What’s in the best canned chili? Well, partner, that’s between you and god. There are so many options: beans, no beans, spice, no spice, beef, turkey, soy protein—if you like it in homemade chili, you’ll probably find it in canned chili from the grocery store.
Chili is one of the most versatile foods known to man. We love that. You can crack open a can and just eat it straight, or dress it up with fixins like diced onion, crushed-up crackers, shredded cheddar, and sour cream. Hell, some people even eat it on spaghetti.
Over the course of multiple taste tests, we pulled out the Sporked emergency can opener (it’s in a glass case next to the fire extinguisher) to find the best chili at the grocery store—from the best chili with beans to the best turkey chili and even the best hot dog chili. We taste tested well over a dozen brands and varieties. We were looking for nice spice, hearty texture, and balance—all the flavors should work together to make something great. Most importantly, canned chili shouldn’t taste like a can. So, break the glass on your own emergency can opener and get ready for the best canned chili you can buy.
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- Great Value Chili with No Beans
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Great Value canned chili tastes great (like many Great Value foods), but it lacks the tender beans we crave and the meat isn’t the highest quality. Still, it’s one of the only canned chilis we tried that actually includes monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is a powerful flavor enhancer. Here at Sporked, we like MSG in doses, and it does wonders for chili. Get the flavor however you can. This is cheap, inoffensive, no BS chili that you can do a lot of things with. Put this canned chili on hot dogs, nachos, spaghetti, Doritos, tacos, your pillow. It’s your world, baby. It’s some of the best canned chili for its versatility alone. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Ryan Martin / Walmart
- Hormel Chili with Beans
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“I wanted to be snobbish about it, but it’s a good, standard can of chili,” remarked Sporked editor-in-chief Justine Sterling. There’s a nice depth of flavor here, and Hormel has the desirable balance of flavor you look for in the best canned chili. But it isn’t the most flavorful chili in the world, which is why dumping it on a plate of salty corn tortilla chips and adding sour cream, jalapeños, onions, and cheese is the right move. The price is excellent, too. If you’re having people over for nachos and a game, buy Hormel and dress it up a bit. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Ryan Martin / Walmart
- Stagg Chili Dynamite Hot Chili with Beans
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Stagg chili really blew us away. Their Dynamite Hot Chili with Beans is a little on the sweet side, but it’s delicious. “Thick and hearty” is what it says on the can, and that’s no lie. It does have a lot of pepper flakes, but it’s nice and spicy as a result (they credit the heat to habaneros). You can just tell this is high quality when you look at it. If you like your canned chili hot, no added hot sauce needed, this is the best spicy chili we tried. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Tony Packo’s Hot Dog Sauce with Beef
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We did a whole separate taste test to find the best hot dog chili (two separate taste tests, in fact), and Tony Packo’s is the best canned chili for your dogs. It’s saucy rather than thick and chunky, so it’s perfect for chili dogs or chili burgers. It’s fatty and beefy and redolent of chili powder and onion. If you’re from the Toledo, Ohio, area, you’re probably familiar with this stuff, but if you’re not, seek it out. It’s great. (And if you’re a really, really big fan, buy this hat.) —Gwynedd Stuart
- Trader Joe’s Beef Chili with Beans
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This canned chili is chunky and dark. The dark appearance and savory flavor likely come from ancho powder, which has a sweet, smoky, savory essence. Trader Joe’s beef chili is nicely spiced, and you can really taste the cumin and paprika. It also contains some dried bell pepper that adds a nice herby sweetness. This chili is rich, hearty, and almost buttery. It could use a little more salt, though. Feel free to add your own or, shoot, add some crushed tortilla chips and hot sauce to spice it up. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Ryan Martin
- Stagg Chili Turkey Ranchero Chili with Beans
