An easy slow cooker chili recipe with Ground Beef, beans, tomato sauce, and the best homemade chili seasoning. It putters away in the slow cooker for the juiciest beef and rich flavor.
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The Best Way to Cook Chili:
Slow Cooking chili is a classic way to cook chili. It’s the easiest chili because you can set it and forget it and this is how the award-winning chilis are achieved. The low and slow cooking process melds the flavors of the chili seasoning into every bite and the beef becomes so tender, juicy, and irresistible. You can slow cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high heat for 3-4 hours.
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Chili:
- Ground Beef – no other protein does it quite like beef and tastes amazing. We use lean (85/15) to eliminate the need to spoon out excess fat. If yours has a higher fat content, you can spoon out the excess fat when it renders in the skillet.
- Onion – we love a generous amount of onion because it adds amazing sweet notes to the chili and disappears into the chili as it slow cooks.
- Beans – you can change up the beans based on what you have on hand, but the classic beans for chili are kidney beans (we love dark red), and black beans. Be sure to rinse and drain the beans in a colander for the best chili consistency and color.
- Tomatoes & Tomato Sauce – We love the combination of canned diced tomatoes (with their juice) as well as tomato sauce to give the chili a saucy consistency with great texture. For added flavor, we add a can of diced tomatoes and green chilis.
- Chili Seasoning – we make a simple homemade blend with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper.
Do you Prefer a Spicy Chili?
To keep it kid-friendly, this classic chili is mild and not spicy. If you prefer a spicy chili, you can either add hot sauce to your bowl when serving or if you want the entire batch to be spicier, add an extra tablespoon of Chili Powder and 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of Cayenne Pepper to give it a spicy kick.
How to Make Slow Cooker Chili:
Making chili in the slow cooker doesn’t get any easier. It’s as simple as browning the beef and onions then adding all of the canned ingredients to the slow cooker and turning it on. If you have a multicooker with a slow cooker function, you can saute and slow cook all in the same pot.
- SAUTE the beef and onions in a skillet, then add garlic and seasonings to the pan. I like to start lighter on the salt and add more to taste since canned beans and tomato products can vary in their salt content. You can always add more to taste at the end, so don’t overdo it.
- TRANSFER the beef mixture to a 6 Qt Slow Cooker.
- ADD REMAINING INGREDIENTS – rinsed and drained beans, diced tomatoes with their juice and tomato sauce.
- SLOW COOK – cover and set slow cooker on low 6-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours then season more to taste if needed.
Our Favorite Chili Toppings:
We love to serve this family-style where everyone can build their own chili bowls with the toppings they love. Toppings can vary based on what we have in the fridge, but these are our favorite toppings for chili:
- Cheese – mild cheddar is the classic choice, but Mexican shredded cheese works equally well
- Onion – chopped green or red onion adds a fresh pop of color and flavor
- Avocado – because we can’t help putting avocado on everything, especially chili.
- Cilantro – for garnish and adding fresh flavor
- Sour cream – balances the dish (especially great when chili is served over a baked potato)
- Sliced jalapenos – you can use any hot pepper for a spicy kick
How to Serve Chili:
Chili keeps really well in the refrigerator so we love to get creative with leftovers. There are so many ways to serve classic chili and really it can be served almost any time of day. Some of our favorites include:
- Chili Cheese Dip – Sprinkle chili with cheddar cheese and serve as an appetizer with tortilla chips.
- Chili Dogs – Top a hot dog with chili and shredded cheese to transform it into a chili cheese dog.
- Chili Stuffed Baked Potatoes – topping a baked potato with hot chili is a delicious gluten-free option and fun way to serve a crowd.
- In a Bowl – loaded with all of the toppings and tortilla chips or pita chips on the side (this is our family favorite)!
Why We Love This Family-Friendly Dinner:
With so many families juggling busy school and work schedules, weeknight dinners are one of my favorite times for my family to be together. It’s a great time to get kids in the kitchen and teach them through cooking. This slow-cooker beef chili is a great way to teach your children cooking skills. Children can learn:
- Food safety tips like washing hands after handling raw meat
- The importance of using separate plates and utensils for raw and ready to eat foods to prevent cross-contamination
- How to measure spices and weigh ingredients
If you let kids help with preparing the meal, they are more likely to enjoy eating it. It also makes for a memorable photo-op moment!
I know how much you all love easy crockpot recipes and I hope this hearty beef chili becomes a new favorite for you. Get the print-friendly recipe below for this Classic Slow Cooker Beef Chili.
Classic Slow Cooker Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb lean Ground Beef, (85/15 fat content)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 30 oz diced tomatoes, with their juice
- 10 oz diced tomatoes and green chilis, with their juice
- 15 oz tomato sauce
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté beef until it releases fat (4-5 minutes), breaking it up with a spatula.
- Add onion to the skillet and sauté until tender (4-5 minutes). Add minced garlic and seasonings: cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt* and pepper. Cook another 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Transfer to a 6 Qt slow cooker.
- Add remaining ingredients into the slow cooker: rinsed and drained beans, diced tomatoes with their juice, diced tomatoes and green chilis with juice and tomato sauce. Stir to combine and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Season to taste if desired and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Beef Recipes You Will Love:
- Juicy Burgers – the secret to perfect burgers
- Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry – with the best sauce
- Quick Beef Chili – an easy 30-minute recipe
- Beef Stroganoff – classic and packed with flavor
- Beef Tenderloin – incredibly juicy and tender
- Easy Meatloaf – with the best glaze
I’m about to use this recipe over the weekend but on your ingredients list it says 10oz diced tomato and green chili with juice. Does that mean there’s a single can that comes with both tomatoes and green chilis in it?
