Easy Slow Cooker Chili
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Come home to the best homemade chili! It’s an amazingly hearty, cozy beef chili that cooks low and slow for 8 hrs in the crockpot!
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Outstanding! Made this tonight and my family loved it. My picky husband even went back for thirds. I added a jalapeño and a 28oz can of crushed tomatoes in place of the diced tomatoes (my husband doesn’t like them) and the flavor was so good. Served it up with green onions, cheese and sour cream with a side of corn bread. Will put this in the rotation this Winter. Thank you for the recipes Chungah!!
reasons to make slow cooker chili
- Crowd-favorite. Chili is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, great for big crowds and family gatherings, tailgating, and game day. And the leftovers taste even better the next day, and the day after that.
- True dump-and-go recipe. All the ingredients get thrown right in the crockpot, letting the flavors fully meld and deepen for 7-8 hours on low heat.
- For all the corn chips. A big pot of chili is the most perfect excuse to open up a bag of corn chips for topping or snacking.
tips and tricks for success
- Lean ground beef is ideal. The best ground beef has some fat – 80/20 or 85/15 are both great options. Extra lean meats can be drier (and blander).
- Brown the meat first. Browning beforehand is key, deepening its rich, meaty taste.
- Use a blend of beans. Using different beans will add contrasting textures and flavors. Using a blend of pinto beans, kidney beans, and black beans offers even more variety whereas cannellini beans and kidney beans will be slightly milder.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your chili. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety.
- Add garnishes. Garnishes are always optional but a fresh sprinkle of green onions or some corn chips will certainly take your chili to the next level, adding more flavor, texture and contrast.
what to serve with slow cooker chili
Easy Slow Cooker Chili: Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use ground beef?
Not at all! Ground pork or ground turkey can be used instead of ground beef.
How can I store leftovers?
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Is this freezer-friendly?
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop.
Can I make this in the Instant Pot?
Absolutely! We have a recipe for that here.
Easy Slow Cooker Chili
Come home to the best homemade chili! It’s an amazingly hearty, cozy beef chili that cooks low and slow for 8 hrs in the crockpot!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 1 poblano chili, minced
- 2 ½ cups beef stock
- 1 (16-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (16-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, optional
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup corn chips
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Stir in garlic, onion and chili powder until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Place ground beef mixture into a 6-qt slow cooker. Stir in beef stock, kidney beans, black beans, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chili powder, paprika, oregano, cumin and hot sauce; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 5-6 hours.
- Serve immediately, garnished with sour cream, green onions and corn chips, if desired.
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Can you use beef broth instead of stock? Just realized I bought broth this morning as I’m making this.
Does the poblano chili make this recipe spicy? Wondering if it will be too much for my two toddlers.
So grateful for this delicious recipe! Have made it countless times since Helene devastated so many places around me / sometimes I wish I could grab a bowl for myself before I give it to others ..,thank you – easy and yummy ❤️
Hi, is there a way to make this in a regular pot?
Outstanding! Made this tonight and my family loved it. My picky husband even went back for thirds. I added a jalapeño and a 28oz can of crushed tomatoes in place of the diced tomatoes (my husband doesn’t like them) and the flavor was so good. Served it up with green onions, cheese and sour cream with a side of corn bread. Will put this in the rotation this Winter. Thank you for the recipes Chungah!!
Made this two nights ago for just the 2 of us. We ate it both nights. We are having it as a side dish tonight. Hubby wants to finish it up this weekend! It’s really good.
Instead of 2 lbs of hamburger, I used 1lb each hamburger and 1lb ground pork. So good!
Sounds amazing, Autumn!
any advice for freezing this?
Awesome aroma and amazing taste. I actually used impossible beef and my husband enjoyed it! He doesn’t like that fake meat but with the blend of spices and tomatoes, this was a hit! It will be on rotation in the fall/ winter!
This is hands down, my family’s favorite chili recipe. We tweaked it to fit us, and never looked back. Just wanted to say Hi, and Thanks 🙂
Like others, I’ve made this chili about 10 times. Absolutely love it and it always goes over well with company+family.
It’s also such a quick and easy recipe that allows room for tinkering/adjusting flavors to each owns specific tastes. Highly recommend and will continue to go back to this recipe.
Personally, I use more then the recommended ground beef, onions, and hot sauce. I’ve added mushrooms on occasion but that depends on who will be eating the chili.
Do you need to wash the beans prior to putting them in the crockpot?
This is my like my tenth time making this chili. It’s my go to favourite recipe for a hearty dinner on a cold Canadian night. I made some tweaks to make it a bit more spicy and just l love it. I added a dash of more chili powder and a table spoon of sriracha sauce. Thanks so much for making this receipe easy and awesome!!!!
I hadn’t made chili in a long time (much to my husband’s dismay), before I never liked any that I made. In desperate need of a slow cooker recipe, I gave this one a whirl. We all loved it!! Flavorful, with a great texture; this recipe is a winner!
I made this, and used2 cans black beans and 3 pounds 90/10 ground beef, and extra chili powder, and extra cumin. I added spices to my taste . DELICIOUS !!!
Now added to my top 10 favorite dishes !!
Followed the recipe and it was great. If your crew likes heat, it can use a little more, but as-is, it was very flavorful. As others commented – leaving the lid off the slow cooker for a bit to make for a less watery end result works great. I would also say – if you are looking for less meat, i would guess you can change the ratio of meat/beans pretty easily. Am planning to share this with a few friends.
Made it a few weeks ago and it was a hit with the whole family. And made so much! Here I am getting the recipe to make it again on a cold Texas night.
Soooooo good! Ive been using this recipe for a coupple years, i use two cans of fire roasted rotel diced tomatoes and add a small can of diced jalapenos also! Best chili ever!
Easy as can be….and delicious. First time I did chili in a slow cooker. and it was great.
So easy and so good!
This is my go to chili recipe!!! I’ve made it so many times now and keep surprising myself with how good it comes out.