The best Chili ever! Warm, hearty, and full of flavor, this slow cooker Chili is not only extremely delicious but super easy to make. Perfect to feed a crowd!
What Is Chili?
Chili is one of those dishes I came to try only after living in the U.S. and one that I just became obsessed with because of its delicious flavors and comforting nature.
This dish is a spicy stew containing chili peppers/spices, meat, beans, and tomatoes. Some other seasonings include onions, sweet peppers, garlic, cumin, and jalapeño.
Be sure to check out my Taco Chicken Chili and Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili too!
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Chili
Have all of your ingredients out and ready. Pre-cut and measure beforehand for ease of cooking.
- Meat – I recommend using two types of meats to make this chili: ground pork and ground beef. Get 93% lean ground beef as the pork meat will add plenty of fat and flavor and you do not need the extra grease from the beef.
- Yellow Onion, Bell Pepper and Garlic – add flavor using fresh aromatics.
- Spices (Chili Powder, Cumin, Salt, Ground Black Pepper) – Flavor, Flavor, Flavor!
- Beans – This recipe uses red kidney beans and black beans. You can use other varieties such as pinto beans or red beans. Do not drain as you will be using the juices from the can in the recipe as well.
- Diced tomatoes – I used canned and added its juices.
- Tomato Sauce
- Corn – This ingredient is optional but I like it.
- Jalapeño – For that extra spice.
How to make Chili in the Slow Cooker
This slow cooker chili recipe is so simple to make and takes about 15 minutes to get everything ready and set in the slow cooker where’s then going to cook nice and slow for 6 to 8 hours.
Detailed instructions and measurements can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Saute the onion and bell pepper in a bit of vegetable oil until onions are soft. Add garlic, cumin and chili powder and let cook for one more minute.
- Add the meat, salt, and pepper. Using a wooden spoon, break up the meat and incorporate it with the vegetables and spices. Let cook until all the meat is brown.
- Carefully transfer the meat mixture to a slow cooker. Add beans with their juices, corn, tomato sauce, diced tomato with their juices and jalapeño. Discard the jalapeño seeds if you don’t want the Chili to be too hot. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook for about 6 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
How Long to Slow Cook Chili
Preferably, you want to cook this chili nice and slow on the low setting of your slow cooker for at least 8 hours. If you’d like for it to cook a bit faster, set it to high and cook for at least 6 hours.
Favorite Chili Toppings:
The toppings you use to serve your chili are completely up to preference and can definitely make the dish much more enjoyable. Here are some of our favorite toppings:
- Cheese – I prefer mild cheddar cheese, but Colby Jack works as well.
- Green onion – always a good choice and adds freshness to the dish. Chopped red onion also works well.
- Sour cream – adds great balance to the dish, especially if your chili is more on the spicy side.
- Cilantro – adds freshness
- Sliced jalapeños – for a bit of crunch and a spicy kick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You certainly can. This is a great recipe for leftovers or meal prep. Store it in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze it to preserve longer.
This chili recipe is great for freezer meals. Let the chili cool and store it in an air-tight container before placing it in the freezer. You can also store it in small individual containers for a quick lunch.
Whatever you serve it with, chili is a meal that everyone will love! Try it with:
Baked Potatoes
White Rice
Cornbread
Mini Bacon Corn Muffins
If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can easily make this chili on the stovetop. Simply saute the onion and bell pepper in a bit of vegetable oil until the onions are soft. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, meat, salt, and pepper. Let cook until all meat is brown. Add corn, tomato sauce, diced tomato with their juices, and jalapeño. Simmer for about 2.5 hours. Add the beans and continue to cook for another 30 to 45 minutes.
You can also make this chili in an electric pressure cooker. First, set your Instant Pot to the sautee mode to cook the onion and peppers, and brown the meat with the spices. Then, add the beans, corn, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and jalapeño.
Cover and set to pressure cook for 20 minutes. When done, let the pressure release naturally before opening the lid. Serve warm with your favorite toppings and a side of this easy and delicious cornbread.
Tips for Cooking Chili
- Use two types of ground meat (beef and pork) to give your chili a more delicious and distinctive flavor.
- I use 93% lean ground sirloin. It has plenty of flavor without the extra fat.
- Use two varieties of beans. I used canned red kidney beans and back beans, but you can add any beans you like such as pinto beans, red beans, etc.
- This recipe is more on the mild side. If you’d like it to be spicy, I recommend adding more jalapeño or some red pepper flakes.
- Serve with a variety of toppings such as mild cheddar cheese, sour cream, scallions, jalapeño, and/or tortilla chips.
- The ingredients in this recipe fill about ¾ of a 6 qt. CrockPot.
- You can double the recipe and make a big batch to feed a large crowd of more than 12 people. Keep in mind that if doubling the recipe, you’ll need to use two 6 qt. slow cookers.
- If your slow cooker has a saute mode, skip cooking the vegetables and browning the meat in a skillet and saute directly on the slow cooker. This way you’ll dirty fewer dishes.
