Craving that classic Hormel taste? This homemade no-bean chili captures all the bold, meaty flavors of the iconic canned version, but with the freedom to adjust the seasonings and consistency to your liking. Whether you're loading up hot dogs, topping burgers, or transforming spaghetti into a hearty chili meal, this versatile sauce delivers that nostalgic taste with a personal touch.
Every Chili Has Its Day!
Every chili sauce has its moment to shine, and this Hormel No-Bean copycat recipe fills a crucial gap in my growing collection. While Lindy's Chili Gravy channels those East Coast Coney Dog vibes, and my der Wienerschnitzel clone nails those signature sweet notes (though sometimes it's a bit too sweet for everyday use), I've been missing that classic Hormel-style chili that's just perfect for a traditional chili dog. Now with this recipe, my chili sauce arsenal is complete – each one bringing its own unique flavor profile and purpose to the table.
Jump to:
Ingredients and Substitutions
Skip the stabilizers and processed ingredients – this homemade version of Hormel's classic no-bean chili relies on simple, fresh ingredients you can pronounce. While the original canned version is mostly sauce with minimal meat, this copycat recipe lets you control both the quality and quantity of ingredients.
Here’s What You’ll Need:
Meat:
- A blend of ground beef and ground pork for a richer flavor and better texture. (More details in "The Meat" section!)
Fresh Ingredients:
- Yellow onion, finely chopped – A fresh upgrade from dehydrated versions.
- Tomato paste – Pure, with no additives.
- Water – For the perfect consistency.
Spice Blend:
- Chili powder – Deep, smoky flavor.
- Ground cumin – Earthy warmth.
- Garlic powder – Subtle, savory depth.
- Onion powder – Enhances overall flavor.
- Cayenne pepper – Just a touch for a gentle heat.
With these simple ingredients, you’ll have a chili sauce that’s bold, flavorful, and perfect for hot dogs, burgers, or even chili spaghetti!
Getting the Right Meat Balance
The meat blend combines ground beef and ground pork in a 4:1 ratio (beef to pork), creating a richer flavor profile than using beef alone. This recipe produces a meatier chili than the canned version, but you can easily adjust to your preference:
For a Saucier Texture:
- Reduce the overall amount of meat while maintaining the 4:1 ratio
- Use an immersion blender for a few quick pulses to break down larger meat pieces
- Add more water as needed to achieve the desired consistency
Cooking Tip: Don't fully brown the meat! Instead, just cook until it loses its raw pink color – what we'll call "greying" the meat. While this might sound unusual, it's key to achieving that signature Hormel-style texture.
Scaling Note: When adjusting the meat quantities up or down, remember to proportionally adjust your water and spices to maintain the right flavor balance.
Time Is Flavor: The Secret to Perfect Chili
A great chili, like this Hormel copycat, needs time to become its best self. Let those spices meld and flavors develop – give it at least an hour of gentle simmering, though two hours will create even deeper flavor. For the ultimate taste experience, make it a day ahead and let it rest overnight in the fridge. This resting period allows the spices to fully bloom and the flavors to harmonize, resulting in that rich, well-rounded chili taste you're looking for.
FAQ's
Yes, slow cooking is a great way to develop the flavors in this Copycat Chili Recipe. Check your manufacturer's directions for best results, but generally 3 hours on high, or 5 - 6 on low should get great results
Yes. This chili freezes beautifully!
Storage Tips:
Let the chili cool completely before freezing.
Portion into 1-cup servings for easy reheating.
Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Best Freezing Methods:
Vacuum-Sealed Bags – Ideal for long-term storage (over a month) to prevent freezer burn.
Zip-Top Bags – Remove excess air, freeze flat for easy stacking.
Pro Tip: Freezer burn is mostly cosmetic and won’t affect taste or safety, but proper storage keeps your chili looking and tasting its best!
.
Freezing Tomato Paste: No More Waste!
Ever find yourself with half a can of tomato paste sitting in the fridge, only to discover mold before you can use it? There's an easy fix—freeze it!
Tomato paste freezes beautifully, and here’s how to do it:
- Drop 2-tablespoon portions onto a plate or small tray.
- Freeze until solid.
- Transfer the frozen portions into a zip-top bag for easy storage.
Now, whenever a recipe calls for tomato paste, just grab a portion—no waste, no mold!
So grab a chili dog (or slather it on a burger for the perfect chili-sized bite). Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show—or maybe one day, a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat game. Or hey, at least a great commercial!
Enjoy with Homemade Baked Potato Chips or Skillet French Fries for the perfect dinner, drive-in, or dive, lunch, or dinner.
