Steak ‘N Shake chili is my all-time favorite restaurant chili! It’s got a really specific THICK texture – almost a sauce – that is unlike any other. And – after three tries – I FIGURED IT OUT!! I finally made the perfect Copycat Steak ‘n Shake chili!
The texture was the unique thing about Steak ‘n Shake chili that I loved and why it was so hard to replicate – but the key is in the beans! I can’t wait to share this secret with you! It’s so easy too! You’ll also want to make sure and have your favorite toppings on the side like diced onion, grated cheese and oyster crackers.
I have a lot of great memories of Steak ‘N Shake. Once a year, we would drive to the Quad Cities to go school shopping and that would be our treat lunch. We were poor – so it was a day my Dad saved up for every year.
More recently, quite a few of the Cincinnati-area Steak ‘n Shakes have closed – leaving me worried I wouldn’t be able to get that awesome chili! I bought six cans of the chili so I would have ample tasting opportunities.
How do you make Steak ‘n Shake chili?
It’s a fairly “normal” chili recipe – with a couple of differences. First off – there’s very little tomato – just a small can of tomato sauce. Second- it’s a double down on the BEANS! Here’s how you make it:
First, brown the ground beef in a dutch oven-style pan (high sides). While that’s browning, you’ll take a can of French onion soup (not mix – the actual can of soup) and 1/2 can of the kidney beans and put them IN THE BLENDER! Yes – the blender. Boom! Mind. Blown.
Once the hamburger is browned, add the soup & bean puree, the rest of the beans and all of the remaining ingredients to the pot. Bring to a simmer and turn heat to lowest setting and simmer for an hour.
Finally top the chili with diced onion, shredded cheese and oyster crackers for an authentic Steak ‘n Shake experience. You can also serve it on Spaghetti for a Steak ‘n Shake 3-way!
Does Steak n Shake chili have beans in it?
Yes. Doubled down actually! This was the key to the texture. I knew it was a thick texture but it wasn’t tomato-based. That’s also the key to the color – it’s lighter than regular chili.
The first time I made the chili, I started with a copycat recipe I found online. It was not even REMOTELY like Steak ‘n Shake chili! But it was a place to start. From there – I kept tasting the canned chili realized there was a “sauce” and then it hit me! I took some of the beans out of my first batch and put them in the blender and voila – that was it!
I actually don’t even own a “real” blender – just one of those little pulsing smoothie blenders – but it worked perfectly!
Steak ‘n Shake Chili vs Skyline Chili
Steak ‘n Shake serves a 3-way with their chili on spaghetti and you might think – hmmmm is it like Cincinnati chili? Nope. It’s not. I will say – it has some of the same ingredients – but they aren’t really similar flavors. Steak ‘n Shake has much more traditional chili flavors. I guess if you have Wendy’s on one end of the scale and Skyline on the other end – this would be in the middle.
What to serve with Copycat Steak ‘n Shake Chili?
- Olive Garden Signature Salad
- Freddy’s A-1 Chophouse Steak Burger
- Hot Cheetos Fried Cheese Curds
- More Copycat Recipes
Other Delicious Chili Recipes
Copycat Steak ‘n Shake Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1 can French Onion Soup
- 1 can dark kidney beans
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp Liquid Smoke
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup cola (coke, pepsi, etc)
Instructions
- Brown ground beef and salt in oil in a dutch oven style pan (high sides)
- Pour soup and 1/2 can of kidney beans (some liquid from beans is fine – do not drain) into mini blender. Blend for 1 minute – pulsing until completely pureed.
- Drain ground beef
- Add soup & bean mixture and all remaining ingredients to pot with beef
- Bring to a simmer, then turn heat to the LOWEST setting and simmer for an hour
- Serve with diced onion, grated cheese and oyster crackers
- You can also serve on top of spaghetti for a Steak 'n Shake 3-way!
Julie says
I am not quite sure why the cinnamon was added to this recipe. That is all you could smell while it was cooking and all you could taste when it was done. I even tried to add some additional cumin and chili powder to mask the taste, but that did not help. The cinnamon was overpowering. I ended up throwing out the entire pot. I may try this recipe again without the cinnamon as the chili does seem to have the color and texture of Steak and Shake Chili. Perhaps it was just too much cinnamon, so if you decide to try this recipe, I would recommend omitting the cinnamon and possibly only adding it a little at a time at the end if you feel it adds something to the taste.
