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As fall weather settles in, a cozy bowl of chili is the perfect meal to warm you up. These highly rated chili dishes offer comforting flavors, whether you want a chunky, veggie and bean-focused chili or a creamy white chili. Recipes like our Creamy Queso Chili and our Turkey Pumpkin Chili make delicious dinners that will have you scraping the bottom of the pot.
Kickin’ Hot Chili
Christine Ma
If you like your chili seriously hot, this hot chili recipe is for you. For an even bigger kick, use the whole teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
Creamy Queso Chili
This mashup of the classic cheesy dip chile con queso with the beans and vegetables of a chili is the best of both worlds.
Lentil Chili
This vegan lentil chili is easy and satisfying, with earthy flavors balanced by spices. Use this basic chili recipe to customize with your favorite add-ins.
Turkey Pumpkin Chili
Canned pumpkin adds mellow background flavor and works to thicken up this turkey pumpkin chili. Smoked paprika adds flavor with a hint of spice. This chili is on the thicker side—if you want it thinner, add a bit more water.
Slow-Cooker Three-Bean Chili Mac
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell
Chili meets mac and cheese in this fix-it-and-forget-it slow-cooker dinner. Hot tomato sauce, a Mexican canned tomato sauce that also includes spices and chiles for heat, kicks up the flavor. If you can’t find hot tomato sauce, regular canned tomato sauce with a tablespoon of chili powder mixed in is a good substitute.
Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili
Make a double batch of this quick vegetarian chili, full of black beans and sweet potatoes, and eat it for lunch the next day or freeze the extras for another night. We love the smoky heat from the ground chipotle, but omit it if you prefer a mild chili. Serve with tortilla chips or cornbread and coleslaw.
Ground Chicken Chili
This ground chicken chili fills you up without weighing you down, thanks to lean chicken, fiber-rich beans and plenty of veggies. You can make it on your stovetop, or use the slow-cooker variation if you need some extra time between assembly and mealtime.
Creamy White Chili with Cream Cheese
This rich, yet healthy, white chicken chili comes together in a flash thanks to quick-cooking chicken thighs and canned white beans. Mashing some of the beans acts as a fast thickener when your soups don’t have a long time to simmer. Cream cheese adds the final bit of richness and a hint of sweet tang.
Easy Vegetarian Chili
Canned beans and tomatoes make this quick vegetarian chili recipe ready to go in just 30 minutes. Serve over rice or couscous, or with tortilla chips for added crunch, and add extra toppings as you see fit–sliced scallions, chopped fresh cilantro, diced avocado and sliced jalapeños are all tasty choices.
Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili with Butternut Squash
This slow-cooker turkey and butternut squash chili is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. The sweetness of the butternut squash tames the kick from cayenne, making this easy crock-pot chili just right for kids and adults alike. For those who prefer a spicier chili, just pass hot sauce at the table.
White Chicken Chili With Avocado Cream
Oven-roasting fresh chile peppers builds complexity in this white bean chili. A combination of diced chicken and ground pork amps up meaty flavor, and half-and-half and a creamy avocado topping make the broth velvety smooth.
Four-Bean & Pumpkin Chili
This healthy vegetarian chili has a fragrant touch of cinnamon for added flavor. Let diners top it with whatever suits their taste.
Vegan White Bean Chili
Fresh Anaheim (or poblano) chiles add mild heat to this classic white bean chili and contribute lots of smoky flavor. Quinoa adds body to the chili, while diced zucchini provides pretty flecks of green and increases the veggie content.
Pressure-Cooker Chili
Chili cooks in just 15 minutes when it’s made in a multicooker. The beef gets infused with the flavors of chili powder and cumin. Shredded cheese, scallion and sour cream round out the meal, but feel free to garnish with whatever toppings you choose.
Copycat Wendy’s Chili
This copycat Wendy’s chili is a lighter yet hearty take on the original version. Lean ground beef is a healthy swap that helps keep saturated fat in check, while plenty of beans help thicken the chili and add a boost of fiber. While the original Wendy’s chili isn’t spicy, you can add heat with a pinch of cayenne pepper or chopped fresh hot green chiles, such as jalapeños or serranos, as garnish.
Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Chili
Grab your crock pot for this delicious and easy slow-cooker vegetarian chili with beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, bell peppers and sweet potatoes. The recipe requires just 20 minutes of active time: after a bit of chopping, you just dump the ingredients in the slow cooker and let it do the work. Adding a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkle of cilantro just before serving brightens up the flavors. Top it with some shredded cheese, if you’d like, or serve it as-is to keep it vegan. Either way, this healthy chili is sure to become a go-to when you want a satisfying and healthy dinner.