Hormel Chili No Beans Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef 80/20
- ½ pound ground pork not flavored, just meat
- 1 cup finely diced onion about ½ large
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 5 cups water
For the Spice Mix
- ¾ cup good-quality chili powder I like Gebharts
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional or to taste
- Salt to taste start with 1 ½ teaspoons and go from thereTo Finish
To Finish
- ⅓ cup Wondra flour
- ⅓ cup masa
- Water as needed to make a loose paste
Instructions
- Add the beef and pork to a cold pan, set heat to medium-low. Stir and break the meats up into small bits, mixing them together. As the juices from the meat begin to render, add the onion and saute until the onion is tender and the meat is cooked through - do not brown - just "grey" the meat. Add the tomato paste and cook it into the meat and onions. Add the water and stir well. (you should have fine pieces of meat floating in what seems like too much water).
- Stir in the spice mix. Partially cover and simmer for at least an hour so the flavors meld. You can simmer longer, if desired, up to 2 hours.
- Mix the Wondra flour with the masa in a small bowl. Add water and stir to form a thin paste. Add to the simmering chili and stir until the chili begins to thicken. If the chili is not thick enough, after about 5 minutes, make and add more of the flour/masa mix. Add slowly until you have a nice thick chili. Taste and adjust seasonings.
RuthAnn Smith says
I am currently in Italy and the chili powder must be different here. OH MY GOODNESS!!!
I used about 6 TB and that was wayyyy too much.
Linda Baker says
Did you perhaps use their more common pepper ingredients like peperonicino or did you use miscall di specie piccanti? And if so, did you tast it before? If no, I highly recommend you are family with the heat factor of the ingredients you have avail and how hot (or not) they might be. Ciao ~ Lindy
A says
I plan to use the thrive market organic chili powder. If I want it not too hot (for kids) what would you recommend for the amount of chili powder?
Also is Bobs red mill organic masa harina flour
the same as masa?
Thx!
Linda Baker says
Hi Alison, Well, I don't find it too hot, and my son didn't find it too hot, but if your children are sensitive to heat, I would start with half the amount called for and then add accordingly. I'm not familiar with Thrive Market Chili so I don't know how hot it presents. As far as the masa, yes, Bob's masa will work, you just don't want corn meal as it lacks the flavor of masa. Cheers ~ Lindy
JR says
Yellow or white masa?
Linda Baker says
Masa is masa. The slight difference between the two won't really have an effect on the final dish. Just don't use cornmeal. Cheers ~ Lindy
Kelly m says
Not finished making but I will say that I didn't read the whole recipe before starting so, when it said to add spice mix I went back to the top where the ingredients are where you have labeled for spice mix abs I added the flour and masa to the spices. Whoops maybe put another space and sub heading for those. Just a thought. Thank you and excited to try hoping it comes out with my mistake!
Linda Baker says
Good thought, thank you for your input. It has been done. That's one thing wonderful about a blog, easy to edit 🙂 I think the chili will turn out fine, it's just cooking a little thicker than normal but the flavors should be good. Enjoy ~ Cheers Lindy
Linda Baker says
Nishiki is a high end sushi quality rice. I assume you could use it anywhere that a short grain rice would be used. It doesn't really have any other benefit over regular grades of rice. But it sounds good...right? Cheers ~ Lindy
Ash says
How do you make it in crock pot? Brown the meat and throw everything in? Then stir?
Linda Baker says
Hi Ash, yes, brown (or rather grey the meat) then put it all in the crock pot, stir, choose your cook time, and let it go until you are ready. Then stir again. Serve. Cheers ~Lindy
Carolyn says
Made this recipe almost exactly as written. I didn’t have any ground pork so just used beef. Closest to Hormel hot chili I’ve tried to date! So good with some cornbread. Thank you for this!
Would like to just mention for those questioning about the amount of chili powder. The 3/4 cup, at least for me, equates to the hot version of Hormel. I think if someone is looking to mimic the original, cut back to 1/3 cup chili powder. Then taste it after an hour. Add another 1/4 cup if not spicy enough. Also be aware that chili powder will vary in heat across brands.
Linda Baker says
Hi Carolyn, I agree, the amount of chili powder is a matter of personal taste, and different brands have different heat factors, so always cook to your own taste. It's one of the best parts of cooking I think. Gebharts is NOT a super hot chili powder and since that is what I use, my amounts are based on that flavor profile. Cheers ~ Lindy
Jules says
This recipe was great! Made it vegan and gluten-free with vegan beef crumbles and added a little nutritional yeast, soy sauce, and sugar and it was the best chili I’ve had in a long time:)
Linda Baker says
Hi Jule, so glad you liked the recipe. And made it vegan and gluten-free. That's very helpful for those who are. Thank you for posting. Cheers ~ Lindy
Kat says
Great recipe! Tastes awesome -- best chili dogs ever!
LindySez says
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for taking the time to give it a positive review! Cheers ~ Lindy
R says
Thank you for posting this recipe. Hormel chili wo beans contains soy. I'm allergic. Can't wait to make a batch to top hot dogs! YUM!
Linda Baker says
Enjoy! Cheers ~ Lindy
Sterling says
I’m just double-checking, 3/4 CUP of chili powder?
