Best Canned Chili: Cami's Test Kitchen

If you're searching for the best canned chili for your hot dogs, hamburgers, and chili-cheese fries and tater tots, look no further! Our team tested and ranked the most readily-available canned chilis (no beans) so you know what to buy for your next cookout!

Best Overall

Wolf Brand Chili (No Beans)

Rating: 4 out of 5 hot dogs

Tasting notes:

• Unique flavor profile with a hint of smokiness

• Not as sweet as a classic chili like Hormel

Pros:

• Perfect as a multipurpose chili for hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, and tater tots

• The most complex flavor of the chilis we tried

• Tastes the least "canned" and almost tastes homemade

Cons:

• Most expensive of the chilis we tried

Best Classic

Hormel Chili (No Beans)

Rating: 4 out of 5 hot dogs

Tasting notes:

• Sweetest of the chilis we tried

• Least smoky flavor of the chilis we tried - almost no smokiness detected

Pros:

• Classic childhood flavor

• Tastes the best on hot dogs of the chilis we tried

Cons:

• Works great on hot dogs and hamburgers, but does not work well with fries or tater tots

Not Recommended

Castleberry's Bunker Hill Chili (No Beans)

Rating: 2 out of 5 hot dogs

Tasting notes:

• A combination of sweet and smoky flavors

Pros:

• Tastes decent on fries and tater tots but does not work on hot dogs

Cons:

• Visually unappealing and unappetizing

• Runny and oily consistency; difficult to work with

Armour Chili (No Beans)

Rating: 2 out of 5 hot dogs

Tasting notes:

• Very deep and smoky flavor

• No sweetness detected

Pros:

• Actually good to eat alone straight out of the can if you like smoky flavors

Cons:

• Did not work on hot dogs, fries, or tater tots