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
Hey there, I have chopped meat defrosted that needs to be cooked within 24 hours. Can I cook the meat and prep everything stick it in the crockpot in the fridge and put it on tomorrow morning?!??
Hi Peyton! That would be fine. I hope you love the recipe!
Just wondering if you drain the fat from the beef before adding to the slow cooker?
It depends on how much fat there is but yes, I usually drain it especially if its too much.
Your recipe won me 3rd place in our church’s annual chili cookoff! My family loves it ❤️
Wow! That’s so great, Lauren!
I made 12x’s this for my son’s graduation party yesterday. I divided it equally between 4 (20-24 quart) roasters. For the past 6 weeks, I have been buying ground beef on sale, cooking and freezing it. I’ve also been dicing and freezing onions. Changes I made: put onions, garlic and spice directly into chili without sauté, used some pumpkin in place of tomato sauce to cut down on tomato flavor, added hot adobo salsa and jalapeños to some for a spicy version. I preferred to spicy version, but got many compliments on both.
Wow! That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Dodi! Congratulations to your son!
Wow that’s awesome! We are planning to do the same for a baby shower of 40-50 people. Hadn’t thought of using a roaster though. Do you think it would be worth buying a roaster or just using about 4-5 instant pots/crock pots?
Also any tips on how you prepped it in advance? We were just going to make it the morning of but wondering if it would be easier to do in advance and reheat?
I have about 2 pounds of left over ribeye steak. I know I can use this instead of hamburger, but since it’s already grilled to medium rare, I’m not sure if I should add in from the beginning or add in half way through. I will be using the slow & Low method
Hi Brenda, yes you can use your leftover steak of course. Just make sure to add it later in the cooking process to retain its tenderness.
Love it! I do add red kidney beans, black beans, and pinto. I chop up onions, fresh garlic, jalepeno peppers (2), celery, a green and red pepper in mine to bulk up. I also put cayenne pepper, onion salt, extra cumin and chili spice. And I put a bit of hot sauce. I like our chili spicy here.
I appreciate the nutrition info “per serving,” however I cannot find what constitutes a serving. 1 cup, 1/2 cup?
Hi Julie! This recipe makes 10 servings. Sorry I didn’t measure each one out to know exactly how much. If I were to take a guess, based on the ingredient amounts, it will yield about 1.5 cups per serving.
I have made this at least once a month for the past few months.. its incredible! I do go a little extra with the seasonings AND my only recommendation is to season the meat while you’re browning it and then use the recommended seasoning directly into the crockpot once you have all ingredients in there. When you only season the meat and onions the rest of the sauce is a bit bland. When i add all the spices directly into the crockpot the chili comes out way more flavorful!
Great recipe. Liked the use of cook cooker as it makes thing easy. Like that it was a little more soupy, as that is always my favorite style.
This is my go-to chili recipe now! So full of flavor and filling and has been a bit when hosting.
LOVE this chili! i have made it several times and everyone always loves it.
This was VERY heavy on the tomato sauce and came out quite soupy. I recommend reducing the amount of tomato sauce in the recipe.
I have made this recipes dozens of times, and it turns out perfectly every time! The only modification I’ve made is reducing the oregano by half simply because it tastes a little too marinara-ish when I don’t, but that’s truly all! This recipe can easily be spicier or milder, depending on preference, which is awesome. Love a versatile recipe! Thank you!
I don’t have a crock pot. How would I make this on a stove?
Hi Bonnie! You can reference my Beef Chili Recipe.
Best I’ve ever made; it’s now the only chili recipe I use! Company and family loves it too – I got rave reviews three different times. Got some in the crockpot now – yum! 🤗
I’m so glad it was a hit, Dinah! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
This is my only chili recipe and I thank you so much for sharing it with all of us. My Mom didn’t like spicey food so our chili was always pretty bland. She passed many years ago and I searched all over the internet for a good recipe and found yours. I just made it today and it is delicious. The only addition I make is a little beef Better Than Boullion to enhance the flavor (you need to be careful because it does contain salt). Thanks again!
I have always had a Love/Like relationship with my chili recipe…then I found yours. Oh my goodness! This is my and my husband’s new FAVORITE! Thanks for sharing. I’ve made it 5 times already.
I made this for a school potluck today and it was a BIG HIT! Thanks for sharing a WONDERFUL recipe! I will definitely be making this again!
Wow, a lot of chilii! Yummie! I used a little less tomato sauce…it got to “tomato tastie”. Love this! I also added dried garlic butter!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Becky!
This chili is amazing! I added an extra teaspoon of cumin because I have a particular love of cumin, and a splash of chili oil to up the spice. I also added green bell pepper to get a little more vegetable in it. Other than that I followed the recipe and it was phenomenal. Thank you! Amazing dinner for a diabetic.
I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you for sharing.