Chili beans are a quick way to get your chili fix! They're ready in under 45 minutes and are great served over rice for an easy weeknight meal. This version is made with ground beef and pinto beans.

Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

A staple in our home growing up was my mother’s chili beans, which she still makes several times a month with either ground beef or turkey. Many chilis I’ve encountered seem almost designed to give you heartburn. This one isn’t.

These chili beans are more mild and less fatty than most, especially if you use ground turkey instead of ground beef. Yet they are very flavorful, hearty, and filling. My mom learned this method of preparing chili beans years ago, when she was still teaching school, from a fellow teacher from Louisiana.

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What are Chili Beans?

Chili beans are beans cooked with a ground meat chili sauce. Chili beans are usually made with pinto beans, though you can also use kidney beans or black beans. The chili sauce uses ground beef or turkey. We make our chili beans with pinto beans and serve them over rice, but you could serve them with cornbread, in a burrito, or over quinoa.

How to Make Chili Beans

Start with cooking the beans. You can use canned beans if you’re in a rush, but if you have time, it’s worth making your own beans for their superior flavor and texture. Here are two great methods for making beans:

While the beans are cooking, cook the rice. Once the beans are cooked, the chili beans are easily finished on the stovetop. Cook the onions, then brown the meat. Add tomatoes, jalapeños, the beans, and seasonings, and let everything simmer for about 10 minutes. Simmering will help bring all the flavors of the dish together. Serve over the rice.

Want Spicier Chili Beans?

As is, this recipe makes a fairly mild batch of chili beans. If you’d like more heat, just add more chili powder to taste, or a little cayenne pepper. You can also add Tabasco or Crystal hot sauce, either to the pot or to each individual bowl.

How to Store and Freeze Chili Beans

These chili beans will keep for about a week in the fridge and can be reheated in the microwave or over low heat on the stovetop. Add a splash of water or broth if the beans seem dry when reheating.

To freeze, transfer the cooled chili beans to freezer containers or bags and remove as much air as possible. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or reheat from frozen. Reheat in the microwave or over low heat on the stove top.

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