Common Ingredients in chili Recipes

We researched the most common ingredients in over fifty popular chili recipes and found the top 15 ingredients.

The most common ingredients in chili dishes are yellow onion and tomatoes.

Garlic, kidney beans, beef and olive oil are also common ingredients in chili recipes. For herbs and spices, cumin, chili powder, oregano and cayenne pepper are popular. Variations include:

• garlic salt in place of garlic

Salt is in 70% of chili recipes and pepper, 30%.

The average chili recipe has about 13.2 ingredients, with a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 30.

In terms of directions, chili recipes have about 3.8 steps on average, ranging from 1 to 15 instructions.

Ratios of Common Ingredients in Chili

For 1 yellow onion (150 g), the median and average amounts of other significant ingredients are below. Some ingredients are potential substitutes for others, meaning they almost never exist together in a single chili recipe, and are marked below.

Ingredient	Median	Average	% of recipes with yellow onion	Potential subsitutions
cumin	2 teaspoon (4 g)	3.5 teaspoon (7 g)	77%
salt	half a teaspoon (3 g)	1.1 teaspoon (7 g)	67%
chili powder	2 tablespoon (16 g)	4.3 tablespoon (35 g)	63%
garlic	3 clove (9 g)	4.9 clove (15 g)	63%	garlic salt
kidney beans	16 ounce (454 g)	39.5 ounce (1120 g)	50%
oregano	1.1 teaspoon (1 g)	4.3 teaspoon (4 g)	48%
tomatoes	16 ounce (454 g)	39.2 ounce (1112 g)	46%
cayenne pepper	half a teaspoon (1 g)	1 teaspoon (2 g)	38%
black pepper	0.52 teaspoon (1 g)	1.2 teaspoon (3 g)	33%
beef	1.3 pound (567 g)	3 pound (1374 g)	31%
jalapeno pepper	1.4 (19 g)	3.4 (48 g)	27%

Ingredients by Average Weight in Chili

We also found the average content of the significant ingredients by weight in chili recipes. This would be: 26% tomatoes, 21% kidney beans, 20% beef, 10% tomato sauce, 9% yellow onion, 3% chili powder, 2% paprika, 2% olive oil, 2% jalapeno pepper, 1% garlic and 1% cumin.

Here are the top ingredients, listed in order of popularity.

yellow onion

Yellow onion is the most popular ingredient in chili dishes. In fact, over 70% of chili recipes contain yellow onion.

Chopped, diced and minced are frequent preparations for yellow onion in chili dishes.

Yellow onion is often included in chili dishes in amounts of 1 yellow onion, 1 large or 2 yellow onions.

In chili recipes that contain yellow onion, it is on average, 5% by weight.

For chili recipes, yellow onion is frequently used with cumin, salt, garlic, chili powder and kidney beans.

salt

Another popular ingredient in chili is salt. From the recipes we've sampled for chili, over 70% have salt.

Variations of salt include:

• garlic salt: 16% of recipes

In recipes for chili, salt is often used with yellow onion, garlic, cumin, chili powder and kidney beans.

tomatoes

Tomatoes is another common ingredient in chili dishes. In fact, over 70% of chili recipes contain tomatoes.

Variations of tomatoes include:

• tomato sauce: 21% of recipes

Yellow onion, salt, cumin, garlic and chili powder are commonly used together with tomatoes in chili dishes.

cumin

Another popular ingredient in chili is cumin. From the recipes we've sampled for chili, over 65% have cumin.

Ground is a frequent preparation for cumin in chili dishes.

Cumin is often included in chili dishes in amounts of 1 teaspoon, 2 teaspoons or 1 tablespoon.

In chili recipes that contain cumin, it is on average, 0.7% by weight.

For chili recipes, cumin is frequently used with yellow onion, salt, chili powder, garlic and oregano.

chili powder

Chili powder is another common ingredient in chili dishes. In fact, over 60% of chili recipes contain chili powder.

Chili dishes often call for chili powder to be chopped.

Chili powder is often included in chili dishes in amounts of 2 tablespoons, a quarter cup or 1 tablespoon.

In chili recipes that contain chili powder, it is on average, 2% by weight.

In recipes for chili, chili powder is often used with yellow onion, salt, cumin, garlic and kidney beans.

garlic

Another popular ingredient in chili is garlic. From the recipes we've sampled for chili, over 60% have garlic.

Minced, chopped and sliced are frequent preparations for garlic in chili dishes.

Common quantities for garlic in chili dishes include 2 cloves, 3 cloves or 4 cloves.

In chili recipes that contain garlic, it is on average, 0.8% by weight.

Yellow onion, salt, cumin, chili powder and tomatoes are commonly used together with garlic in chili dishes.

