Texas Roadhouse chili is a slow-simmered, beef-forward Texas Red chili sold as a starter or side, typically topped with shredded cheddar and diced onions. Most locations price a bowl in the $5 to $8 range, and availability varies by restaurant.
What Texas Roadhouse chili actually is
Texas Roadhouse chili is a thick, ground-beef chili in the Texas Red style, meaning it leans on chile and cumin heat rather than a tomato-heavy sauce, and it is usually served bean-light or bean-free. It arrives hot in a crock with cheddar and onion on top.
The dish sits with the soups and starters, not the entree section, which matters more than it sounds. Entrees at this chain come with two sides. Chili does not. What you get is the bowl, the toppings, and the bucket of rolls with cinnamon butter that lands on every table anyway.
The texture is closer to a chunky meat sauce than a brothy soup, which is why it also works ladled over a baked potato or fries on request.
Item spec table
| What it is | Texas Red style slow-simmered ground beef chili, chile-and-cumin forward, minimal or no beans |
|---|---|
| Menu category | Starters / soups section (not an entree) |
| Size and portion | Bowl is standard, roughly 8 to 10 oz; some locations also list a cup at around 5 to 6 oz |
| Typical price | About $5 to $8 for a bowl; cup, where offered, runs $1 to $2 less |
| Calories | Not published on the national nutrition sheet in every market; expect roughly 250 to 400 for a bowl with cheese. Confirm on the printed menu |
| Standard toppings | Shredded cheddar and diced onions at most locations |
| What is included | The bowl only. No free sides. Fresh-baked rolls and cinnamon butter come to the table regardless |
| Served | All day where available; also usable as a topping on a baked potato or fries by request |
Does every location carry it?
No. Chili is a regionally variable item at Texas Roadhouse rather than a fixed national menu line, so some restaurants list it year-round, some run it as a cold-weather feature, and some never carry it. Call ahead if you are driving out specifically for it.
This is what generic menu pages get wrong: they print a price as though the item were guaranteed nationwide. In practice markets set their own soup lineup, and that slot may be held by loaded potato soup instead.
Fastest check: pull up your store on the official Texas Roadhouse site or app and look at the starters and soups section. A call to the host stand works just as well.
Texas Roadhouse chili price and sizes
Expect $5 to $8 for a bowl of chili at most Texas Roadhouse locations, with a smaller cup running $1 to $2 below that where it is offered. There is no verified national price for this item because it is not on every store menu.
| Size | Typical portion | Typical price range |
|---|---|---|
| Cup (where offered) | ~5-6 oz | $3.99 – $5.99 |
| Bowl (standard) | ~8-10 oz | $4.99 – $7.99 |
| Added over a baked potato | Bowl portion, ladled | Side potato price plus a chili upcharge, often $2 – $4 |
California, New York, Washington and Hawaii stores sit at the top of that band or above it. Smaller Midwest and Southern markets land at the bottom. Treat these as planning ranges, not quotes.
Calories and nutrition
A bowl of chili with cheddar and onions lands roughly in the 250 to 400 calorie range, which makes it one of the lighter things you can order here. Texas Roadhouse does not publish this item nationally, so the printed in-store menu is your real source.
Context helps more than a guessed number. The Cactus Blossom is 2,250 calories. Cheese Fries are 1,240. Fried Pickles are 550. Against that lineup, a bowl of chili is a rounding error, and it delivers actual protein instead of batter.
Two caveats. First, sodium is where chili usually costs you, not calories; slow-simmered restaurant chili commonly clears 900 mg or more per bowl. Second, the cheddar topping is a meaningful add of roughly 100 calories and most of the saturated fat. Ask for it plain if that matters to you.
Tracking macros closely? Ask the manager for the on-site allergen and nutrition binder. It reflects the recipe your store is actually using better than any third-party database.
How to order it well
Order the bowl rather than the cup, ask for the onions on the side if you want to control the bite, and treat it as a starter to share rather than a course of its own. It reheats badly, so eat it hot.
A few requests that servers handle without blinking:
- Chili over a baked potato. Order a side baked potato loaded, then ask for chili ladled on. It turns a $4 side into a legitimate light meal.
