is on the stove top over low heat, stirring occasionally until heated through, to deepen the flavors.
- Freeze: Divide the chili into freezer-safe bags, leaving some headspace for expansion. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating on the stove top.
Ideas to Serve
- Crackers: A standard side to chili is the saltine crackers, but with homemade chili, you can step up the sides! Instead of plain crackers, top a delicious bowl of chili with equally delicious Ranch Saltines.
- Cornbread: There’s also the classic chili side, cornbread! Serve a big bowl of chili with some Jalapeno Popper Cornbread Muffins!
- Buffet: Do you remember Wendy’s Super Bar, aka their amazing salad and chili bar they had in the 1990s? Indulge in the nostalgia of dining-in at a fast food place by setting up your own chili bar, complete with this homemade chili recipe. The secret to a perfect recreation is Baked Potatoes! Don’t forget the butter (or get real authentic with margarine), sour cream, and green onions for the ultimate trip down memory lane. For the salad bar, a simple iceberg salad mix will do along with lots of croutons, cheddar cheese, onions, tomatoes, and any other favorite salad bar toppings.
Alternative Cooking Techniques
Slow Cooker
- Brown the ground beef in a skillet and drain the fat.
- Transfer the cooked ground beef to a slow cooker.
- Add all the remaining ingredients (except the butter) to the slow cooker.
- Stir well to combine all the ingredients.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or on high heat for 3-4 hours.
- Stir occasionally during the cooking process to ensure even distribution of flavors.
- About a half hour before serving, add the butter.
- Cook the remaining time, stir well and serve.
FAQ’s
Yes, it is made with onion and so is this copycat recipe. The great thing about making homemade chili, you can adjust it to your taste and skip the onions if you don’t like them, or use a little onion powder to taste instead.
Wendy’s Chili is a robust and hearty soup-like dish featuring a combination of beef burgers, beans, and vegetables cooked to perfection. This mouthwatering recipe has garnered a reputation for being hearty with bold spices in a thinner broth and lots of beefy flavor.
Yes, it can be considered a relatively healthy option compared to some other fast food choices. But this homemade version is even healthier. It contains a good amount of protein, fiber from the beans and vegetables, and is relatively low in saturated fat.
Variations
- Meat: Instead of ground beef, use ground turkey or chicken. Wendy’s chili was created to use up leftovers, so why not make this with leftover burger patties or even Homemade Beef Meatballs.
- Vegetarian: To make this chili vegatarian use a plant-based meat alternative instead of the ground beef. You could also use more veggies to replace the meat, just cook them in oil first to make up for the beef fat. To make it vegan, also use a plant-based butter alternative.
- Veggies: Add extra vegetables like carrots, zucchini, or corn to enhance the nutritional value and make it even heartier.
- Spicy: Increase the heat by adding crushed red pepper, more jalapenos, hot pepper sauce, or even chipotle peppers if you love your chili with a spicy kick.
More Beef Chili Recipes
The following pictures were featured in previous versions of this post:
Maybe I member Wendy’s chilling differently but this is not my favorite chili recipe. I just find the overwhelming tomato flavor is I can taste. And I’m Sicilian so it’s not that I don’t like tomato based sauces bit this just doesn’t taste like chili to me.
We get it Joe. Taste preferences are super subjective and we totally understand your feedback. Feel free to tweak it more to your liking. Thanks for trying the recipe.
Made this for our community Chile Cook off. Took third place….everyone loved it!
I hade to make a batch and half. It came out great!
I just made this chili but the celery is a bit confusing, is it 2 sticks of celery or 2 whole stalks of celery? Cause 2 stalks seems like to much
Hi Kelly, sorry for the confusion, it’s going to be 2 ribs (sticks) of celery. I think calling a rib of celery a stalk might be a regional thing, but don’t quote me. Thank you for pointing this out, and I hope you didn’t end up making a celery forward chili!
This is now the only recipe i use, have made it several times, just as written & everyone loves it. We all think it is better than Wendy’s. Thanks for this recipe.
Being a competition chili cook and a chili purist, I was hesitant when I saw the celery in the recipe. But I do love Wendy’s chili, so I made it as written, and it’s very good. But, I increase the amount of chili powder to give it a better depth of flavor, and also add some Mexican oregano and a scant 1/2 tsp of brown sugar to round everything out.
You are a chili cook and chili purist Karen! Enjoyed your feedback and thanks for taking the time to comment!
