Homemade chili: 35 recipes for you to pick from

I’ve partnered with a few of my favorite bloggers to come up with a list of great homemade chili recipes. I’m running out of ways to make old recipes new. And I don’t feel like being creative to come up with something new on my own. Which is ironic considering how much time I have right now. My girls are antsy. They want to be in the kitchen helping. Last week we baked a lot. But this week, instead of baking, we’re making homemade chili. Here are 35 recipes to pick from and fun ways to try cooking this hearty meal-in-a-bowl with your kids.

If you’re a Girl Scout mom like me, this is the time to pick your favorite recipe and get cooking in the kitchen. Plus, earning a cooking badge makes this both rewarding and fun.

Chili: the ultimate comfort food

Chili Classics

Chili is the ultimate comfort food. Growing up, I would sit with a package of Saltine crackers and dip them into my chili on a cold winter day. Today, I’ve upgraded a bit to cornbread. Either way, chili is one of my favorite ways to fill an empty bowl.

1. White Bean Chili Recipe – Big Crazy Life
2. Easy Chili Recipe – Everyday Eyecandy
3. Bush’s White Bean Chili – Tammilee Tips
4. Cincinnati Chili – Day by Day in Our World
5. Mr. Houseful’s Homemade Chili – Houseful Of Nicholes
6. Easy 4 ingredient chili – Really, Are You Serious?

Instant Pot Recipes

For the love of the Instant Pot. What did we do without it? What would normally have taken an entire day, you can now make in just 30 minutes! With its fast cooking time, the Instant Pot really saves the day.

7. Instant pot chili – Building Our Story
8. Instant Pot Wendy’s Chili – A Night Owl
9. 30-Minute Pressure Cooker Chili – Whisky + Sunshine
10. Hearty Instant Pot Chili – Mama Harris’ Kitchen
11. Spicy instant pot chili – Really, Are You Serious?
12. Instant Pot Chili – The Typical Mom

Crock-Pot Recipes

My lifeline on busy weeknights is the crockpot. I like nothing more than to dump ingredients into a pot and let it cook on its own. Plus, I love walking in from a long day to the smell of a cooked dinner, knowing I didn’t have to work in a kitchen all day long.

13. Crock-Pot Green Chili Chicken Queso – Lipgloss and Crayons
14. Crock-Pot Chili – Ripped Jeans and Bifocals
15. Crock-Pot Three Bean Chili – Tammilee Tips
16. Slow Cooker Ground Beef Chili – Live Love Texas
17. Hearty Slow Cooker Chili – Whisky + Sunshine
18. Slow Cooker Chili Recipe – Slow Cooker Living

Turkey Chili

Turkey is the other white meat, and many people (myself included) have turned to turkey as a healthy substitute for beef. These recipes are not only delicious, but are a great way to stay on the heart-healthy track.

19. Easy Slow Cooker Turkey Chili – Half Crazy Mama
20. Turkey Chili with Beans – A Crafty Spoonful
21. Instant Pot White Turkey Chili – Merry About Town
22. Pumpkin Turkey Chili – This Fairy Tale Life
23. Turkey Quinoa chili – Jen Around the world
24. Slow Cooker Turkey Chili – The Farm Girl Gabs

Chicken Chili

A few years ago, I had the best white bean chicken chili. I haven’t had it since, and I think about recreating it often. Now I don’t have to. Here are a few chicken chili recipes that you’ll enjoy.

25. Chicken Chili – Eat Picks
26. Crockpot Southwest Chicken Chili – Tammilee Tips
27. Chicken Chili – Houseful Of Nicholes
28. White Chicken Chili Recipe – Cook Clean Repeat
29. White Chicken Chili – Eclectic Momsense

Vegetarian

I’m great at coming up with a quick meal in a pinch. That’s why I love vegetarian chili recipes. I know I always have ingredients on hand to make a good pot of vegetarian chili. If that’s not you, it can be.

30. Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili – Midlife Healthy Living
31. Crock-Pot Vegetarian Chili – Little House Big Alaska

A style of their own

I have to admit, I love these last four recipes. And I felt like they needed a spot of their own. I can’t say I have had pumpkin chili before, so that will be one we’ll try soon. But the dutch oven chili with cornbread? Well, enough said. Full disclosure, I have Laura’s book, The Camp and Cabin Cookbook, and it’s a keeper.

32. Campfire Dutch Oven Chili with Cornbread – Family Spice
33. Hatch Green Chili with Pinto Beans – Simplifying Family
34. The Best Pumpkin Chili – The Farm Girl Gabs
35. Chili Cheese Crescent Dogs – A Crafty Spoonful

Who’s hungry now? If you’re here for the Girl Scout cooking challenge, welcome! We hope you are able to find a fun recipe from this list and recreate it.  Once you do, just fill out the form linked from the Girl Scout Leader group, let us know all the details, and we’ll send you a patch for participating.*

*We will only be awarding up to 350 patches. Once those are claimed, the challenge is over. But by all means, continue cooking!