Wendy's Chili (Copycat) (2024)

Ditch the drive thru and make some homemade Wendy’s Chili without having to leave the house. Hearty, filling, and super easy to make, you won’t go back!

There’s something absolutely delicious about a bowl of hot Wendy’s Chili. My family and I love chili. Super comforting and a great easy to-to meal.

It’s so tasty and filling and can be used as either a main dish, a side dish, or as a heavy appetizer. It’s so versatile and I love that we can make a huge batch and have leftovers to enjoy for a few days.

This Wendy’s Chili Copycat Recipe is pretty spot on to what you’d get from the restaurant, but I think this recipe is slightly better than the original!

Instead of just dumping it all in a pot and calling it a day, I like to build the flavors of this chili and boy, does it pay off! But this is still super simple to make.

If you are a chili fan of any sort, I know we all have our favorites. I highly suggest that you give this Wendy’s Chili a try and I can guarantee you that you will be coming back for more!

Some of our other favorite soup recipes we have on our site include: Minestrone Soup,Chicken Pot Pie Soup,andCreamy Potato Soup.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

• Easy to make at home and super flavorful.
• No need to leave the house and sit in the drive thru.
• Pretty close to the original from Wendy’s, but we think it’s even better!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM)

Ground beef
Celery
Sweet onion
Green bell pepper
Chili seasoning
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Kosher salt
Pepper
Water
Dark red kidney beans
Pinto beans
Tomato sauce
Stewed tomatoes
Diced tomatoes with green chiles
Granulated sugar
White vinegar

HOW TO MAKE WENDY’S CHILI, STEP BY STEP:

1. In a large dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, breaking it up into crumbles, 8-10 minutes. Drain any excess grease.
2. Add the celery, onion, and bell pepper to the pan, stir it in to mix with the beef, and cook until the veggies have softened, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the chili seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.
4. Add the water to the pot and scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
5. Add the kidney beans, pinto beans, tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chiles, and sugar, stir until combined. Try to break up any large pieces of stewed tomatoes if you can.
6. Bring the chili up to a simmer, cover it and simmer for one hour, occasionally stirring to make sure nothing burns on the bottom of the pan.
7. Before serving, take off the heat and stir in the white vinegar.

WHAT TOPPINGS SHOULD I USE?

I truly enjoy this Wendy’s copycat just how they serve it, with just sour cream and shredded cheese. But, if you’re looking to serve this chili with other toppings, you can try to add any of these ideas:

• Tortilla strips
• Jalapeños
• Pico de gallo
• Diced onion
• Cilantro
• Crushed crackers, like butter crackers or oyster crackers

WHEN DID WENDY’S START SERVING CHILI?

Did you know Wendy’s has been serving chili on their menu since the first day they opened in Ohio in November 1969?! Pretty awesome that something has been served for well over 50 years, you know it’s a good recipe!

Wendy’s Chili has always had a specifically different taste than other fast food chili and you might be wondering what that is…Wendy’s uses their leftover burger patties to put in their chili.

Not only has it been a money saver for the restaurants, but it’s gave their chili a unique flavor that everyone has knows and loves.

WHAT CAN YOU PUT THIS CHILI ON?

This copycat recipe is great all by itself, but you can certainly add it on top of anything else. Here are some tasty ideas:

• French fries to make Chili Cheese Fries
• Hot Dogs to make Chili Dogs
• Mashed Potatoes
• Baked Potatoes
• Noodles
• Mac and Cheese
• Brats or Sausages

HOW TO STORE:

Leftovers should be transferred to an airtight container once they’ve cooled off and then should be put in the refrigerator where they will keep for up to 5 days.

Wendy’s Chili can also be frozen, place in a freezer safe container and it will keep for up to 3 months.

To defrost, remove to the refrigerator overnight until thawed. You can reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop until heated through.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

• Like I mentioned before, I build the flavors to make this recipe outstanding. To do that, I like toasting the spices as it helps make them nice and bold.
• I used 80/20 ground beef and I feel that’s closer to what meat quality Wendy’s uses, but you can use a lower fat percentage if desired.
• You can freeze leftovers for later, see my tips above.
• I like to double this recipe and make a large batch to enjoy all throughout the week.
• You can easily add other toppings than the classic sour cream and cheese, see some ideas above.
• This chili is fantastic by itself, but would really jazz up some other recipes.
• If you don’t have canned beans, you can use dried ones, just use appropriately.

Ready for a delicious copycat recipe that tastes just like if not better than the original? Then you have to whip up a batch of my Wendy’s Chili Recipe ASAP!

If you like this recipe you might also like:

• White Chicken Chili
• Instant Pot Chili
• Sweet Heat Chili

If you’ve tried thisWENDY’S CHILIor any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!