FoodHussy says
It was 1 teaspoon – i’m not sure how that can overwhelm a potfull of chili. But oh well. I’m from Cincinnati – our chili always has cinnamon and they serve theirs on top of spaghetti a lot. I don’t think S&S chili has much traditional “chili” flavor.
Marianne in Mo. says
While I have yet to try your recipe (you may be on to something in blending the beans and Onion soup!) I have tried both cinnamon and cocoa as others have suggested, and they do not offer a similar taste to the S&S taste. I’m tempted to try dark Karo syrup or molasses, along with a small amount of brown sugar. I’ve tried so many recipes and none have the “it” factor. Could it be a brand of product that stymies us? I have a sneaky suspicion it lies in the meat used….not just ground beef??? I had a friend who would use cuts of beef AND pork in her Spaghetti sauce, and it was out of this world good!!!
FoodHussy says
it’s the beans – blending them was the key. i knew the color and thickness was the key – once i blended 1/2 the beans – that did it
Daisy says
We recently moved and I haven’t unpacked my blender. I mashed the beans to death but couldn’t quite obtain a puree. I wish I knew to what extent it affected the sauce as it was quite soupy. The taste was great and the soupy sauce wasn’t terrible as I served it over elbow macaroni.
Thanks for the recipe! I’ll try it again when I unpack my blender.
FoodHussy says
First – love your name! I love Daisies! The thing I love about SS Chili is the thickness of the “sauce” and the beans really help that and yeah – a blender is kind of needed. I actually don’t even own a REAL blender! I just have one of those little smoothie makers and used that! It’ll be even better when you find that! haha
StLouisMax says
1/2lb of ground beef seems like a very small amount of meet for 6 servings. I’m going to make this today, but just wanted to make sure that’s all I needed?
FoodHussy says
Yup! You can add more if you like – never a bad thing. I was just making it so it seemed like the same amount as in their chili but go ahead and add a whole pound!
Pashmina says
Thanks so much for this recipe! I also have an inexplicable love for Steak n Shake chili and this was a perfect copycat – it gets everything right about the original AND makes it better. It came out perfect. Next time I will double it for more leftovers!
FoodHussy says
Oh I’m so glad you liked it – i’m the same and had to figure out how to make it myself with so many of the closing. It’s the blending of the beans that is the key!!!!
Nikki says
Haven’t made chili in a year or two and forgot my recipe, so I found yours…I later overheard ‘the chili was SO good’, multiple times!
I basically doubled or tripled everything, including the meat (used 1.5 lbs). I added a dash or two of cayenne pepper, and also 3 cloves of minced garlic because I’m Italian and it’s a sin to eat any dish without garlic, ha. Thanks for sharing!
FoodHussy says
I’m glad your crew liked it!!!
Bill says
Hi, this sounds so good!
I saw the comments about cinnamon. Thing is, I see no cinnamon in the ingredient list. Has the recipe been changed? I’m eating a cup of chili from Steak n Shake right now as I write and I detect not even the least hint of cinnamon. Does the can list cinnamon as an ingredient?
FoodHussy says
i remade the recipe and removed the cinnamon and it tasted the same to me – I didn’t find it offensive in any way – but others did. The thing is – it’s a twist on the idea of cincinnati chili – with chili on spaghetti so i added a tiny bit – but it’s the same without it.
Charlie says
I have eaten chili all over the midwest, including Cincinnati. Chili over spaghetti seems to be a common combination in a lot of locations. My mom was feeding me chili over spaghetti in the mid-’40s. Funny thing. I lived and worked in Cincinnati for a little over a year in 1962-1963. I was socially active and attended a large church. The only Cincinnati chili I knew anything about was regular midwest chili served at little mom and pop restaurants all over Cincinnati. So Cincinnati was known for those chili restaurants, which I called chili parlors, but never heard of Skyline chili or anything like that. I never heard of anything specifically called Cincinnati chili, just chili sold in little restaurants in cincinnati.
Erin L says
The cinnamon comment (and frankly the use of it/references to Cincinnati) confused me as well given that I live and am from where the first Steak’n’Shake was open and originated from. Agree that the over noodles of any sort seems to be common in the Midwest. I’m super excited to try this recipe though as I love the SnS chili and one bowl is never enough but I don’t want to be that person who orders 2 bowls when I go there.
