Crock Pot Chili Recipe
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Every Southerner has a signature chili recipe and this Crock Pot Chili, loaded with meat, beans, and flavorful seasonings, is ours.
Looking for a simple, flavorful chili recipe that’s perfect for busy days? This Crock Pot Chili combines convenience with classic Southern taste, making it an excellent option for feeding a crowd or enjoying a cozy family meal. Made in the slow cooker, it eliminates the need to hover over the stove, allowing the flavors to develop perfectly while you focus on other tasks.
This hearty chili is packed with two types of beans, fresh veggies, and a mix of spices for that rich, comforting flavor everyone loves. Brown your meat ahead of time and freeze it for an even easier prep—just toss everything into the slow cooker, turn it on, and let it work its magic. By the time you’re ready to eat, your kitchen will smell incredible, and a warm, satisfying dinner will be ready to serve!
What You’ll Need to Make Crock Pot Chili
Ingredients
- canned kidney
- canned chopped green chiles
- onion
- ground beef
- tomato sauce
- tomatoes (or canned diced tomatoes/)
- celery
- cumin
- chili powder
How to Make Crock Pot Chili
Brown ground beef in a skillet. We love this meat masher to break up ground beef while it’s cooking!
Chop the celery and onion and tomatoes. (If you’re using canned tomatoes, just add them with all other canned ingredients.)
Now, dump all canned items, liquid and all, into the crock pot.
Add the celery and chopped onion to the slow cooker.
Add the ground beef and add the cumin, chili powder, and salt.
And the chopped tomatoes and water.
Stir all the ingredients for Crockpot Chili together and cover. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
When the chili is cooked, onions will be translucent and your house will smell amazing!
Serve Crock Pot Chili up in a big bowl. We love to serve ours with crackers, shredded cheese, and sour cream. A bowl of crock pot chili also goes great with cornbread.
Storage
- Store leftover chili in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave.
- This chili freezes and reheats so well too. Store leftovers in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before simply reheating in the microwave.
Recipe Notes
- For turkey chili, simply substitute the ground beef for ground turkey. You can also use ground pork or ground chicken.
- It’s easy to adapt this to make a . Instead of the meat, add another can of beans or even lentils.
- For added flavor, instead of simply adding water, dissolve 2 beef bouillon cubes into the 2 cups of water to make beef broth.
- Want to add more veggies? You can definitely add a diced red or green bell pepper.
Crock Pot Chili FAQs
Can you put raw ground beef in the slow cooker?
Yes, you can place raw beef in the slow cooker. However, if you have the time, I recommend quickly browning the beef beforehand to enhance the dish’s flavor.
How long can chili cook in the crock pot?
Your bean chili can cook in the crockpot all day, or for up to 8 hours, on low.
Should I drain canned beans for slow cooker chili?
This is totally up to you. For this slow cooker chili recipe though, I recommend not draining both cans of beans and adding them in, liquid and all, directly to the slow cooker.
Can I make chili ahead of time?
Absolutely! This crockpot chili recipe is a great dinner to make in advance, as leftovers will last in the fridge for up to 4 days. When it’s time to serve, just reheat the chili in the microwave.
What do you serve with crock pot chili?
I love to serve my crockpot chili with tortilla chips or crackers, shredded cheddar cheese, diced avocado or guacamole, and sour cream. You can also garnish with chopped green onion, fresh cilantro, or sliced jalapeno for added heat. It tastes great with cornbread, homemade dinner rolls, homemade tortillas, or buttermilk biscuits to soak up the delicious stew-like broth too. Another option is to serve the chili in a baked potato for a delicious main dish.
Other Crock Pot Recipes You’ll Love
- Crock Pot Beef Burgundy
- Crock Pot Lasagna
- Chicken Fajitas in Crock Pot
- Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
- Southern-Style Crock Pot Pulled Pork Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 can kidney beans with liquid 29 ounces
- 1 can pinto beans with liquid 29 ounces
- 1 can tomato sauce 29 ounces
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced green chiles
- 3 medium tomatoes or one large can of diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups water
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 cup diced celery
- 2 tsp cumin
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef until done.2 lbs ground beef
- In a large pot (or crockpot), combine the beef plus all remaining ingredients. If in a pot, bring to a simmer over low heat and cook, stirring a few times an hour, for two to three hours (you can avoid this by using the crockpot).2 lbs ground beef, 1 can kidney beans with liquid, 1 can pinto beans with liquid, 1 can tomato sauce, 1 cup diced onion, 1/2 cup diced green chiles, 3 medium tomatoes, 1 1/2 tsp black pepper, 2 cups water, 2 tsp salt, 3 tsp chili powder, 1/4 cup diced celery, 2 tsp cumin
- In a crock pot, stir the ingredients to combine and cover. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
How many people will this chili recipe serve. I am taking this to a Super Bowl party.
I’m making this for my family today while we are all “iced in” over in Georgia. It’s a perfect day for it!
We made your chili last night, and it was great! I have some warming back up for lunch now. I have a regular chili I always make, but I’m always looking for a new one for a switch. Yours tastes and looks a lot like mine, but is a little hotter, and doesn’t have that slight sweetness that mine has. I’m always looking for a chili that is without the sweetness for a different flavor. When I make mine without sweetening a little, it just doesn’t taste right to me, so I needed a different recipe so I wouldn’t expect a certain flavor. I didn’t have celery, so left it out, and only used about half the beans b/c that seemed like way too many for us. Plus, I don’t like kidney beans, so I just added 2 15 oz. cans of pintos, rinsed (I don’t like using the liquid from cans of beans). This was cheaper to make than mine, and will now be my go-to recipe. If I want the slightly sweet kind, I’ll just add pinch of sugar when I feel like having that kind. Thanks for posting it!
I’ve been using leftover grilled hamburgers (from the freezer) for years in my chili and when I don’t have any I add a little liquid smoke!
Just this morning I said to myself, “Self…you need to look up Christy’s Chili recipe and make some!” Came home from shopping and there you had this post waitin’ for me! You’re so sweet and thoughtfuo to do that for me! ~snickers~ I love Wendy’s Chili when eating out, too! They say great minds think alike…not too sure about mine…but I KNOW your mind is great!! Thanks for re-running this post when you did!
Thoughfuo…thoughfuo…is that a word?!! You know I meant ‘thoughtful’, right?!! LOL
Burger King started putting the leftover hamburgers in before. Wendy s. Burger King has a smoke flover to them and a better flavor. I like Wendy s too, better yetmy homemade Texas chilli. No beans. Smiling.
Have a great day
Johnny
Oh my goodness!! I just made this recipe and it is wonderful!! I love it!! And I didn’t even put the beans in it!!
So glad you liked it Laura!!