Other Slow Cooker Recipes You’ll Love:
- Slow Cooker Carnitas
- Slow Cooker Lentil Stew
- Slow Cooker Taco Chicken Chili
- Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup with Yuca
Slow Cooker Chili
Author:Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 8 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 can (15 ounces) red kidney beans
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans
- 1 can (15 ounces) corn, drained
- 2 cans (15 ounces) tomato sauce
- 2 cans (15 ounces) diced tomato
- 2 medium jalapeños, diced
For Serving
- shredded mild cheddar cheese
- sour cream
- thinly sliced scallions
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until onions become soft.
- Add the garlic, cumin, and chili powder. Mix well to combine the spices. Cook for about one minute.
- Add the ground meat (beef and pork), salt, and black pepper to the pan. Using a wooden spoon, break up the meat and incorporate it with the vegetables and spices. Let cook until all meat is brown.
- Carefully transfer the meat mixture to a slow cooker. Add beans with their juices, corn, tomato sauce, diced tomato with their juices, and jalapeño. Discard the jalapeño seeds if you don’t want the Chili to be too hot. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook for about 6 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Taste and season with salt as needed.
- Serve with cheese, sour cream, and scallions.
Video
Notes
- The ingredients in this recipe fill about ¾ of a 6 qt. CrockPot.
- You can double the recipe to feed a large crowd of more than 12 people. Keep in mind that if doubling the recipe, you’ll need to use two 6 qt. slow cookers.
- If your slow cooker has a saute mode, skip cooking the vegetables and browning the meat in a skillet and saute directly on the slow cooker. This way you’ll dirty fewer dishes.
- This is a great recipe for leftovers or meal prep. Store it in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze it to preserve longer.
- You can also make this chili in an electric pressure cooker. First, set your Instant Pot to the sautee mode to cook the onion and peppers, and brown the meat with the spices. Then, add the beans, corn, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and jalapeño. Cover and set to pressure cook for 20 minutes. When done, let the pressure release naturally before opening the lid.
Nutrition
The nutritional information of this recipe and all recipes on mydominicankitchen.com is only an estimate. The accuracy of any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
*Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in January 2015. It was updated in October 2021 with new photos, a recipe video, and extra notes and tips.
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dora says
I love chili, it’s a great idea to use two types of meat. Thanks for sharing!!
Ale says
In love with chili… have you prepared it with beans instead of meat? Do you think your recipe will do well with this swap?
Thanks
Vanessa says
Yes. I think it would definitely work with beans as well.
Tiffany Bendayan says
This is the perfect comfort food that’s easy to make, freeze, and re-use for another day! will definitely make it!
Silvia Martinez says
Looks delicious! Chili is just so easy to make and so comforting!
Enriqueta Lemoine says
This looks so good Vale, Love your pics!
Erica says
Do you use all the juices from all the cans or just the beans.
Vanessa says
I use the juice only from the beans and diced tomatoes.
Erik says
Got this one in the pot cooking right now!
I tried a couple different ideas —
I cooked 1 lb of chopped bacon in the frying pan first, set the bacon aside, drained about half of the grease, and then fried up the onion and pepper in it.
I added the bacon back in after the beef was browned. I didn’t use pork.
I drained the beans and corn, and, for liquid, I added half of an IPA in the pot.
Also, I’m trying a heaping tablespoon of cacao powder.
We’ll see how it goes!! Thanks for the delicious recipe!!
Hannahbanana says
Loved it. I did change it up a little bit. Instead of beef and pork I used 1.2 pounds of turkey. Instead of regular tomato sauce I used Spanish style tomato sauce from aldis, and instead of jalapeños I used a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, I also didn’t add any salt since all the cans have a lot of salt. And I used 2 cans of black beans instead of black and kidney. This came out to be amazing!!!! My favorite by far ?
Vanessa says
That is awesome! The diced tomatoes with green chilies sound amazing for this recipe!
Tammy says
hi
Could you please tell me what size tomato sauce and diced tomatoes you used? 2 cans of 28 oz cans or 2 cans of 15 oz cans?
Vanessa says
Hi Tammy! I used 2 cans of 15 oz. tomato sauce and 2 cans of 15 oz. diced tomatoes. I will add this information to the recipe. Thank you for asking.
liz says
Hi! This looks great! I want to make this for a big crowd… Based on what it looked like for you in the 6qt, do you think if I double the recipe, it’ll fit in a 7qt slow cooker? Thanks!
Vanessa says
Hi Liz, this recipe fits a 6qt slow cooker almost completely. I do not believe doubling the recipe would fit. I suggest instead of doubling the recipe that you make one full recipe and than half to ensure it fits your slow cooker. Please come back and tell me how it came out. I’m sure your guests will love this chili. Enjoy!
Hannah says
Can you please let us know what size crock pot this recipe is designed for? Thanks!
Vanessa says
Hi Hannah, this recipe fits a 6 qt. Crock Pot. Thank you for the question. I will update in the recipe. ?
Alicia says
Love all the photos! Glad it turned out delish!!
Maritza Guzman says
This recipe sounds delicious! I’ve been looking for chili recipe for sometime and now I can’t wait to try it!
Joanne Almonte Mason says
OMG this looks so good! Perfect for winter:)
Cheers,
Joanne
FabulouslyAverage
Natalia says
Wow ur pics r fab!!! Love the look of the site and Yum yum u made me hungry.
Vanessa says
Thanks!! 🙂 You made me blush.