Best Crock Pot Chili
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Crock Pot Chili is an easy slow cooker recipe that is one of my favorite comfort food recipes! There’s nothing like sitting down to a big bowl of chili on a cold winter night. This recipe is loaded with ground beef, beans, tomato sauce and seasonings. So much flavor after slow cooking all day!
This Crock Pot Chili will warm you up and save you time on a cold day. Try topping it with cheese or enjoy it over tortilla chips for a delicious winter treat.
I love that it’s a mostly “dump and go” recipe that can cook all day long, just like this Crockpot Italian Chicken.
Simply brown the hamburger, mix everything together in the crockpot and then let it simmer to develop the flavors. If getting it ready in the morning stresses you out a short cut is to prep everything the night before. Then just pull it out of the fridge and pop it in your slow cooker!
Another one of my favorite twists on this recipe is Crock Pot Chili Mac! The kids LOVE this because it include noodles! Or, if you have a pressure cooker, you might like to try my Instant Pot Chili.
Why You’ll Love this Crock Pot Chili Recipe!
The longer you cook chili, the better it tastes. Simmer it all day long in your slow cooker for the best, most flavorful chili ever. Here’s why you’ll love it!
- Win your time back! With this recipe, you can set it and forget it once your chili ingredients are in the crock pot.
- Prep is quick. Just add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beans, and you’re cooking.
- Savory ground beef makes this chili filling and satisfying.
- Cumin, oregano, chili powder, and garlic salt bring all the bold flavor you want in a hot bowl of chili.
- Top it off with your favorite Tex-Mex toppings for a well-rounded meal.
Is Chili Better In Slow Cooker?
We believe it is! The longer you chili cooks the more the flavors meld together. That’s why slow cooking it all day long results in the best, most flavorful chili!
Crockpot Chili Ingredients
- Hamburger – Ground beef adds extra protein, texture, and flavor to this chili. Be sure to drain it once it’s browned to keep that extra grease out.
- Canned diced tomatoes – Pre-diced tomatoes are a breeze to use, and you won’t have to chop them yourself. We use petite to sneak them by the kids but plain diced tomatoes will work fine too.
- Onion – Onion adds a nice dose of flavor, especially as it slow-cooks with the rest of the ingredients.
- Tomato sauce – Canned tomato sauce helps make a base for your chili with minimal effort.
- Chili beans – Prepared chili beans often have extra seasoning added. So you’ll have a variety of beans and an extra dose of flavor in your chili.
- Chili powder – The essential spice in the chili, you can use less chili powder if you prefer, but I wouldn’t leave it out.
- Garlic salt – This adds a savory flavor and aroma that’s impossible to resist.
- Cumin – An essential chili spice, cumin brings a warm, earthy flavor.
- Oregano – Oregano’s pungent, lightly floral taste adds dimension to this dish.
Toppings For Crock Pot Chili
Here are a few of our favorite chili toppings!
- Shredded Cheese
- Chopped onions
- Jalapenos
- Diced tomatoes
- Chopped avocados
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Sour Cream
- Fritos
How to Make Slow Cooker Chili
- Brown the hamburger and onions in a skillet. Drain the excess grease off once it’s cooked.
- Stir all the ingredients together in a large Crock Pot.
- Cook on high heat for 3-4 hour or low heat for 6-8 hours.
- Once the chili is ready, top it off with sour cream, cheese, green onions, or whichever toppings you prefer.
Serving Suggestions
If you want more comforting sides with your Crock Pot Chili, say no more. Pour it over a big slice of warm Cornbread, or have a slice on the side with real butter.
For some lighter sides, air-fryer Corn on the Cob is super easy to make and a treat to eat. Finally, a traditional Seven Layer Salad can be made ahead of time for the easiest dinner ever!
The best way to tone down a chili that’s too spicy is by adding more beans or tomatoes. Topping it with dairy products like sour cream or cheese will also mellow out the spice.
We like to make things easy, so we chose to use canned chili beans because there are spices mixed into the beans. If you’d rather mix in more of your own spices, kidney beans are also a great option.
Yes, you can. We recommend cooking it on high so the internal temperature comes up to 140 degrees F within 2 hours, which is a safe temperature
Here’s the Instant Pot Chili recipe with directions!
If you don’t have a slow cooker this can also be made on the stove top. Brown the onion and ground beef in a large pot over medium-high heat. Drain off excess fat. Then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer 2 hours over low heat.
How to Store Leftover Chili
This is a large batch chili recipe so you will have leftovers unless you are serving it at a party!
Refrigerator: Let the chili come to room temperature and then place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezer: To further extend the life of chili it is freezer friendly. Freeze any leftovers in a freezer friendly container or heavy duty freezer bags for up to 6 months.
