This Slow Cooker Beef Chili is packed with ground beef, beans, tomatoes, green chiles, and warm spices for a classic chili flavor that’s both comforting and filling. While the slow cooker does most of the work, taking a few extra minutes to sauté the onions, garlic, and beef first adds an extra layer of flavor that makes a big difference in the finished dish.
I also love that this recipe is made with simple pantry staples that I almost always have on hand. It’s the kind of meal you can throw together without much planning, and the leftovers are just as good—if not better—the next day. Whether you’re feeding a crowd, meal prepping for the week, or stocking your freezer with easy dinners, this slow cooker chili is always a dependable favorite.
Slow Cooker Beef Chili
Whenever the weather cools down or life gets especially busy, chili is one of the first recipes I reach for. It’s hearty, budget-friendly, and one of those meals that everyone can customize with their favorite toppings.
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After just a few minutes of prep, the slow cooker takes over, giving the ingredients time to meld together into a rich, hearty meal that’s perfect for chilly evenings, busy weekdays, or lazy weekends at home. Set out bowls of shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions, and tortilla chips, and dinner practically serves itself.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy comfort food. Whenever I can achieve warm comfort food with easy prep, I am sold.
- Shortcuts that don’t skimp on flavor. This mostly hands-off slow cooker version of chili uses the slow cooker to do most of the work, while still sauteing the onions, garlic, and beef to layer up the flavors. I’ll also show you how to use both canned beans and dried beans.
- A perfect make-ahead freezer meal. Making chili ahead of time isn’t just convenient. Chili is one of those magic recipes that actually tastes better with time. You can store it in the fridge for up to three days, or freeze it and store for up to 2 months!
Key Ingredients You Will Need
- Beans: You can certainly use dry beans and go through the process of cooking your own beans. But in a pinch, I love using canned beans. You can use just about any type of canned beans. For this recipe I used 2 cans of black beans and 1 can of kidney beans, but pinto beans, garbanzo beans, or red beans would also work great. One other important note—don’t rinse your beans! It adds flavor.
- Tomato Base: The tomato base in this beef chili recipe is from one large can of crushed tomatoes and 1 small can of tomato paste. This chili recipe has a mild tomato flavor. It isn’t overpowering but you can taste just a hint of it. The crushed tomatoes give it a little variation in the chili texture and the tomato paste gives it that rich tomato flavor we love.
- Ground Beef: This chili recipe is very forgiving. Use whatever fat content of beef you prefer. I like to use 85/15 beef (meaning it is 85% ground beef to 15% fat). The butcher adds different percentiles of fat to the ground beef. The percentage of fat content will keep the beef very lean and more on the dry side and the more fat that is added, the juicier the beef. I like a moderate amount of fat in this recipe because I like the chunks of hearty ground beef.
- Green Chilis: Use the canned green chilis and make sure not to drain them! The juices add loads of flavor.
- Spices: my favorite chili spices are a combination of chili powder, cumin, and cayenne. You can add more or less, depending on how spicy you like your chili.
How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Chili
- Saute the onions and garlic. In a large Dutch oven, caramelize the diced onions by cooking for about 5-8 minutes, then add the minced garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Cook the ground beef. Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a spoon and cooking over medium heat until there is only a little pink left.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker. To the slow cooker, add the cooked ground beef and onion mixture. Pour 3 cans of beans and add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, green chilis, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.
- Cook. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours, or on high for 2-3 hours.
- Serve. Remove from the heat and serve with chili toppings like sour cream, shredded cheese, and tortilla chips. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Use canned beans! It makes things quick and easy to use canned beans! You can certainly use dry beans. In fact, you can follow my tutorial on how to make it using pinto beans.
- Brown the beef first. Cook the onions, garlic, and ground beef in a skillet before they go in the slow cooker. It adds deeper flavor and keeps the chili from being greasy. Drain off any extra fat.
- Don’t drain the canned beans. It thickens and flavors the chili!
- Canned tomatoes (including home-canned tomatoes make the best homemade chili sauce recipe. The great thing about this recipe is that it is so easy to always have these ingredients on hand.
- Change up the meat. Try using beef brisket or ground turkey in place of the ground beef.
- This is a great freezer meal. You can store in a covered container and freeze for up to 3 months. It thaws great!
- Leave the lid on. Every time you lift it, heat escapes and you add 15–20 minutes to the cook time.
- Taste before serving. Long cooking can make the spices stronger, so taste and adjust the salt and cayenne at the end.
- Thicken it if needed. Leave the lid off for the last 30 minutes, or stir in a cornstarch slurry. Mashing a few beans against the side of the pot works too.
- Set out toppings. Sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa, green onions, and tortilla chips all work. A slow cooker set to warm makes this easy to serve at parties.
Storage Instructions
- To reheat: transfer to a pot over medium high heat and warm. You can also microwave this soup to reheat.
- Refrigerator: store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: store in freezer bags or another airtight container for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
More You’ll Love
This slow cooker beef chili is an easy, hearty, slow cooker meal that is loaded with flavor. It’s made with beans, ground beef, canned green chilis, and plenty of chili spices.
Slow Cooker Beef Chili Recipe
This Slow Cooker Beef Chili is packed with ground beef, beans, tomatoes, green chiles, and warm spices for a classic chili flavor that's both comforting and filling. While the slow cooker does most of the work, taking a few extra minutes to sauté the onions, garlic, and beef first adds an extra layer of flavor that makes a big difference in the finished dish.
Yields people
Ingredients
- 2 cups yellow onions, diced
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1½ pounds ground beef, 85/15
- 3 15.25-ounce cans beans (black, kidney, red, or pinto), do not drain
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 4 ounces tomato paste
- 4 ounces green chilis, do not drain
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne , this intensifies with time in the slow cooker so maybe omit unless you know you like heat.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Brown the Beef and Onions
- Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onions and cook for 5-8 minutes, until soft and starting to caramelize. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a spoon, and cook until no pink remains, about 8-10 minutes. Drain any excess fat.
- Transfer the beef mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the beans with their liquid, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, green chilis (undrained), chili powder, cumin, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Stir until the tomato paste is well combined.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, until the chili is hot and bubbling. Try not to lift the lid while it cooks.
- Give the chili a good stir and adjust the salt and cayenne if needed. If it’s thinner than you like, remove the lid and cook on high for 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa, or your favorite chili toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cook times: Low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Every slow cooker cooks a little differently, so check it near the low end of the range the first time.
- Storing leftovers: Store cooled chili in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
Nutrition
Calories: 307kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 762mg | Potassium: 894mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2685IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 5mg
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Beef, Crockpot, Dairy-Free, Easy Weeknight Meals, Fall Recipes, Game Day, Gluten-Free, Main Dish, Meal Prep, Nut-Free, Soups, Winter Recipes,
