Slow Cooker Chili
Try our easy crock pot chili recipe for the ultimate comfort food! It’s loaded with hearty ingredients like ground beef, beans, and spices.
Looking for family dinner recipes? Check out this slow cooker chili recipe! It's one of the best easy chili recipes for a cozy meal, perfect for a family dinner or even just dinner for two. The low and slow cooking method brings out all the delicious flavors!
This crockpot chili recipe is a classic that never gets old. It's easy to make, delicious, and satisfying. It pairs perfectly with cornbread, cheese, sour cream, or any toppings you enjoy. You can also serve it over a baked potato or use it for chili hot dogs!
What you need
For this kid-friendly chili recipe, you'll only need a few ingredients plus some seasonings to make an easy family dinner.
- ground beef: Use ground turkey or chicken for a leaner chili instead of ground beef.
- crushed tomatoes: If you like a chunky tomato chili, use one can of crushed tomatoes and one can of diced tomatoes. You can also use tomato sauce if you prefer no chunks.
- green chilis
- red kidney beans: Use any kind of bean you prefer. Besides kidney beans, black beans and pinto beans are great chili choices.
- spices: Chili powder, cumin, onion powder smoked paprika. We made this recipe for picky eaters but you can use a medium diced onion instead of onion powder. Brown the onions in the skillet with the meat before transferring to the slow cooker.
- toppings: This chili is delicious on its own, but you can make it taste even better by topping a bowl with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheddar, cheese, diced green onion, avocado, jalapeños, fresh cilantro, corn tortilla chips, hot sauce, and green bell pepper.
How to make the best crockpot chili recipe
Step 1
Brown the ground beef in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Drain any excess fat.
Transfer the browned ground beef plus the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
Step 2
Place the lid onto the slow cooker and set it to LOW for 4-6 hours.
Once the time is up, stir the mixture. Taste it to adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper if needed.
Amy's Tip
If the chili is too thick, add ½ cup of water or beef broth to thin it out. If it's too soupy, use a measuring cup to remove some of the extra liquid and stir it well. The chili will thicken as it sits.
How to Store
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
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Slow Cooker Chili
EQUIPMENT
INGREDIENTS
- 2 lbs. ground beef (or ground turkey)
- 1 ( 7 oz.) can diced green chilis
- 2 (15 oz.) cans dark red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 (15 oz.) can light red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
- 2 (14 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups water (or beef stock)
Seasonings
- 3 tablespoons chili powder (hold back 1 tablespoon if you want a less spicy chili)
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Optional Toppings
- sour cream
- shredded cheese
- sliced green onions
- sliced jalapeños
INSTRUCTIONS
- Brown the ground beef in a large skillet on the stovetop. Drain excess fat. Transfer the beef to the insert of the slow cooker.
- Stir in the green chilis, beans, crushed tomatoes, water and seasonings. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.
- Serve topped with sour cream, shredded cheese, diced green onions and/or jalapeños.
Nutrition
Common questions
While you can put raw ground beef in a slow cooker, browning it beforehand gives the meat a much better texture in the final product.
Browning will develop the beef's flavor, and you can drain off excess fat before adding the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker.
Chili cooked slowly is more flavorful because the slow cooking process helps draw out the flavors from the seasonings.
Once the chili has finished cooking, you can keep it in the slow cooker on the WARM setting for up to 6 hours.
Most slow cooker models have a feature that automatically changes the setting from LOW to WARM when the cooking time is up, but if yours doesn't, you will need to manually turn the temperature down to WARM when the cooking time is up.