LindySez says
Yes sir re bob, 3/4 cup. It's chili sauce after all. This is a commercial chili powder, not ground chilies or cayenne pepper. Most "chili powders" also contain salt, cumin, and ground oregano, some have onion salt and garlic salt as well. So it's not 100% spicy. Cheers ~ Lindy
JohnnyO says
Gotta have some paprika, keep adding chili powder by taste until
you hit the sweet spot. And of course around a 1/4 cup of plain white
sugar to make everything pop with flavor. I make pot to brim.
Basil goes in everything of course, simmer, simmer, simmer.,Qt.Tomato juice,and Pint of salsa.
Hormel is the bomb fpr chili dogs so just buy it and save home made for
the winter months.
LindySez says
OK, what you are making here sounds like a darn fine chili hot dog sauce, but it would not be Hormel Chili. No bail no paprika, no salsa. BUT that is the joy of cooking...taking a recipe and making it your own. Cheers ~ Lindy
Farmmom says
Just made this recipe and it was great! But I took the liberty of modifying it using beef broth instead of just water. It added a depth in flavor. Will be making kettles full of this!!!!!
Linda Baker says
Yes, I guess adding beef broth rather than water would make it "beefier".Glad you enjoyed it and and always feel free to doctor a recipe up. My view is, the recipe is the base, your passion adds the unique flavor you crave. Cheers ~ Lindy
Debbie says
What if I can't find masa, is there a substitute?
LindySez says
Masa does have a distinct flavor, but if you can't find any then I would suggest fine cornmeal or if you are just looking to thicken, increase the Wondra flour. You could also grind up some corn chips into a fine powder in your food processor. It will add salt, but the flavor will be close to masa, or even find dried hominy and grind your own. Cheers ~ Lindy
Marc says
A well known replacement for masa is jiffy cornbread mix in the blue and white box.
LindySez says
Alas, cornmeal and masa have different flavors. While the fine cornmeal in a Jiffy cornbread mix will thicken the chili, it will not add the same 'masa' flavor. But overall would do...Thanks for writing in. Cheers ~ Lindy
Chrissy says
We are mostly keto…. At the very least low carb So I just used beef gelatin powder and chicken stock instead of water…. It really beefed up the protein and thickened up perfectly. Thanks for the recipe : )
LindySez says
Thank you so much for writing in Chrissy. This is information I would not have known, not being Keto, I'm glad it worked and you enjoyed the recipe. Cheers ~ Lindy
Julie says
What is “The Spice Mix”?
LindySez says
The spice mix is the spices listed below those words...that's just how it appears on the recipe card in this program. It should be a heading, I guess it does look like it should be an "ingredient" Hope the clarifies. Cheers ~ Lindy
Cheryl ehst says
Do you know if it would be possible to can this?
LindySez says
I would think that your could preserve it in jars using the proper methods. If that's what you mean by "can" it. However, it does freeze beautifully and what I do is put it in 2 cup Glad containers and freeze it. Once it is fully frozen I transfer to seal-a-meal bags which helps shelf life for up to a year or more. Hope that helps. Cheers ~ Lindy
Sarah says
We have to eat gluten free due to my son having celiac disease, we miss hormel no beans chili! The only gluten free option is hormel with beans, glad it's an option but I'd love to be able to make this no bean chili! Do you think I can substitute the wondra flour with. Gluten free flour blend?
LindySez says
Hi Sarah, Wondra is just superfine flour so I would think that if you used your blender or food processor to make the bread flour even finer than it is it would work. The main thing you are trying to accomplish is "to thicken with no lumps". Since you are going to mix the flour and masa together until smooth you should be able to add it into the chili just fine. Let me know how it works...Cheers ~ Lindy
Greg says
Sarah, just exclude the Wondra and increase the use of masa for a gluten free option. Otherwise, you might look into using xanthan gum as the extra thickener instead of the flour, but it is not as easy to get at your local grocery store.
LindySez says
Hi Greg, using more masa will change the flavor of the finished dish to a certain extent, I think that using cornstarch would work as well as Wondra with less texture or flavor changes. Cheers ~ Lindy
Sarah Pickering says
You would have to use a approved canning substitute like clearjel since pressure canning flour isn’t a good idea (can have botulism growing) although the masa part is from corn so should be safe.
LindySez says
I did a little research on this Sarah, and you are correct. I didn't know this about canning with flour - it is not recommended in a CANNING sense, however, since I recommend only portioning and freezing the chili, that is what I do, and that works just Otherwise the recommendation would be to can it without the thickeners and thicken when you open the canned chili. I'll stick with freezing. Cheers ~ Lindy
Leslie says
No, you can't "can" this recipe because of the flour and masa. You could exclude it and add in when heating up to serve. Flour and thickness are never recommended to pressure can.
LindySez says
Hi Leslie, there is a mixed camp on flour use in canning, but overall, I agree it's not a good or necessary step.. It's why I just freeze my portions in plastic tubs and once frozen transfer the "block" of chili to seal-a-meal freezer bags for long term storage. Cheers