Vegan Quinoa Chili
This light but filling vegan quinoa chili is packed with fresh veggies, with quinoa and black beans adding protein and fiber. Complete this easy one-pot dinner with vegan cheese, dairy-free yogurt or your favorite chili toppings.
Instant Pot White Chicken Chili Freezer Pack
Prep all of the ingredients for this hearty soup and freeze until you’re ready to cook it for a fast meal. All you have to do is pop the frozen ingredients into your multicooker and turn it on. Using a pressure cooker to make this warming pot of chili results in extra-tender chicken that’s easy to shred. The addition of chopped zucchini and corn gives each bowl a nutritional boost.
Chicken Chili with Sweet Potatoes
Tons of spice, corn and bell pepper give this healthy one-pot chicken chili recipe Southwestern flair. Serve with your favorite hot sauce, tortilla chips and a cold beer.
Turkey & Sweet Potato Chili
This healthy turkey chili has a nice balance of flavors thanks to sweet potatoes and smoky chipotle chiles. We like to garnish it with creamy avocado, but melted cheese, chopped scallion and a dollop of sour cream will work well too.
Mom’s Chili
This healthy basic beef chili recipe is well worth doubling so you can throw a batch in the freezer. Serve topped with diced red onion, sliced scallions, shredded cheese and your favorite hot sauce.
White Chicken Chili
A bowl of this healthy white chicken chili packs a whopping 22 grams of protein in each serving and is appropriate for a diabetes-friendly diet. Consider topping this white chili with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream to reduce calorie and fat content while still getting a creamy texture.
Instant Pot Vegetarian White Chili
Parsnips lend a wonderful sweet and nutty flavor to this healthy white bean chili. Using an Instant Pot (or any other pressure cooker) means this hearty chili can be ready in under an hour, but it still tastes like it’s simmered away for hours. Pureeing some of the chili gives the stew a nice creaminess, but feel free to skip that step to save time. Garnish the chili with cheese and sour cream for a richer meal, or serve it as-is to keep it vegan.
Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili
This Instant Pot vegetarian chili recipe is full of healthy veggies and two kinds of beans. Chipotle chiles give it a hint of smoke and a nice kick. Top this quick and easy chili with cheese and sour cream, or enjoy it as a vegan chili by garnishing with veggies such as avocado, sliced jalapeños, onions, radishes and scallions or cilantro.
Three-Bean Chili
This rib-sticking bean chili is richly flavored with cumin, chili, paprika, oregano and an assortment of peppers. Use whatever beans you have in your pantry.
White Turkey Chili
This healthy white turkey chili recipe is gorgeous, with flecks of green from zucchini, oregano and green chiles. To keep the saturated fat low, we use one pound of ground turkey and add whole-grain bulgur to boost the volume and fiber in this chili recipe. After all the ingredients are added to the pot, we like to slowly simmer our chili for close to an hour to develop the best flavor, but if you’re in a hurry, reduce the liquid by half and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.
Slow-Cooker Vegan Chili
Grab your crock pot for this hearty and easy vegan chili, which is chock-full of great-tasting and good-for-you ingredients, including pinto and black beans, red pepper, tomatoes and butternut squash. Once a little chopping is done, all you have to do is dump the ingredients in the slow cooker, making this colorful veggie chili the perfect weeknight dinner. A garnish of fresh avocado and chopped cilantro is a nice touch.
Sweet Potato & Barley Chili
If you’re ready for something different, try this hearty slow-cooked chili made with sweet potato, pearled barley, and red beans.
Turkey Chili
In this healthy turkey chili recipe, we skip browning the turkey for two reasons—it helps save time, and the lean turkey stays tender as it gently simmers in the chili. Poblano peppers and chipotles in adobo add a nice spice and smokiness to the dish. Top with your favorite garnishes, like shredded cheese, yogurt, avocado or lime wedges.
Slow-Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili
If you like Buffalo wings, you’ll love the flavors in this warm, hearty chili that comes together easily in the slow cooker. Sour cream helps cut the heat, but you could also use plain strained yogurt.
Chicken Chili Verde
Prepared salsa verde adds tang to this fast weeknight chili recipe and pairs beautifully with the rich caramelized chicken and creamy beans. Don’t shy away from the poblano peppers. They offer a mild heat but deliver a depth of flavor you can’t find in regular green bell peppers.
Vegetarian Butternut Squash Chili with Black Beans
This butternut squash and black bean chili is a satisfying vegetarian meal. Load up bowls of the butternut squash chili and top with Greek yogurt, cilantro and minced red onion. Or skip the yogurt and keep this healthy dinner vegan.
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