Preparing chili is my all-time favorite thing to do. The boys love my “Super Chili” (meat, green pepper, onions, and tomatoes), and they want me to make it all the time.
Unfortunately, the lack of time stops me from making my Super chili, and boys are more than devastated when I serve them store-bought or canned food.
Best Canned Chili
Personally, I, too am not that thrilled when it comes to canned food, and I prefer making my own.
But because chili has a complex texture and how much time it takes to make it, I had to change my mind and search for the greatest canned chili my boys and I would love.
Fortunately, after a lot of searching and trying out all kinds of chili, I have found a few that are similar to the one I make and can be a good substitute.
In order for you to do the same, check out the following:
Things To Be Concerned About When Buying Canned Chili
Food in cans is often avoided by consumers. It has a negative reputation for being unsafe for health. Although I usually prefer fresh food over canned, our hectic schedule and manner of life prevent us from having a choice.
Fortunately, eating healthily while we’re pressed for time without resorting to fast food is possible with canned food (e.g, canned salmon). It has a long shelf life, so you may store up without being concerned that it will spoil soon.
To be sure that you are purchasing the right canned chili you just have to look after a few things:
- Make sure to check the nutrition values for vitamins, magnesium, and calcium
Most of the chilies have vitamin A or vitamin C, a higher percentage of magnesium, and a little calcium. Always look at the back of the package for the nutrition facts.
- As well as plastic airtight containers, canned food also needs to be BPA-free.
- Look for low-sodium canned chili (I like my chili saltier too, but you should be careful with sodium – your kidneys will be grateful!)
That’s it! Don’t overdo or overthink it; it’s simple as that. Many manufacturers set very detailed nutrition tables on food packaging, which may confuse you, so it’s advisable to concentrate on the former two nutritive areas and you’ll be fine.
How To Use Canned Chili?
There are a lot of ways you can use canned chili:
- You can eat it straight from the can if you are in a hurry and want your food to go. Or you are just too hungry, and the child in you doesn’t allow you to grow up.
- Mix it with other dishes. I like to mix my chili with pasta or baked potatoes, and I always add some shredded cheese on top. Mmm, tasty!
- Use it as a dip for nachos when you have some friends over, or you just want to relax with the new episode of your favorite show.
The Best Canned Chili: Detailed Reviews 2022
After several weeks of trying them out, here’s how five of the popular brands on the market performed on my tests:
Amy’s Chili with Vegetables, Medium, Vegan, USDA Organic
My personal favorite is their organic medium chili with red beans and vegetables. I love it because it’s made from whole and natural ingredients, with a good source of protein and fiber. Also, it has a great thickness, and it tastes heavenly. Although I like my chili really hot, this chili has that sweet, a little bit spicy but still worthwhile taste. It combines great both with rice and meat.
Speaking of nutrients and vitamins, Amys Organic Chili contains 590g (25%) of sodium and 30% of Vitamin A, 15% of Vitamin C, 4% of Calcium, and 10% of iron per serving. The chili is BPA-free, and it tastes great.
With this purchase on Amazon.com, you get a 12-pack, each containing 14.7 ounces of chili. The package is somewhere around 13 pounds all combined, and you get a good amount of food for the money paid.
Things I liked:
- Organic and without GMOs
- Beans are well cooked and their taste is great
- The sauce has just the right amount of thickness
- It’s gluten-free
- Can be reheated once it is opened
Things I didn’t like:
- Not too spicy for my taste, but that can be improved by adding a little bit of paprika
- Sometimes it tends to be a little watery when opened
Skyline Chili
Looking at Skyline Chili, you can’t stay aloof; either you love it or you hate it, it all depends on your taste. It’s a bit different than other chilies because it has all kinds of ingredients like beef, tomato sauce, yeast, cornstarch, spices, salt, onion, garlic, and paprika.
I mostly use it when I’m preparing pasta because it goes great with it.
Tip from Barbara: If you are going to mix this chili with pasta try to put shredded parmesan (or any other hard cheese like cheddar or Gouda) on the top of the chili, the taste is to-die-for!
Also, the Skyline chili is great as a dip with tortilla chips when you have some friends over but don’t have the time to prepare something special. Basically, it is more like a sauce than regular chili. This package will get you four cans of chili, each containing 15oz, which combines to 3.2 pounds overall.
Speaking of nutritional values, Skyline chili delivers 170mg (7%) of sodium, 4 grams of protein, 3% of Vitamin A, 2% of Vitamin C, 1% of Calcium, and 3% of Iron. This puts it at a lower risk & lower nutritional value chili.
In the end, is Skyline chili worth purchasing?
I can say – Occasionally, yes. The price is decent, the taste is unique, and the usability is high.
