Dinner BY: PUBLISHED: 01/07/2019  UPDATED: 01/07/2024

The Best Crockpot Chili Recipe

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Crockpot chili is so good and so easy. If you own a Crockpot, you know how good your dishes taste after a day of simmering.

Want to know how you can make a Crockpot chili recipe but are worried it may be too difficult? We'll show you an easy slow-cooked chili.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Turn that slow cooker on and when you get home you are ready to eat. Want to learn how to make the best Crockpot chili recipe ever? Let’s get started!

What You Need For This Recipe

To make this Crockpot chili recipe you need the following ingredients:

Note that the full ingredients list, including measurements, can be found in the recipe card below.

Ingredients for making chili in a Crockpot or Instant Pot.

How To Make Crockpot Chili

  1. To start this Crock-Pot chili recipe, you first need to cut and finely chop the onion, garlic, and bell pepper.
  2. Turn your Crockpot Express or Instant Pot on and set it to Brown/Sauté. If you have a regular slow cooker use a skillet and heat.
  3. Brown the ground beef first. You will not need any butter or oil. The beef has a lot of natural fat that will be released when you brown it.
  4. Then add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the meat. If you like your chili spicy also add the jalapeño pepper.
  5. Sauté until soft and translucent. This will take a couple of minutes.
  6. Add the chili powder and taco seasoning. Stir through the ground beef meat mixture. Then add the plum tomatoes and break them up while stirring.
  7. Add the tomato puree to the pan. If you like your chili spicy make sure you add some jalapeño pepper finely chopped.
  8. The last ingredient you need to add is kidney beans or pinto beans. Give it one more stir, before closing the lid.
  9. Set your slow cooker to either:
    • 6-8 hours on Low
    • 4-5 hours on High
  10. Leave your slow cooker to do the work. Resist the urge to open the Crockpot while cooking. Leave it and only stir the chili at the end of the cooking time.
  11. Else you might crush the beans. Serve and enjoy your Crockpot chili recipe.

How to make the best Crockpot chili recipe. Take a look at this slow cooker beef chili. It is spicy and a great dinner dish. Make ahead or start it when you go to work.

Easy Slow-cooked Chili Recipe

The best chili is a combination of ground beef, the best seasoning, tomatoes, and time. So, to make a great chili that will set your pants on fire you need just a limited number of recipes.

In the slow cooker, the meat will get all the time it needs to absorb the flavors of the tomatoes and the seasoning. Ideally, you make this recipe one day in advance and leave it in the fridge overnight. The taste will be even better.

All you need to do is heat the chili slowly either in a pan or the slow cooker again.

It is important when you make chili, to brown the ground beef first. Even though the meat is in the slow cooker for a long time you do not want to risk that your meat is not done.

With an Instant Pot or Crockpot Express, you can use the brown/sauté option. If you have a regular slow cooker brown your meat in a skillet with the vegetables before you transfer them to the slow cooker.

If you make such a delicious recipe you have to make your homemade seasoning. It is so easy to make your chili powder and taco seasoning there is no need to use a store-bought packet.

Even if you do not own a slow cooker, you can still make this slow-cooked recipe. Use a Dutch oven to follow the recipe and put it in the oven at 300℉/150℃ for at least 4 hours.

How to make the best Crockpot chili recipe. Take a look at this slow cooker beef chili. It is spicy and a great dinner dish. Make ahead or start it when you go to work.

Can I Make Beef Chili Ahead Of Time

Yes, this chili recipe is great to make ahead. You can make it a couple of days ahead and all you have to do is reheat when you are ready to serve.

You can also put all of the ingredients into the slow cooker and turn it on before going to work. By the time you get home, you have one of the best chili dishes you ever had.

How To Store Beef Chili

If you make beef chili ahead or you have leftover chili you have several ways to store it. In all cases cool the chili completely before storing it:

  • Refrigerator – if you plan on serving this dish within a day or two you can store it in the fridge. Put the chili in an airtight food container
  • Freezer – if you want to store it longer, I recommend you store it in the freezer. Put the chili in a freezer-friendly food container and include the gravy as well. You can store it for up to 3 months

How to make the best Crockpot chili recipe. Take a look at this slow cooker beef chili. It is spicy and a great dinner dish. Make-ahead or start it when you go to work.

