Copycat Wendy's Chili Recipe (2024)

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Mom Foodie

Easy Family Recipes, Drinks and Healthy Lifestyle

By Robin Gagnon | Updated on 12/14/2022

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An easy to makeWendy's Chili recipe copycatthat you can make right at home. My mom is a big fan of the chili at Wendy's, so it was sort of a must to find a good knock-off version of the recipe.

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Wendy's Chili Recipe - Copycat version

Love Wendy's Chili, but want a nice big pot of this chili at home? Today, I have a Copycat version of the Wendy's Chili Recipe for you. Now you can make the restaurant favorite right in your own home. What could be more perfect for Game day or a special treat after a grueling afternoon of clearing snow. As a nice bonus canned beans make this an dump easy recipe to toss together, that only needs to simmer a few hours before you are enjoying. The only hands on work really involved in making this chili recipe is browning the ground beef and chopping a few vegetables.

I'm sure you will still visit Wendy's for an occasional cup of their's, but this is a great recipe when you what a full pot of chili.

I am not guaranteeing the Wendy's chili ingredients are exactly the same. My main goal here is not an identical clone of what's in Wendy's chili, rather the flavor and texture of their chili.While the recipe is geared toward the stove top it is easily adapted to make in a slow cooker. I hope you like my copycat recipe!

Can this Chili be Frozen?

Yes, this chili can absolutely be frozen to reheat and serve later.

More Copycat Recipes

A few more of your restaurant favorites to make at home.

Olive Garden Breadsticks
Chick-Fil-a Chicken Salad
Starbucks Banana Bread
Panera Bread Tomato Soup
Choco Tacos recipe
Chick-Fil-A Sauce Recipe
Olive Garden Minestrone Soup Recipe

Copycat Wendy's Chili Recipe

Wendy’s Chili recipe copycat that is easy to prepare at home..

4.88 from 24 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chili recipe, copycat recipes, Wendy's chili

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 435kcal

Author: Mom Foodie Contributor

Ingredients

1 lb. Ground Beef
½ Yellow Onion Medium, diced
1 Celery Stalk diced
¼ Cup Poblano or Hatch Chilies roasted, skin removed and diced
15 oz Tomato Sauce
15 oz Tomatoes Can Diced
15 oz Kidney Beans canned, drained not rinsed
15 oz Pinto Beans canned, drained not rinsed
2 teaspoon Cumin
2 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Salt
Water

Instructions

In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat brown the Ground Beef, drain and reserve 1 Tbsp. of drippings in the pot.
Add the Onion, Celery and Chilies to the pot and cook over medium heat until the Onions start to turn translucent.
Add the Beef. Tomato sauce, Diced Tomatoes, Kidney and Pinto beans, Cumin, Chili Powder, Black Pepper, Salt and 1 Cup water. Bring to a simmer, cover and let cook 2 ½ - 3 hours. Add water as necessary to maintain desired consistency.
Serve hot.

Notes

While I do suggest using the chili spices as listed, if you don't have some of them using a mild chili seasoning will still produce good results.

To make the chili in a crock pot brown the meat first, then cook on the low setting for allotted time.

Nutrition

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Reader Interactions

Comments

LaVonne says
December 31, 2014 at 5:14 pm
I love a hot bowl of chili on a cold winter day. Thank you for this recipe!
Reply
Carlee C says
January 01, 2015 at 10:22 am
Wendy's Chili is SO GOOD! I especially love it topped with sour cream, and chedder cheese.
Reply
valmg @ From Val's Kitchen says
January 01, 2015 at 10:59 am
We're big chili fans here. Before I started making chili at home we went to Wendy's for theirs sometimes on cold days.
Reply
katrina g says
January 01, 2015 at 11:05 pm
this looks amazing. I love wendy's chili. We had one in town but they closed a few months ago. I will be trying this soon.
Reply
Tonya says
November 04, 2018 at 4:25 pm
Thanks the fam loved it and chili recipe was easy.
Reply
frank bailey says
November 29, 2018 at 11:05 am
Making a pot of the chili right now. It must be very close to the Wendy's chili recipe. Tastes graet.
Reply
IFortuna says
March 02, 2019 at 9:17 pm
This is my favorite chili. Thanks for the recipe. : )
Reply
andipanda says
May 02, 2020 at 9:46 pm
I don't understand. Beef browned, beans canned and still, I must cook all together for 2.5-3 hours?
Reply
- Robin Gagnon says
  May 03, 2020 at 8:09 am
  Simmering melds the flavors. You can certainly eat the chili sooner, but simmering makes it better.
  Reply
Wendy says
May 04, 2020 at 6:25 am
I do not understand either; I do cook the canned beans in my Dutch oven casserole 2-3 hours, they will fall apart because they are already cooked
Reply

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FAQs

What are the ingredients in Wendy's chili? ›

Chili Concentrate: Chili Sauce (Water, Tomato Juice, Tomatoes, Calcium Chloride, Seasoning (Sugar, Salt, Corn Starch, Dried Chilies, Spices, Flavor Enhancer [Dextrose, Salt, Yeast Extract, Silicon Dioxide, Modified Corn Starch], Citric Acid, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Xanthan gum), Beans (Pink Beans, Red ...

Learn More Now ›

What makes Wendy's chili taste so good? ›

The reason we love Wendy's chili so much really comes down to three things: the beef, the beans, and the fact that it's straight comfort food.

Keep Reading ›

What secret ingredient will deepen the flavor of your chili? ›

Stir some puréed pumpkin into your chili just after sautéing your aromatics (onions, garlic, etc...) and before adding any liquid. This will deepen and sweeten its flavor, making it a great balance for all the chile peppers and heat.

Learn More ›

Does Wendy's sell their chili in a can? ›

We Should. We Could. We Canned.

Enjoy the classic taste of Wendy's^® famous chili from the comfort of your own home.

Discover More ›

Is Wendy's chili made with leftover burgers? ›

He even asked himself, “what do you do with the leftover hamburger?” The answer was simple: combine the beef we use for our hamburgers with a hearty helping of vegetables, chili beans and a dash of spice. Creating the perfect chili recipe wasn't easy, but Dave knew it would be worth it.

Is Wendy's chili made fresh every day? ›

Made fresh every day

We prep from scratch every day—slicing our tomatoes by hand, preparing our house-made chili and cooking our bacon to ensure quality and freshness in every order.

Discover More ›

Why add vinegar to chili? ›

With only about 1 tablespoon per pot added toward the end of the cooking process, the vinegar will make the flavors more vibrant without overwhelming the dish with its biting tang. Through just a splash, everything becomes a little brighter, and the chili's flavors are more balanced.

Learn More Now ›

What is Wendy's hot chili seasoning? ›

The ingredients listed on the real Hot Chili Seasoning are water, corn syrup, salt, distilled vinegar, natural flavors, xanthan gum, and extractives of paprika.

Know More ›

How unhealthy is Wendy's chilli? ›

According to the Wendy's website, a large chili contains 1,270 milligrams of sodium. This is approximately 55 percent of the recommended daily sodium allowance for adults, which is under 2,300 milligrams. Furthermore, the chili has 15 grams of total fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, and 31 grams of total carbs.

View Details ›

What adds the most flavor to chili? ›

Cocoa powder, bacon, cinnamon, ground coffee and tomato paste will all add a rich sweet & salty flavors that are sure to surprise and delight. Warming spice blends, like Garam Masala, Ras el Hanout or Baharat are another simple and delicious way to add layered flavors to this simple one-pot meal.