Julie Clark
Posted: Updated:
Sweet and Spicy Chili
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Award-winning sweet and spicy chili recipe! Petite tomatoes and small beans keep all of the family happy. This chili recipe has been winning chili cook-offs for over 20 years.
I’ve been waiting for the perfect time to share this recipe with you. This Sweet and Spicy Chili is one of our favorite recipes, and it is especially good during the cool months of fall and winter.
I’ll have to be honest that I’ve not been a huge fan of chili all of my life. I remember my mom making chili when I was young she was gracious enough to leave out the kidney beans which made the soup more tolerable.
This sweet and spicy chili based on our famous hot dog sauce recipe is now one of my favorite meals. This recipe makes a huge pot of chili, so it is a great meal to serve to company, or you can just enjoy the leftovers. I like to cook the sweet chili recipe one day ahead of time, and then on the day we are going to eat it, I let it simmer in the slow cooker all day. It gets all of those flavors nice and blended together.
Sweet Chili that Even the Kids Like
Here’s why this is a great recipe for even kids:
- Petite diced tomatoes. I never even knew they made such a thing until I started making chili. These little tomatoes are a lifesaver. So yes, there are tomatoes in there, but after it cooks all day, the kids never even notice them.
- No kidney beans. Just black beans and navy beans, which are smaller and hide a lot easier than dark red kidney beans.
- This sweet and spicy chili is full of ground beef. My family loves a meaty chili, and this big pot of chili has 4 pounds in it. I told you it would feed a crowd.
- It’s slightly sweet. The kids love how this soup is slightly sweet and the sugar balances the spices. You can adjust the amount of sugar to your liking, or even leave it out altogether. ¾ cup sugar is the perfect sweetness for our family.
Wait…how much chili powder is in chili?
The most common question I get on this recipe is about the chili powder. Readers think that ½ cup must be a typo. It’s not. Yes, we add ½ cup chili powder to this sup recipe. Don’t knock it til you try it. It still ends up with a medium heat flavor thanks to the sugar added.
Add less if you’d like (some add as little as 2 tablespoons chili powder), but ½ cup is the sweet spot for us. Since it has so much, be sure to choose a chili powder that you love! I buy McCormick brand or you can make chili powder at home.
How to Make Sweet and Spicy Chili
This soup is really easy to make in just 2 steps:
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, brown ground beef, onions and garlic. Drain off any fat.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the saucepan. Mix well and simmer over low heat for at least 30 minutes. The longer you simmer the soup, the more the flavors deepen.
How to Serve Chili
When we have this sweet and spicy chili, I serve it in bowls with noodles, cheddar cheese, chopped onions and sour cream on the side. This also makes it kid friendly because they can slowly get used to the chili flavor by adding cooked pasta.
You can also serve with a side of saltine crackers, tortilla chips and sour cream cornbread.
Recipe Variations
- Wanting it extra spicy? Add a jalapeno pepper, hot Italian sausage or even a few shakes of cayenne pepper.
- Want to hide more vegetables inside your sweet and spicy chili? I recommend sweet potatoes, red bell peppers, carrots or even zucchini.
Other Recipes to Love
Sweet and Spicy Chili
Award-winning sweet and spicy chili recipe! Petite tomatoes and small beans keep all of the family happy. This chili recipe has been winning chili cook-offs for over 20 years.
Servings 20 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 pounds ground beef
- 4 small yellow onions chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 30 ounces beef stock
- 2 cans tomato sauce (15 ounces each)
- 1 can tomato sauce (8 ounces)
- 2 cans petite diced tomatoes with juice (14.5 ounces each)
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (15.5 ounces)
- 1 can navy beans, rinsed and drained (15.5 ounces)
- 1/2 cup pimentos chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
- 4 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1/2 cup chili powder (plus an additional 2 teaspoons)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar or brown sugar, to taste
- dash oregano
- dash red pepper flakes
Instructions
Stovetop Directions:
- In a large saucepan, brown ground beef, onions and garlic. Drain off any fat. 4 pounds ground beef, 4 small yellow onions, ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- Add the remaining ingredients to the saucepan. Mix well and simmer over low heat for at least 30 minutes. The longer you simmer the soup, the more the flavors deepen. 30 ounces beef stock, 2 cans tomato sauce, 1 can tomato sauce, 2 cans petite diced tomatoes with juice, 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained, 1 can navy beans, rinsed and drained, ½ cup pimentos, 2 bay leaves, ½ teaspoon dried leaf thyme, 4 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons black pepper, ½ cup chili powder, ¾ cup granulated sugar, dash oregano, dash red pepper flakes
- Discard the bay leaves and serve. Garnish with green onions, shredded cheese and red onions, if desired.
Slow Cooker Directions:
- In a large saucepan, brown ground beef, onions and garlic. Drain.
- Place the browned beef in a slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and stir. Cover the slow cooker and cook the chili on low for 6-8 hours.
Video
Notes
- I like to make our chili the day before, then let it simmer in the crockpot all day on the day we are going to eat it.
- Serve with noodles, cheddar cheese, sour cream and chopped onions on the side.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Not cooking for a crowd? You can easily halve this recipe.
Nutrition
Serving: 296g | Calories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g
Super disappointed in this recipe…. Came out way too watery.
Great recipe. I halved it just in case I didn’t like it. The only changes that I made was to use only 1 pound of hamburger (again just in case I didn’t care for it) and I used 2 cans of kidney beans because I love them. Additionally, I used cornstarch to thicken it up a bit. Other than that it was spot on. The amount of spices were perfect. Absolutely delicious!
How about using dry beans thats what i have here? How much do i use? Thank you.
This looks great! But I’m worried about it fitting in my crockpot. Will it fit in a 6 quart? Thanks and can’t wait to try!
Thanks for the recipe, it just won me first place in our 2019 office chili cookoff! Greatly appreciated!
It is cooking as I write this post. Sunday football will be great tomorrow.
Thank you so much for this recipe! Going to try it tonight. Only have one question, your recipe calls for 2 cans of tomato sauce and then another can. Do I need 3 cans of tomato sauce then or is that a typo. Sorry I’ve never cooked chilli before; I just want to get it right.
—thanks, Sheryl
Oh my gosh Julie- you got mad street cred for your cinnamon rolls recipe so when I needed a chili recipe your blog was the first place I looked. Of course, you did not disappoint! This chili was awesome! Thank you so much for sharing and man oh man do I wish I could be there for a holiday feast with your family!!!
Hi there! The recipe calls for 1/2 thyme, is that 1/2 a teaspoon, tablespoon?
Thank you
Just want to double check on recipe before I make it: I don’t see any cumin. Is that an omission or no?
Thanks, Steph
My Mom sometimes add cubed potatoes to chili. My husbands fx always served chili over mashed potatoes. I never cared for either. I do like chili over plain spaghetti, like Cincinnati chili. Usu. first night is chili with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream. Cincinnati chili for leftovers.
I dislike the texture of any bean. Little tip, I put mine in my magic bullet blender and then add it to the sauce. Can’t even tell but it gives a nice flavour to the sauce that changes it from pasta sauce to chili 🙂
I love the idea of putting chili on a bed of macaroni noodles! I too used to hate eating chili when I was younger but it has definitely grown on me 🙂
This chili sounds delicious! I always hated kidney beans growing up….(I like them now)……so my childhood self especially thanks you 🙂
What a wonderful looking recipe, perfect for these parts on our cold winter nights!