Slow Cooker Beef Chili Recipe
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This easy Slow Cooker Beef Chili recipe is full of flavor but not too spicy. This is the best beef chili recipe I’ve made and 100% family-approved!
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Slow Cooker Beef Chili Recipe
Winter is officially here, whether we like it or not. (My son is excited but my husband and I? Not so much.) That means it’s time for warming dinners that help keep the chill away and who doesn’t love chili when it’s cold out?
In my family, chili is a winter staple and this easy crock pot beef is one of our favorite recipes. Usually, everyone wants a second helping – even my picky son gobbles it up!
Am I the only one who uses their crock pot even more in the winter? I mean, it’s great all year round – but there’s just something about throwing in all the ingredients in the morning and coming home from picking up the kids or running errands to a meal that’s ready to eat when it’s cold outside.
slow cooker beef chili
This slow cooker beef chili is full of flavor but not too spicy, which makes it family-friendly and kid-approved. However, if you like an extra kick to your meal, you can easily spice it up by adding cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to taste and topping it with sliced jalapenos. I love that you can even add the heat after it’s prepared so that everyone can enjoy the same batch.
What’s great about this easy slow cooker beef chili recipe is I can brown the beef, toss all ingredients into the slow cooker, and spend the rest of the afternoon doing other things until the family is home and ready for dinner.
you’ll love This Beef Chili
- Hands off – You’ve got to love a meal that cooks itself!
- Leftovers – This recipe makes a big batch of chili, which means you’ve got lunch for the next day.
- Modifiable – The great thing about chili is you can use any type of ground beef, whichever beans you like, spice it up, and make it however you like.
- Family friendly – Topped with cheese, guacamole, or sour cream, this type of meal always goes over well.
Ingredients And Tips For Slow Cooker Beef Chili
(Ingredients at a glance, find the full recipe with ingredient amounts in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- Ground beef: Use whatever % fat of ground beef you prefer. Higher fat = more flavor, lower fat = less calories. You could also substitute ground turkey or had in some ground sausage for more flavor.
- Onion: White onion. If you don’t have white, use yellow or red.
- Spices: Cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and garlic help add some flavor to the chili.
- Tomato sauce: Tomato sauce helps create the broth of the chili.
- Beans: Pinto beans, drained well, are what’s called for, but you can use pre-seasoned chili beans, kidney beans, or even black beans.
- Diced tomatoes w/ green chilies: Use canned diced tomatoes with added green chilies. Do not drain.
- Optional for garnish: Shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions, diced jalapenos or green chilis.
How To Make Slow Cooker Beef Chili
1 Brown the ground beef. In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion until meat is browned. Drain off grease.
2 Place ingredients in the slow cooker. Add cooked ground beef, spices, water, tomato sauce, beans, and canned tomatoes to the slow cooker.
3 Cook. Cook the chili on low for 4 to 6 hours or high for 2 to 3 hours.
4 Serve. Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese, and/or green onions to serve.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t skip the browning step; it adds flavor to the chili.
- When slow-cooking the chili, I suggest cooking on low to allow the flavors to really develop.
- If you prefer a less liquid-y chili, you can cook the chili a bit longer uncovered on low heat to let the liquid reduce.
- If you feel your chili has gotten too thick, you can add a bit of beef broth to thin it out.
Variations
- Stir in your favorite veggies like carrots, celery, or corn.
- Add a few dashes of Worcestershire in the beginning to add depth of flavor to the chili.
- This slow cooker chili recipe is mild, but you can easily add some spice by mixing in red chili flakes, a chipotle in adobo sauce, or a pinch or two of cayenne pepper.
- Use fire-roasted tomatoes in place of one or both of the tomatoes with green chilies.
- Change up the protein for half beef/half ground sausage, add some chopped bacon, or use ground turkey to lighten it up.
- Omit the beef and add more beans for a vegetarian chili.
- For more texture, add bulghur or cooked quinoa.
Storage Suggestions
Leftover chili can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. It can be defrosted overnight and reheated over the stove or microwave.
FAQs
Do you have to cook the ground beef before adding it to the slow cooker?
You don’t have to brown the beef with the onion beforehand, but it does help add flavor and give the meat the color you would expect to see in chili.
Can I cook chili on high instead of low in the slow cooker?
Yes, you can cook chili on high, but it may not have the same depth of flavor as when cooked on low for a longer time. Cooking on low for 6–8 hours gives the ingredients more time to meld together.
Can I make this chili on the stovetop?
Yes, brown the meat with the onion, add the rest of the ingredients, and let it simmer, covered in a pot for about 30 minutes on low. To thicken the chili, you can simmer a bit longer without the lid.
Can this be prepped ahead of time as a freezer meal?
You definitely could. I suggest browning the ground beef and onion, draining, and mixing all the spices into the meat. Let the mixture cool, add to a gallon ziplock bag and freeze. When ready to cook, you can add the meat mixture to the slow cooker frozen (break it up a bit) along with the rest of the ingredients and slow cook for 6 to 8 hours.
Other cold-weather dishes you might enjoy:
- Creamy Green Chile Enchilada Soup
- Slow Cooker Corn and Sausage Chowder
- Easy 20 Minute White Bean Chicken Chili Recipe
- Overnight Apple Pie Oatmeal
Did You Make This Slow Cooker Beef Chili Recipe?
Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. If you share an image on Instagram or Facebook, be sure to tag me and use #scatteredmomrecipes!
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Slow Cooker Beef Chili Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours and 10 minutes
Description
This easy Slow Cooker Beef Chili recipe is full of flavor but not too spicy. The best beef chili recipe I’ve made and 100% family-approved!
Ingredients
- 1 lbs ground beef
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp each salt/ pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
- 2 15 ish oz cans of pinto/chili beans, drained
- 2 14.5 oz cans of mild diced tomatoes w/ green chilies, undrained
- optional for garnish: Shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions, diced jalapenos or green chilies
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Instructions
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In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion until meat is browned. Drain off grease.
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Add cooked ground beef, spices, water, tomato sauce, drained beans, and canned tomatoes to the slow cooker.
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Stir everything together, cover, and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or high for 2 to 3 hours.
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Garnish with shredded cheese and green onions.
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