The Best And Worst Canned Chili Brands, Ranked

To me, canned chili is not an item you would eat on its own. Instead, it’s an ingredient for a recipe. That said, I’ve never given much thought to choosing a canned chili, even for this purpose. Honestly, I assumed they were mostly all the same. Boy, was I wrong. With as much as my family loves a batch of homemade chili (eat your heart out, Kevin Malone), I was curious if any canned chilis got close to that freshly made homemade chili flavor and texture.

To find out, I pitted several brands against one another, ranking them according to my preferences in texture, flavor, and consistency. Regardless of the types or brands of chili I tried, I wanted a bowl that looked fresh, with visibly identifiable ingredients, a consistency thicker than soup, and a bowl rich in different textures.

When sampling, I opted to try each brand’s version of a meat and bean chili whenever possible. If this wasn’t a choice, I chose the simplest version for the brand. In the end, I found a few standouts and permanently crossed out a couple chilis on my future shopping lists.

For a few years, I practiced veganism. I grew quite accustomed to meat alternatives, and then my husband purchased a smoker, and with the first round of jerky, I buckled, and I have been much more of an omnivore ever since. In any case, I’ve had my fair share of vegan alternatives, and since going back to a meat-inclusive diet, I’ve also tried a few of my vegan staples I relied on for those veggie heavy years. Gardein was one of the brands I swore by, but I had never tried the chili. I must tell you, Gardein’s plant-based chili with beans is so disappointing, it has the potential to make a vegan swear off chili.

The flavor had this really off smoky taste to it that a lot of fake beef products tend to have. When brands try to mimic smokey meat, it’s easy to overshoot the faux smoke level, and that’s what’s happened here. Not to mention, the texture had an almost gummy feel and was just strange. My recommendation is that if you simply must avoid meat and want chili, make a veggie chili. Don’t try to create a meat-adjacent alternative; just lean heavily into veggies and what they can do and make a vegetarian chili. Don’t waste your time trying this plant-based chili because, like me, you probably won’t be able to finish more than a quarter spoonful.

I’m ultra disappointed that the vegan options I tried were such an absolute let down. Amy’s is another brand I consistently relied on as a vegan, but the brand’s organic medium chili left so much to be desired. Amy’s medium chili is made with tofu rather than meat, so there’s an odd texture throughout the whole thing that looks like little flake pieces of meat floating around. But these aren’t pieces of meat. They are pieces of tofu, and although there are plenty of ways to have tofu and enjoy it, mixing it in with chili doesn’t seem like a great option.

Texture wasn’t the only problem here. The flavor was bland, even if there was some kind of a spice that developed in the back of the mouth after a few moments. The odd mixture of seasonings and inconsistent texture made this feel like something that came directly from a can. As unflavored and oddly textured as it was, I can imagine even a vegan struggling to enjoy this chili. Perhaps the only benefit I can see is that it has a lot of organic ingredients in it. If that is of utmost importance to you, I can imagine prizing something like this, but you’ll still have to choke it down rather than enjoy it.

Before trying this chili, I was expecting what I had come to know as a typical chili flavor. Heyday’s Mexican mole chili is not that. For one, it has a very dark brown color, and its flavors come through as if they yearn to be sweet but ultimately miss the mark.

No matter what the chili is trying to be, it is not particularly enjoyable. Instead, it has a burnt flavor. I found it tasted like chili that had been forgotten at the bottom of a pan and then subsequently burnt. There’s a bitterness that wasn’t present in any of the other chilis that made me actively dislike this one. The flavors feel like they overstep the chili form, finding a flavor profile wholly different and not in a positive way.

Growing up, Steak ‘n Shake was one of my favorite places to grab dinner with my family. My order was chili three ways: a bed of spaghetti noodles with chili and chili sauce and I’d sprinkle that powdery Parmesan cheese on it. When I began cooking for myself, my college apartment and dorm room saw many a chili three ways. Not to mention, since I went to college at Illinois State University, I studied in the birthplace of this restaurant — Normal, Illinois. Was the chili on Steak n Shake’s version of chili three ways good? Maybe, but with noodles, it was enjoyable enough. The Steak ‘n Shake branded canned chili I tried for this tasting, on the other hand, is better left on the shelf.

