Slow Cooker Chili - Easy Crockpot Recipe! (2024)

See my guide on how to use an Instant Pot.

Slow Cooker Chili is easy to make and full of flavor. This is the perfect crockpot meal for family dinners or for feeding a crowd! Try this classic homemade chili tonight.

Slow Cooker Chili - Easy Crockpot Recipe! (1)

Thick and hearty slow cooker chili is one of my favorite easy crockpot recipes. If you’re looking for the best chili recipe to make in your slow cooker, you’ve found it. This easy chili recipe is made with ground beef, onion, garlic, spices, beans and tomatoes. Plus a secret ingredient that makes this homemade chili the best ever!

I love making chili recipes in the slow cooker. As the chili simmers all day, the flavors meld together and you end up with a rich, full-flavored chili.

You also can’t beat the convenience of slow cooker recipes, since you get all of the prep work done ahead of time! In the evening all that’s left to do is serve your slow cooker chili, with your favorite toppings.

This slow cooker beef chili recipe is delicious served with my easy one bowl cornbread recipe or tortilla chips for scooping. A simple green salad is a healthy addition to the meal.

Slow Cooker Chili - Easy Crockpot Recipe! (2)

Slow Cooker Chili Ingredients

  • Olive Oil – The olive oil is for sautéing the onion before adding it to the slow cooker.
  • Onion and Garlic – These aromatic ingredients provide a base layer of flavor for your chili.
  • Ground Beef – I recommend lean ground beef for a leaner chili.
  • Bell Peppers – You can use any color bell peppers that you prefer. The bell peppers soften down as they cook and are hardly noticeable in the finished chili. Adding bell peppers is an easy way to sneak in extra veggies.
  • Blend of Spices and Seasonings, including chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, paprika, salt and pepper.
  • Brown Sugar – This is my secret ingredient for the best chili! The brown sugar balances out the acidity from the tomatoes and the spice from the spices. You’ll use just 1 teaspoon of sugar, so the chili won’t be too sweet.
  • Tomato Paste and Diced Tomatoes – The tomato paste helps to thicken the chili. I prefer to use fire roasted diced tomatoes because they add great flavor.
  • Beef Broth – You can substitute chicken broth if you prefer. I recommend using a low sodium broth so that you can control the amount of salt.
  • Beans – My favorite chili beans are kidney beans and black beans. Pinto beans are another good option.

How to Make Chili in the Slow Cooker

To make this easy chili recipe, you’ll start by sautéing onion in a large skillet on the stove. Once the onion starts to soften, add the ground beef to the pan. Cook the beef, crumbling it up, until it is browned.

Browning the beef before adding it to your slow cooker gives much better flavor to your chili. It also keeps your chili from being greasy and prevents the beef from clumping together.

Next you’ll add minced garlic to the beef and onion in the skillet and cook for just 30 seconds. You want to cook off the raw garlic flavor but want to be careful not to burn the garlic.

Transfer the onion, garlic and browned beef to your slow cooker. Then add the remaining chili ingredients, except for the beans, to your slow cooker. Stir until everything is well combined. Finally, stir in the beans. I like to wait and stir in the beans last so that they don’t get broken up as I stir the other ingredients together in the thick chili.

Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 6 to 8 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high. Then serve the chili with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Read more tips for how to use a slow cooker to make the best meals.

Slow Cooker Chili - Easy Crockpot Recipe! (3)

Chili Toppings

What toppings are best for chili is personal preference. Here are some ideas, and if you have another favorite chili topping leave a comment below.

  • Shredded cheese, such as cheddar, Monterey jack or pepper jack
  • Sour cream
  • Crushed tortilla chips
  • Chopped onion, such as red onion or green onion
  • Avocado
  • Jalapeño
  • Tomatoes
  • Fresh cilantro
  • A squeeze of fresh lime juice

Tips for this Slow Cooker Chili Recipe

  • You can use ground turkey in place of the ground beef for a leaner chili.
  • You can add more vegetables to this chili recipe. Try finely chopped carrot, small cubes of sweet potato, chopped zucchini, celery or corn.
  • If you can’t find fire roasted diced tomatoes, you can substitute regular diced tomatoes or fire roasted crushed tomatoes.
  • If you want to make chili in your Instant Pot, try my Instant Pot Chili recipe.

Slow Cooker Chili - Easy Crockpot Recipe! (4)

More Slow Cooker Chili Recipes

  • Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
  • Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
  • Slow Cooker Turkey Chickpea Chili
  • Slow Cooker Chili Mac

Slow Cooker Chili - Easy Crockpot Recipe! (5)

4.88 from 8 ratings

Slow Cooker Chili

Servings: 6 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 6 hours hrs

Total Time: 6 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Slow Cooker Chili is easy to make and full of flavor. This is the perfect crockpot meal for family dinners or for feeding a crowd!

Print Recipe Leave a Review Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 pound lean ground beef, or ground turkey
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 bell peppers, red, yellow or orange, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder, see note
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 6 ounce can tomato paste
  • 1 cup low sodium beef broth, or chicken broth
  • 28 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • 15 ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the onion to the pan and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.

  • Add the ground beef in the pan and cook until browned, crumbling with a spoon or spatula.

  • Add the garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow cooker.

  • Add the bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, tomato paste, broth and diced tomatoes to the slow cooker. Stir.

  • Gently stir in the kidney beans and black beans.

  • Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.

  • Serve chili with toppings as desired.

Notes

  • If you can't find fire roasted diced tomatoes, regular diced tomatoes will also work. You can also substitute crushed tomatoes for the diced tomatoes.
  • I make this recipe using mild chili powder, and the chili is mildly spicy. If your chili powder is hot, you may want to reduce the amount.

