Crock Pot Chili
Posted Aug 26, 2024
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This Crock Pot Chili recipe is an easy meal to feed a crowd. A hearty chili is flavored with a delicious homemade chili seasoning and cooked low and slow all day. Learn how to make chili in the crock pot for your football watching party, Halloween, etc.
Our easy chili is a weekly staple in my house. So, I created this crock pot chili recipe to make when we have company over and need a larger portion with a flexible serving time.
In this recipe, ground beef, onion and garlic are sautéed, then cooked in the crock pot with tomatoes, chilies, and a homemade spice mixture.
Crock Pot Chili is a hearty and delicious meal that you can keep warm and serve over a long period of time while watching football or at a fall party!
Crock Pot Chili: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Ground beef. Use 85/15% or 93/7% lean ground beef. Or, try this turkey chili recipe or crockpot chicken chili.
- Onion. Use your favorite variety: red, white, or yellow.
- Minced garlic. if you don’t have minced garlic on hand, you can substitute garlic powder and add it with the rest of the spices.
- Bell peppers. any color variety of bell pepper works well in this recipe! If you like to add some heat, add some spicier peppers like jalapeño.
- Fire roasted tomatoes. I love the flavor of fire roasted tomatoes, but regular diced tomatoes taste great as well. can absolutely substitute regular canned, diced tomatoes as well!
- Green Chiles. Use mild or spicy depending on your preferences.
- Kidney Beans. You can add an extra 1 or 2 cans of beans of choice in this recipe. I use one can because we have some people who don’t love beans in our family. Choose kidney beans, black bean, or Cannellini beans, or great northern beans.
- Corn. Fresh and frozen corn both work well in this slow cooker chili.
- Spice mixture. I have written this recipe with the spice ratios and combination that tastes the best. You can more chili powder, or some cayenne powder to add heat!
How to Make Crock Pot Chili
We’ll walk through how to make chili in the crock pot step-by-step. Watch the video for additional guidance.
Begin by making the chili seasoning. Mix the cumin, coriander, paprika, chili powder, sugar, sea salt and pepper together in a small bowl, then set it aside.
Next, cook the ground beef, onion and garlic in a large skillet until meat is no longer pink.
Then, drain the excess fat and add the beef mixture to the crockpot.
Next, add the bell peppers, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chilies, beans, corn and spice mixture to the crockpot and stir until evenly distributed.
Cook the crock pot chili on low for 3 hours or high for 1.5 hours – or until the vegetables are cooked to your liking.
You can keep it warm while you serve it at a party by turning the crockpot to the “warm” setting and leaving it covered.
Serve
Serve this crockpot chili with your favorite toppings and sides. Here are some suggestions:
- Green onions
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Cornbread (or cornbread croutons, cornbread muffins or this healthy skillet cornbread)
- Pretzel bread or No Knead Bread.
Store/Freeze
Store leftover slow cooker chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to two months.
Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. If frozen, let thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Crock Pot Chili Recipe FAQS
Yes. When I double it I cook it in two separate crock pots. If you have a large crockpot you could put it all in one!
You can, however I don’t recommend it for this recipe. Cooking the ground beef with onion and garlic helps release the flavors and makes it taste delicious! Plus, it shortens the cook time.
Yes, this recipe calls for browning the meat, and I do not recommend altering the recipe instructions.
I think chili is delicious on the stovetop (easy chili) and in the crock pot. I like it in the slow cooker because the flavors really blend together well.
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Crock Pot Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 cup onion diced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (or 2 tsp garlic powder added to spice mixture)
- 2 bell peppers (diced)
- 14 ounces fire roasted tomatoes
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 4 ounces diced green chiles
- 14 ounces kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
- ½ cup corn
Chili Seasoning Mixture
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 2 Tablespoons paprika
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground)
Instructions
Make the Chili Seasoning
- Mix cumin, coriander, paprika, chili powder, sugar, sea salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Cook the Beef
- Cook ground beef, onion and garlic in a large skillet until meat is no longer pink.
- Drain excess fat and then add to crockpot.
Slow Cook the Chili
- Next, add the bell peppers, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chilies, beans, corn and spice mixture to the crockpot and stir until evenly distributed.
- Cook on low for 3 hours or high for 1.5 hours – or until the vegetables are cooked.
- You can keep it warm while you serve it at a party by turning the crockpot to the "warm" setting and leaving it covered.
Video
Notes
- Ground beef. Use 85/15% or 93/7% lean ground beef. Or, try this turkey chili recipe or crockpot chicken chili.
- Onion. Use your favorite variety: red, white, or yellow.
- Minced garlic. if you don’t have minced garlic on hand, you can substitute garlic powder and add it with the rest of the spices.
- Bell peppers. any color variety of bell pepper works well in this recipe! If you like to add some heat, add some spicier peppers like jalapeño.
- Fire roasted tomatoes. I love the flavor of fire roasted tomatoes, but regular diced tomatoes taste great as well. can absolutely substitute regular canned, diced tomatoes as well!
- Green Chiles. Use mild or spicy depending on your preferences.
- Kidney Beans. You can add an extra 1 or 2 cans of beans of choice in this recipe. I use one can because we have some people who don’t love beans in our family. Choose kidney beans, black bean, or Cannellini beans, or great northern beans.
- Corn. Fresh and frozen corn both work well in this slow cooker chili.
- Spice mixture. I have written this recipe with the spice ratios and combination that tastes the best. You can more chili powder, or some cayenne powder to add heat!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If I had to describe this recipe I’d say it’s a classic chili with a twist. The twist being the welcomed addition of the peppers and corn. This recipe is simple to make, uses easy to find ingredients, and is very hearty with a TON of flavor. I tried this with sour cream and cheese as toppings and without, and adding the toppings is for sure the way to go in my opinion. It balances the flavors and gives the chili a little creaminess.
Thank you so much Abby, I’m so glad you love this recipe and I’m so grateful for your thoughtful comment!!!
Delicious! Full of flavor, simple ingredients and easy to put together and leave in the crockpot. My whole family enjoyed it, even the picky 4 year old 🙂
Thank you so much Amanda!!! It’s always so wonderful finding easy meals even toddlers love! 🙂