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Cincinnati Chili is a classic Midwestern recipe that slow simmers the meat sauce then served over top noodles. This chili is nothing like you have ever had before!
This fun, iconic American dish is a staple in the city of Cincinnati. Complete your meal by serving alongside a Greek Salad, a baked potato, and end the meal with some homemade funnel cakes!
Cincinnati Chili Recipe
This chili is definitely unlike any other chili! It’s a combination of so many different foods and flavors. This chili cooks up as a flavorful meat sauce that is perfect to use over noodles or to smother hot dogs with. It can be eaten in a bowl like a regular bowl of chili, but that’s not it’s purpose in life!
This is such a fun and unique meal that the entire family is sure to love. The best part is that everyone can choose which way they want to eat it. Beans? No beans? Onion? Cheese? You can pick your own way!
What Makes Cincinnati Chili Different?
Cincinnati Chili is a recipe developed in the 1920s thanks to Greek immigrants who settled in the Midwest. It’s a combination of a soupy Midwestern stew and traditional Mediterranean spices. It was created as a hot dog topping, and was originally served at a stand outside a theater called Empress.
Later the owners of the hot dog stand expanded into a restaurant which they named Empress and started serving the chili over noodles also. As the idea spread other restaurants and chili parlors opened, adopting the same style of chili. Today some of the most popular chili parlors serving this dish are Empress, Skyline, and Gold Star Chili. Today Cincinnati Chili is known as an iconic American dish, and is enjoyed by many people visiting the Midwest.
Ingredients Needed
- Tomato Paste: helps to thicken the meat sauce and also gives a nice red, tomato base to the broth.
- Water/Broth: This recipe can be made with just water, as the meat simmers in the pot it will become quite flavorful. If you want to push the flavor along a little bit you can do a mixture of half water and half beef broth.
- Ground Beef: 80/20 is a good balance for the chili. We need just enough fat to create a flavorful broth while simmering, but we don’t want too much fat, since we’re boiling the meat, the grease will stay in the pot, we can’t just drain it out.
- Onion: some say that no onion is included in the actual chili, but it gives a great flavor. Mince the onion up nice and fine and you don’t even notice the bits in the chili.
- Chili Powder: Adds a depth of flavor.
- Salt: Amount can be adjusted to taste if needed.
- Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice & cloves: The warm spices are what sets this chili apart from all others!
- Cocoa: a necessity to come as close to authentic Skyline Chili as possible.
- Worcestershire Sauce: not a required ingredient, but it does add a depth to the broth of the chili.
- Vinegar: brightens up the meat sauce.
How to Make Cincinnati Style Chili
This copycat original is famous by Skyline chili parlor. Cincinnati chili is a flavorful meat sauce infused with mediterranean spices. Serve over noodles or on top of a hot dog!
- Combine: Water/broth with tomato paste to start the broth. Crumble the ground beef with your hands and add it into the liquid.
- Add in: Remaining ingredients for the chili.
- Bring to a simmer: Let the chili simmer for 2-3 hours while covered, until meat is fully cooked. Stir the meat. To ensure the meat is completely crumbled, it should have a fine texture, no large chunks of meat.
- Storing Chili: Let the chili cool to room temperature and then cover to store in the refrigerator overnight.
- Remove Grease: The next day, break up the cooled grease on the top of the chili, remove it completely, then bring the chili back to a simmer on the stovetop.
- Serve: Serve over spaghetti noodles or on a hot dog.
What to Serve with Cincinnati Chili
While you could serve up a bowl of this chili, that’s not how you will typically see it served. Most common ways of enjoying this particular style of chili is over hot dogs as a “cheese coney” or over spaghetti noodles.
Whichever way you choose to go, just make sure you have plenty of oyster crackers on the side!
- Cheese Coney: hot dog, bun, chili, cheese, mustard and onion (optional)
- Simple: Just noodles and chili combined.
- Have it with more: Add cheese with your noodles and chili
- More to Love: Noodles, chili, cheese and onions or beans. The variations are endless!
- The Works: Add all five together and you have it all with noodles, chili, cheese, onions and beans.
More Chili Recipes to Enjoy
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Cincinnati Chili
Ingredients
- 4 cups water (OR can do half water, half beef broth)
- 6 ounce tomato paste
- 2 pounds ground beef (80/20)
- ½ cup onion finely diced
- 3 Tablespoon chili powder
- 2 Tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground all spice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 ounce dark chocolate OR unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 bayleaf
Toppings
- spaghetti noodles cooked
- beans
- onion diced
- cheddar cheese shredded
- oyster crackers
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven combine the water and tomato paste. Whisk together to combine.
- Crumble the meat with fingers and add to the liquid in the pot.
- Add all remaining ingredients to the pot and stir to combine.
- Bring pot of chili to a simmer over medium heat. Cover and lower heat. Let simmer for 2-3 hours stirring occasionally. Skim grease from the top as needed.
- Remove the chili from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover and store the chili in the refrigerator overnight.
- After chili has cooled overnight, using a spoon, breakup the grease on the top of the chili and remove completely.
- Bring the chili back to a low simmer over medium heat.
- Serve the chili warm over spagehtti noodles or over a hot dog.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very good spice and grit to smells take me back to Cincy. I added two more tablespoons of brown sugar and another 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and seemed to pull everything together and heighten the bitter notes. I also boiled only meat and rested over night to lift off the fat. Added all the other ingredients for the long simmer.
Can I use unsweetened chocolate (100% cacao) ?
I haven’t tried that before but it should work!
I’m not a picky eater and I’ve heard so much about Cincinnati Chili that I just had to try it. The spices sound so complex and interesting that I was so excited to make this and I, uncharacteristically, followed the recipe exactly so that I got the intended flavor profile. I even had hoped of entering it in a local chili competition if I enjoyed it.
