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
I’ve been making this chili for years. It’s so easy and tastes great with some rice. We half the recipe since it’s only for two of us. For a spicy kick we use diced jalapeños instead of green chiles. We also use the fire-roasted diced tomatoes!
What kind of onion do you use in the chili?
I used diced onion, there’s a pic of the onion in the recipe.
What kind of onion do you use in the recipe?
Hi Leslie! Yellow onions work great in chili.
This has become my go to chili recipe, the flavor is amazing!
Delicious! I opted to use Bush’s Kidney & Pinto beans in Mild Sauce (2 cans) with only draining vs rinsing in order to add extra flavoring (vs just plain kidney beans). Easy to prep and makes a lot of servings!
Hi Natasha !
Can i use the van camps pork and beans in this recipe ?
Hi Meg! I haven’t tested that myself. I assume it will work, but it will change the flavor since they are already seasoned and sweetened. That will carry into your chili, so it shifts the overall flavor profile. You may need to experiment with it and make some adjustments.
Hi. We loved your chili
I added more heat using Joan of A spicy chili beans in place of your bean sizes.
Also, added 4-5 shakes of worchestershire, 1 tsp of Red Hot sauce & 1-1/2 tsp Cilantro instead of oregano. It was yummy!!
How much is a serving lol? I will be so embarrassed if it’s right in front of me lol. I have concluded it’s 1/10th of the entire meal, but if anyone can save me from having to weigh all this, minus my crockpot and divide by 10 I’d appreciate 💖
Hi Jamie! The whole recipe’s serving size is 10 people. It should be 1- 1 1/2 cup per person.
Love this recipe! Hoping to making it for a baby shower next month. Is there an instant pot version? To have enough for everyone will need to use instant pot and my regular crockpot.
do you drain the fat from the ground beef prior to adding into the crockpot?
Hi AJ! I did not, but you can pour off the excess grease if you’d like.
Do you leave the ground beef in the skillet when you add the onion?
Hi Jay. Yes, that’s correct.
I didn’t find any kidney beans, so is it still okay or good and yummy if I use just some black beans, of which I have 2 cans worth?
Hi Christina! I haven’t tested it that way but some of my viewers have reported using black beans or a mix of beans with black beans.
Made this and we loved it. Love your recipes and your cookbook. Hope you come out with another one even though we follow your blog. Made this for our church group and they loved it. Needed to send some tobasco and chohula for the Texans in the group but they loved it the way you wrote it. Served with fresh bread and peanut butter.
We used 2 cans of Bushes mild chili beans for the kidney beans. It turned out delicious 😋
Made this yesterday, it was great! Will definitely be my goto chili recipe going forward!
I love it ! The popping flavor throughout each bite is amazing! I used fire roasted diced tomatoes and it took it to another level and added a slight smoky flavor!
That sounds wonderful, Marina!
The popular name brand of tomato/green chile is called “Rotel”.
This is a fantastic recipe! We’ve made it at home and also for groups, it’s a real crowd pleaser. Normally I buy plain tomato sauce. Is there any reason not to use a jar of marinara or regular spaghetti sauce instead?
Hi Tiffany. Marinara sauce or spaghetti sauce would add a different flavor since it contains spices and herbs that are added to pasta and pizza dishes.
I will be making this next Saturday for church event on Sunday. Firm believer that it always taste better next day. Haha. Was wondering how spicy it is. Also will red peppers and sweet onions go with this recipe, I like the natural sweetness.
Hi Rose, I address the spicy level in the recipe post, but 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.
Haven’t made the recipe yet, but I cannot seem to find tomatoes and green chilies (in can, I assume) anywhere in my local stores. Could I replace it with a bit more canned tomatoes and fresh minced chili peppers? Is that what it is?
Can’t wait to make it though!
Hi Lou. Yes, you can use canned diced tomatoes and diced green chili’s separately if you can’t find it canned.
Yes you can use canned tomatoes it’s better that way
Do you think we can make this in the insta pot because we are short on time?
Hi Alfredo! One of my viewers left this comment: “I used the Instant Pot on the bean/chili setting (which is 30 mins on high). I cooked the beef and onion in the pot on the saute setting; added garlic & spices. Turned it off while I added the rest of ingredients. Then sealed it up and let it cook.”
If I leave out the beans should I substitute it for anything? Extra tomatoes, broth, etc?
Hi Lyndsey. I haven’t tested this without beans, they are a main ingredient. Feel free to experiment with other veggies of your preference.
Do the instructions stay the same if you halve the recipe?
Yes, it should still be same if you cut the recipe in half. Enjoy!
For anyone else wondering this as well, if you click the number of servings it lets you use a slider to adjust up or down as needed. All the measurements get updated as you adjust the slider bar.