FoodHussy says
I’m from Iowa but I live in Cinci now and Chili on spaghetti is a very Cincinnati thing – we have our own special Cincinnati chili and it’s HEAVY on the cinnamon. I promise you this recipe is super-close to the OG and yes the SnS chili has always been my favorite!!!! I hope you love it!
Kara says
The texture is there but it’s definitely on the sweet side. I’m not real sure why. I made the exact recipe, no tweaks. Maybe the coke was a bit much? Maybe the type of cumin or chili powder? Hmmm.
FoodHussy says
Maybe the coke…glad you liked the texture – that was the toughest part to figure out!
Cheryl says
Made this tonight and everyone loved it!! I actually worked at steak n shake for 10 years. High school and college and a little after. This is a tad sweeter than sns but pretty spot on.
I doubled the recipie and added an extra can of beans bc sns has more beans then what was in my pot. Also I used an emerging blender and blended the beans, soup, and meat. I like my meat in smaller chunks.
Thank you so much for this recipie!!
FoodHussy says
Glad you like it – I’ll re-examine the ingredients next time I make it and see if i can pull back on the sweetness – thanks!
Sheryl says
You have provided the secret to a clone of SS chili, the puréed beans! Never would have thought of that. Otherwise, I tripled the beef and salt, and doubled the seasonings, spices, and tomato sauce, used 3 cans of beans, and subbed a can of beef consume for the coke. I puréed a whole can of beans with the soups. I think I will add another can of whole beans next time, and drain all the beans as I wound up with too much liquid, which I cooked off. Close as heck to the real thing! Thank You!
FoodHussy says
hahahaha – glad you liked it – it’s got such a thick texture – it’s so different than any other chili!
Ronda says
Oh my goodness! I could not believe how much it tasted like Steak and Shakes recipe. I was so excited! I cooked some spaghetti to go with it. Please give this recipe a try. I doubled the ingredients and used Bush’s mild chili beans instead.
FoodHussy says
Thanks!!!! I made a fairly small batch since i live alone – but glad you like it!
Maria says
Tried this last night. Haven’t been to SNS in awhile due to COVID so don’t have a recent comparison memory but I loved the texture of this chili. It is a little too sweet for our taste, so next time I’ll reduce the amount of cola and I was scared of so much cumin, but didn’t need to be! Otherwise, it was very good and even better leftover at lunch today. I will definitely make this recipe again!
FoodHussy says
So glad you liked it!!!!! The texture is the key to that chili and I loved it too!
LINDA S OCONNELL says
My Dad knew the original founder and in fact he helped build the first Steak and Shake. I added 1/3 cup ketchup and it is truer to the original. Mine seems a little runny so next time I’m using half can soup.But it was good.
Thank you for sharing. Oh the sauce that is on chi mac is Worcestershire sauce and ketchup. Also it’s name comes from a guy named Mac that came in everyday and the founder put it together and ask Mac what to name it. 🙂
FoodHussy says
Fun stories!
Mike says
Just made a double batch. It is good but My wife and I both agree it’s too sweet. I’ll try 1/3 cup of Coke next time or leave it out all together. I gave up on sodas years ago and probably why this tasted sweet.
BTW: Steak n Shake servers in St Louis were never consistent with the amount of beans in your bowl.
This seems to be right on track.
FoodHussy says
Glad you liked it and yes – that’s the nice thing about making at home -you can tweak as needed. I gauged the amount of beans off the canned version because I had some to see/taste side by side. 🙂
emily says
I have made steak n’ shake chili from a recipe I combined a few years ago and it tasted very similar. Maybe with the addition of pureeing the beans I can have it almost exactly. I always read the comments before I make a recipe. Usually copy cat recipes almost always have someone that worked there and give advice. The advice I found was ketchup and Worchester sauce. Also it is said the founder of steak n’ shake used ingredients he already had on hand in the restaurant. At the time they used RC Cola, chocolate syrup-not powder, ketchup instead of paste. Also they used ground steak and when I made mine I used chuck roast and very little amounts of hamburger/pork mixture. I cannot wait to try it with your idea with the beans.
