Cincinnati Chili

Delicious Homemade Cincinnati Chili - a rich, unique tasting chili which is served over spaghetti with a variety of toppings. A must make for any household.

Living in Canada and with close proximity to the US, I get the bonus of being able to try many different cuisines and dishes. Pretty much every state in the US has its own unique dish and if you have ever visited the Midwest, you will be sure to see Cincinnati Chili on the menu.

What is Cincinnati Chili?

Cincinnati Chili originated in the 1920s by immigrant restaurateurs from Macedonia, Greece, hence the flavours of Mediterranean spices in this recipe.

It's a popular dish served in you guessed it - Cincinnati Ohio, but you will find it served in various places in the Midwest.

While it has some similar components to a regular chili, the flavour profile is very unique with spices like cinnamon, cloves and Chocolate (cocoa powder).

Unlike regular chili - Cincinnati Chili is served over spaghetti with various choice of toppings - like cheese, onion, oyster crackers and beans.

But you can choose various combinations . In some places in the Midwest you can even have this chili served over a hot dog instead - called a Coney Island Hot Dog.

Ingredients for Cincinnati Chili

For my version of Cincinnati Chili (and I claim no authenticity here, it's just the combination I add to which my family enjoy). I use the following ingredients:

• extra lean ground beef (beef mince)
• onion
• garlic
• spices: paprika, cumin, cinnamon, ground cloves, allspice, salt and black pepper
• pure cocoa powder
• red kidney beans, canned
• tomato paste
• passata
• chicken stock
• sugar (or sweetener)
• Worcestershire sauce
• apple cider vinegar
• spaghetti

See the recipe card for full quantities.

Once all the ingredients are prepared, it's all tossed together in a large bowl for an ultimate salad that is delicious served hot or cold.

Toppings for Cincinnati Chili

There are various combinations of toppings for Cincinnati Chili, but the most common being

• Diced Onion
• Cheddar
• Oyster crackers (despite the name these contain no oysters lol) they are a small salted cracker - that are common in the US for sprinkling on soups and Cincinnati chili as well as chowder and stews. However I find any salted cracker will do. We just use regular salted crackers, crumbled.
• Another option for a topping is beans (red kidney beans), but for my family, we like to add the beans into the chili so they get coated in all that sauce, you can skip the beans completely though if you don't like them or keep them as a topping.

Cincinnati Chili - 5 ways

There are actually various different ways to serve Cincinnati Chili - 1 way of course being just the chili

• 2 ways - chili and Spaghetti
• 3 ways - chili, cheese (cheddar) and spaghetti
• 4 ways - chili, cheese (cheddar), onion and spaghetti
• 5 ways - (aka The Works - chili, cheese (cheddar), onion, beans and spaghetti

We love it serve "The Works" style, but I like the addition of some green onions and in my opinion you have to have some of the salted crackers crumbled on top.

If you were having it coney island hot dog style, you again would have all those various toppings, but mustard is also often added too.

Freezing Tips

This chili is perfect for freezing. But I recommend freezing the chili alone without any toppings or spaghetti for best results.

Freeze it in handy 1 serving size portions and then you can just take out when you want it. I let it defrost in the fridge and then heat up in a pan over a medium heat until heated through.

Additional Sides

Really with all those choices of toppings, you probably won't want any additional sides. However I always like to balance out my plate with some veggies, so will serve this with a big mixed salad in the middle of the table along with all the toppings.

I usually just keep it simple with crispy romaine lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes.

More Chili/Chilli Recipes

Looking for some other chili recipes? Check out these:

• Beef and Pinto Bean Chilli
• Chickpea Vegetable Chilli (Stove Top and Instant Pot)
• Turkey Chilli (Stove Top and Instant Pot)
• Best Ever Rich Chilli Con Carne
• Sweet Potato, Vegetable and Lentil Chilli
• Beef and Six Bean Chilli (Stove Top, Instant Pot and Slow Cooker)
• Beef and Roasted Butternut Squash Chilli

or if you would like more recipe ideas or sides to make with this recipe - head on over to the FULL RECIPE INDEX where you will find over 900 delicious recipes with calories and you can search by meal type, ingredients, course, diet and more..

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