Wendy’s Style Chili: A Delicious Copycat Recipe

Wendy’s chili has a devoted following for a reason: it’s mild, meaty, loaded with two kinds of beans, and more soup-like than a thick Texas chili. This copycat version gets you very close at home with pantry staples — and like the original, it’s even better reheated the next day.

Servings: 6  |  Prep time: 15 minutes  |  Cook time: 45–60 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef (85/15 or 90/10)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar (balances the tomatoes’ acidity)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• To serve: shredded cheddar, sour cream, diced onion, or chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. Brown the beef. In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the ground beef over medium heat, breaking it up with a spoon, until fully browned, 8–10 minutes. Drain the excess fat.
2. Soften the vegetables. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery and sauté 4–5 minutes, until they begin to soften.
3. Add tomatoes and beans. Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, and pinto beans.
4. Season. Add the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, sugar, salt, and pepper, then pour in the water and stir well.
5. Simmer. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook 30–45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Longer is better — the flavor keeps developing.
6. Adjust and serve. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and ladle into bowls with your favorite toppings.

Variations

• Spicier: a pinch of cayenne or diced jalapeños turns up the heat without changing the character.
• More vegetables: corn or zucchini blend right in.
• Slow cooker: brown the beef and soften the vegetables on the stove first, then cook everything on Low for 6–8 hours or High for 3–4. (Do the browning in a skillet — a ceramic crock should never go on a burner.)
• The day-two trick: make it a day ahead; overnight in the fridge does more for chili than an extra hour of simmering.

Serving and Storage

Serve it the classic ways: topped with cheddar and sour cream, alongside cornbread or tortilla chips, or spooned over rice or a baked potato. Leftovers keep 3–4 days refrigerated and freeze well for up to 3 months — portion it before freezing for easy weekday lunches.

If you’re in the mood for beef and vegetables in a lighter broth instead, try our vegetable beef soup.