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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I’ve made this chili twice and was delicious both times! The 2nd time I had no poblano, but instead threw in a jalapeno and a green pepper. Both times I added frozen corn and a bit of cinnamon. Perfection! I’m happy I finally have a go-to chili recipe… I think I’ll actually make this again tonight!
This is the absolute best chili recipe I’ve found. It’s a perfect blend of spices, not to hot but just right. I add a little more crushed tomatoes so it’s more like a soupy chili. It tastes and looks just like Wendy’s chili.
This turned out so delicious! Probably the best I’ve ever made. Would you have the nutrition information on it? I’d like to add it to my Noon app.
Hi Marie! Nutritional information is provided only for select recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, we recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”). Hope that helps!
Can I substitute a can of diced green chilies instead of thenpoblano pepper??
Sure! 🙂
Do the tomatoes need to be drained?
No, they do not. 🙂
Made this on Halloween for a party of parents of trick or treaters…. complete hit. Everyone raved about it. Best chili I’ve ever made- gonna be my new go-to. Damn Delicious does it again, my favorite food site, because it can always be counted on. Thank you!
Very good result. I tend towards the even easier side of using slow cookers (dump everything in and forget about it), but if the finished product is this good I’m willing to put in the effort every few weeks. For anyone else who is looking to ditch the ground beef, know that you can literally replace it with turkey without changing anything else. It tastes great with the beef broth and everything else exactly as the recipe specifies.
This recipe is very easy and delicious…one little secret is instead of black beans, i use a can of bourbon and brown sugar baked beans…gives it a nice sweet and spicey taste
I’ll be making this for dinner this week!
Do any of the canned things need to be drained?
Yes. 🙂
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.