Wendy’s Chili is one of those yummy, hearty dinners that tastes like the drive-thru favorite, but even better made right at home. The kids have always been obsessed with this chili, so we knew we had to recreate our own Wendy’s chili recipe at home. And it tastes just like it!
This recipe is loaded with ground beef, beans, tomatoes, and that classic chili seasoning flavor everyone loves. What makes this copycat-style chili so good is the slow simmer. The veggies soften, the tomatoes break down, and everything turns thick, rich, and so flavorful, especially with cheese and crackers on top.
We love to whip up batches in the fall/winter, from our White Chicken Chili Recipe to Classic Chili recipe, and now this fast food copycat.
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Pantry staples. The ingredients are simple pantry staples, perfect for weeknights.
- Just like it and cheaper. It tastes like Wendy’s Chili, but you can make a big pot for less money.
- Easy. Whether cooking on the stovetop, or in the crock pot, this chili comes together in a single pot, minimizing cleanup.
Wendy’s Chili Ingredients
- Olive oil (2 tablespoons): Helps brown the beef and soften the veggies, building flavor from the start.
- Ground beef (2 pounds): Makes the chili hearty and filling, and gives that classic Wendy’s-style texture. You can also use ground chicken or ground turkey. If you happen to have leftover hamburger patties, this is the dish to make. After all, in an effort to reduce food waste, Wendy’s developed this recipe using leftover cooked burgers.
- Celery, chopped, optional (2 stalks): Adds mild savory flavor and a little extra veggie goodness.
- Green bell pepper, chopped (1): Adds a subtle sweetness and classic chili flavor.
- Diced tomatoes (3 (14-ounce) cans): Creates a chunky tomato base and adds that signature chili texture once it simmers down.
- Diced tomatoes with green chilies (1 (10-ounce) can): Adds a little zip and extra flavor, plus a gentle heat if you use Rotel.
- Tomato sauce (1 (14-ounce) can): Helps make the chili thicker and smooths out the tomato base.
- Water (1 cup): Thins the mixture just enough so it can simmer and meld without getting too thick too fast. You can also use beef or vegetable broth.
- Chili seasoning mix (2 (1.25-ounce) packages): Gives you consistent, classic chili flavor quickly without measuring lots of spices.
- Kidney beans, undrained (1 (14-ounce) can): Adds hearty texture and body, and the bean liquid helps thicken the chili.
- Pinto beans, undrained (1 (14-ounce) can): Adds creamier bean texture and makes the chili extra filling.
- Salt and black pepper, to taste: Helps you fine-tune the flavor after simmering.
- White vinegar (1 tablespoon, or more to taste): Brightens the whole pot and balances the richness, it makes the flavors pop.
- optional spice: For spicier chili, Add in chopped jalapenos, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or hot sauce
How to Make Wendys Chili
BEEF. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook 2 pounds ground beef until no longer pink.
VEGGIES. Stir in 2 stalks chopped celery and 1 chopped green bell pepper into ground beef for 4-5 minutes.
COMBINE. Pour in 3 cans diced tomatoes, 1 can diced tomato with green chiles, 1 can tomato sauce, and 1 cup water. Stir in 2 packages chili seasoning.
- Mix 1 can kidney beans and 1 can pinto beans into chili, season with salt and black pepper, and bring to a boil.
SIMMER. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Mix 1 tablespoon vinegar into chili.
Slow Cooker Directions
- Brown the beef as directed in steps 1 and 2. Drain excess fat if necessary.
- Scrape the browned beef into the crockpot and add the ingredients listed in steps 3 and 4.
- Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Let it simmer low and slow. The magic happens in that hour on the stove. It gives the flavors time to meld together and makes the chili taste just like Wendy’s.
- Don’t skip the vinegar. It may seem small, but that splash of vinegar at the end brightens everything up and balances all the rich tomato and beef flavors.
- Customize the heat. Use mild chili seasoning for classic flavor or add a spicier mix (or extra jalapeños!) if your family likes more kick.
Wendy’s Copycat Chili
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 stalks celery, chopped, optional
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 3 14 ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 1 10 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies, such as RO*TEL
- 1 14 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 2 1.25 ounce packages chili seasoning, such as McCormick® Mild Chili Seasoning Mix
- 1 14 ounce can kidney beans, undrained
- 1 14 ounce can pinto beans, undrained
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar, or more to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook meat until no longer pink.
