Easy Homemade Cincinnati Chili (Copycat Skyline Chili Recipe)
If you love Skyline Chili, you have to try making your own at home with this easy recipe.
Making Cincinnati chili from scratch is a great way to enjoy a copycat version of your favorite restaurant. Serve it the classic way, over a bed of spaghetti and topped with cheese. Add beans and diced onions, if you’d like!
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I’m married to a Cincinnati boy, and while we were dating, I was introduced to Cincinnati chili. Particularly, Skyline Chili (there’s also Gold Star and Empress, but my husband is definitely Team Skyline).
If you’re from Ohio, you know exactly what I’m talking about. But if you’re not, you may be surprised by Cincinnati chili.
It has a different flavor profile than traditional chili (including cinnamon and chocolate!), and is served more like a sauce over spaghetti (or hot dogs, if you go for a Skyline Chili Cheese Coney).
Since we live in Nashville, where there are no restaurants serving Cincinnati chili, we began purchasing the canned variety from Kroger.
However, after finding some weird (and unappetizing) things in a can, I knew I needed to find a way to make my own version from scratch.
For this recipe, the chili is cooked on the stove top, but you can also make Instant Pot Cincinnati chili if you’d prefer to use your pressure cooker.
How to Make Copycat Skyline Chili
It’s really easy to make this Cincinnati classic at home.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ground beef
- Onion
- Garlic
- Beef broth
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Cinnamon
- Garam masala
- Allspice
- Ground cloves
- Tomato sauce
- Apple cider vinegar
- Unsweetened chocolate OR cocoa powder
- Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper
How to Make It:
Find the full printable recipe available below
Cook ground beef and onions. First, you’ll add some ground beef and diced onions to a skillet.
Cook over medium-high heat, breaking apart the beef, until the beef is browned and the onions are soft. Then drain off excess grease.
Add the remaining ingredients. Then, you’ll add in garlic, broth, tomato sauce, all the seasonings, some unsweetened chocolate (or cocoa powder), apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce.
Stir to combine, then let the mixture simmer for about 15 minutes so the flavors can develop.
In order to get the classic Skyline texture, transfer the chili mixture to a deep bowl (I use a 4-cup measuring cup), where you can use an immersion blender to blend up the chili.
If needed, add a little more broth to thin the chili, then add some salt and pepper to taste.
Serve. Then, you’ll serve the chili over cooked spaghetti noodles, adding some finely shredded cheese on top (such as Colby Jack or cheddar).
Some people also add cooked beans or diced raw onion to their serving, so you can do that if you’d like.
And of course, don’t forget to add a little bowl of oyster crackers on the side!
Notes and Adaptations:
- Feel free to add extra seasonings if preferred.
- I prefer to hand-shred cheese with a box grater, as you can get finer, softer shreds that are more similar to what Skyline uses.
- I love using these Fiesta oval baker dishes for serving–they’re just the right size and shape.
Recommended Equipment:
- Skillet
- Immersion blender
- Fiesta oval baking dishes (for serving)
Easy Cincinnati Chili (Copycat Skyline Chili)
Ingredients
For the Chili:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 medium onion (diced)
- 2 teaspoon garlic
- 1 – 1 1/2 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 oz of unsweetened chocolate OR 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
For Serving:
- Cooked spaghetti, shredded cheese, diced onions, kidney beans.
Instructions
- Add ground beef and onions to a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, breaking apart the ground beef, until the beef is browned and onions are soft. Drain excess grease.
- Add garlic, 1 cup of the broth, and the remaining chili ingredients (except for salt and pepper). Stir to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then decrease the heat and allow the chili to simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
- Transfer the chili mixture to a small mixing bowl or large liquid measuring cup, then use an immersion blender to blend the chili to a smooth consistency. Return the chili to the pan.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. If the mixture is too thick, stir in some more beef broth to thin it.
- Serve over cooked spaghetti noodles, topping as desired with shredded cheese, diced onions, or cooked beans.
Notes
- Feel free to add extra seasonings if preferred.
- For unsweetened chocolate, I use Baker’s brand, where four squares of the bar equals 1 ounce. When I don’t have that on hand, I use cocoa powder.
- I prefer to hand-shred cheese with a box grater, as you can get finer, softer shreds that are more similar to what Skyline uses.
- I love using these Fiesta oval baker dishes for serving–they’re just the right size and shape.
Equipment
Nutrition
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