Randall says
What kind of Liquid smoke did you use
FoodHussy says
Colgin Liquid Smoke brand
Chris says
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I agree that the texture is right. The taste came out a little bit too sweet, though. The only thing I can blame might be the French Onion soup? Which brand(s) do you normally use? I’m living in Thailand so my options are rather limited; I used Baxter’s which I believe is from the UK. Still a perfectly good chili, but I’d like to figure out how to get rid of the sweetness.
FoodHussy says
You might reduce the cola – I think i’m going to try that next time i make it
ELLY SCHWARTZKOPF says
I re-read the recipe 2 times, I did not see where it called for cinnamon It talked about Cincinnati Chili. Perhaps that was mistaken for cinnamon.
FoodHussy says
I remade the recipe and left out the cinnamon and i think it tasted fine – so it’s something you can add if you want to – it’s definitely an ingredient in cincinnati chili.
Jessica Curry says
Does it matter if the liquid smoke is hickory or mesquite?
FoodHussy says
nope – whichever you prefer!
Ann Witzig says
Haven’t tried it yet but will this week. My ex used to work for steak n shake commissary in Bloomington IL as a boner and beef would come in ready to take off all the meat on each side of beef. They used all the meat on them to grind up for the chili and hamburgers. Just want to let you know that it also could be the meat.
FoodHussy says
nice info! i hope you like it!
Matty S says
I’ve been looking for a good copycat Sn’S chili recipe. Seems so many others have gotten it way wrong over the years and I could never figure it out on my own. I have a few of my own recipes for various forms of chili that are pretty good but sometimes I just really want a bowl of plain ol’ but good Steak N’ Shake chili which is fancy in its own right. I’ll be trying this out tomorrow and will let you know how it goes. It seems others like it so I’m going to attempt it. Thanks!
FoodHussy says
I started with some of the other copycats and agree – they were so wrong! So I started over and think I got pretty close! The thickness of the sauce is the key! Hope you like it!
Matty S says
Success! I made it as I said I would and it came out amazing! I doubled everything and made it exactly like this recipe and at first I was afraid it wasn’t going to be enough beans and it was very watery. But once it was done it turned out awesome! It was a little thin but this may be because I cooked it in an InstantPot instead of a slowcooker or dutch oven. I actually don’t mind my chili to be a little soupy. But the taste was spot on! Even my 15 yr old son who doesn’t like chili (because of tomato chunks and onions) said it was the best chili he’s ever had!
Thanks so much! I’ll be making this again for sure and will probably quadruple the amounts so I can save some and freeze for later. Nothing like having a big batch to have some for a long time to come! haha!
FoodHussy says
Oh I’m so happy you loved it!!!! Pureeing those beans is the key!
Jennifer says
First of all, thank you for posting this recipe!! I was born in Champaign-Urbana Illinois, and went to U of I, and my family has always LOVED Steak ‘n Shake chili. I love the idea of being able to make it at home! Even picked up a jar of their pepper sauce which is KEY. This recipe is spot on as is… but for those trying to make it seem more like what they know from the restaurant, I just wanted to suggest using pot roast in place of the ground beef. I read the recipe to my mom to see what she thought and she immediately agreed…their meat is definitely more like cut up pot roast than ground beef.
So, I slow cooked a pot roast during the day, then when I was ready to make the chili at night the meat was all ready to go! I’m telling you it was PERFECT. Some of the best chili I’ve ever had. My whole family agreed!! Thanks again for posting!
FoodHussy says
That makes me so happy! thanks for sharing!
desiree Racquer says
I’m just not cooking mine, but I am from the south and also grew up eating S&S and remember even going to the drive up’s where the girls on skates served you. My aunt once told me that either Dr. pepper or day old coffee was the key not coke (cocoa cola) or Pepsi. I did do your recipe just to see, I did double it and I may have to use a little cornstarch to thicken it but we shall see how it goes. I may tweek it next time. There’s nothing like that thick bowl of chili from S&S with the oyster crackers on top that’s for sure.
Andrea Renner says
I’m amazed! I was a manager at SnS for 5 years and once I tasted their chili, I had at least a bowl every day that I worked. As I was making your recipe, I couldn’t believe how it was cooking just as it did in the tilt kettle with #10 cans of beans and a “chub” of beef and seasonings. It even filled the house with the same delicious aroma!
