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This authentic and hearty Cincinnati chili is a delicious and fun twist to your traditional chili recipe! It’s a meaty copycat of Skyline chili spooned over spaghetti noodles topped with kidney beans, shredded cheese, chopped onion, and oyster crackers.
You know what I love most about being from the Midwest? The Midwest recipes! I know they get a bad rap, but honestly, I think everyone is wrong.
What is more perfect than comfort food? And to me, Cincinnati chili is just that – PURE COMFORT!
It starts with a homemade beanless chili made with warm seasonings like cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Some versions of this chili also add chocolate (which can be great in chili), but in my opinion, it’s not the most traditional way to make it.
After simmering your chili, you pile it high onto cooked spaghetti noodles and top it with the four traditional toppings: red kidney beans, shredded cheese, chopped onions, and oyster crackers.
Putting chili over pasta or oyster crackers on top of chili spooned over spaghetti might seem odd, but it works. Trust me! Protip: This chili is also delicious when spooned over a hot dog.
Need another classic Ohio recipe? Try my Ohio Shredded Chicken Sandwich recipe!
Ingredients for Cincinnati chili
- lean ground beef
- yellow onion
- garlic
- spices
- Worcestershire sauce
- red wine vinegar
- tomato sauce
- beef stock
- cooked spaghetti noodles
- chopped onion
- shredded cheese
- red kidney beans
- oyster crackers
What is Cincinnati chili?
Cincinnati Chili is also known as Skyline Chili, an Ohio restaurant chain serving Cincinnati chili. It’s been around since 1949 and has a somewhat cult following. It’s made with seasonings you often don’t find in classic chili, such as cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. This gives the chili its unique taste that is special to Ohio and Cincinnati.
You can order your chili in one of 3 ways:
- 3-way: chili served spooned over spaghetti noodles and topped with cheese.
- 4-way: chili served spooned over spaghetti noodles, topped with cheese, and EITHER onions or red beans.
- 5-way: chili served spooned over spaghetti noodles, topped with cheese, onions, and red beans.
I like mine served with ALL THE TOPPINGS. The more toppings, the better!
My Pro Tips
Recipe Tips
You can make the meat portion of this chili beforehand and reheat it to serve. I think this chili tastes best on day two. To reheat, I add the meat to a pot and some beef stock if it’s too thick.
To make things easy, use a can of drained and rinsed red kidney beans for your beans. There is no need to make a fresh batch from dried beans.
I like shredded sharp cheddar cheese, but other options are colby jack, mild cheddar cheese, or a Monterey jack blend.
I’m using yellow chopped onions, but red onions, shallots, or white onions can be substituted.
Cincinnati Chili FAQ’s
Storage and leftovers
Leftover chili can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. I like to make the noodles fresh before serving, but you can also store any leftover noodles in the fridge.
To freeze, add your cooled chili to an airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More easy dinner recipes
Cincinnati Chili
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef, 90/10
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
For serving:
- 1 pound spaghetti noodles, cooked
- 2 cups shredded cheese
- 2 cups kidney beans, canned, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 cup oyster crackers
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a 5 quart Dutch oven or a soup pot and set over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot, add in the ground beef and break up with a spatula and start browning the beef.
- After, 5 minutes, add in the chopped onion, garlic, chili spice, oregano, kosher salt, cinnamon, allspice, cumin, and cloves. Continue cooking until the onions are soft and the meat is browned.
- Pour beef stock, tomato sauce, red wine vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce into the meat mixture and stir to combine.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 25-30 minutes until thick and hearty in texture. Make sure to stir your chili every 10 mintues so it does not stick to teh bottom of the pot. If your chili cooks down too quickly, or you want to simmer it longer, lower the heat to low and add in more beef stock.
- Serve your chili spooned over your cooked spaghetti noodles and top with your desired topping such as shredded cheese, diced onions, red kidney beans, and oyster crackrs.
Notes
- I used 90/10 ground beef, which works perfectly for this recipe. Using something with more fat will result in a slightly greasier chili.
- Cinnamon, allspice, and cloves are not traditional in chili but give Cincinnati chili an authentic taste. Don’t skip these ingredients—I promise it’s worth it!
- You can substitute the ground beef with ground turkey or chicken, but the flavor will be less rich.
- You can freeze any leftover chili in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- This recipe will give you six regular-sized portions or four large servings.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Honestly brandy you continue to outdo yourself!!