A big cozy bowl of slow cooker chili is the ultimate comfort food. It’s so hearty, and thanks to simmering the chili for hours in the slow cooker, you end up with a tender dish with rich and robust flavors. Chili is one of my favorite things to make when feeding a crowd or on busy days, as the crockpot does all of the work for you.
Even better, this chili freezes wonderfully so that you can have this filling, delicious, flavorful dish ready to go on another busy day. It is a recipe that the whole family loves, and you can add all sorts of toppings to it, so everyone is happy. Want an easy side dish to go with your chili? Try my garlic bread recipe, breadstick recipe, or cornbread recipe!
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Beef — use good quality ground beef for the best flavor. I recommend using leaner ground beef as it avoids having to drain any extra grease.
Aromatics — don’t skip the onion and garlic! They add a ton of flavor to the chili. Use freshly minced garlic when possible instead of jarred pre-minced garlic.
Bell pepper — I use green bell pepper, but you can also use red bell pepper, orange, or yellow bell pepper.
Kidney beans — I like using kidney beans as the firmness of the skin of the kidney bean holds up very well as they cook in the slow cooker.
Diced tomatoes — I use regular diced tomatoes, but you can also use fire-roasted diced tomatoes for a smokier chili.
Tomato sauce — this slow cooker chili uses tomato sauce and not tomato paste. Make sure you are grabbing the right ingredient!
Beef broth — beef broth adds more flavor to the base of the chili. Don’t use water!
Spices — always check that your spices are fresh for the best flavor. If your chili powder, cumin, and dried oregano are old, they’ll be stale, and so will your chili.
How to Make Slow Cooker Chili
1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic until beef is browned, about 6 minutes. Drain the beef mixture.
2. Transfer the drained beef mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker.
3. Add the beans to the slow cooker.
4. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Cover the slow cooker and cook the chili on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. Serve the crockpot chili topped with sour cream, cheese, and green onions or any desired toppings.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- This crockpot chili recipe uses kidney beans, but you can use other canned beans as well, such as navy beans, white beans, or black beans.
- While this chili is delicious with ground beef, you can also use ground turkey, chicken, or pork.
- Toppings are always a great way to change up the slow cooker chili! Some of my other favorite toppings include sliced avocado, Frito chips, tortilla strips, cilantro, sliced jalapeño, crumbled queso fresco, diced red onion, and oyster crackers. Have fun with it!
- I find that the longer the chili simmers on low, the more tender the beef becomes. Cooking it low and slow will give the chili more time to develop a deeper flavor and make it melt in your mouth.
- Avoid opening the slow cooker’s lid while your chili is still cooking. Opening the lid releases the built-up heat, requiring extra time to rebuild the lost heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Once the chili has cooled to room temperature, transfer it into an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Chili freezes wonderfully! After you finish cooking the chili in the slow cooker, give it time to cool to room temperature. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months.
If you want a thicker chili, you can open the lid and continue to cook to allow some of the liquid to evaporate. You can also make a cornstarch slurry to add to the chili near the end. To make a slurry, mix together equal amounts of water and cornstarch. Around 1 to 2 tablespoons will be enough. However, remember that chili tends to thicken a bit as it starts cooling, so don’t add too much slurry.
Yes, you can put raw ground beef into the crockpot, but I recommend browning the beef and aromatics before adding them to the slow cooker. Browning the meat in advance will produce a richer flavor and color of the finished chili. Make sure you use a large enough pan for browning the beef, as you want the beef to brown and not steam.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Slow Cooker Chili recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Slow Cooker Chili
Video
Equipment
- Large skillet
- 6-quart crockpot
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef (900g)
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 (15.5-ounce/439g) canned kidney beans
- 2 (14.5-ounce/400g) canned diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 (28-ounce/794g) can tomato sauce
- ½ cup beef broth (120mL)
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic until beef is browned, about 6 minutes. Drain the beef mixture.
- Transfer the drained beef mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker, and add the beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir well.
- Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. Serve topped with sour cream, cheese, and green onions or any desired toppings. The chili can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
- This crockpot chili recipe uses kidney beans, but you can use other canned beans as well, such as navy beans, white beans, or black beans.
- While this chili is delicious with ground beef, you can also use ground turkey, chicken, or pork.
- Toppings are always a great way to change up the chili! Some of my other favorite toppings include sliced avocado, Frito chips, tortilla strips, cilantro, sliced jalapeño, crumbled queso fresco, diced red onion, and oyster crackers. Have fun with it!
- I find that the longer the chili simmers on low, the more tender the beef becomes. Cooking it low and slow will give the chili more time to develop a deeper flavor and make it melt in your mouth.
- Avoid opening the slow cooker’s lid while your chili is still cooking. Opening the lid releases the built-up heat, requiring extra time to rebuild the lost heat.