Things I liked:
- Has a different taste than other canned chilies
- Has a lot of ingredients
- Decent price for the quality it has
- Goes great with pasta
- Can be reheated if you have leftovers
Things I didn’t like:
- Sometimes it tends to be a little watery for my taste
- It can’t be eaten alone because it is greasy
- A small amount of meat
A kitchen must-have: Top-Quality Electric Can Openers
Campbells Chunky Chili
Campbells really know their way around chili. Their Hot and Spicy Firehouse chili is filled with beans, cooked beef, pork, and red and green pepper which altogether make a perfect combo when it comes to food. I use it a lot in my kitchen because it resembles the homemade chili that my boys adore.
I love it because it’s thick, and comes with a lot of meat and vegetables, but mostly I love it because of the kidney beans they put in there that give a very special taste. It’s great to eat straight out of the can, but it can also be used with other meals. So if you are looking for good hot and spicy chili then this Campbell’s Chili is the right choice for you.
The packaging includes 12 cans of chili, each containing around 19 ounces of this flavorful chili.
The nutritional characteristics per serving are:
- 870mg of sodium
- 10% of Vitamin A
- 0% of Vitamin C
- 6% of Calcium
- 15% of Iron
As you can see, this one doesn’t contain any Vitamin C and pack a bit more sodium than the previous chili. Even though it tastes great, it’s worth mentioning.
Note: When you are purchasing this chili make sure that you get this one from the picture and not the new edition (the one with a blue mark). Even though the ingredients are pretty much the same, the chilies are completely different. The new version is even more expensive than the old one.
Things I liked:
- The right amount of meat and vegetables
- Large kidney beans give the chili that special taste
- It can be reheated once it’s opened
- One can give you two large portions of meat and vegetables
- The price is alright for the quality you get
Things I didn’t like:
- It’s not easy to find because they made a new can style and therefore the recipe is different
- Meat could taste a bit better than usual
- Sometimes it comes all watery and without its natural thickness
Hormel Micro Chili
Hormel micro chili comes in small, versatile, and useful containers for quick meals. It contains beef, beans, concentrated crushed tomatoes, and onions. And best of all it contains jalapeno pepper. And what’s chili without the jalapenos?
This chili is a good source of protein – 22% of the serving amount, or 13 grams. It has only 220 calories per package. On the other hand, it packs a substantial amount of Sodium, around 770mg (or 32%). That nutritional fact should be taken with care.
The containers are cool – they are easy to open and ready in a jiffy by simply putting it in the microwave and heating for a minute or less.
Despite the contained sodium, the Hormel Micro Chili doesn’t taste salty and spicy. Two people can easily split the portion, and they won’t stay hungry.
I like to pour it over baked potatoes and then shred some cheddar over it. It also serves great as a dip for nachos when you are craving some snacks when watching your favorite TV show or movie. The package includes 12 containers, each packing 7,30 ounces of chili.
Things I liked:
- Great source of protein
- Easy to open
- Can be reheated easily
- Great price for the quality it has
Things I didn’t like:
- They put really small amounts of meat and a lot of vegetables
- Tends to be too salty sometimes
A kitchen must-have: Most Recommended Can Openers
Wolf Brand Chili
When it comes to chili, Texans know how things are done. This chili has an authentic taste, and it’s made from beef, green peppers, beans, onions, and tomatoes. It’s full of vitamin A and vitamin C, and also has 20 % magnesium and 8% calcium in it. The standard serving includes 880mg of Sodium which is tolerable (helps deliver that distinct flavor) and 17 grams of protein, which is great.
The package sold at Amazon.com contains 12 cans with 15 ounces each (around 13 pounds for the whole package), making it very affordable and valuable, especially when you check the price.
My husband says that it tastes almost the same as my homemade chili. I too have to say that it outshines every other canned chili I have tasted. I use it with cooked rice and pasta, and it is pretty much on the menu on a daily basis in my kitchen. It’s love at first taste if you ask me!
It’s highly affordable, delightful, and brings very high value for the money paid. Also, it’s imperative to mention that all my boys ate it straight out of the can as a meal, which didn’t happen with other chilies I brought for testing. I think that tells you enough about how good Wolf Brand chili is.
Things I liked:
- Authentic taste
- A great mix of meat and vegetables
- It’s really nutritious
- Leftovers can be reheated
- Decent price for the quality and taste it has
Things I didn’t like:
- Sometimes comes out a little watery
- Beef is in larger parts and smaller amounts
- They use regular beans instead of kidney beans
And the Greatest canned chili is…
“Chili concocted outside of Texas is usually a weak, apologetic imitation of the real thing”.
Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th President of the United States is quoted as saying. “One of the first things I do when I get home to Texas is to have a bowl of red. There is simply nothing better”.
And the award for authentic taste goes to… Texas!
You can’t argue with Texas having the greatest chili in the world. Wolf brand chili is everything you need your chili to be.”
It’s nutritious, filled with meat and vegetables, and most important of all it has an authentic taste that you can’t find everywhere.
It has a great mix of meat and vegetables that go great with almost everything you can imagine!
I hope you found my article helpful and that you too will spice things up in your kitchen as I do! 😉
See also: Favorite Canned Salmon in 2022