Making a good and tasty chili is not the easiest task. For me, the biggest problem I’ve come across while making chili is its insufficient thickness.
How To Thicken Chili?
A thin chili is disliked by everyone, especially in my family.
Over the years, I developed a number of techniques for making my chili thick without sacrificing its flavor or richness.
Many of those methods need putting in more materials and time and work, but if done properly, they are quite profitable.
Related: Most Recommended canned chili.
Five Quick and Easy Ways to Thicken Chili
1. Simmering
- Keeping the chili just below the boiling point (which is 212°F) will lead to the evaporation of excessive liquids. The best way is to remove the lid from your pot to allow more steam to evaporate.
- If the temperature of the stovetop or your hot plate is too high, you risk burning the chili, so you need to be careful not to overheat the pot or pan you’re using.
- By thickening chili this way, you will get a more concentrated and stronger taste, and you don’t risk jeopardizing the flavor by adding some additional ingredients.
- This is the longest way of thickening chili – it may take an hour or two, maybe even more! It depends on what temperature you’re simmering it and just how thick you want your chili to become.
2. Thickening with Flour
There are a lot of different types of flour, and a lot of them can be used to thicken your chili.
All-Purpose Flour (a mixture of soft and hard wheat – the most used type of flour)
- Make a slurry from 1/4 cup (60 ml) of water and-and 2 tbsp (30 ml) of flour. You need to mix them really well – the mixture needs to be smooth and without lumps!
- Add the mixture to your chili and stir it until the liquid boils – cook it on medium-high heat, and it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.
- Continue cooking and mixing it for a couple of minutes to ensure that chili is uniform – with no lumps of flour in it.
In case you are not satisfied with the result, repeat the process.
Cornstarch (cornflour or maize starch)
Cornstarch is the type of starch obtained from the corn grain. It is commonly used for thickening sauces or soups and for making corn syrup. The procedure is very similar to that using All-Purpose Flour.
- Mix 1 tbsp (15 ml) of cornstarch and 1 tbsp (15 ml) of cold water.
- Add the slurry to the chili and stir until it boils.
- Let the chili simmer for a few more minutes to make sure that the cornstarch dissolves completely.
You can add more cornstarch-water slurry in the chili if you want to make it even thicker or if you’re making a very large amount of chili. This method thickens the chili fairly good and quickly, and I use it very often. Cornstarch will not alter the taste, but it can dilute the chili if you add too much.
Cornmeal (coarse corn flour)
This type of flour is used for making cornbread, johnnycakes, or spoonbread. The special type of cornmeal named masa is used for making tamales, tortillas, and many other Latin American food.
- Add 2 to 3 Tbsp (30 to 45 ml) of cornmeal directly into the chili and mix them thoroughly.
- Leave the chili to simmer for an additional 50 to 10 minutes.
If chili is not thick enough, add more cornmeal and let it simmer again. Note that using cornmeal will alter the taste of your chili, especially if you add a lot of it.
I found that these types of flour are the best choices for thickening my chili, and they are also easily available to most people. Other types of flour you can use to thicken your chili are rice flour or tapioca flour ( tapioca starch).
You May Need: Top 5+ Recommended Flour Sifters
3. Using an Emulsifier
- Emulsifiers (also called emulgents) are food additives used for mixing two or more liquids that usually do not mix well. They are usually made from lecithin or some kind of fatty acid.
- If you decide to use an emulsifier, you just need to add one or two teaspoons of it to your chili and stir it a bit. There’s no need to add too much – a little amount is enough to make your chili thicker and tastier!
4. Using An Arrowroot as a Thickener
Arrowroot is a starch derived from the rootstocks of several tropical plants. It is flavorless, so it won’t mess up the taste of the chili. You don’t need to add a lot of arrowroot, and it’s healthy, which makes it one of my favorite choices for thickening chili.
- Mix 1 tsp (5 ml) of arrowroot with 1 tsp (5 ml) of cold water.
- Add the arrowroot-water slurry to the simmering chili and stir it until the chili thickens.
Your chili will thicken quickly and become slightly glossy.
5. Adding Vegetables
Adding vegetables is probably the healthiest way to thicken the chili. You can use many different types of vegetables: tomatoes, potatoes, onions, corn, peppers, and beans. I like to use black beans – they are healthy and very nutritious. Also, adding some more chili ingredients like tomatoes and peppers is always on the top of my list.
- Add diced, smashed, or blended vegetables or more vegetables of your choice in the chili (you can use tomato paste or sauce if you want).
- The amount and number of vegetables you add are up to you – do it by your own preferences and taste.
- Mix it really well and let it simmer uncovered until thick.
The vegetables will break down and release their natural juices that will make your chili thicker. Vegetables will, more or less, alter the taste of the chili, but it’s not the change for the worse – at least, not for me!
Related: Read On To Find The Difference Between Pepperoncini and Banana Pepper
Bonus – Thickening Upon Serving
If you are finished with cooking your chili, but you’re not satisfied with its thickness, you can add some of the following ingredients to make it thicker:
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Crumbled crackers
- Crushed corn chips
- Potato flakes
- Grated cheese or cheese dip
- Crumbled cornbread
This is also a good option if you’re making chili for more people with different preferences – everyone can make his chili as thick as he likes it.
See also: How Do You Prefer Your Cheese – Perfectly Sliced or Fine Grated?
Mistakes to Avoid
- Try not to overheat the chili while simmering it – it can get burned.
- Don’t add too many additional ingredients to the chili – if you do this, it can become too thick, or you can cause a counter effect (you can dull and dilute the flavor, making it more like a stew, or even make it thinner).
- If you are using some sort of flour-water slurry, try to mix them really well – the mixture should be without lumps.
- Be careful with ingredients that can alter the taste of your chili.
Further Reading: Do You Need Gochujang Substitutes?
Conclusion
Chili is a spicy Latin American dish made with vegetables and other ingredients, and, by definition, it should be thick.
There are a lot of different ways to make your chili thick – it is up to you to choose the best one for your taste and preferences. You can even mix two or more different ways of thickening chili and create your own signature recipe.
But, be careful, mixing it a lot can convert your chili into something totally unexpected – it happened to me many times!
Good luck and have a spicy and delicious day! 🙂
Learn More: Easiest Way To Thicken Your Tomato Sauce