Easy Slow Cooker Chili
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
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!
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!!
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.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
I make a lot of chili, plus I was an executive Chef by trade. This is the best chili I have ever made. Good blend of flavors and spices, not overpowering in any one category.
Made this last night with my boyfriend, all we did differently was add a packet of chili seasoning. For our first time making chili we think its pretty damn good !!
Made this today smell amazing but have a nasty vinegary taste anything I can add to get rid of it
Try to use water instead of the beef stock. This may help. I also like to use light beer instead of water or beef stock. Tastes amazing!
Very good, the only change I made was 2 teaspoons of Cumin instead of 1-1/2 tsp
This recipe was AMAZING, my son LOVED IT my coworkers LOVED IT and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!!
Rave reviews! That’s awesome. Thanks, Kyss!
This was so easy to make and very delicious, thanks!
You are so welcome, Jill! Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
How much salt/pepper do you recommend for this recipe? I know the recipe and many others say to use salt and pepper to taste, but being an inexperienced cook, I am looking for some kind of baseline and then I know I can add more.
Love every recipe I’ve tried so far!
Thanks!
You have my 5 stars….This dish is looking to good to be true…yamy yamy
“DAMNED DELICIOUS” MY MOUTH IS WATERING. You have such great recipes, and I love them, and again you are a cutie..
Dang I would love to come home to this!! Big fan of slow cooker recipes! (:
ME TOO, i LOVE A GOOD CHILI!!!!
I have made this recipe on many occasions but would suggest that you use diced beef instead of minced beef – delicious!
Why be so negative, this lady is a good cook, but good for your input. I buy my 90% beef (ground) and I make ii to my way of cooking!!!!!!
Great easy, simple recipe. A few things I changed, I used 90% lean ground beef and didn’t drain the juices before adding onion and garlic, instead of black beans I used pinto, and towards the last hour of cooking I added half a can of sweet corn.