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This Crock Pot Chili is a hearty, flavorful meal loaded with beef, beans, tomatoes, and warm spices. Slow-cooked to perfection, it’s an easy, comforting dish for any chilly day!
Crock Pot Chili is the perfect cozy dinner on a cold night. With rich, savory flavors from slow-cooked beef, beans, tomatoes, and spices, it’s a hearty meal that warms you from the inside out. The best part? You can toss everything in the slow cooker and let it work its magic while you go about your day.
A big bowl of chili is great on a cold night, but it is often best when it simmers for a couple of hours. And honestly, who has time for that?! I don’t want chili to just be for a weekend when I have time, I want it any day of the week! So that is why this crock pot chili comes in handy. You really just let it simmer all day in the slow cooker, and you can dig in right when you get home.
Or if you want it done fast you can go the pressure cooker route and make Instant Pot Turkey Chili. Use ground beef or ground turkey and the recipe is the same.
What You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Vegetable Oil
- Onions
- Ground Beef
- Garlic
- Beer or Beef Broth
- Dark Red Kidney Beans
- Light Red Kidney Beans
- Tomato Sauce
- Crushed Tomatoes
- Chili Powder
- Ground Cumin
- Coriander
- Cayenne Pepper
- Salt & Pepper
I like my chili to be thick and hearty. It has lots of complex flavors without being super spicy or over powering. If you want it spicy, feel free to add more cayenne or even a jalapeno when you cook the onions.
How To Make Crock Pot Chili
- Brown Meat. Start by browning the ground beef and onions together in a large skillet. Once the beef is cooked through and the onions are soft add the garlic and cook for just a minute or two until you can start to smell it. If there is any fat, drain it away.
- Add Everything. Add the ground beef to the crock pot and pour in the rest of the ingredients. Stir until it is all combined.
- Cook. Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 6-7 hours.
- Serve. Once the chili is hot and bubbly and delicious scoop into bowls and top with your favorite toppings.
Storage
Absolutely, this freezes really well. I like to let it cool completely and then store in freezer safe food storage bags, and then store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Then when you want to make it just let it thaw in the fridge and microwave, heat on the stove, or even put in the crock pot on low to heat it through.
Recipe Tips & Suggestions
- Sauté. Don’t skip the step of browning the onions with the ground beef. You don’t want to have crunchy onions in your chili.
- Prep Ahead. If you want this to be a dump and go recipe, brown the ground beef and onions ahead of time. Store them in the fridge or freezer and then just dump them in with the rest of the ingredients when you want to make the chili.
- Keep It Low. It is best that you not have your turn your crock pot on high when making this. You won’t want the chili to really scorch or cook too quickly. Low and slow is what develops the flavors will chili and makes it delicious.
- Toppings. Go crazy with the toppings! Sour cream, cheese, chives, onions, jalapenos….you name it!
- Do you like it spicy? Add a jalapeno with the onions or add more cayenne pepper. As written this isn’t meant to be a spicy chili.
How To Serve Chili
We love chili in a bowl with a few toppings, but if you have lots of leftovers or just want to mix things up there are lots of fun ways to serve chili
- Loaded Baked Potatoes – top your baked potatoes (make Air Fryer Baked Potatoes to make them ready even faster) with chili and all the toppings you desire.
- Chili Dogs – Top hot dogs with a scoop of chili and cheese, and then place in the oven to melt the cheese. Such a fun and delicious dinner.
- Over Spaghetti – like they do in Cincinnati! Server over pasta topped with lots of shredded cheese and onions.
- Topped With An Egg – Serve your chili in a tortilla with cheese and top it with an egg. This is the perfect next morning, leftover breakfast.
- Best Cornbread – a must anytime you have chili!
More Comforting Dinner Recipes
- Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Chicken Enchilada Chili
- Instant Pot Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Jambalaya
- Vegetable Beef Soup
Crock Pot Chili
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup beer or beef stock
- 15 oz dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 28 oz tomato sauce
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet heat oil over medium high heat. Add ground beef and onions. Cook until browned and onions are tender.1 Tablespoon vegetable oil, 2 pounds ground beef, 1 large onion
- Add garlic, and cook for 2 minutes, until it is fragrant. Drain any fat. Pour into crock pot.4 cloves garlic
- Add all of the remaining ingredients to the crock pot. Stir well.1 cup beer or beef stock, 15 oz dark red kidney beans, 15 oz light red kidney beans, 28 oz tomato sauce, 28 oz crushed tomatoes, 1/4 cup chili powder, 1 Tablespoon ground cumin, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Perfect for those cold evenings that have finally arrived. Time to bust out the crock pot and warm on up!
So delicious and comforting! Perfectly spiced!
My new favorite chili recipe. We love it on game day.