WOW I’m glad I tried this Crockpot Chili again. It’s simply amazing. It will quickly become your family’s go-to recipe for chili! The secret….cumin.
Curl up in front of your fireplace with a big bowl of this easy crockpot chili and warm up!
More great chili recipes!
- Nothing beats the flavor of this Crock Pot White Chili recipe!
- Can’t decide between chili and pasta? Make this Crock Pot Chili Mac for the best of both worlds!
- Need a smaller batch? This Stove Top Chili is the perfect size for feeding a family for dinner.
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!
Crockpot Chili
Ingredients
- 3 pounds ground beef
- 2 cans petite diced tomatoes (14.5 oz each)
- 1 medium onion diced
- 30 oz can tomato sauce
- 15.5 oz can chili beans
- 2 cups water
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- 4 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoon oregano
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat sauté ground beef and onion until it's cooked through. Drain off any excess grease.
- Transfer ground beef and onions to a 6 quart slow cooker. Add the rest of ingredients and stir to combine.
- Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-8 hours.
- Top with sour cream and cheese if desired.
Tips
After a hour add chili powder, garlic salt, cumin and oregano. Simmer for an additional 2 hours. Top with sour cream and cheese if desired.
Jordyn says
In the ingredient picture, it says vanilla extract. How much did you use of that?
Courtney says
That is a mistake that needs to be fixed! Vanilla extract is not needed for this recipe!
Lance says
I cooked this up on a stovetop. I didn’t use any hamburger. I used some leftover smoked brisket, cut into half inch chunks. I added about 2 pounds of brisket. It was very tasty and will be cooking this again.👍
Julie Evink says
Oh man that sounds amazing Lance. I’m going to have to try that!
Jessica says
Question you said this recipe makes 16 servings but how much is a serving size?
Dawn says
Good question! I wanted to know too!
Rayne says
I’m going to make this chilli but I just want to do 1 lb of ground beef, what size can of tom sauce and diced tom
And cumin, & oregano ? Thank you there is only 2 of us and we don’t eat that much
Julie Evink says
Oh that’s a hard one because you are essentially cutting it into 1/3s and the cans don’t convert. You could cut it in half which would be easier and only use 1 lb of ground beef. Another idea is to make it and freeze half. This is freezes GREAT!
Lindsey says
Hi! I’m not sure what you mean by chili beans. I just searched my Walmart app and it has some pinto beans in a chili sauce. Is that what it calls for or is another mean I should be using other than pinto?
Julie Evink says
Just type in Chili beans, they usually are in chili sauce 🙂
Indira says
Hi! Do you recommend draining/rinsing the chili beans before putting them in the crockpot?
Michelle Sperr says
Hi Indira! Thank you for your question. I don’t drain or rinse my chili beans for this recipe. There are lots of different levels of spice/heat you can find in the grocery store so you can really make this chili to your liking! Hope that helps!
Elizabeth says
How can I modify if I don’t want to add beans?
Julie Evink says
Just leave them out.
Morgan says
I have about 2 hours left on it. Will some of the liquid go away still it seems a little watery still
Julie says
Yes, it should cook down just a bit!
Alyse says
How many hours on high in the crock pot
Julie says
4-6 hours on high
Sammy says
Can I use fresh garlic ? How much should I use ?
Julie says
Yes, definitely! I would use 3-5 cloves of garlic minced.
Shelby says
Hello!
If I’m doing stove top, what heat should I set it at?
Thank you!
Julie says
Bring to a low boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.
April says
How many people does this feed?
Julie says
I would say it could easily feed 4-6 people.
Christina Lee says
Any idea on what the serving size is? A cup?
Julie says
I would say 1-1.5 cups.
Erika says
Can I brown the meat the night before?
Julie says
Yep that would be fine!
Katie says
How long will the food need to be in the crock pot if the meat has already been browned?
Michelle Sperr says
Hi Katie! I cook mine in low for 8-10 hours!
Taylor says
Do you add the water with everything too? I didn’t see it in the video
Julie says
Yes, mix the water in with everything else in the crock pot.
Smith says
can I use marinara sauce instead of tomato sauce??
Julie says
It will change the flavor a bit but if you’re in a pinch, I think that would work!
Kimberly Sarti says
can i put the slow cooker on high to cook faster?
Julie says
Yes, that would be fine. Cook on high for 3-4 hours.
Tracy says
Hi Julie..can I cook 1/2 the time in the crock pot if I out in high? I think it’d be okay but I just want to ask somebody that knows more than me lol ty
Julie says
Yes, that should be fine!