Easy Slow Cooker Chili
by Chungah
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
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?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
I’ve been on a batch cooking bonanza today and this chilli recipe has been bubbling away since this morning. I’ve just portioned it out ready for the freezer and I couldn’t help but put some aside to eat now! I’ve made a lot of slow cooker chilli recipes over the week and this one is by far the best! I’ve been trying to work out why it tastes so good and I have a feeling it may be the oregano. I’m sure I’ll be making this time and time again 🙂
I am currently making as I write this. Its been on high for about an hour and my apt is smelling Yummy! I added 4 fresh Jalapeno seeds and all and diced some celery along with all the other ingridients. Oh I also added a jar of chili sauce. I think homemade fresh cut french fries and a little cheese on top sounds like a good start! Followed by a Chili dog! Um Um!!!!! I can not wait!!!!!!
Making it as we speak! Hope it turns out ok
First of all – thank you so much for your recipes! I love this blog and have been using your recipes as I learn to cook 🙂 I loved this chili so much – and I appreciate you putting “to taste” in spices because, I use a lot! haha I had a budweiser in the fridge that i used (half bud, half beef stock) and this came out sooo good. What kind of hot sauce does everyone use? I had a tamarind ghost pepper sauce
Just made this today, saved this recipe for a cold snowy Sunday. Also happens to be the Super Bowl. TIMING!!?? This chili is thick and robust with some heat. I did add a jalapeño for that zesty kick and I’m glad I did. I also added some tomato sauce for some extra depth. I was not disappointed. Cooked low and slow and filled my apartment with the most amazing smell. Garnished with some green onion, sour cream and cheddar cheese. Bowl of corn chips on the side for some crunch. This recipe did not disappoint, will be my go to chili recipe now. This recipe did make alot so I put the rest in some Tupperware and popped them into the freezer!!
I love this recipe a lot and make it quite often. I like the selection of spices which are just the right amount. I like to season my ground beef while browning for a better flavor. While I do not add any beans, I do add a can of Rotel and 3 Tablespoons of Louisiana Hot Sauce. What I really like is I always have all of these ingredients on hand. Great recipe, thank you!
Excellent chili! It took me a little more time to make than 20 minutes but it was really good! The combination of spices is excellent. I used the green tabasco for hot sauce; probably should have used the red for a little more heat. This is my go to recipe for chili.
This crockpot chili recipe is the bomb. I cook it the same way everytime . Always in a rush so I do 5 hours on max temperature.
So listen! I have made this my go to chili recipe! I made it for the first time when I was in Texas and have made it twice since I’ve been in Washington and actually am making it again today as I type. It’s so freaking delicious!!!! I use more seasoning because I like my food flavorful but it still comes out bomb as ever! Thank you to OP for sharing this gem with the world!!!
Coming back to say that I am so glad it’s getting cooler in Illinois, I have been dying to make this since I got here! Activate comfort food! This is the fifth year I will be cooking this and I cannot wait to dig in tomorrow once’s it’s done!
I made this chili and I can’t tell you how pleased I am with it. About a month ago I made crock pot chili from another online recipe and it contained tomato sauce and a little sugar. This recipe was by far more authentic w/o these two ingredients and I love the smoky flavor. The only thing I changed was that I used fresh tomatoes because I can taste the can tomatoes if I use them. I know, call me extra picky, lol. I blanched the tomatoes, then diced them. It came out amazing and I love the addition of the Frito chips! Thank you so much!! This was perfect for a cold South Florida day (in the 50’s lol).
Tasted really good! Made some slight changes from the original recipe. I used ground turkey instead of beef, and since I didn’t have beef stock I ended up just using a larger can of crushed tomatoes. To prevent it from being too spicy, I also didn’t add the poblano chili and just used about 1 tablespoon instead of 3 of the chili powder. I was short on time so put the slow cooker on high heat for 3 hours instead of 5-6. Overall, still turned out great!
I trying this recipe today.. I wanted to try a new recipe, I’ve made the same chile for years.. I’ll let you know how it turns out..
I have always made chili in the crockpot with my original family recipe and was complacent. Then I tried this recipe, followed it exactly and BOOM! This recipe is awesome!
What are the nutrition facts for this recipe?
Wow. All kinds of wow factor here! This is truly a great chili recipe! It is simple, easy to prepare and tastes excellent! This is one of the few that I followed from start to finish, without adding or omitting any of the posted ingredients/steps. FANTASTIC! Very highly recommended, with room to add heat too as it is a moderate level of hot, but very, very tasty. Will do this one again!
excellent!! best ever chili.
The recipe says it comes out to 2 1/2 quarts. If I double it will it fit in a 5 quart slow cooker? (I am asking because your directions say to put in a 6 quart slow cooker, but the recipe says it only makes 2 1/12 quarts of chili). I need to make this for a large group so definitely need to double, just want to make sure it will fit in my slow cooker if I do.
Thanks for what looks like a great recipe!! Can’t wait to try it!!!
Did it fit in a 5 quart doubled? I have to feed 23 people on Sunday, so I’m trying to decide how much to make and that will help me decide. 🙂
Can I make this in a pot if I don’t have a slow cooker/ crockpot?
Can this be over cooked? I’m going to be gone for 81/2 to 9 hours. If I keep it on low will it be okay?
Made it this morning and set it on low for 9.5 hours. It is super yummy!
Easy and it taste amazing