Potential substitutions for garlic in chili:

• garlic salt

oregano

Oregano is another common ingredient in chili dishes. In fact, over 45% of chili recipes contain oregano.

Dried is a frequent preparation for oregano in chili dishes.

Oregano is often included in chili dishes in amounts of 1 teaspoon, 1 tablespoon or half a teaspoon.

In chili recipes that contain oregano, it is on average, 0.4% by weight.

For chili recipes, oregano is frequently used with yellow onion, cumin, salt, garlic and chili powder. However, bell pepper and scallions are almost never used together with oregano in chili dishes.

kidney beans

Another popular ingredient in chili is kidney beans. From the recipes we've sampled for chili, over 45% have kidney beans.

Chili dishes often call for kidney beans to be drained and rinsed.

Kidney beans is often included in chili dishes in amounts of 15 ounces, 16 ounces or 15.5 ounces.

In chili recipes that contain kidney beans, it is on average, 17% by weight.

In recipes for chili, kidney beans is often used with yellow onion, chili powder, salt, cumin and garlic. On the other hand, kidney beans is almost never used with chicken broth.

cayenne pepper

Cayenne pepper is another common ingredient in chili dishes. In fact, over 35% of chili recipes contain cayenne pepper.

Ground is a frequent preparation for cayenne pepper in chili dishes.

Common quantities for cayenne pepper in chili dishes include 1 teaspoon, a quarter teaspoon or half a teaspoon.

In chili recipes that contain cayenne pepper, it is on average, 0.4% by weight.

Cumin, yellow onion, garlic, chili powder and oregano are commonly used together with cayenne pepper in chili dishes.

beef

Another popular ingredient in chili is beef. From the recipes we've sampled for chili, over 30% have beef.

Ground is a frequent preparation for beef in chili dishes.

Beef is often included in chili dishes in amounts of 2 pounds, 1 pound or 1.5 pounds.

In chili recipes that contain beef, it is on average, 25% by weight.

For chili recipes, beef is frequently used with chili powder, yellow onion, salt, kidney beans and cumin. However, green chile peppers, chicken broth and turkey are almost never used together with beef in chili dishes.

black pepper

Black pepper is another common ingredient in chili dishes. In fact, over 30% of chili recipes contain black pepper.

Chili dishes often call for black pepper to be ground.

Black pepper is often included in chili dishes in amounts of half a teaspoon, 1 teaspoon or 1 pinch.

In chili recipes that contain black pepper, it is on average, 0.1% by weight.

In recipes for chili, black pepper is often used with salt, cumin, yellow onion, chili powder and garlic.

olive oil

Another popular ingredient in chili is olive oil. From the recipes we've sampled for chili, over 25% have olive oil.

Common quantities for olive oil in chili dishes include 1 tablespoon, 2 tablespoons or 2 teaspoons.

In chili recipes that contain olive oil, it is on average, 3% by weight.

Garlic, salt, chili powder, cumin and yellow onion are commonly used together with olive oil in chili dishes.

Potential substitutions for olive oil in chili:

• vegetable oil

Also, olive oil is not often used with garlic salt and chili beans spicy sauce.

jalapeno pepper

Jalapeno pepper is another common ingredient in chili dishes. In fact, over 20% of chili recipes contain jalapeno pepper.

Diced, chopped, seeded and pickled are frequent preparations for jalapeno pepper in chili dishes.

Jalapeno pepper is often included in chili dishes in amounts of 1 jalapeno pepper, 4 ounces or 2 jalapeno peppers.

In chili recipes that contain jalapeno pepper, it is on average, 3% by weight.

For chili recipes, jalapeno pepper is frequently used with cumin, yellow onion, garlic, salt and chili powder. However, tomato sauce, turkey and chili beans spicy sauce are almost never used together with jalapeno pepper in chili dishes.

paprika

Another popular ingredient in chili is paprika. From the recipes we've sampled for chili, over 20% have paprika.

Chili dishes often call for paprika to be smoked.

Paprika is often included in chili dishes in amounts of 1 teaspoon, half a teaspoon or 1 tablespoon.

In chili recipes that contain paprika, it is on average, 4% by weight.

In recipes for chili, paprika is often used with cumin, salt, garlic, yellow onion and black pepper.

Other chili Ingredients

Other significant ingredients used in chili recipes include:

• sour cream - 15%
• green chile peppers - 15%
• chicken broth - 15%
• cheddar cheese - 10%
• vegetable oil - 10%
• green bell pepper - 10%
• black beans - 10%
• bell pepper - 10%
• turkey - 10%
• beer - 10%
• celery - 10%
• scallions - 10%
• chili beans spicy sauce - 10%

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