Unlike other chilis, this one had a very light brown, reddish color, but it didn’t feel like it quite suited chili. In a bowl, on its own, the flavor took center stage and not in a good way. It simply tasted like brown, rather dull, sludge. It might be enjoyable paired with other parts to make a meal, and perhaps on hot dogs, but plain in a bowl was not the way. It pains me to rank the chili so low and even begs the question of whether it’s a different chili completely.

My very first impressions of this chili were wondering if it really was chili. It looked like straight-up soup. Flavor-wise, I noticed something with a little warmth there. I wasn’t expecting a nutmeg flavor, but there was some dancing around in the mix. All told, it looked absolutely nothing like chili, and to my eye, chili should not be as runny as this was. It was thin enough that I could have slurped it through a straw.

When the can was revealed to be Skyline, I felt a pit in my stomach. If there’s one thing I know about Skyline chili, it’s that Skyline fans are committed and determined to have you believe that this is the best chili. Apologies to these fans, but Skyline just doesn’t do it for me. The only reason I didn’t rank it lower was because I enjoyed that burst of nutmeg, but it can go no higher than this placement because the texture is so not my taste. Chili shouldn’t have a note in the can to shake it before opening, but this one does. Perhaps it would have been better dressed with cheese, but since I didn’t dress up any other chilis, it felt unfair to do it here.

In the movie “Ratatouille,” Remy, a rat, seems to be able to taste the colors of food and how they mingle. If that cartoon rat got a bite of Armour chili, he might be confused. Simply, the chili tasted brown, like refried, unseasoned beans.

It was okay for a bean-heavy chili, but there just needs to be more seasonings. No one opens a can of chili and hopes that it’ll just taste like beans. It’s the mingling of spices and ingredients that makes chili special, and it shouldn’t just taste like brown slop in a bowl. This might work on a chili dog, but even then, you’ll want some additional toppings.

Chili texture is awfully difficult to nail. You certainly don’t want it to be too liquidy like Skyline, but too thick doesn’t do anyone any favors either. Another miss? Goopy texture like I got with Jack Link’s original chili with beans.

Though this chili wasn’t as brown and bland tasting, I still wasn’t a fan of the flavors at play. I noted some smoky notes, like those you may get from chili peppers in adobo sauce. It’s one of my least favorite pepper flavors, and the can does nothing to achieve a chili flavor, only distract from it. That said, I know others aren’t as picky when it comes to smoky flavors like I am, and some may prefer those flavors, even if the texture is a little strange.

Though I didn’t eat the Hormel chili with beans with anything, the brand markets the can of chili as more of an ingredient. In fact, the website offers a few recommendations that utilize a can of the chili as everything from a base for an upgraded chili or even pairing it with cinnamon rolls.

It makes sense, then, that as an ingredient, Hormel offers a pretty solid chili, but all on its own, Hormel chili is lacking. I found that the flavor was not offensive, just a little boring. Like others in the middle of the pack, it simply tastes like a basic canned chili. I brought it down just a notch because I noticed a little bitterness in the chili that wasn’t really there with even more of the boring options.

Up until pretty recently, I’ve been a big fan of Wendy’s and its burgers. My last few visits have been riddled with ordering issues and food that has been sitting too long. However, none of these impact the canned chili, which I admit I had never tried before this tasting.

Wendy’s chili was one of the original offerings on the menu, and the chain has been serving the meaty stuff for over 50 years. While the brand may have a fair amount of experience with chili, this experience doesn’t necessarily translate to a superior chili, and this canned rendition finds itself in the middle of the chili pack.

There are fewer beans and more meat with Wendy’s, so it has a deeper meatiness to it. I don’t necessarily enjoy this flavor makeup, and instead prefer something with more of an even balance between beans and meat. All told, Wendy’s chili tastes like you imagine a canned chili tastes. While it’s not offensive, you’re not going to crave it.