The texture was PERFECT! Due to what was available at the store, my soup and coke measurements may have been slightly off your, and maybe why it was only slightly off of the taste of chili I lived on. Totally impressed with this recipe!!
FoodHussy says
OMG – what an amazing compliment! Thanks! the texture is tricky – i love that I conquered it!
Lisa says
I live in Spain now, and I was upset I didn’t get my Steak n Shake chili fix when I was back home in the States over the holidays, as I had run out of time and it was one of the restaurants I just didn’t to visit. The weather is quite warm here right now, but when I saw this recipe, I decided to make a pot anyway. I have never been able to find liquid smoke in Spain, so I added a bit more Worcestershire. It’s still simmering, but from what I can remember of it’s signature flavor, it’s pretty damn close! I really love the addition of onion soup in this!! And blended with the beans is brilliant!! I’m so excited! Thank you!
FoodHussy says
that’s awesome!! i love that my recipe is bringing a taste of home to you in Spain! Enjoy!
Lisa Miller says
I have lived in St. Louis all of my life, and Steak N Shake chili has always been my favorite, hands down. I have tried almost every realistic copy-cat recipe I could find over the years, and not a single one of them even came close. I tried the ones with chocolate melted into it, cocoa powder, Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, and even the grape jelly version. EPIC FAIL, every time. I have not tried this one yet, but will this week for sure.
I did work at one of the locations the summer I was 16, and faintly recall something similar to what the ex-manager said in your reviews. Seemed to me that there were factory packed bags that came to the store,(my manager told me it was done that way to protect the recipe..) one with a thick and heavy meat mixture, the other with beans and broth, that were to be mixed together and simmered for a substantial amount of time so the 2 bags could “marry” and thicken. Actually, I remember once that I had a boss that had never eaten SNS chili, and took notice of how often I ran out for a bowl that I brought back to eat for lunch at my desk. I finally convinced him to try it, and brought us both back a bowl one day. To my shock and horror, this was one of those super rare occasions that I got a watery, “not married” version of the chili, and knew right away that it had not been simmered long enough to get to that thicker, sort of “emulsified” product we all love. My boss was not impressed and never ate it again, even though I tried many times afterward to show him what the correctly prepared consistency looked like.
I also want to add that if the founder used items on hand, where does the onion soup come from? And, besides the soda, where is the “sweetness” from? I will definitely try to use RC Cola this time, if I can find some, but I always heard that there was chocolate,(Which made sense because I always felt like A&W Rootbeer had chocolate undertones, leading me to think that back in those days, adding a little chocolate to a recipe was a little trick for getting people hooked) or grape jelly, or something else in it that made it slightly “sweet”, however, other than cola, I don’t see any sweet elements in your recipe. Oh, one more thing, I just had a bowl last week, and the beans are for sure 2 different colors. Maybe some light red AND some dark red kidney beans….I’m going double your recipe and use a can of each, so I’ll update you on that. I’m kinda thinking out loud now, so I should just try your recipe, as it stands, and report back to you. BUT, I REALLY, REALLY hope it comes out right, because even the cans you can buy at the store do not taste like the real deal to me. As I get older and lazier, it would be great to have a stash of frozen servings in my freezer for when the crave attacks.
Lisa Miller says
BTW, any ideas to copy-Kat Jack-In-The-Box tacos?
FoodHussy says
No – haven’t tried to copycat those!
Jane says
I’m going to definitely try this! I’ve been looking for years now for a copycat recipe on their chili!! And yes I tried one that was out there and not even close to the real thing! I was so bummed but yours sounds like the magic number! I can’t wait to try it! Thank you!!!
FoodHussy says
be sure to come and let me know your thoughts!
Doug says
Question about the french onion soup. Does it need to be condensed like the C brand or can it be non-condensed like the P brand? The C brand has gluten while the P brand doesn’t and I want to make this but it needs to be gluten-free.
FoodHussy says
I used Campbells – but I’m sure you can probably use the Progresso if you like.
Casey says
This was fantastic!! Definitely the closest recipe yet to Steak & Shake chili. My husband (who is very picky about his chili) even liked it!
FoodHussy says
Thank you for the compliment! Its my favorite chili so I took a while and experimented to figure out the texture!
Robert S says
I love that the recipe only calls for a half pound of hamburger.
I am a bit of a SNS chili junkie. I am going to make this this weekend.
I will report back.