It’s on the stove now, can’t wait to eat it! I see it’s for 12 servings, do you know about how much one serving is? Thanks!
Serving sizes become an issue because people will have ingredients of different sizes. Packaged products are weighed and measured at the time of creation which makes their measurements accurate. The only way to accurately know the measurements of meals is to weigh and divide.
Way too spicy! Very disappointed! ?
Oh no! So sorry to hear Barb. Please feel free to cut back on the spices next time.
It’s only 4 tbsp of chili powder, and no cayenne. You probably can’t tolerate the jalapeno, but for most people, this is a great recipe.
This was delicious and a big hit with the family! Thank you!!
You’re welcome Jody and thanks for the five star review!
Best chilli ever !
Thanks Dianne!
My go to recipe for chili now. Only thing I changed is using rotel tomatoes rather than regular canned tomatoes. Everyone loves it and has different toppings. I like cheddar cheese with italian bread, corn bread or on a wrap. The others like crackers or over rice.
Thanks for the kind review Jackie! Glad you enjoyed the chili.
This is my go to chili recipe. I probably made it at least 20 times over the last few years. I have tweaked it out some by adding 3 Jalapeno peppers, 8 stalks of celery, and an extra cup of water. Outside of that, I have kept everything else the same. I do let it simmer for a good 4-5 hours before serving. I like serving it with Mexican shredded cheese on top, some celery sticks on the side, and southern sweet cornbread. One pot will provide supper for 3 people for 3 days so it is well worth the cost. It does get even better the next day and the day after. Highly recommend your recipe.
Thanks Todd for your kind words and excellent ideas!
Just so you know your Chilli is award winning. I took it to a chilli cook off with 30 or so different chillis and won 1st place! Thanks to you and this incredible chilli! Everyone wants the recipe and I don’t think I’m willing to share it ?
LOL! I love this review and Congratulations Claire!
My bunch is so picky about Chili and since making this , they only settle for this !!! Thanks so much for the recipe it’s definitely a hit in our house !!
Too much chili powder but otherwise good.
This was my first recipe for my personal copycat recipe challenge for 2024. I make a recipe and post it on my Facebook account with comments and pictures. It’s a winner! Great chili flavor and soooo easy to make. It makes a lot and freezes beautifully. A great start for my culinary journey. Thanks!
Just tried this recipe and I am glad to say that it is delicious and probably better than the original. I used a small can of green chiles instead of a jalapeno. Added 15 ounces of diced tomatoes and used RO*TEL diced tomatoes with green chiles instead of chopped tomatoes. Stir in the raw vegetables and cook for 5 minutes to soften before adding the other ingredients.
ENJOY!
The recipe sounds amazing! However, I need to eat a lower sodium diet. If I use no salt added canned tomatoes, I’m sure that that would make a difference?
It most likely would Tracey.
I make it with all low or no sodium ingredients and my family loves it.
The great thing about this recipe (and any recipe, really) is that you can totally control all the ingredients to eliminate all the yucky ultra-processed and non-nutritive stuff we shouldn’t be consuming, like the flavor enhancers, preservatives, gums, texture modifiers, etc., that Wendy’s uses in their chili as clearly shown on the ingredient label on their canned chili that consumers can buy directly. As a big added bonus, you can totally control the quality of the ingredients and even make it 100% organic and nearly farm-to-table, if you want, hugely boosting the nutritional value and quality of this dish over the restaurant’s or canned by about a 1000% !!
Perfect and delicious meal for todays cold weather in West Texas! This recipe is a keeper.? Thank you!
Made this for my 81 year old father. He is very picky and loves Wendy’s Chili. He said it was the best he ever had. Thank you for sharing. I did make a couple of changes. Added beef stock instead of water, and added and 1/8 of a cup of Pinot noir with the meat for an extra richness. (Always add wine, little for me and little for the pot)…
Thanks again.
Delicious and the perfect blend of flavors! We add sharp cheddar cheese on top and serve it with cornbread. Lots of compliments and second helpings. Thank you for a great recipe.
I cooked the chili as it called for.
I only let it cook longer in the crockpot and 1/2 the Jalapeño, but I think the whole one would have been fine. I left it on warm until the next morning.
Loved it.
I made this tonight & I am on my 2nd bowl!!! This is a MUST try recipe, it is the best chili ever!!! Thank you
Thanks Dee! So glad you enjoyed it and thank you for the 5 star rating!
