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Home » Recipes » Lunch & Dinner

best ever slow cooker chili

January 25, 2021 5 Comments

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Slow cooker chili is one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever make! It requires almost no hands on time, is full of incredible flavor, and makes the best game day or cold-weather meal. Dress it up with any toppings you like!

Two bowls of chunky chili topped with sour cream, cilantro, and tortilla chips this recipe

I feel like I just re-discovered chili. We haven’t made or eaten chili in AGES and I’ve made it twice in the last two weeks now! It’s just SO easy – and it’s perfect for the cold January weather. It’s so easy to make, I don’t even think I need to walk you through it but we’ll go over it real quick just so you can see how truly easy it is!

Two bowls of chunky chili topped with sour cream, cilantro, and tortilla chips

First, brown your ground beef (it’s kind of hiding under everything else in the crock pot, but it’s there, haha!). Chop an onion and two green bell peppers and add that next. Then, add canned diced tomatoes, canned kidney beans and mild chili beans (you can use medium if you’re not babies about spicy food like we are, hah!). Lastly, add salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin.

A slow cooker filled with the chili ingredients, before being cooked

Give it all a good stir, then let it cook on low for 6-8 hours! It’s that easy, folks. Hardly any hands on time, and you’ve got yourself a beautiful, chunky chili.

A slow cooker filled with all the chili ingredients, stirred together, before being cooked

One of the best parts about chili is that you can dress it up with SO many different toppings!

Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

  • Fresh cilantro
  • Fresh lime wedges
  • Sliced jalapeño peppers (if you like it spicy!)
  • Avocado slices
  • Cheese
  • Sour cream
  • Oyster crackers
  • Tortilla Chips

Need I go on? It’s a choose-your-own-toppings-adventure situation, and you’re the boss!

A pot of cooked chili, topped with cilantro

I personally like mine with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of cheddar cheese (which I forgot to add for the photos – oops!), a sprinkle of cilantro, and some tortilla chips or oyster crackers. You can even do whatever it is that people do to make their chili spicy, if you must. I suppose we can still be friends, heh.

A hand holding a spoon, taking a scoop of chili out of one of the bowls

Happy cooking, friends! I hope you make this for the big game in a few weeks – our team is out (the Packers – ARGHH!) but that just means it’s all about the food.

Two bowls of chili, topped with sour cream, cilantro, with other toppings like lime and avocado scattered around

Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo and leave a comment! 

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Best Ever Slow Cooker Chili

Slow cooker chili is one of the easiest recipes you'll ever make! It requires almost no hands on time, is full of incredible flavor, and makes the best game day or cold-weather meal. Dress it up with any toppings you like!
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Main Dish
Keyword: Easy Slow Cooker Recipes, Easy Game Day Recipes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Stephanie Simmons

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 2 large green bell peppers, diced
  • 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 2 cans mild chili beans
  • 1 can kidney beans
  • scant 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 2 TBSP chili powder

Instructions

  • Make the Chili: Cook the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat. Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Stir, breaking up the meat, until it's browned and cooked through. Drain the grease and add meat to the crockpot. Add the diced onion and bell pepper next. Drain most of the liquid from the canned tomatoes, and add them in. Add the chili beans next. Drain and rinse the kidney beans, and add them. Add the salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin. Give everything a really good stir to mix it all together.
    Cook on low for 6-8 hours. (Mine is usually done closer to the 6 hour mark). Make sure the peppers are tender and the onion looks cooked (it will be transluscent). Taste and add more salt + pepper if desired.
  • Serve + Store: Serve with any toppings you like! Try any combination of the following - avocado, cilantro, lime, tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, or oyster crackers.
    Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-6 days.
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Comments

  1. Joann says

    February 11, 2021 at 7:03 am

    Hi, Stephanie, This looks good. I do have a question. There is no liquid added, I wondering if it will be dry? Thanks for any help you can give me. Have a wonderful and blessed day.

    Reply
    • Stephanie Simmons says

      February 15, 2021 at 3:39 pm

      Hi Joann! It should not be dry – the canned tomatoes and chili beans have liquid in them and the peppers and tomatoes will give off liquid as it cooks. We’ve made this many many times and it’s never been dry! It is on the chunky side – but not dry. Hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  2. Jocelyn says

    January 25, 2021 at 10:08 pm

    What are mild chili beans? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Stephanie Simmons says

      February 01, 2021 at 12:43 pm

      Hi Jocelyn! They’re canned beans that have a chili seasoning/sauce. You can find them with the other canned beans in almost any grocery store 🙂 Hope you enjoy this chili!

      Reply
      • Jocelyn says

        February 01, 2021 at 1:06 pm

        Thanks. I’ll have to look for them next time I go.

        Reply

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