Serving: 1.5cups, Calories: 346kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 47mg, Sodium: 1441mg, Potassium: 1255mg, Fiber: 14g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 3349IU, Vitamin C: 64mg, Calcium: 146mg, Iron: 7mg

Nutrition information is an estimate.

Cuisine: Tex-Mex

Course: Main Course, Slow Cooker

Tried this recipe?Mention @kristines_kitchen on Instagram or tag #kristineskitchenblog.

This site contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Kristine's Kitchen!

Slow Cooker Chili - Easy Crockpot Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

How long can chili cook in slow cooker? ›

The Best Way to Cook Chili:

The low and slow cooking process melds the flavors of the chili seasoning into every bite and the beef becomes so tender, juicy, and irresistible. You can slow cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high heat for 3-4 hours.

What is the secret to really good chili? ›

Only Add Flavorful Liquids

Instead of adding water to your chili, add some more flavor with chicken or beef broth, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, or even beet or wine. Each one of these options brings out different notes and levels of sweetness that will enhance your culinary creation.

Can you put raw ground beef in a slow cooker? ›

Absolutely, which is why you should always adjust times and amounts as needed. Smaller amounts of slow cooker hamburger only need a few hours before they are done.

Is chili better in slow cooker? ›

Chili is perhaps the ideal slow-cooker dish because its flavor improves with a long, slow simmer. This makes a big batch, perfect for a cold-weather get-together, but if you're making it for a smaller group, the leftovers freeze well.

Can I leave chili in crockpot on low overnight? ›

Yes, but it would take a while. I have cooked this chili for 9 hours on low and it was delicious but ever-so-slightly burnt on the top. The tomatoes contain sugar, which caramelizes in the slow cooker, and will eventually burn if it cookes for too long. Anything longer than 10 hours on low is risky.

Is 4 hours long enough for chili? ›

How long can you leave chili in a crockpot on low? I have left it for as long as 4 hours during an extended chili cook-off. It was a bit thicker, but it was still delicious — at least the person who got the last bit of chili out of the crock-pot said so.

What not to put in chili? ›

Beans and non-vegetable fillers such as rice and pasta are not allowed." If that sounds a bit uptight, the ICS's Homestyle Chili competition defines chili as: "any kind of meat, or combination of meats, and/or vegetables cooked with beans, chili peppers, various spices, and other ingredients.

What adds the most flavor to chili? ›

If you want more of a smoky flavor, add cumin, Spanish paprika, ancho chili powder, or a combination. If you are looking for more heat, add cayenne, crushed red pepper, or Hungarian paprika. If it's too spicy add a little brown sugar and some sweet paprika.

What is the most important spice in chili? ›

Most Common Chili Spices. Cumin, Chile Powders, and Paprika are the most common spices in chili followed by garlic, onion, coriander, Mexican oregano, and bay leaves. These ingredients can be combined to create a savory and well-balanced pot of top notch comfort food.

What happens if you don't brown meat for chili? ›

For those with this question in the future, the answer summed up: browning adds more flavor. Not browning the beef beforehand results in greasy chili and boiled mushy yucky beef.

Why is my ground beef still pink in the crockpot? ›

Ground beef can be pink inside after it is safely cooked. The pink color can be due to a reaction between the oven heat and myoglobin, which causes a red or pink color. It can also occur when vegetables containing nitrites are cooked along with the meat.

Do I have to brown meat for chili? ›

Raw meat and pot of chili are two things that just don't belong together. If the recipe includes any type of ground meat, bacon, chorizo, or cubes of beef, it should always be browned first. Try this: The first order of business before adding anything else to the pot is to brown any meat in your recipe.

Why does my crockpot chili taste bland? ›

Insufficient seasoning, such as chili powder, cumin, paprika, and salt, can lead to bland chili. Chili relies on a combination of spices and seasonings for its distinctive flavor. Be sure to taste your chili during the cooking process and adjust the seasonings as needed.

Do you drain kidney beans for chili? ›

You'll want to drain the kidney beans, but rinsing them is optional. Doing so will reduce the amount of sodium that gets carried into the dish. I choose to let mine sit in the strainer for awhile, but I don't rinse them.

What kind of onion for chili? ›

Sweet onions are great for caramelizing due to their higher sugar content. You can cook them into your chili, serve them raw over top, or even elevate your chili with a sophisticated caramelized onion topping! Some of my favorite sweet onions are Walla, Walla, Maui, and Vidalia Onions.

Can you leave chili in the crockpot for 12 hours? ›

The general rule of thumb is that 2-4 hours is the maximum length of time you can leave food in a slow cooker on warm. After this, it needs to be cooled and transferred into the refrigerator.

Can I slow cook chili all day? ›

Cook the chili.

Letting it cook in the slow cooker all day allows all the flavors to deepen and combine. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

Can I slow cook for 15 hours? ›

Yes, if you use them correctly. The slow cooker cooks foods slowly at a low temperature, generally between 170 and 280 degrees F, over several hours.

Can you cook chili for 6 hours? ›

Add the garlic, yellow onion, tomatoes with juices, chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, cornmeal and stock to the slow cooker and stir to blend. Cover and cook for 6 hours on low according to the manufacturer's instructions. Skim the fat off the surface of the chili.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Tyson Zemlak

Last Updated:

Views: 5571

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (43 voted)

Reviews: 90% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Tyson Zemlak

Birthday: 1992-03-17

Address: Apt. 662 96191 Quigley Dam, Kubview, MA 42013

Phone: +441678032891

Job: Community-Services Orchestrator

Hobby: Coffee roasting, Calligraphy, Metalworking, Fashion, Vehicle restoration, Shopping, Photography

Introduction: My name is Tyson Zemlak, I am a excited, light, sparkling, super, open, fair, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.