As we continue in the ranking, the options from here on forward become more flavorful, and therefore, more enjoyable. The Wolf Brand Chili I sampled was a little spicier than others, and I noticed that it’s got a little more salt. Visually, the beans have a split look to them rather than that whole bean look.

The texture on the whole almost looks like someone took an immersion blender to parts of it, and it looks liquidy. It resembled more of a soup texture, but there was still an amount of thickness, just a little thinner than refried beans. While I didn’t mind the flavor, the texture didn’t win me over. Though I can imagine the chili I tried from Wolf Brand Chili would be good on a hot dog, the brand does offer a chili specific to this purpose, so it probably would be better suited to the task.

One thing about chili: Price means nothing. Some of the least expensive options were some of the more enjoyable chilis. Dannison’s is a perfect example of this. As a Walmart purchase, it was super reasonable, and in flavor and texture, it was reasonably enjoyable.

While I tried each of these chilis on their own, a few of them jumped out as being an ideal ingredient for a quick meal. Dannison’s, for one, tasted like it would go well with chili mac. There was a smoothness to it that felt like it already had some carby noodliness, so I imagined throwing some elbow noodles with this chili would be a nice, quick lunch.

Flavor-wise, I wish there was just a little more to it, and it probably needed some more spice too. Though the flavor wasn’t quite what I prefer, the texture was a perfect balance of liquid with textured meat and bean goodness.

I’ve found that Aldi products are, by and large, pretty good, even if the Aldi canned foods can be a little more hit or miss. Brookdale chili, for one, is a good chili, and as one of the first chilis I tried, I was impressed right off the bat.

My only complaint is that the chili was a little more mushy than I wanted it to be, and it had a very heavy chili powder flavor. As an essential part of chili, even this chili powder was a little much and had little other flavoring elements to cling to. I could do with a touch less chili powder flavor and more saltiness. On the other hand, Brookdale’s flavor felt like it could be partially remedied with simple chili toppings, like a handful of Goldfish right on top. For texture, I far prefer the look of separate ingredients rather than congealed slop, and Brookdale delivered here, too.

Speaking of separated ingredients, with STAGG chili, I could fully see the separated elements. I noticed many pieces of peppers, leading to an enjoyable look and texture.

The idea of eating inconclusive chili is just not appetizing to me, and, thankfully, STAGG is not a mystery pile of chili, and clearly hasn’t been blended to make a smoothie texture like others. Instead, it looked like something I could’ve made in my kitchen. If anything, it needs a touch more salt, keeping it from the top spot in my overall ranking. Simply put, this feels like an elevated basic and even a homemade substitute in a pinch.

I simply did not expect Campbell’s to walk away with the top spot, but Campbell’s Chunky Chili with beans won the day. This chili had everything I look for: an enjoyable texture, discernible ingredients, and solid flavor.

I noticed that, unlike other chilis, the beans appear to be in one piece, making them feel mighty and leading to better texture with a tender, enjoyable bite. Campbell’s reminded me of the campfire chili my dad would make on the many camping trips we took as a family. Armed with a can opener, he would dump together canned beans and fresh ingredients in a pot to create the chili of my childhood. This is probably where my instincts on what makes a great chili sparked from, so campfire chili may very well be the highest compliment I can give.

I enlisted my husband’s help for this taste test so that it could be a semi-blind tasting. He warmed the chili on the stove, handing them off to me without mention of the brand. This way, I could take notes on my honest perceptions, brands and expectations aside. I took notes of flavor, texture, and consistency. The highest-ranked chilis had a consistency that looked like a thick soup rather than slop or smoothie. I love when I can see ingredients within my chili, so my favorites often had discernible ingredients. For flavor, I looked for a balance of spiciness, smoothness, and a comforting flavor.

All told, I tried some quality canned chilis, and others that could really do well with the addition of some secret ingredients, but honestly, the homemade stuff is just better. Chili that takes several hours to simmer with unique peppers, ingredients, and measuring done with the heart just makes for great chili. Not to mention, our favorite chili recipe has Guinness and coffee, so there’s really no hope of beating it.