Slow Cooker Beef Chili
Updated Feb 06, 2026
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This deeply flavorful, almost entirely hands-off Slow Cooker Beef Chili is a keeper. With tender beef, warming spices, and a long, slow simmer, it’s a classic chili that’s perfect for game day, casual entertaining, or stocking the freezer.
If you’re looking for a slow cooker beef chili that’s rich, hearty, and reliably delicious (which, in my decades of chili making, is really what I think people want from a bowl of chili), this is the recipe to keep in your back pocket. Everything goes into the slow cooker, where it simmers gently into a thick, comforting chili with big flavor and minimal effort.
It’s the kind of low-stress, high-reward meal that’s ideal for busy days, Super Bowl Sunday, or anytime you want dinner to quietly take care of itself.
Why This Recipe Is a Keeper
- Almost completely hands-off
- Flexible with easy variations
- Built for game day
- Feeds a crowd
- Balanced and flavorful
- Make-ahead & freezer friendly
This Slow Cooker Beef Chili will go perfectly with Roasted Garlic and Tomato Bread, Garlic Bread, or Bacon, Fresh Corn, and Oregano Cornbread.
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What's In This Post?
A super classic, soul satisfying chili, made in the crockpot.
Ingredients
- Ground beef – I suggest 85% or 90% lean ground beef.
- Onion and garlic – Form the aromatic base for the chili.
- Bell pepper – Green, red, orange, or yellow, your choice.
- Tomato paste – Offers a rich depth of umami and sweetness.
- Chili powder and cayenne pepper – For a slight kick. Feel free to adjust accordingly.
- Ground cumin and dried oregano – Provides earthy flavors.
- Beans – I used kidney beans (classic) in this chili, but you can use any beans you like, such as chickpeas, cannellini beans, black beans, pinto beans, or a combination.
- Crushed tomatoes – Add a rich tomato flavor and help create a thick consistency.
Chili Toppings
Chili begs to be served over rice. Brown or white, your choice. It also begs (I am once again anthropomorphizing a food) to be topped. Cheese, scallions, sour cream, salsa, tomatoes, avocado, guacamole, or as many as you see fit to pile on. A loaded bowl of chili is a thing of beauty.
Chili Variations
- Use any color of bell pepper you like.
- Use any type of onion you have (or shallots).
- Leave out the meat, and add two more cans of beans for vegetarian chili.
- If you don’t have fresh garlic, use garlic powder.
- For more heat, add more chili powder and garlic powder, a shake or two of cayenne, a squirt of hot sauce, or maybe some minced jalapeños (leave some or all of the seeds in; just remember, more seeds means more heat).
- You can also offer sliced fresh or jarred jalapeño peppers as a topping choice for those looking for more bites of spiciness.
Stovetop Variation
You can 100% make this chili on the stovetop if you don’t have a slow cooker, or aren’t in a slow-cooker frame of mind. Instead of cooking it on low for 8 hours, just simmer it for 1 hour on the stovetop.
The slow cooker advantage, of course, is that you can (in the immortal words of I have no idea who) set it and forget it. Make it early in the day, leave it safely bubbling away in the slow cooker, and come home to a comfort food dinner.
How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Chili
- Sauté the beef: In a large skillet over medium-high heat sauté the beef.
- Mix the remaining ingredients and cook: Wipe out the skillet and add the oil and sauté the onion and bell pepper. Add the garlic followed by the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker followed by the browned beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, cayenne, salt, and pepper, and stir well. Cook on low for 8 hours.
- Finish and serve: Serve in bowls with the desired toppings.
Why the Slow Cooker Wins for Chili
The slow cooker might just be chili’s best friend. Cooking chili low and slow gives the flavors time to fully develop and meld, resulting in a deeper, richer taste than you get from a quick simmer on the stove. The beef becomes tender without drying out, the spices mellow and round out, and the whole pot turns into something cozy and cohesive.
And then there’s the practical magic: no stirring, no watching the pot, and no stress. You can make it ahead, keep it warm for hours, and serve it straight from the slow cooker — making it ideal for game day, casual entertaining, or any night when you want dinner to take care of itself.
Storage and Freezing
Nothing beats a container or zipper-tip bag of ground beef chili in the freezer.
You can load the chili into plastic or glass containers with lids — just make sure to leave 1/2 space between the top of the chili and the lid, as the chili will expand a bit when it freezes, and you want the lids to stay securely on. Use smaller containers or ziplock baggies so you can defrost it fairly quickly, and you can take out just what you need.
This beef chili will last, properly frozen, for 4 or 5 months. The chili will also stay good in a sealed container in the fridge for about 4-5 days.
What to Serve With Beef Chili
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Slow Cooker Beef Chili
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 1 bell pepper (cored, seeded, and diced; green, red, orange, or yellow, your choice)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, chickpeas, or pinto beans (drained and rinsed; or a combo, or whatever beans you prefer)
- 2 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
To Serve
- Hot rice (brown or white)
- Crumbled queso fresco or cojita cheese (or shredded cheese)
- Sliced or minced scallions
- Sour cream
- Diced avocados or guacamole
- Chopped fresh tomatoes
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Spray a large skillet and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the beef and sauté, breaking it up with a spoon or spatula into crumbles, until it is browned throughout. Drain in a colander.
- Carefully wipe out the skillet and return to medium heat. Add the oil, and then add the onion and bell pepper and saute for 4 minutes until the vegetables have started to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another minute until you can smell the garlic. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and oregano, stir to combine, and then turn the mixture into a slow cooker. Add the browned beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, cayenne and salt and pepper and stir well. Cook on low for 8 hours.
- Serve in bowls with the desired toppings.
Notes
- I used kidney beans (classic) in this chili, but you can use any beans you like, such as chickpeas, cannellini beans, black beans, pinto beans, or a combination.
- This beef chili will last, properly frozen, for 4 or 5 months. The chili will also stay good in a sealed container in the fridge for about 4-5 days.
Lol, Ron Popeil (RIP) coined those immortal words ‘set it and forget it’ in his many many infomercials.
I remember that well!
People in TX wouldn’t dare make or eat chili with beans of any kind!!