The Nutty Ingredient That Your Chili Has Been Needing (Just Hear Us Out)

Want a hearty meal that warms you up and sticks to your ribs? Chili should be an instant go-to if you're looking to satiate that craving. It's a wildly customizable meal that you can change to suit any palate. Are you a bean lover? Stuff that chili full of as many different beans as you want. Do you appreciate meat? Go ahead and double the recipe's recommended amount. Vegan or vegetarian? Use a plant-based meat crumble, or do away with meat entirely and add more veggies. There are even some chilis that leave out the supposed star of the show: tomatoes. But have you considered what might happen if you add some good old-fashioned peanut butter?

It might sound a little nutty, but peanut butter has been a trick up the sleeve of many a seasoned chili cook for years. It's a smart way to thicken your base without having to use starch slurries. As good as they are, they just don't have the same body as an oil-based thickening agent. The silky texture of peanut butter makes chili creamy without adding any dairy to the mix, which is perfect for vegans. Adding peanut butter can even elevate your favorite canned chili, bringing out a richness you'd have never experienced otherwise.

Good chili makes for a satiating meal regardless of the weather, so having a recipe on hand is a great addition to your cooking arsenal. But knowing the right way to add peanut butter is just as important. First, always use creamy or smooth peanut butter. If you use a chunky butter, you'll end up with bits of peanuts floating around in your chili, which may not make for the most appealing textural combination. You also want to cook your chili low and slow — a cardinal rule for chili cooking in the first place–because high, intense heat could cause the oil in your peanut butter to separate. Then you'll be left with a peanutty oil slick instead of a nice, creamy chili.

You also want to choose the right kind of peanut butter. Its flavor won't entirely vanish into the depths of your chili. If you use low-quality peanut butter, you may pick up notes of intense sweetener or saturated oils instead of enjoying the marriage between savory-sweet peanuts and the spices of your chili. With a good peanut butter, though, you can get ready to settle in and scarf down a big bowl of the creamiest, coziest chili you've ever made.