Easy Slow Cooker Beef Chili

Hearty slow cooker beef chili with tender beef, beans and tomatoes simmered into a rich, cozy dinner.

This easy slow cooker beef chili is the kind of dinner that practically cooks itself. Ground beef, kidney beans, tomatoes and warm chili spices simmer together in the Crock Pot until everything is thick, rich and full of flavour. It’s hearty enough for a complete meal, especially topped with melted cheese, creamy avocado and fresh green onions.

I like this recipe for busy days because the prep is simple and the slow cooker does most of the work. Serve it with crusty bread, cornbread or tortilla chips for an easy Crock Pot chili dinner that is cozy, filling and great for leftovers.

Cozy Slow Cooker Beef Chili

This easy slow cooker beef chili is rich, hearty and packed with tender beef, beans, tomatoes and warm spices. Everything simmers together slowly, which gives the chili that deep, cooked-all-day flavour without much hands-on work.

Why This Slow Cooker Beef Chili Is So Good

The slow cooker really does the work here. The beef becomes tender, the beans soak up the sauce, and the spices mellow into a rich, balanced flavour.

It also gets better as it sits. Like most good chili, the flavour deepens after a few hours, so it’s a great recipe for making ahead.

When to Serve Easy Beef Chili

This slow cooker beef chili is perfect for cold-weather dinners, game day, casual family meals or an easy weekend supper.

Serve it with cornbread, crusty bread or tortilla chips, then add toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions or avocado. It’s simple, filling and very easy to serve to a crowd.

Simple ingredients for hearty slow cooker beef chili.

Main Ingredients

These are the main ingredients for easy slow cooker beef chili: lean ground beef, yellow onion, garlic, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, kidney beans and beef broth. They create the rich, hearty base of this Crock Pot beef chili, with plenty of meaty texture and deep tomato flavour before the chili spices are added.

Thick and hearty slow cooker beef chili cooking low and slow.

This easy slow cooker beef chili cooks low and slow until the ground beef, kidney beans, tomatoes and spices come together in a thick, rich sauce. As it simmers, the chili develops deeper flavour and that hearty texture you want from a good Crock Pot chili recipe. Give it a stir near the end and let it thicken slightly before serving.

Tips and Tricks for the Best Slow Cooker Beef Chili

• Brown the beef first. It adds deeper flavour and keeps the chili from tasting flat after hours in the slow cooker.
• Don’t skip the onions and garlic. Letting them cook briefly with the beef gives this slow cooker beef chili a much richer base.
• Use enough seasoning. Chili powder, cumin and smoked paprika build flavour slowly, so don’t be afraid to season well.
• Drain excess fat. If the beef is quite fatty, spoon off some of the grease before adding everything to the slow cooker.
• Let it cook low and slow. The longer simmer helps the beef become tender and gives the tomatoes, beans and spices time to come together.
• Taste near the end. Chili often needs a little extra salt, spice or acidity once everything has cooked down.
• Let it rest before serving. Even 10–15 minutes helps the beef chili thicken and makes the flavour feel more settled.

Easy Variations for Slow Cooker Beef Chili

• Make it spicier. Add diced jalapeños, cayenne or extra chili powder for a hotter slow cooker beef chili.
• Use different beans. Kidney, black or pinto beans all work well and give the chili a slightly different texture.
• Add more vegetables. Bell peppers, corn, zucchini or diced carrots are easy additions and make the chili feel even heartier.
• Try ground turkey. Swap the beef for ground turkey for a lighter version while keeping the same cozy chili flavour.
• Make it smoky. Add a little smoked paprika or chipotle in adobo for deeper, richer flavour.
• Add extra tomatoes. More diced tomatoes can make the chili a little saucier if that’s how you like it.
• Change up the toppings. Shredded cheddar, sour cream, avocado, green onions or crushed tortilla chips all work well with this easy beef chili.

Easy Slow Cooker Beef Chili

This easy slow cooker beef chili is thick, hearty and packed with classic chili flavour. Ground beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, onion and warm spices cook low and slow until the sauce becomes rich and slightly thick. Add shredded cheese, creamy avocado and sliced green onions on top and it looks just like the bowl in your photo.

It is an easy Crock Pot chili recipe for busy weeknights, cold-weather dinners, game day or anytime you want a simple comfort-food meal that mostly cooks itself.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 6 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American, North American

Servings 6 servings

Calories 421 kcal

Equipment

• Slow cooker or Crock-Pot
• Large skillet
• Wooden spoon or spatula
• Cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Can opener
• Colander for rinsing the kidney beans
• Ladle (for serving)

Ingredients

  

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• 2 lb ground beef lean
• 1 yellow onion medium sized and finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 28 oz crushed tomatoes 796 mL
• 1 can 14 oz / 398 mL diced tomatoes, with juices
• 2 14 oz kidney beans 398 mL each , drained and rinsed
• ¾ cup beef broth
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

For Topping

• Shredded cheddar or Tex-Mex cheese
• Diced avocado
• Sliced green onions

Instructions

 

Brown the ground beef.

• Add the ground beef and diced onion to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook for 6–8 minutes, breaking the beef into small chunks as it cooks. Drain off excess grease.

Add the garlic and tomato paste.

• Stir in the minced garlic and tomato paste. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring often. Letting the tomato paste cook briefly gives this slow cooker beef chili a deeper, richer tomato flavour.

Transfer to the slow cooker.

• Spoon the browned beef mixture into your Crock Pot.

Add the remaining chili ingredients.

• Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, beef broth, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, cayenne, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce.

Stir well.

• Mix everything together until the ground beef and kidney beans are evenly coated in the tomato and spice mixture.

Slow cook the chili.

• Cover and cook on Low for 6–8 hours or High for 3–4 hours.

Thicken if needed.

• If you prefer a thick Crock Pot beef chili, remove the lid for the final 20–30 minutes of cooking. Give it a stir once or twice while it thickens.

Taste and adjust.

• Add a little more salt, black pepper or chili powder if needed. Chili is one of those recipes where a final taste really does make a difference.

Add the toppings.

• Spoon the hot chili into bowls. Top with shredded cheese first so it starts to melt, then add chunky avocado and sliced green onions.
Brown the ground beef before adding it to the slow cooker. It only takes a few extra minutes, but it gives the chili much better flavour and prevents the meat from having a soft, boiled texture.
Use only ¾ cup beef broth to start. This keeps the chili thick and hearty. If it becomes too thick while cooking, you can always stir in another splash of broth.
For an even richer homemade beef chili, use fire-roasted diced tomatoes. They add a subtle smoky flavour without making the recipe spicy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 421kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 28gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 727mgPotassium: 627mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1248IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 4mg

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