Easy Slow Cooker Chili
by Chungah
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This slow cooker chili is so easy, cooked low and slow for 8 hrs. Simply set and forget, and come home to the coziest, flavor-packed chili.
Featured Comment
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!!
Why you’ll love this slow cooker chili
- Crowd-favorite. Chili is simply a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, great for big crowds and family gatherings, tailgating, or game day. And the leftovers taste even better the next day, and the day after that.
- True set-and-forget recipe. All the ingredients get thrown right in the slow cooker, really letting the flavors fully meld and marry for 7-8 hours on low heat. Set it in the morning and come home to the coziest chili for the entire family.
- Budget-friendly. Homemade chili is incredibly affordable and a great budget meal, relying on inexpensive shelf-stable pantry staples such as canned beans and tomatoes. You can also portion and freeze the leftovers up to 3 months, perfect for a rainy day.
- 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.
How to make slow cooker chili
- Brown the meat. Crumble the ground beef in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat, draining off any excess fat and grease. Stir in the garlic, onion, and poblano chili until tender, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add to slow cooker. Transfer the mixture to a 6-qt slow cooker and stir in the remaining ingredients – beef stock, kidney beans, black beans, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chili powder, paprika, oregano, cumin, hot sauce, salt, and pepper.
- Cook. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 5-6 hours.
- Garnish and serve. Garnish with sour cream, corn chips, and green onions, and serve warm.
chili toppings
Chili is incredibly customizable! Feel free to add in some of your favorite toppings below.
- Dollop of sour cream, plain Greek yogurt or Mexican crema
- Shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese
- Corn chips or crushed tortilla chips
- Fresh or pickled jalapeño slices
- Diced red onion or sliced green onions
what to serve with slow cooker chili
Tools For This Recipe
Easy Slow Cooker Chili: Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use ground beef?
Not at all! It is very common to use different types of meat, or even use a combination of ground beef with Italian sausage for a richer flavor. You can also stretch the meat and substitute a portion (or all) of the ground beef with inexpensive cuts such as ground turkey or ground chicken.
Do I have to brown the meat first?
For the best flavor and texture, yes, it is highly recommended to brown the meat before adding to the slow cooker. This will build a much deeper flavor base rather than having steamed meat in the slow cooker.
How can I store leftovers?
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, reheating gently on the stovetop over medium heat until warmed through.
Is this freezer-friendly?
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers in individual freezer bags, thawing overnight and reheating gently on the stovetop.
Can I make this in the Instant Pot?
Absolutely! You can try the Instant Pot recipe here.
Easy Slow Cooker Chili
This slow cooker chili is so easy, cooked low and slow for 8 hrs. Simply set and forget, and come home to the coziest, flavor-packed chili.
Video
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
- 1 cup corn chips
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
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 poblano chili until tender, about 2-3 minutes.
- 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, corn chips and green onions, if desired.
Equipment
Notes
- Lean ground beef is ideal. The best ground beef has some fat – 80/20 or 85/15 are both excellent options, ensuring that the meat stays juicy and tender during the long cook time. 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.
- Freeze in individual servings. This will allow for faster, consistent thawing overnight and give you perfectly portioned grab-and-go meals for the busy week.
Did you make this recipe?
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Easy enuf recipe that even if you alter or, don’t measure (me). It’s a good one.
Seriously so good! My go to chili recipe and every time it turns out amazing. Everyone who tries it loves it! I add a little tomato paste and a little more seasoning. Delicious!!! Thank you!
Thank you for this recipe. I’ve made it several times and it’s delicious! The perfect combination of spices. The excellent freezer-ability for meal prep. The whole family loves it!
I do love this website as I find very good recipes. A couple of comments: My wife and I prefer a more juicy chili so I found it necessary to add an additional cup of broth. This requires adjusting the seasoning. My second comment relates to the recipe itself. I can never find a recipe where ingredients and instructions match up. For example, with this recipe it states: Stir in garlic, onion and chili powder until fragrant, about 1 minute. Further down it again says add the chili powder. The question is when do you add the poblano pepper? Sorry to be picky but I find such mistakes in nearly every recipe I pull up on the web.
I’ve been making this for 2 years now probably a dozen times. It’s perfect and I double the recipe so I have leftovers the family eats for days!
It is fabulous. Have made many, many chili recipes and this one is simply the best. Thank you so much for a great recipe, and I cook alot!
Love this recipe! I only use this one when making chili
I made this with ground veal and it was delicious. I would not change a thing. I don’t think I have made a recipe from your website that we haven’t liked.
What do I do with the poblano?!
I’ve made this recipe several times in the past. When I started to make it again today, I was surprised to see a change in the directions in Step 2. The previous directions stated, in Step 2, to add the onion, garlic, and the poblano pepper to the ground beef (so that’s what you do with the poblano), you don’t add the chili powder at that time, and then to cook it for 6 minutes until the onion, poblano pepper, and garlic are soft. The chili powder is added later to the slow cooker after you’ve transferred the meat to it, along with the other spices.
I don’t know why it was changed, or whether or not an error was made, but since I always loved this recipe with the previous directions, I’m sticking to those.
Can you use beef broth instead of stock? Just realized I bought broth this morning as I’m making this.
I imagine this is too late, but beef broth and beef stock are the same thing, or as nearly the same thing as to make no difference.
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?