Cincinnati Chili Recipe
Seasoned with a unique blend of spices and a hint of chocolate, Cincinnati chili is unlike any other. Traditionally served over spaghetti and topped ‘five-way’ style with beans, onions, and cheese, it’s a crowd-pleaser that’s easily customized—and the cheese can be swapped to keep it dairy free.
What I love about Cincinnati chili
Whenever I am day dreaming of fall and cold weather I make do by making soups, stews, pumpkin and – of course – chili! Chili is probably one of my favorite things to eat. I like almost all kind of chili and am rarely disappointed with nice big bowl of spicy meat (and beans sometimes).
My favorite of favorites though is for sure Cincinnati style. When I was in high school, our neighbors (and really great friends) were from just outside of Cincinnati and would bring us seasoning packs to make it, but the packs aren’t available around here, so I’ve learned to make it from scratch.
If you love Cincinnati chili, check out my recipe for Skyline chili dip. It’s a great game day option and it’s super easy to make!
Ingredients:
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
- Spices – The list of spices in this recipe is long. Skipping any of them will alter the taste of the recipe and it won’t end up tasting like Cincinnati chili.
- Chocolate – I used unsweetened baking chocolate for this recipe, but you can also use 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder in a pinch.
- Red wine vinegar – You can use white wine, apple cider or plain white vinegar for this. Don’t use balsamic because it’s too sweet.
- Ground beef – We normally use a leaner ground beef, typically 90/10. If you use a high fat content, you may want to drain some of the fat.
- Kidney beans – Red kidney beans are the most common bean for Cincinnati chili, but I’ve also used red beans and chili beans, depending on what I have.
- Dairy free cheese – We normally buy Violife cheddar shreds, but we are also really liking Daiya’s new oat cream based cheddar shreds.
How to serve Cincinnati Chili
Cincinnati chili is traditionally served with several options for toppings. The more toppings, the more “way” you choose. I like all of the toppings so I like mine “five-way” and even though I’m not supposed to, I put the beans in when I’m cooking the chili.
You can obviously leave them out and use them as a topping if you prefer. You can read more about the different ways to pile the chili on your plate here, but the layers include chili, spaghetti, beans, onions and cheese.
More game day favorites: Wisconsin beer brats / crispy baked chicken wings / dairy free chili con queso dip / chipotle blender salsa
Frequently asked questions
More comfort food recipes you’ll love: beef paprikash / pumpkin beer “cheese” soup / chicken and dumplings
You’ll also love these chili recipes: slow cooker white chicken chili / sweet potato chili / beer chili / buffalo chicken chili
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground all-spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes (with juice)
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate (or 1 tablespoon cocoa powder)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 15-ounce can kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 pound package spaghetti
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or vegan cheese shreds)
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients. Mix the chili powder, paprika, cumin, all spice, coriander, cinnamon, cloves and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Sauté the onions and garlic. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic. Let them cook, stirring as needed, until the onions are translucent and soft – about 5 minutes.
- Add the spices. Then, add the spice mixture and stir to coat the onions. Cook until fragrant – about 30 seconds or so.
- Brown the beef. Next, add the meat and let it brown, breaking it into small pieces as it's cooked through (no longer pink) and coated with spices.
- Simmer the chili. Add the salt, tomato sauce, tomatoes, bay leaf, chocolate, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce and bring the pot to a simmer. Let the pasta simmer for about 30 minutes, or until thickened slightly.
- Cook the spaghetti. While the chili simmers, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the pasta according to package directions for al dente. When the spaghetti is tender, drain and toss with oil to keep the pasta from sticking.
- Serve the chili. Serve chili over a bed of spaghetti topped with beans, onions, and shredded cheese.I like to add my beans into the chili because we all like beans in our house, but traditionally they're served as a topping. See more about serving in my notes above.