Hi Erika, that is correct. We purchase canned diced tomatoes and green chilis at the grocery store.
I’ll be serving some who love heat/spice and some who don’t. Can I make the batch mild and then separate it and add the extra chili powder and cayenne pepper to half the cooked meat/beans at the end?
Hi Jennifer! I think that would work fine.
You can use Rotel . They have original or mild
Why do I need to sauté the beef and onion.. don’t they just cook in the slow cooker ? I don’t want to clean up another pan… I use the slow cooker for it to be simple to toss everything in a forget it . Can I skip the sautéing ?
Hi Sandra. I do not recommend skipping this part. This will give the meat good taste and texture from the caramelization, and it will prevent it from clumping up when you add it to the slow cooker. If you have a multicooker with a slow cooker function, you can saute and slow cook all in the same pot.
I’m excited to try but I only have a 4qt crock pot. Should that still work or do I need to half the ingredients?
Hi Dani, I have not tested it in a smaller slow cooker. One of my readers mentioned cutting the recipe in 1/2 for her 4 qt slow cooker, but I am not sure what her results were. Let us know if you experiment. Its. possible with your adjustments it may work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
So I decided to go for the full recipe in my 4qt and it still turned out pretty good! I will say, it was pretty full but I was able to stir it just fine. I did let it cook for an additional 1 to 2 hours since there was less room for everything to heat up.
This is THE chili recipe I use. I’ve made it several times. It’s sooo yummy and it makes so much I always freeze half of it and we have dinner ready for another night when I need something quick. My 16 month old loves it too! One question- it says there’s 340 calories in a serving, and that it serves 10, but it doesn’t tell how much a serving is?
Hi Jules! You can divide the whole recipe into it’s serving size which is 10 to get the most accurate per serving amount.
This may be a dumb question, but am I supposed to drain the fat before I add the onion and seasonings? Or do I drain the fat at any point? I just wasn’t sure.
Hi Shannon. We do not drain it.
I hope you love the recipe!
Can I double this recipe? If so, how should I adjust the cook time? Very excited to try this.
Yes that should work! The cooking time can remain the same but just check and stir occassionally.
Another hit! This was my first time trying this recipe, and it did not disappoint!! I did add some cocoa powder and a pinch of cinnamon as suggested by another reviewer, and it was delicious! Thank you Natasha for another great one. 😊
How much cocoa powder and cinnamon did you use?
Absolutely the best chili recipie I’ve ever used. Thanks for sharing it will be my go to recipe
I’m so happy to hear that!
This is delicious chili. Can you freeze any leftovers?
Hi Cathy, I’m so glad you love the recipe! I haven’t tested it with this recipe but generally, chili freezes well, so I think it would be fine.
This has been an excellent meal ever since I discovered it about three years ago. I use ground turkey instead of beef; otherwise, I do the recipe exactly as written.
I like my hot dog chili very thin. In south Carolina is served thin which I like don’t know how to cook unless slow cooker is answer. Please advise me
Hi Carolyn, you may cook it down more but also add less liquid to make it more thick. I hope that helps.
Just made a batch of it with brisket instead of hamburger. Came out great! I didn’t add the garlic cloves because..1. i didn’t pick any up at the store and 2. i don’t know how to mince a garlic clove. yeah, i coulda looked that up but making chili is a stretch in itself, for me.
Still came out great and look forward to freezing most of it for individual meals.
Eating some at this very moment. Thanks!
Todd you can make your life easier by buying a jar of minced garlic….great short cut.
I always have a large jar of minced garlic on hand. It’s a nice shortcut!
Toss in a couple TBSP of fish sauce…trust me.
I’ve seen several chili recipes online, but this is the one that I like the best I make it often and I actually have one in my crockpot today. You have great recipes and you pretty much the only one that I’ll really look at and copy recipes off of.
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles, Shelley!
It’s true! Whenever I want to make something I’ve never made before, I look at your site first for a recipe. Every recipe I’ve ever made of yours turned out amazing. I tell all my friends to use your recipes.
Thank you so much!
This chili is delicious. Made for a work birthday lunch and everyone enjoyed. Only change was instead of black beans (by request) added another kidney bean.
Any suggestions if you don’t have a slow cooker to science the same effect on the stovetop?
Hi Maria, for stovetop, you might try our Turkey Chili (our favorite) and you can sub with beef, or try our Easy Beef Chili. I hope this is helpful.
I make it on the stovetop all the time. It’s quicker and I think easier to make adjustments in the seasonings.
Outstanding recipe, the perfect amount of heat.
So glad you loved it!
Are you working on a cornbread recipe? I think it will go great with this chili recipe!
Hi Moira! Hopefully we can have one posted in the future. Thanks for your patience.
I add smoked paprika and a TB of sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. I also like a can of beef broth or consomme and puree some red and green peppers and add finely chopped mushrooms if I have them. A can of beer is good to add while it simmers and a scoop of cheez whiz or similar when it is done cooking mellows it all out. This is the best on the second day after the flavors have all blended together.
Thank you for sharing, Carla!
When adding Beef Broth or Beer, do You leave out the Tomato Sauce?? How much of these did You use??
Would I be able to use chopper up chicken breast or thighs in this recipe instead of ground beef? I do prefer beef but ran out and trying to avoid going to the store when I have everything else.
Hi Lisa! That should be fine. I hope you love the recipe!