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
My chili, recipe above, so full of liquid it looks like soup, lol
Followed recipe to a T
Hi Barbara! Did you drain the canned beans?
Made this *halved* recipe in my small slow cooker soo great!
Question, do you know if it’s possible to make this on the stove in a big pot? My slow cooker isn’t big enough for the full recipe.
So glad you loved the recipe, Jill. For stove top, you can reference Beef Chili Recipe here.
Hello, I need to make this chili vegetarian. Since I am omitting the ground beef, do you recommend I add something else in its place?
Hi Fivi, I haven’t tested that, but here’s what one of my readers wrote: “Our last pot luck i did a vegetarian version, I replace the ground beef for the plant base meat substitute( have you seen the ingredients in that plant base stuff ? yuck) and it still turn out good. Cant go wrong with this recipe.” I hope this helps!
I bet small chunks of baby bella mushroom would replace the meat well. I’ve done that on other recipes.
I’m making this recipe for a party and need to double it. Do you recommend I double it in the same crockpot or use 2 different crockpots?
Hi Fivi! A 6-quart slow cooker should work well for a doubled recipe, but if you have an 8-quart slow cooker, that would be better.
Question, we don’t like diced tomatoes. Is there any way to make it with just tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes instead? Thanks.
Hi Betsy! That would be fine. Also note that the diced tomatoes we use have green chilies in them too. But you can also find canned diced green chilies too (without tomatoes).
If I want to add my own chili seasoning, how much should I add? How many ounces?
Hi Charles! I’m not sure, I think it depends on the blend. You may be able to keep the same amount but you can start with less and add more to taste.
I meant like a store packet of it? Like, the recipe you have, if I made that blend, how many ounces would it be?
I don’t have an ounce measurement for you, sorry. But you can add up the total amount of dry seasonings combined that are used in this recipe and use that same amount of your spice blend. Or just adjust to taste. I hope that helps.
I would just use the entire packet. Alternatively, does the packet has a suggestion? I know the saźon packets do.
I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad to hear that, Cara!
Just wondering on the nutritional information as someone who is “ dieting “ it says work serving but doesn’t say the serving size … is it 100g? 1 cup??? Just for reference ! Great recipe kids and hubby love it!!!
Hi Jayme, The whole recipe’s serving size is 10 people. It should be 1- 1 1/2 cup per person.
Amazing Chili! Super easy and taste like it a secret family recipe! Highly recommend
I use 97/7 ground beef and it is packed with flavor! Other recipes I’ve used in the past call for 80/20 for the flavor but this is perfect with a leaner beef!
Hi Natasha! Can the ground beef be substituted for ground turkey and still be flavorful?
Hello Tammy! You can try my Turkey Chile Recipe
Such a great recipe, Natasha! Do you know the volume it typically makes once cooked? About 4 quarts maybe?
Also do you happen to have an instant pot version? Wondering which settings to use on there. Thanks
Hi Kristina! I think it’s about 4-5qt of chili when done. If you’re using a multicooker you can use the slow cook setting.
The recipe looks fantastic. However, since I am on a low fiber diet and am unable to eat beans, I was wondering if I can simply leave them out and add another pound of meat, or do I need to do something else to get the same wonderful chili but without beans?
Hi Lindy! Yes, you can add more meat to this, or even toss in some veggies towards the end for more volume.
My husband used this recipe! It was sooo good!!