This is delicious. I thought I made good Chili but this is better
I didn’t have a jalapeño and also added a few tablespoons of cocoa (unsweetened). Your recipe has a slight more kick than Wendy’s (did a blind taste test), and more hearty flavor. Nice job!
Love your feedback and what you did the recipe! Thank you for reaching out!
Making this today. I, going to omit the kidney beans and green pepper. I, care for neither. Will substitute with black beans and pablano pepper. Gonna be a chilly and kinda layed back weekend.
How did your chili turn out?
I’ll try this, but the kidney beans should be drained and washed. I worked at Wendy’s many years ago and made quite a few pots of chili. Part of that process was to always wash the kidney beans. We also never added butter. The beef we used was from the burger meat that wasn’t served in a timely manner. When cooking burgers at Wendy’s you have only a few minutes from the time the patty hits the grill to serve. Once that time expires the burger goes in the chili meat pan. Then it’s boiled, drained, and chopped. There is a measured amount to everything but I always put a little extra meat. The key ingredient is Wendy’s chili poweder.
Hi Dwayne, Thanks for the feedback. Did you try the recipe and how close did we get?
Love this recipe. Many compliments when we serve it to guests. I also pressure can it by bringing the ingredients up to a boil, placing in jars and can in quarts according to the pressure canners recommended time and pressure for my elevation.
What a great idea Jason! And thank you for the 5 star rating!
Loved the flavor of this but for some reason it was so think and wasn’t soupy
Jody, I’m not sure why the chili was too thick. I am a huge fan of all things chili (https://dinnerthendessert.com/?s=chili) so maybe one of our other chili recipes would be more soupy? Appreciate you trying our Wendy’s Copycat Chili and really appreciate the 5 star rating 🙂
Can this be made in a crockpot?
Sure can Joe! Here’s the recipe for a Slow Cooker version of Wendy’s Chili Copycat Recipe from the post.
Slow Cooker Wendy’s Chili Recipe
Brown the ground beef in a skillet and drain the fat.
Transfer the cooked ground beef to a slow cooker.
Add all the remaining ingredients (except the butter) to the slow cooker.
Stir well to combine all the ingredients.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or on high heat for 3-4 hours.
Stir occasionally during the cooking process to ensure even distribution of flavors.
About a half hour before serving, add the butter.
Cook the remaining time, stir well and serve.
Enjoy!
This is one of the BEST chili recipes ever!
My tweaks to the recipe included using 1/8 cup of Ancho Chili powder with 1/8 cup of regular chili powder. Omitted the jalapeno, and added a clove of fresh garlic! Totally delicious!!!
My dad always made chili growing up and never wrote his recipe down.. this is the closest recipe I have found! It is so great!! Thank you for sharing. I’ve made it many times. It is our family/crowd favorite. We like it chunky & add spicy chili beans and no water.
Thanks for bringing back old memories for me <3
Abby, I love it! So glad you’re enjoying the Wendy’s Chili Copycat Recipe and it reminds you of your Dad’s. Thanks so much for the 5 star review.
Constantly trying to cut in half for just 2. So good you won’t mind having leftovers for days!
Delicious was a hit…
Awesome recipe! My husband and I love it and it’s on a regular rotation in our house…even though there’s a Wendy’s about a mile away.
Thank you Pat!
Delish! Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe is right on the money. Greaaaat Taste! Not hard to make but takes longer than 10 mins preparation or at least it did me. I’m a bit slow though.
I’ve been making a similar Wendy’s copycat recipe for many years but today decided to go looking for another. I halved this recipe and made a few changes. The most significant change was using half ground beef and half homemade pork Italian sausage plus adding a bit of sugar. My husband declared this the best chili I ever made. High praise! It was excellent. Served it over spaghetti (Cincinnati style).
Maridele’s half hamburger and half pork sausage (your choice) improves many hamburger recipes.
I would cut the beans in half and tomatoes. Strong flavor of tomatoes and over powers the flavor.
You’re right. Wendy’s Chili has strong flavors of beans, tomatoes and beef!
I can’t sat for me that this recipe tasted like Wendy’s chili. I can say it makes a darn good batch of chili.
I made this and it was great. Found the recipe again and saved it. I knew I was looking for the one that added butter at the end. Soooo good! ??
I thought I was at Wendy’s eating their. Love it
DELICIOUS! Thank you! Will be my go to chili recipe from here on out!
How long should this take in a crockpot?
1/4 cup of Costco chili seasoning was WAY too much. I ended up using 2 tablespoons. Otherwise recipe is perfect. Have been making this for many years. Thank you.