American
Slow Cooker Beef Chili
Ground beef, beans, and tomato cook into a thick chili with a measured spoon of chili powder. You brown the beef first so the pot does not taste steamy and gray.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 6 hr
- Total
- 6 hr 15 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Browning the beef is the one stove step. After that the lid stays on.
- Beans make it a full bowl.
- The spice is teaspoons, not a mystery packet.
- It is better after it sits.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Rough grocery estimate for the full recipe: about $12–$16 at a typical US supermarket. Prices vary by store, region, and season.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
Brown the beef and onion in a skillet over medium-high heat until no pink remains and the beef reaches 160°F, about 8 minutes. Drain extra fat if the pan is swimming. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and salt for 30 seconds.
- 2
Move everything to the slow cooker. Add both tomatoes, the beans, and the pepper. Stir.
- 3
Cover. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours. Do not lift the lid to stir in the first half of the cook.
- 4
If the chili is thinner than you want, cook uncovered on high for 20 minutes at the end.
- 5
Taste for salt. Serve.
Pro tips
- Draining a very fatty batch keeps the chili from looking greasy. Leave a little fat for flavor.
- Canned beans are already cooked. They are here to heat through and take on the sauce, not to simmer all day from dried.
- A dollop of sour cream is optional and goes on the bowl, not into the pot for 6 hours.
Easy substitutions
- Ground beef
- Ground turkey
- Kidney beans
- Black beans
- Chili powder
- Half the amount if your blend is very hot
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 4 days, or freeze up to 3 months.
Reheating
Warm in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring, with a splash of water if it thickened in the fridge.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 420
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fiber
- 10 g
Budget friendly · Slow Cooker, Stovetop · Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, High Protein
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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