Copycat Wendy’s Chili Recipe {Crockpot}
50 Comments Apr 01, 2023
Updated Jan 04, 2025
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If you love the taste of Wendy’s chili, you can now recreate this masterpiece in the comfort of your own kitchen with this Copycat Wendy’s Chili Recipe. Everything from the beans and veggies to the spices is there, making this one of the best copycat recipes out there.
I have several more copycat recipes too. You should also check out my Copycat Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole, Slow Cooker Cafe Rio Sweet Pork, and Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Spaghetti (Olive Garden Chicken Scampi Copycat).
Table of Contents
What makes copycat Wendy’s Chili so good?
There’s something about Wendy’s chili that we can all agree is simply irresistibly delicious. All the spices, chunks of bell peppers, green chilies, and chunks of their hamburger patties make this hearty chili a worthwhile purchase every time.
When you’re looking to have this favorite chili on demand, use this easy chili recipe to have Wendy’s chili any day and time. It’s so good, you’ll want to make a double batch.
What you need:
- Ground Beef: You’ll notice that Wendy’s chili has actual chunks of their hamburger patties, but for this Wendy’s copycat chili recipe, you’ll use fresh ground beef.
- Tomatoes: Canned tomatoes and tomato paste are used to create part of the flavorful base and hearty texture.
- Beans: A host of beans are needed to make this a classic copycat Wendy’s chili recipe. One can each of pinto beans and red kidney beans are drained and rinsed.
- Vegetables: Fire-roasted green chiles and diced celery, white onion, and chopped green bell pepper encompass both the look and flavor of Wendy’s chili.
- Seasonings: Minced garlic, apple cider vinegar, chili powder, salt, and black pepper seal the deal on this easy chili recipe.
- {The full recipe is in the recipe card below the images}
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – Place the fresh ground beef into a nonstick skillet.
Step Two – Cook beef over medium high heat until brown and no longer pink.
Step Three – Drain any excess fat and transfer the cooked ground beef to a 6 quart slow cooker along with the remaining ingredients.
Step Four – Stir, cover, and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours. Serve and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
- Picture all the classic toppings Wendy’s serves with their chili: saltine crackers, cheese, and a splash of hot sauce.
- When serving this mouthwatering chili at home, you can take it to the next level with your favorite additions like extra shredded cheese, diced onions, sour cream, crispy bacon, or freshly sliced green onions.
- Get creative with how you serve it, too! Spoon it over hot dogs for irresistible chili dogs, or repurpose leftovers to create loaded nachos or hearty chili cheese burritos. The possibilities are endless!
- Serve over rice or slow cooker baked potatoes to stretch the recipe out and feed more people.
Recipe FAQs and Variations
This can be made without browning the meat first. You will also have to skim out the fat after the cooking time is up. You can also use ground turkey. Beware that the texture will differ if you brown the meat in a skillet first.
To store the chili, refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To freeze, let the chili cool completely and store it in a freezer safe airtight container for up to 3 months.
To reheat the chili, warm single servings in the microwave, or to reheat a larger batch, reheat on the stove top in a large pot over medium low heat. Allow the frozen chili to defrost in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
You can add a few shakes of cayenne pepper, chopped jalapeno peppers (with the seeds), or extra hot sauce should do the trick.
Copycat Wendy’s Chili Recipe {Crockpot}
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. ground beef
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 medium sized onion, diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 30 oz. diced tomatoes –, two 15-oz.cans
- 30 oz. tomato sauce, two 15-oz. cans
- 8 oz. green chilies, two 4-oz. cans
- 15 oz. canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 30 oz. canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup dark chili powder, (regular works fine too)
- sour Cream and/or shredded cheddar for topping, optional
Instructions
- Heat a medium sized nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and brown until no longer pink. Drain the meat to remove excess fat. Transfer the cooked ground beef to a 6 quart slow cooker.
- To the slow cooker, add the rest of the ingredients and stir.
- Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours.
- Serve hot, top with a dollop of sour cream and shredded cheddar. Enjoy!
How to Video
Sarah’s Notes
- To store the chili, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To freeze, let the chili cool completely and store in a freezer safe airtight container for up to 3 months.
- To reheat the chili, warm single servings in the microwave, or to reheat a larger batch, reheat on the stove top over medium low heat.
- Allow the frozen chili to defrost in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
- This can be made without browning the meat first. You will also have to skim out the fat after the cooking time is up. You can also use ground turkey. Beware that the texture will differ than if you were to cook on the stove-top.
- Picture all the classic toppings Wendy’s serves with their chili: saltine crackers, cheese, and a splash of hot sauce.
- When serving this mouthwatering chili at home, you can take it to the next level with your favorite additions like extra shredded cheese, diced onions, sour cream, crispy bacon, or freshly sliced green onions.
- Get creative with how you serve it, too! Spoon it over hot dogs for irresistible chili dogs, or repurpose leftovers to create loaded nachos or hearty chili cheese burritos. The possibilities are endless!
- Serve over rice or slow cooker baked potatoes to stretch the recipe out and feed more people.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
I’m making it for the second time in 2 weeks. The first time I shared with family and friends who came back and asked for more.Absolutely delicious .
Good