Enhance Your Super Bowl Party Chili Recipe with This Famous Cheesy Cracker

I don’t trust a Super Bowl party if there isn’t a crockpot of chili on the counter. It’s a necessary menu item. I don’t care if it’s beef, turkey, vegetarian, three bean—it’s just gotta be chili. And with that chili you need a well-stocked toppings bar.

Here’s a check list for chili toppings: shredded cheese, diced onions, diced bell peppers, sour cream, hot sauce, Cheez-Its, avocado—huh? What’s that? Oh, the whole Cheez-Its thing? Allow me to explain.

Why Cheez-Its belong on chili

Cheez-Its are a pretty perfect cracker (we know because we’ve tasted all the Cheez-It flavors). They’re crunchy, they’re rich, and the cheese flavor is baked in. That’s the key. You see, chili needs textural variation but it also needs cheese. Chili without cheese? No thanks. And Cheez-Its are both cheesy and crunchy. It’s a two-for-one topping! Plus, unlike many other cheesy crunchy snacks, the flavor is in the cracker so it won’t just slough off in the chili like a flavor powder would.

How to use Cheez-Its on chili

There are a couple of ways to use Cheez-Its as a topping for chili. You can crush them up so you get little sprinkles of Cheez-It crumbs in every bite. Or you can just scatter them on whole, as you would oyster crackers. And if you really want to go all out, you’ll go with a half Cheez-Its, half chili ratio like this totally sane person.

Which Cheez-Its to use on chili

While classic Cheez-Its are my chili topping of choice, feel free to branch out and try other Cheez-It flavors. Here’s some recommendations:

Cheez-It White Cheddar: White bean chili with White Cheddar Cheez-Its? Hell yeah.
Cheez-It Hot & Spicy: Get some extra heat from some extra hot Cheez-Its.
Cheez-It Grooves Loaded Nacho: These new Cheez-It Grooves will add some tasty taco seasoning flavor and extra crunch.
Cheez-It Grooves Zesty Cheddar Ranch: Try these on a vegetarian chili for a boost of zippy complexity and umami.

About the Author

Hi! I’m the editor-in-chief of Sporked. I will never turn down a fresh-shucked oyster but I’ll also leap at whatever new product Reese’s releases and I love a Tostitos Hint of Lime, even if there is no actual lime in the ingredients. Why you should trust me: I have been writing about food and beverages for well over a decade and am an avid at-home cook and snacker. I began my career writing about fine dining and recipes, moved into cocktails and spirits, and now I talk about groceries. If you can eat it or drink it, I’ve probably written about it. What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s dried okra. Appleton Farms prosciutto from Aldi. Some sort of Trader Joe’s cheese (I’m into the aged gouda at the moment). Frozen waffles (usually the Eggo Cinnamon Toast Minis). Spindrift water (loving the Cosmopolitan right now). Favorite ranking: Smoked salmon. Imagine me as Scrooge McDuck but instead of coins I’m diving into a vault of slippery smoked salmon slices. Pure joy. I also found some real steals in that taste test! Least favorite ranking: Canned oysters. I had such high hopes for this but it quickly became a chore. The kitchen smelled like an uncleaned aquarium.