How To Reheat Beef Chili

You have several ways to reheat your beef chili:

  • Crock-Pot – you can use your slow cooker to reheat your chili. Select Keep Warm to let the Crockpot heat your chili while you prepare the side dishes for your chili
  • Pressure cooker – you can also reheat your chili in a pressure cooker. To prevent the pressure cooker from showing a burn notice add at least ¼ cup of water. Close your pressure cooker, close the lid, and secure. Select Manual or Pressure cooker and set it to 4 minutes. Quick-release when the cooking time is done and you are ready to serve
  • Dutch oven – you can also reheat your chili in a Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet. Again, add ¼ cup of water to the beef and let the Dutch oven or skillet warm gradually so your chili can warm gradually as well while you prepare our side dishes
  • Oven – instead of warming our chili on the stove you can also warm it in the oven. Add your chili to a Dutch oven. Preheat your oven to 375℉/190℃. Add your chili to a Dutch oven or enameled pan and add ¼ cup of water. Close the pan with a lid and put it in the oven for at least 15 minutes or until warm. Stir through regularly also to see if you need to add more water
  • Microwave – you can also use your microwave to heat chili. Put the chili in a microwave-safe food container and heat for 2 minutes. Check to see if the chili is warm else add a minute and check again. Repeat until the chili is warm

How to make the best Crockpot chili recipe. Take a look at this slow cooker beef chili. It is spicy and a great dinner dish. Make-ahead or start it when you go to work.

Serve Beef Chili With

You have several great side dish options that you can serve your slow cooker chili with:

  • Tortilla chips – tortilla chips are a great side dish to eat with your beef chili. Make them yourself and they will taste even better
  • Arepas – another great side dish to eat with a bowl of chili. Dip these arepas in the chili, pure heaven
  • Corn tacos – you can eat your chili as a taco filling all you need are some corn tacos that you can make as well
  • Soft flatbread – take some flatbread and dip it in your chili, so yum!
  • Potato tortillas – super easy and no-fail tortillas
  • Cilantro lime rice – it only takes about 10 minutes to make this rice with fresh cilantro and lime and have it on the table
  • Basmati rice – rice is always a good idea and with chili, it is even better. When your chili is too hot you can extinguish the heat with the rice. Basmati is aromatic rice and one of my favorites
  • Sour cream – sour cream works well with chili
  • Cheese – because who can live without cheese? If you can’t sprinkle a generous amount of your favorite cheese on the chili

How to make the best Crockpot chili recipe. Take a look at this slow cooker beef chili. It is spicy and a great dinner dish. Make ahead or start it when you go to work.

More Slow-Cooker Recipes

If you like slow-cooker, Dutch oven, Crockpot or Instant Pot recipes take a look at a couple of my other recipes below:

How to make the best Crockpot chili recipe. Take a look at this slow cooker beef chili. It is spicy and a great dinner dish. Make ahead or start it when you go to work.

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The best crockpot chili recipe

Crockpot Chili Recipe

Serves: 3 Prep Time: 4 minutes Cooking Time: 240 minutes

Want to know how you can make a Crockpot chili recipe but are worried it may be too difficult? We'll show you an easy slow-cooked chili.

Ingredients

  • 250 gram ground beef
  • 1 onion finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
  • 1 can of plump tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons tomato puree
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
  • 1 can kidney beans
  • ¼ jalapeño pepper (optional)

Instructions

  1. Set Crockpot express to Brown/Sauté (note 1).
  2. Brown the ground beef without butter or oil. Then add the onion, bell pepper and garlic to the meat. If you like your chili spicy also add the jalapeño pepper. Sauté until soft and translucent
  3. Add the chili powder and taco seasoning. Stir through the ground beef meat mixture. Then add the plum tomatoes and break them up while stirring. Add the tomato puree to the pan
  4. Add are the kidney beans or brown beans. Give it one more stir before closing the lid. Set your slow cooker to either Low (6-8 hours) or High (4-5 hours)
  5. Serve and enjoy your Crockpot chili recipe.

Notes

Note 1 - If you have a regular slow cooker use a skillet and heat Note 2 - The beef has a lot of natural fat it that will be released when you brown it Note 3 - If you like your chili spicy make sure you add some jalapeño pepper finely chopped Note 4 - Leave your slow cooker to do the work. Resist the urge to open the Crockpot while cooking. Leave it and only stir the chili at the end of the cooking time. Else you might crush the beans

Nutrition facts

Calories: 293; Fat: 7g; Carbs: 25.5g; Protein: 32.5g;

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