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Of all the canned chili we tried, this one tasted the most like homemade, and it really blew everyone away. You can actually taste chili pepper and cumin. It has nice big pieces of tomato—you can see diced pepper and onion, too. It’s not too thick but not soupy either. Honestly, the best thing about this is the turkey. I know! It’s wild! But instead of ground turkey, Stagg uses shredded turkey and it’s delicious. If it didn’t say “turkey” on the can, I would absolutely think it was shredded beef, like ropa vieja. If you don’t eat red meat, this is the best turkey chili you can buy. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Ralphs
- Campbell’s Chunky Bowls Chili with Beans
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I’m usually not a fan of Campbell’s Chunky products, but this ready-to-microwave bowl of chili was a pleasant surprise. It’s very chunky—mostly kidney beans and beef. This isn’t a chili for veggie-lovers. There are some diced peppers, but tomatoes are nowhere to be found. If you like a tomatoey chili, there are better canned chilis on this list for you. This isn’t spicy, but the chili powder gives it a gentle, simmering heat. And while I’m sure it’s loaded with sodium, it doesn’t taste super salty. It’s really pleasant. And it doesn’t taste like a can! It mostly just tastes like beef, beans, and chili powder. It’s simple and super filling. I ended up eating the whole bowl for lunch! If you’re looking for the best chili you can simply put in the microwave, this is surprisingly good. —Gwynedd Stuart
- Amy’s Organic Spicy Chili
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We previously had Amy’s Medium Organic Chili in this spot, but the spicy version—which we weren’t able to source last time—is so much better. I mean, it even looks better. It has a deeper red color—much more like what you expect from a good chili. On a retasting, Amy’s Medium is a little bit sweet. Yes, you could fix it up with some cheese and sour cream to make it a little more salty and savory, but the spicy version doesn’t really need it. I should also note that the “spicy” here tastes like a chipotle pepper spice—you get more smokiness than actual heat. If you have an aversion to spicy foods, I think you could totally handle this. And I absolutely love the meatless crumble in here! It’s really satisfying, but it isn’t the centerpiece like it is in Gardein’s canned chili, which, sadly, we didn’t enjoy enough to rank. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Wendy’s Chili with Beans
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The #1 best canned chili on this list is pretty neutral—that’s why we like it. But if what you’re looking for is a big ol’ flavor bomb, Wendy’s makes some of the best canned chili you can buy. Wendy’s whole thing is that their chili is made using Wendy’s hamburger patties, and that gives it a rich, savory flavor. While we’re confident that Wendy’s fresh, never-frozen burger patties aren’t involved in the canned version of their chili, it’s imbued with flavors that let you pretend—it’s a little smoky and very savory. It’s also packed with big chunks of tomato and both kidney and pinto beans, which are perfectly cooked and creamy. It’s good stuff, but it sure is salty. If that’s not a dealbreaker, this is some of the best canned chili at the grocery store. Welcome to the list, Wendy! —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Dennison’s Original Chili Con Carne with Beans
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Dennison’s Chili Con Carne with Beans is well seasoned, creamy, and meaty—and it doesn’t taste like an aluminum can. It’s hearty in a way other chilis can only dream of being, and it’s packed with big hunks of beef and pork rather than uninspiring ground-up molecules of meat like a lot of competitors. It’s also not overly tomato-y, and there’s a steady yet subtle flavor of garlic and onion. The pinto beans really shine, too. This chili isn’t packed with flavor, but that makes it highly versatile and a great blank slate for sprucing up—use this as a base to make chili exactly the way you’d make it if you were cooking it from scratch. The ingredients work in harmony, making it the best canned chili we tasted overall. Balance is what makes good chili, and Dennison’s has that in spades. Don’t expect a flavor bomb, but buy it confidently. —Danny Palumbo & Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Ryan Martin / Instacart
Best Budget
Best for Nachos
Best Spicy
Best Hot Dog Chili
Best with Tortilla Chips
Best Turkey Chili
Best for Work Lunch
Best Plant Based
Best Salty
Best of the Best
Other products we tried: Kroger Original Chili with Beans, Nally Original Chili con Carne with Beans, Campbell’s Chunky Roadhouse Chili with Beans, Stagg Classic Chili with Beans, Wolf Brand Chili with Beans, Armour Star Chili with Beans, 365 Three Bean Vegan Chili, First Street Chunky Chili con Carne, Brookdale Original Chili with Beans, Marie Callender’s Angus Beef Chili, Hormel Turkey Chili with Beans, Gardein Plant-Based Chili with Beans, Wolf Brand Spicy Chili, Yellowstone Angus Beef Chili, Yellowstone Angus Beef Chili with Beans