- Stir celery and green bell pepper into ground beef for 4-5 minutes.
- Pour in diced tomatoes tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chiles, tomato sauce, and water. Stir in chili seasoning.
- Mix kidney beans and pinto beans into chili, season with salt and black pepper, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Mix vinegar into chili.
Notes
- Break up the ground beef well as it cooks so the chili has that fine, Wendy’s-style texture.
- Chop the stewed tomatoes a bit before adding, it helps the chili feel thicker and more like the original.
- Add the vinegar at the end, it keeps the flavor bright and prevents it from tasting flat.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Fridge. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days until you are ready to heat and serve.
Freezer. Store cooled chiliin an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Complete The Meal
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10 mins
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Apple Pie Recipe
3 hrs 45 mins
Homemade Brownies
45 mins
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
4 hrs 45 mins
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This recipe was originally published January 2022.
Second time making it, and it’s always tasty on a cold day.
This time I made to have all of the ingredients in your recipe.
It’s a keeper.
Oh I’m so glad to hear you loved the chili! Thanks for giving it a try!
Definitely add a chopped onion! Won’t make chili without it. I already made a post but forgot to mention I added chopped onion.
I made this yesterday and had high expectations since I really want chili that is close to Wendy’s. Despite using French’s Chili-O instead of McCormick, it came out just as I had hoped. I didn’t use celery and didn’t have stewed tomatoes (because I forgot to add them to the shopping list) but I added half of a small can of diced, chili peppers which didn’t really affect the outcome. This recipe comes closer than any others I’ve tried and I feel it’s a keeper. Thank you.
My mom used this recipe with McCormick and I knew it was delicious so I used this recipe. I didn’t have McCormick seasoning so I followed the recipe in the description. I believe it meant 1 Teaspoon of cayenne instead of 1 tablespoon. I’m terrible at making chili so I followed the recipe even though I was skeptical of the amount. It was so incredibly spicy that my brother in laws couldn’t even handle it. They both love a ridiculous amount of spice. I’ll be trying again tonight with 1 teaspoon instead.
Thanks so much for the feedback. We will revisit the measurements of that homemade chili mix option. Let us know how the 1 tsp turns out.
Where’s the onion?
This recipe doesn’t call for any onion, but if you love onion, go ahead and add it in! 🙂
This is the best chili ever. My husband loves Wendy’s chili. This is my go to recipe for chili.
Made the Wendy’s Chili last week. It was so good! Better than Wendy’s. Wendy’s Chili isn’t consistent in taste/texture. I prefer this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
This is seriously delicious! I don’t normally eat chili but this recipe has made me rethink that. Easy to make and truly yummy.
I’m looking at two different recipes for “Wendy’s Chili” and your recipe has half as much beans as the other recipe. Both are highly rated. Which is closer to actual Wendy’s chili?
This recipe does taste so similar to the chili from Wendy’s! We loved topping ours with fritos and cheddar cheese.
this is just as good, even better than the original chili! thank you for sharing this recipe!
I absolutely LOVED this recipe! It’s our favorite chili when we go out and this was so much like it, that I’m not sure we’ll go out of our way to go there now. We’ll just make it at home. Haha!
This is one of our favorite chili’s!! It’s crazy good, and always gets rave reviews at our chili cook offs. I love that it’s easy. This is a must-make chili.
This chili recipe is the perfect combo of flavors and has just the right amount of spice. I’ll be making this quite a bit when the weather cools down.
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoy the chili recipe. It’s a great one for the cooler weather!
This copycat recipe is so good!!
Best chili you can get
I actually had this recipe at Kristyns house and loved it so much that I printed out the recipe to make my family. It was sooo yummy!
There’s a reason Wendy’s Chili is so popular – it’s so good! And now I can make it at home with enough to feed my whole family. Love it – thanks for the great copycat recipe!
Chili is my favorite fall dish – especially this copycat recipe from Wendy’s! It’s perfect with cornbread as well.
I really loved how this turned out. It was the perfect thickness and tasted great.
Ohh so good! You will love this copycat recipe for Wendy’s chili.
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing wendy’s chili recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
I love Wendy’s chili & this tastes exactly like it, in my opinion!! My hubby requests it all the time!!