Yes, chili is usually a healthy meal. A cup of beef and bean chili has about 300 calories, 25 g of protein and 8 g of fiber, according to USDA data. What tips it the other way is fatty meat, salt and toppings: a cup of restaurant chili has about 410 calories, and cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips can add 300 more.
With Dietfit, one photo of your bowl is enough: Deep Scan counts the chili and each topping separately, so the cheese and sour cream do not disappear into one number.
Key takeaways
Beef and bean chili has about 300 calories, 25 g of protein and 8 g of fiber per cup.
Chicken chili has about 250 calories per cup and a third of the saturated fat of beef chili.
Vegetarian chili has the most fiber (15 g per cup) but the least protein (16 g).
Sodium is the main downside: 800 to 1,050 mg per cup, or 35% to 46% of the Daily Value.
Cheese, sour cream and chips add about 300 calories, nearly doubling a bowl.
Chili calories and nutrition by type
All numbers are for 1 cup (about 9 oz), from USDA FoodData Central.
Chili (1 cup) | Calories | Protein | Fiber | Saturated fat | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Beef and beans | 301 | 25 g | 8 g | 4.1 g | 867 mg |
Beef, no beans | 354 | 34 g | 1 g | 8.1 g | 910 mg |
Restaurant chili with meat | 408 | 31 g | 5 g | 7.3 g | 1,053 mg |
Canned chili with meat | 270 | 22 g | 8 g | 3.2 g | 910 mg |
Chicken and beans | 252 | 26 g | 8 g | 1.4 g | 870 mg |
White chicken chili | 242 | 25 g | 6 g | 1.4 g | 826 mg |
Vegetarian | 303 | 16 g | 15 g | 0.9 g | 806 mg |
The beans do most of the good work. Beef and bean chili has fewer calories than beef-only chili (301 vs 354), half the fat and about six times the fiber, because beans replace some of the meat. One cup covers about 27% of the 28 g Daily Value for fiber, and vegetarian chili covers more than half.
Beef-only chili has the most protein, but also 8.1 g of saturated fat per cup, which is 40% of the 20 g Daily Value. Chicken chili keeps the protein and drops saturated fat to 1.4 g.
Is chili good for weight loss?
It is one of the better comfort foods for it. Protein and fiber are the two things that keep a meal filling, and a cup of beef and bean chili gives 25 g of protein and 8 g of fiber for about 300 calories. That makes it easy to fit into a calorie deficit.
The catch is the size of the bowl. Bowls vary a lot, and 2 cups of beef and bean chili is already about 600 calories before anything goes on top.
What chili toppings add
Topping | Amount | Calories |
|---|---|---|
Shredded cheddar | 1 oz (about 1/4 cup) | 114 |
Tortilla chips | 1 oz | 134 |
Saltine crackers | 5 crackers | 63 |
Avocado | 1/4 fruit | 57 |
Sour cream | 2 tbsp | 48 |
Plain low-fat Greek yogurt | 1 oz (about 2 tbsp) | 20 |
Green onions | 1 tbsp | 2 |
Cheese, sour cream and chips together add about 300 calories. A loaded cup of beef and bean chili comes to roughly 600 calories, twice the chili alone. Swapping sour cream for Greek yogurt and skipping the chips brings it back to about 435.
Sodium is the real catch
Every type of chili in the USDA data has 800 to 1,050 mg of sodium per cup, or 35% to 46% of the 2,300 mg Daily Value. A whole can of chili with meat (about 15.5 oz) has around 466 calories and 1,570 mg of sodium, 68% of a day's limit in one meal.
At home, no-salt-added canned beans and tomatoes let you control the salt, and cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika and garlic carry most of the flavor anyway.
How to make chili healthier
Pick a leaner protein. Chicken or turkey chili has about a third of the saturated fat of beef chili. Extra-lean ground beef is the middle ground.
Keep the beans. They add fiber and stretch the meat, so each cup has fewer calories.
Add vegetables. Onions, bell peppers, zucchini and tomatoes bulk up the pot for very few calories.
Choose lighter toppings. Greek yogurt for sour cream, green onions and a little avocado for chips and cheese.
Measure one serving. Ladle it into a measuring cup once so you know what a cup looks like in your bowl.
Chili also works for high-protein goals; see how to calculate macros to see where it fits your protein, carbs and fat. Ordering it at a diner or a game? These tips on eating out while losing weight help with the rest of the menu.
If measuring a bowl at the table is not realistic, an AI calorie tracker like Dietfit can estimate the chili and the toppings from one photo.
FAQ
How many calories are in a bowl of chili?
A 1-cup bowl has about 240 to 410 calories depending on the type: about 250 for chicken chili, 300 for beef and bean chili and 410 for restaurant chili. Toppings come on top of that.
How much protein is in chili?
Between 16 and 34 g per cup. Beef chili without beans has the most, chicken and beef chili with beans have about 25 g, and vegetarian chili has about 16 g.
Is canned chili healthy?
It is lower in calories than most homemade chili, about 270 per cup with 22 g of protein and 8 g of fiber. The downside is sodium: 910 mg per cup and about 1,570 mg in a whole can.
Is it okay to eat chili every day?
A lean, bean-heavy chili can be part of a daily routine, but watch the sodium. Two cups a day already use up about 75% of the 2,300 mg Daily Value, so balance it with lower-sodium meals.
Is chili junk food?
No. Chili is built from meat or beans, tomatoes and spices. A restaurant bowl with cheese, sour cream and chips can reach junk-food calories, but the chili itself is a whole-food meal.
Is chili healthy for cholesterol?
It depends on the meat. Beef chili without beans has 8.1 g of saturated fat per cup, while chicken and bean chili has 1.4 g and vegetarian chili has under 1 g. If you are managing cholesterol, ask your doctor what fits your plan.
References
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2706375/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Chili with meat and beans", FDC ID 2706375
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2706377/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Chili with meat", FDC ID 2706377
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2706374/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Chili with meat, from restaurant", FDC ID 2706374
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2706376/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Chili with meat, canned", FDC ID 2706376
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2706425/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Chili with chicken and beans", FDC ID 2706425
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2706427/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Chili, white", FDC ID 2706427
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707411/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Chili, vegetarian", FDC ID 2707411
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/173414/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Cheese, cheddar", FDC ID 173414
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/167558/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Snacks, tortilla chips, plain, white corn, salted", FDC ID 167558
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/172746/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Crackers, saltines (includes oyster, soda, soup)", FDC ID 172746
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/171706/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Avocados, raw, California", FDC ID 171706
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/171257/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Cream, sour, cultured", FDC ID 171257
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/170903/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Yogurt, Greek, plain, lowfat", FDC ID 170903
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/170005/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Onions, spring or scallions (includes tops and bulb), raw", FDC ID 170005
https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-facts-label/daily-value-nutrition-and-supplement-facts-labels, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels"
By Phu Le