- No cheese, no onion. Cuts the fat and makes it easier on a sensitive stomach.
- Extra crackers or extra rolls. Rolls are unlimited on request and cost nothing.
- Hot sauce on the side. The house chili is mild by Texas standards. Ask for whatever bottled heat the kitchen keeps.
Chili plus a house salad is about the cheapest sit-down meal on the board short of the kids menu. If you are ordering a steak, skip it: that plate already brings two sides plus rolls.
Chili vs the other cheap starters
Against the fried appetizer lineup, chili wins on price, calories and protein, and loses on shareability. Fried Pickles at $7.99 and Rattlesnake Bites at $9.49 feed a table better; a bowl of chili is really a one-person order.
| Item | Typical price | Calories | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chili (bowl) | ~$5 – $8 | ~250-400 | One person, light meal, protein |
| Fried Pickles | $7.99 | 550 | Two to three sharing |
| Rattlesnake Bites | $9.49 | 560 | Table share, spice fans |
| Cheese Fries | $11.99 | 1,240 | Four sharing, heavy |
The closer comparison is loaded potato soup, the other soup this chain runs. Potato soup is richer and more filling per spoon; chili is leaner and more savory, and less likely to blunt your appetite before a steak.
Is it worth ordering?
Yes, if your store carries it and you want a cheap, high-protein, low-calorie option in a restaurant that mostly does not offer one. No, if you came for a steak dinner, because you are already getting two sides and unlimited rolls.
The value case is strongest at lunch, where a bowl of chili and a side salad comes in well under the price of most lunch entrees. It is weakest as an add-on to a full dinner, where it is $6 of food you will probably not finish.
Where this page is uncertain
This is an independent guide, not the official Texas Roadhouse site. Chili is a store-variable item, so the honest position is that we cannot give you one verified national price or calorie count for it.
Whether chili is offered at all, whether a cup size exists, the exact ounce portion, whether beans are in the recipe, and the calorie count all differ by market, and prices swing 10 to 15 percent with regional costs.
Confirm in the Texas Roadhouse app with your location selected, or call the restaurant. Where this page conflicts with what the restaurant tells you, believe the restaurant.
Frequently asked questions
Does Texas Roadhouse have chili?
Some locations do, many do not. Chili is a store-level and sometimes seasonal item at Texas Roadhouse rather than a guaranteed national menu line. Check your specific restaurant’s menu in the app or call the host stand before making the trip.
How much is a bowl of chili at Texas Roadhouse?
Typically $5 to $8 for a bowl where it is offered, with higher pricing in coastal and metro markets. There is no verified national price because the item is not on every store menu.
Does Texas Roadhouse chili have beans?
It is served in the Texas Red style, which is traditionally bean-light or bean-free and built around ground beef and chile spice. Recipes vary by market, so ask your server if beans are a dietary issue for you.
How many calories are in Texas Roadhouse chili?
Expect roughly 250 to 400 calories for a bowl with cheddar and onions. The item is not on every national nutrition sheet, so ask the manager for the in-store nutrition binder if you need an exact number.
Does chili come with two free sides?
No. Two free sides come with entrees. Chili sits in the starters and soups section, so you get the bowl only, plus the fresh rolls and cinnamon butter that come to every table.
Can you get chili on a baked potato at Texas Roadhouse?
Usually yes, by request. Order a side baked potato and ask for chili ladled over it. It is not printed as a menu item at most stores, so expect an upcharge of a few dollars.
Is Texas Roadhouse chili spicy?
Mild to medium for most palates. It is seasoned rather than aggressively hot. Ask for hot sauce on the side if you want more heat.
Can you order Texas Roadhouse chili for takeout?
Yes, where the item is offered. Soups travel reasonably well in sealed containers, though the cheese topping will melt in transit. Ask for cheese and onions packed separately.
Related guides
- Browse the full Texas Roadhouse menu with current prices by section.
- Cheaper midday portions are listed on our lunch pricing breakdown.
- Discounted early seating deals are covered in the Early Dine guide.
- Ordering to go? See takeout prices and photos.