Wow- this stuff is close to DISGUSTING! It has an overwhelming flavor of CLOVE and not much else. Yes, I measured everything exactly. Now, I don’t know if the recipe is wrong or if the people of Cincinnati just don’t know good food, but I had to doctor this with a lot of additional spices to make it edible. Paprika, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper, and others. I found this recipe on a FB post and some guy who said he ran one of the good Cinci restaurants claimed that this recipe was lacking several key ingredients (though wouldn’t divulge them). I didn’t believe him at first, but now I certainly do!!
I can’t believe I wasted so much time, effort, and money on such a dud.
Most of these recipes taste like the powders used (after only 2 hours) unless you slow cook them for several more hours. There are different variations of the recipe but this one is in the general vincinity roughly. I had to add some beef broth (Knorr) to keep cooking and it came to the closest I have ever made. I just can’t remember how I doctored it up the last few hours. Also if you do not like Indian or Greek food, you are less likely to like it. If you have a Kroeger related grocery store near you, then get a can of Skyline Chili. Not as good as being there but close.
Also, not a big fan. I’ve tried other Cincinnati chili’s before and were quite good. This one not so much. For me, the clove or earthy flavor is overwhelming.Too bitter. But everyone has different tastes. I’ll keep experimenting.0
This is the best cincinnati chili I have EVER TASTED!!! The recipe is spot on! I don’t even have to adjust the salt! Really, really good!
I made this a couple of days ago and WOW! It is so delicious and so much like what I would get at a restaurant named Skyline Chili. I would sometimes purchase individual frozen packages of this and it tasted ok. I am sold, I will use this recipe from now on. AMAZING!!!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Can this be made in a slow cooker?
I haven’t tried that before but I’m sure it would work fine. Just make sure not to add any noodles to it until just before serving so they don’t get soggy.
I’m making some Gold Star from a packet right now. I also have my own recipe and have experimented with most Cincinnati chili recipes. Everybody has their own twist or secret ingredient. Mine was ground cardamom. I noticed one big difference in your recipe, and that is nutmeg. Most Cincy chilis don’t usually call for nutmeg, and this one not only has nutmeg, but is nutmeg forward. It’s definitely worth a try.
I am a Cincinnati native but have not lived there in many years. This is the best copy cat recipe I have ever found. Flavor profile is very authentic, this will be a staple at our house going forward. Thank you!
Am going to make in my enameled cast iron Dutch oven with a beef roast slow simmered today…..then shred once falling apart tender…many serve options: over pasta, sweet potatoes, fries, baked potato, toast or biscuits. In a tortilla or over tortilla chips for nachos
What is one serving size? I know that the above recipe makes 8 servings, but what is the actual serving size? Thanks.
A serving size of this chili would be about 1 to 1.5 cups!
This is not chili. Chili contains beans & can be eaten by itself.
Miranda, not all Chili contains beans. There are different styles of chili, maybe this style is not to your liking. If you ask anyone in Texas about bean in chili, they’ll say you are crazy for suggesting that, but then again they do not use ground meat in their chili, only cubed beef usually. Open your mind up a little before commenting, even Hormel offers Chili with and without beans in their cans. Cincinnati Chili is it’s own style and that is what is posted here.
Miranda, it’s not mexican chili, that’s why it’s called Cincinnati Chili. It’s hot dog Chili which is also not Mexican.
It clearly states in the description that this is a regional recipe created in Cincinnati, so yes, it IS chili, just not the kind you’re used to making. Not everyone makes things the same way in every part of our vast, diverse country where people came from all over the world to settle here & created dishes their own unique flavors. So, maybe this isn’t YOUR kind of chili, but it is chili, nonetheless!
Tried this today and I was delighted. I enjoyed it. My partner is a traditional Italian spaghetti sauce person so not as much but I convinced him to eat it again tomorrow night for dinner!
This recipie is a Cincinnatti, Ohio staple. It is the best and longest lasting memory I have of home. Obviously, it’s not for everyone. But for me, it doesn’t get any better.
I am very familiar with Skyline chili, have eaten it many times. After much reviewing many recipes on the internet I chose this one to make for our Super Bowl party to cheer on the Bengals. I was very pleased with the recipe. I felt it was very close to the “real” Skyline Chili. I did follow the recipe to the “t” and did make it the day ahead of time. I did have to research how much cocoa is in an ounce. Research showed me 3 2/3 tablespoons equals one dry ounce. Thank you Recipe Critic for another winning recipe!
I grew up on Cincy chili (5 different chains), White Castle, and goetta. Your Cincy chili recipe is really close to the Empress version, but it is way too salty. I made it and liked it but I’ll cut the salt to 25% next time. I live in Philly these days and used to get Gold Start Chili from Amazon but the shipping charges have become outrageous. Yours is a “just about as good” recipe and easy to make. Good job!
My husband is from Kentucky and first told me about Cincinnati chili. Initially, I scoffed being a Texan. Yet, after reviewing the ingredients several years ago, I decided to incorporate it together with my Texas family recipe (addition of chunky venison/stew meat and course-ground chili beef, green chilies, can of rotel, jalapeños, bourbon instead of vinegar, less worcestershire, more chili powder, etc). Well, I now have an envied recipe, that is delish. I check this site from time to time to make sure I’m not missing any ingredients – btw the cinnamon and cloves are especially essential in my opinion!
I love all chilis, white, red, different proteins, whatever, so really appreciate this fundamental chili recipe, I’ve known of Cincinnat chili forever without really knowing each ingredient, most of what I make is some version of this anyway but always nice to do the official version or at least one more official than mine, !which has never included spaghetti noodles!