Slow Cooker Chili
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If you are looking for a seriously great chili recipe you can throw in the slow cooker and be ready for dinner, this one is for you. With beef, beans, and all the right spices, this is one of our most loved ways to cook chili. Your mom would be proud!
Admittedly, this site already has one of our easiest recipes for the best chili. Our Wendy’s chili recipe, a copycat fast food joint favorite, is a 5-star reader-approved recipe.
But we wanted to translate that into a slow cooker chili that can be put on at the beginning of the day and ready when you are. So we got to work, remaking our favorite chili recipe and translating it into a hearty home-cooked crockpot meal for an easy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients:
- ground beef and cooking oil
- fresh veggies: onion, celery, green pepper
- canned: Rotel tomatoes with green chilies, stewed tomatoes, kidney beans, pinto beans, tomato sauce
- chili seasoning
- white vinegar
Is this just for you? —> Create a bowl of chili for one instead.
How to make Beef and Bean Chili in the Crockpot
- In a skillet, add ground beef, onion, celery, green pepper, and oil, and cook until the hamburger is browned, about 8–10 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper, and drain the grease if desired.
- Add cooked beef mixture to a slow cooker.
- Stir in Rotel, stewed tomatoes, kidney beans, pinto beans, tomato sauce, and dry chili seasoning. Mix well.
- Cover and heat on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Stir in white vinegar and serve topped with shredded cheddar cheese.
Chili Topping Ideas
In our house, we top bowls of chili with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, additional diced onions, and some sliced jalapenos.
What to serve with chili
While growing up with chili served over cornbread, my husband introduced me to eating chili with tortilla chips, and that’s how we all dive in now.
Leftover chili also goes great over fries; drain extra juice and scoop the good stuff right over. You can also freeze any leftovers for future meals.
Slow Cooker Chili (Reader Favorite!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef substitutes: ground sirloin, ground turkey
- 1 small onion diced into small pieces
- 1 stalk celery diced into small pieces
- 1 small green pepper chopped
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil vegetable is fine
- 10 oz. Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
- 28 oz. stewed tomatoes
- 15.5 oz. undrained kidney beans
- 15.5 oz. undrained pinto beans
- 14 oz. tomato sauce
- 1.25 oz. chili seasoning dry packet
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
Instructions
- In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add 1lb of lean ground beef, 1 small diced onion, 1 diced stalk of celery, and 1 chopped small green pepper. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the beef is browned. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drain any excess grease if preferred.
- Transfer the beef mixture to a slow cooker. Mix in one 10 oz can of Rotel, one 28 oz can of stewed tomatoes, one 15.5 oz can of kidney beans (including liquid), one 15.5 oz can of pinto beans (including liquid), one 14 oz can of tomato sauce, and one 1.25 oz packet of dry chili seasoning. Stir well to combine.
- Cover the slow cooker. Cook the chili on low heat for 6-8 hours or on high heat for 3-4 hours.
- Just before serving, stir in 1 tablespoon of white vinegar into the chili. Serve hot, optionally topped with shredded cheddar cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: The nutritional data provided here is auto-calculated and intended for your convenience only. As it’s generated via automation, its accuracy may be compromised. For precise nutritional insight, please compute the values utilizing the actual ingredients in your recipe through your chosen nutrition calculator or application.
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