This is the best slow cooker chili recipe with so much flavor and tons of hearty ingredients. It’s easily made in the Crockpot and perfect for those cool fall and winter days.
Best Slow Cooker Chili
Slow Cooker Chili is easy to make and so delicious. It’s full of spices and seasonings that give it tons of flavor, and ingredients like ground beef and a variety of beans make it super hearty! Nothing hits the spot quite like a homemade chili on a fall or winter day.
I especially love to make this on a weekday morning and let it cook in the slow cooker all day. Then, my family can dish up and eat whenever they’re hungry, especially when we are running in all different directions!
This is the best Crockpot chili recipe and it’s the perfect way to warm up on a cold day.
Why We Love This Slow Cooker Chili Recipe
- So easy to make.
- Quick to make -only 15 minutes prep, then just let the slow cooker do the rest.
- Delicious, flavorful homemade chili recipe.
- Hearty and filling -great soup for fall and winter.
- Makes great leftovers!
Ingredients / Shopping List
- Olive oil
- Ground beef
- White onion
- Green pepper
- Garlic paste
- Chili powder
- Ground cumin
- Paprika
- Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilis
- Tomato sauce
- Tomato paste
- Light kidney beans
- Dark kidney beans
- White kidney beans
- Beef broth
- Light brown sugar
- Salt & pepper
- Dark chocolate bar -60-75% bittersweet baking chocolate
- Tabasco sauce -option for more heat
- Toppings for garnish -optional
Substitutions and Additions
- GARLIC PASTE: You can also substitute 3 cloves of minced garlic in place of the garlic paste.
- BROTH: For a looser chili, you can add more beef broth.
- CANNELLINI BEANS: You can substitute cannellini beans in place of the white kidney beans.
- TOPPINGS: Optional toppings for your chili could be sour cream, cheddar cheese, corn chips or fritos, scallions or green onions.
- FOR MORE HEAT: If you like spicy chili, you’ll want to add a little heat to this recipe, as this chili isn’t overly hot. It’s a great base chili and you can add additional seasonings, tabasco or other hot sauces to make it spicier.
Recommended Tools
- CrockPot or slow cooker
- Slow cooker liners (for easy clean-up)
SEE FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD BELOW
How to Make Slow Cooker Chili
This slow cooker chili recipe could not be easier to put together. It’s as simple as prepping the ingredients and tossing them in the Crockpot. Then, you just let it cook while you get on with your day!
- Brown ground beef in olive oil, then add to the slow cooker.
- Cook onion and pepper in olive oil until softened. Add garlic paste, chili powder, cumin, and paprika, stir and cook.
- Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker.
- Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, beans, chocolate and beef stock to the slow cooker.
- Stir in brown sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Cook chili in the slow cooker on high for 2-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours.
Storage Tips
- To Store: Store any leftover chili in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: This chili freezes really well in an airtight, freezer safe container for up to 3 months. It works great to pre-portion the chili in smaller portions, then pop it in the fridge for an easy prepped meal.
- To Reheat: If frozen, allow the chili to thaw completely in the fridge. Refrigerated chili can be reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chili is better in the slow cooker because it allows the flavors in the ingredients to be drawn out since it’s cooking at a slower pace. This is sometimes why chili can even be better as leftovers because the flavors really have time to meld together.
First, be sure to top your chili off with loads of toppings like sour cream and shredded cheese. I like to serve my chili with some type of bread, like cornbread or homemade sourdough. Even garlic bread would be delicious. Bread is great for dipping! It’s also common in some places to serve chili with cinnamon rolls, and I will take any excuse to eat a cinnamon roll!
Yes, if you don’t have a slow cooker you can make this chili on the stovetop. Follow all of the instructions above, but instead of adding the ingredients to the Crockpot, add them to a large pot on the stovetop, leaving out the beans. Bring the ingredients to a simmer, then add the beans, stir, and let sit for about 5-10 more minutes.
Other Easy Dinner Recipes
- Sloppy Joe Casserole
- Chicken Pot Pie Bake
- Chili Cheese Dog Casserole
- Homemade Chili Recipe – 5-Way Chili
- Oven Baked Beef Tacos
- Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes
- Slow Cooker Beef Tips
- One-Pot Chili Mac
Slow Cooker Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 pounds ground beef 85-90%
- 1 white onion finely diced
- 1 green pepper finely diced
- 2 tbsp garlic paste or 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp chili powder more to taste
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- 20 oz (2 10oz.) cans Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 16 oz can dark kidney beans drained
- 16 oz can light kidney beans drained
- 16 oz can white kidney beans/Cannellini beans drained
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar packed
- 2 tsp salt more to taste
- 1 tsp ground black pepper more to taste
- ½ ounce dark chocolate bar 60-75% bittersweet baking chocolate
- 1 tsp tabasco sauce optional
- sour cream optional topping
- cheddar cheese optional topping
- corn chips optional topping
- scallions optional garnish
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground beef to the man and cook until brown, breaking the beef up as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Drain the beef and add it to a slow cooker.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan with the diced onion and pepper and cook until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic paste, chili powder, cumin, and paprika to the skillet with the vegetables and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly so the garlic doesn't burn. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker.
- Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, beans, chocolate and beef stock to the slow cooker and stir in the sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Cook on high for 2 to 4 hours or low for 5 to 6.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Store any leftover chili in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: This chili freezes really well in an airtight, freezer safe container for up to 3 months. It works great to pre-portion the chili in smaller portions, then pop it in the fridge for an easy prepped meal.
- To Reheat: If frozen, allow the chili to thaw completely in the fridge. Refrigerated chili can be reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Your recipe calls for chocolate but no where in recipe directions does it say add it in. I’m confused!
So sorry! Thanks for catching that! The chocolate goes directly in the crockpot with the tomato ingredients. Just fixed it in the recipe card!