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.
Thank you to on behalf of the Beef Checkoff for sponsoring this Slow Cooker Chili recipe. I received compensation, but all opinions are my own.
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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 (90/10 or 93/7) 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.
- 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 staying home together now, juggling homeschool, and cooking more than ever, 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!
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
Get the print-friendly recipe below for this Classic Slow Cooker Beef Chili.
Classic Slow Cooker Chili Recipe

Ingredients
- 2 lb lean Ground Beef, (90/10 or 93/7)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 30 oz kidney beans, two 15oz cans, drained and rinsed
- 30 oz diced tomatoes, with their juice
- 10 oz diced tomatoes and green chilis, with their juice
- 30 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.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Would love to try this recipe but my screen keeps getting covered by ads and i actually can’t even put my shopping list together for it. Website is unusable.
Hi Alex. Thanks for your feedback. What you can do is click Jump to recipe to go to the recipe card. Click print, save as pdf on your device. You have the soft copy of the recipe which you can also print if you need to.
So good
We agree! Glad you liked it.
It looks delicious! Can you freeze for later?
Hello! Yes you can freeze it for later. Make sure to cool it down store it in freezer-safe containers or freezer bags.
Hello!
This sounds amazing! My husband does not like beans. Is there something I can substitute, or just leave it out completely?
I have not tested this recipe without beans but I imagine that will still work. You can omit it and use veggies instead like zucchini cauliflower or mushrooms.
Could I use brown beans instead of black beans? How would you suggest thickening the chili? Thanks
Hi there! You can use another type of canned bean if you prefer. This chili is not very thin. It’s actually quite thick. But if you’d like to thicken it, you can try adding some corn starch.
I just won a chilli cook off with this recipe. Only change was adding bacon. Amazing recipe, fan favourite, super easy to make.
Hi Maria. That’s so great to hear. We hear that a lot with this recipe and I’m so glad that it’s been such a hit.
That sounds like cheating. But yummy indeed.
If I have 1 of of beef should I just halve all the other ingredients?
Hi Justin! Yes, you can change the servings to 5 and it will convert the ingredients list for you.
If I halve the recipe, do I need to reduce the cooking time?
Hi Kate! No, you can follow the same cooking instructions.
I was wondering if using dried beans soaked in water overnight would work as well as canned beans.
Hi Batya! You should use fully cooked beans for this recipe.
Won a chili contest with this recipie. Very good chili
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
This is really great! Awesome spices. I added some freshly diced habanero and that was pretty good, too.
This is great! I used fire-roasted diced tomatoes (because that’s all I had on hand) and it came out amazing. Absolutely saving this recipe to use again. Thank you!!!
I also used one can of fire roasted and one can of Italian flavor diced tomatoes and added extra garlic and it was so delicious great recipe
Love your videos and sense of fun, always enjoyable! I have just finished making your chili and have tried many of your recipes.
what’s a serving size , is it one cup or 2, i was wondering cuase i have a lot of mouths to feed.
Hello Justin, the whole recipe’s serving size is 10 people. It should be 1- 1 1/2 cup per person.
The listed ingredients state 30 ounces tomato sauce is that correct amount because I don’t see it in the photo? Is that a can or jar of sauce? Thanks
Yes, it’s 30 oz tomato sauce and it’s usually in a can.
Can I use packets if chili seasoning instead of the chili powder, coumin, etc?
I haven’t tested that but feel free to try it out!
Without a doubt this is the best chili recipe. Made it so many times and it is perfect every time.
Interesting and helpful plus delicious 😋
Glad you enjoyed it, Raymond.
I love your site and have used many of your recipes over the years. My husband knows nothing about you or cooking, was looking for a chili recipe to take to a charity cook off at work and found this. He made it easily and quickly the night before, slow cooked overnight and WON out of 13 other chilis. I’m really trying not to be offended because I usually make the chili around here, but alas, I have been de-throned. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Natasha, I have a family of 12 coming in the Tuesday before Thanksgiving this year and want to make your chili recipe. I clearly need to double the recipe, recommendations for stove top cook? Low and slow?
Thank you,
Rebecca Burk
Hi Rebecca! You can reference my Turkey chili recipe for stove top instructions. Happy thanksgiving!
Big hit for Halloween this year! So easy & delicious! I did not have a pre-made can of tomato with green chiles, so just added 1 regular can diced tomatoes plus a 4 oz can fired roasted green chilies. I will probably use at least 1 can of Petite diced tomatoes (or run a can thru a food chopper,) next time, just because my kids prefer less chunky; but, for me, the texture was PERFECT just as written!
Thank you for that compliment, I’m so glad you loved it, Christina!