Easy Chili with V8 Juice

This easy chili with V8 juice is loaded with ground beef, beans, tomatoes, and plenty of cozy chili seasoning. The V8 adds extra tomato and vegetable flavor to the broth while keeping this recipe really simple.

Chili is already one of my favorite budget dinners because you can take one pound of ground beef and stretch it into an entire pot of food. Add some beans, canned tomatoes, and pantry seasonings, and you’ve got enough to feed the whole family with leftovers if you’re lucky. 😂

And if you don’t have V8? I actually made mine using tomato juice because that’s what I could find at Aldi, so I’ve included that substitution below too!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This is just a good, classic pot of chili without a million ingredients.

• Uses only 1 pound of ground beef
• Two cans of beans help stretch the meal
• Made in one pot
• Easy pantry ingredients
• V8 gives the broth extra flavor
• Tomato juice works if that’s what you have
• Great for leftovers

Serve it with shredded cheese, sour cream, crackers, or corn chips and call it dinner.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can pinto beans or chili beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 cups V8 Original Vegetable Juice
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

If Using Tomato Juice Instead of V8

Replace the 3 cups of V8 with:

• 3 cups tomato juice
• ½ tsp celery salt

Since the chili already contains garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika, there’s no need to add a bunch of extra seasoning to try to turn tomato juice into V8.

How to Make Chili with V8

1. Brown the ground beef

Add the ground beef, diced onion, and bell pepper to a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Cook for about 6–8 minutes, breaking apart the beef as it cooks, until the beef is browned and the vegetables have started to soften.

Drain any excess grease if necessary.

2. Add the garlic and tomato paste

Stir in the minced garlic and tomato paste.

Cook for about 1 minute, stirring frequently.

3. Add the seasonings

Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper.

Stir everything together and cook for about 30 seconds.

4. Add the remaining ingredients

Pour in the V8 juice.

Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans, pinto beans, and Worcestershire sauce.

Stir until everything is well combined.

5. Let it simmer

Bring the chili to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low.

Simmer uncovered for 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If you’d like a thicker chili, simply let it simmer a little longer.

Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, or chili powder as needed before serving.

Taylor’s Tips

Let it simmer uncovered. This is what helps the chili reduce and thicken instead of ending up too soupy.

You don’t need a ton of ground beef. One pound is plenty here. Between the kidney beans and pinto beans, you still end up with a hearty pot of chili without spending a fortune on meat.

Use the beans you have. Kidney and pinto beans are my choice, but chili beans, black beans, or a combination can work too.

Don’t have V8? Regular tomato juice works! That’s actually what I used because my Aldi didn’t carry V8. I added a little celery salt for some extra savory flavor, and it was an easy swap.

Adjust the spice for your family. As written, this is meant to be family-friendly rather than super spicy. Add cayenne or crushed red pepper if you want more heat.

What Does V8 Do in Chili?

V8 works as part of the liquid base of the chili, but unlike plain tomato juice, it contains a blend of vegetable juices.

That makes it an easy way to add more savory vegetable flavor without chopping and adding a bunch of extra ingredients.

It also gives you plenty of liquid to let the chili simmer and develop flavor before reducing to that thicker chili consistency.

Can You Substitute Tomato Juice for V8 in Chili?

Yes. I used 3 cups of tomato juice plus ½ teaspoon of celery salt in place of the V8 when I made mine.

The finished flavor won’t be exactly identical because V8 contains several vegetable juices, but tomato juice makes an easy substitute if that’s what your grocery store carries.

Can I Make This Chili Without Beans?

You can leave the beans out, but you’ll end up with less chili overall and the texture will be different.

For a budget-friendly family dinner, I personally keep them. They’re inexpensive, filling, and help one pound of ground beef go a lot further.

How to Make Chili Thicker

If your chili looks thinner than you’d like after 25–30 minutes, don’t immediately add anything to it.

Let it continue simmering uncovered for another 10–15 minutes. As some of the liquid evaporates, the chili will naturally become thicker and more concentrated.

What to Serve with V8 Chili

You really can’t go wrong with the classics:

• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Sour cream
• Green onions
• Crackers
• Corn chips
• Cornbread
• Baked potatoes

You could even stretch leftovers by spooning the chili over baked potatoes the next night. 🙌

How to Store Leftover Chili

Allow the chili to cool, then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3–4 days.

Reheat individual portions in the microwave or warm the chili in a saucepan over medium-low heat.

Like most chili, this one might actually be even better the next day after everything has had more time to hang out together. 😂