This Crockpot Chili recipe is a winner! Hearty and full of flavor, you will love coming home to this great dinner.
I truly love soup season so much. It brings back memories for me of watching my mom cook in our kitchen, the dark fall sky visible behind her in our steamed up kitchen windows. For me, it is no wonder that soup is so comforting.
The perfect soup to make in the fall, as the days get shorter and the temperature more cool, is chili! It is like a complete meal in a bowl. And making it in the slow cooker means that you can come home from work with a comforting dinner waiting for you. Make a batch of my cornbread the day before, it goes perfectly with this!
Love ..love love..this chili recipe my husband could not get enough of it! Thank you for an awesome recipe and this was the first time making chili! This will be a staple in our house.
How to Make Chili In a Slow Cooker
Nothing warms the soul and stomach like a hearty bowl of rich chili. This is a brief overview of the recipe. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post to get all of the measurements.
- Brown your ground beef on the stove top. You don’t even need to cook it all the way; just until you can’t see any pink.
- Sauté the peppers and onions with the beef. This will change their flavor in the final dish and make them a little more mild.
- Combine everything in the slow cooker. Once you have drained the grease off the meat and veggies, add them to slow cooker with the spices, beans, tomatoes and sauce.
- Cook the chili. Letting it cook in the slow cooker all day allows all the flavors to deepen and combine. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
What is Liquid Smoke?
There are two secret ingredients that put this recipe over the top! The first is Liquid Smoke.
Just like the name implies, this ingredient is made from the condensed liquid you get from the smoke of burning wood. You can find bottles of liquid smoke at the grocery store, next to the spices or condiments, and it lasts forever when stored in the refrigerator.
What is Ground Chipotle?
Ground chipotle is the other secret ingredient that you may not have handy in your pantry. But it’s easy to find in the spice aisle of the grocery store. I love the delicious flavor that chipotle peppers bring to a recipe.
Like Liquid Smoke, ground chipotle offers a deep, rich smoky flavor that enhances the other seasonings. I love the flavor both of these bring to my Chicken Tacos. I know you will love it in this chili recipe too.
Controlling Spiciness
Too spicy? Not spicy enough? That’s what is so perfect about this chili recipe. By adding or decreasing a couple of spices, you can control how hot each batch tastes.
- To make this less spicy simply omit the cayenne pepper, or use just a dash for flavor.
- To increase up the heat add more cayenne pepper, along with some hot diced green chilis. Find those in the canned goods aisle at the grocery store.
Substitutions and Variations
- Swap the ground beef for ground turkey. Read more on how to do this below.
- Double the recipe. If you want to make a large batch of this slow cooker chili, simply double all of the ingredients. The cooking time can remain the same, though I suggest, you go for the longer end of the cooking range.
- Swap the ground chipotle for smoked paprika. Another option would be to use chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. One or two would be great in this, but consider that it will add more heat.
- Change out the tomatoes. If your family doesn’t like tomato chunks, use a can of crushed tomatoes instead.
- Add more or swap the beans. If you kidney beans aren’t your favorite, consider using pinto or black beans. You could also simply add in another can of either of those to the recipe as written. Be sure to drain and rinse your beans to control the saltiness of the recipe.
Using Ground Turkey
This easy crockpot chili recipe tastes incredible with ground turkey too! Instead of ground beef, brown up some ground turkey and then proceed with the recipe as directed. Be sure to use a drizzle of extra virgin olive when browning oil to avoid sticking to the pan.
FAQ
Eight hours on low. When we combine all of the ingredients in this recipe, they are all fully cooked and food safe. But the long and low simmering time is what really pulls all the flavors together and makes this recipe as great as it is.
That, of course, is a matter of opinion. My kids are really sensitive to spices and they didn’t find it spicy. If you are concerned, see my tips above for making it more or less spicy.
Leftovers of this recipe can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. When you reheat it, only take out the portion that you want to eat at that meal. Leftovers should not be reheated more than once. Always use your best judgement when eating leftovers.
Yes! Chili is a great recipe to freeze. Once it has cooled completely, transfer to a container leaving an inch at the top for it to expand. Place in the freezer for up to three months. Reheat over low heat on the stove top or thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
If you throw raw beef in the slow cooker, it won’t have the texture you are looking for in the final dish.
This makes 6 bowls of chili that are each 1 1/3 cup. This is a very easy recipe to double.
Other Great Soup Recipes
I adore soup season, where a simple supper nourishes your family and makes you feel good too. Soups are easy to make, and there’s no end to the possibilities! Try a few of these tried and true recipes:
- Slow Cooker Potato Soup
- Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Taco Soup
- Vegetarian Chili
- Steak Fajita Soup
I can’t wait for the next cold evening so I can make this crockpot chili! Let me know what you think of this recipe. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Gather your family, serve up piping bowls of crockpot chili and enjoy being together!
Crockpot Chili
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (read how to use ground turkey)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle (read what ground chipotle is here)
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (read about spice level here)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke (learn what liquid smoke is here)
- 14 ounces kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes undrained
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and break up. Season with salt and pepper. (Don't miss my section on the post on substitutions and variations for crockpot chili.)1 pound ground beef, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Add in the green pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until you can no longer see pink. There is no need to cook the beef all the way through. Drain the fat from the skillet.1 green bell pepper, 2 cloves garlic, 1 medium yellow onion
- Add the beef mixture to the slow cooker. Add in the chili powder, cumin, ground chipotle, and ground cayenne pepper. Mix in the Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce.2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon liquid smoke, 14 ounces kidney beans, 28 ounces diced tomatoes, 15 ounces tomato sauce
- Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Serve with diced red onion, corn chips, sliced jalapenos, shredded cheese, sour cream, and fresh cilantro.
Notes
Nana Mac says
I’m making this tomorrow as some of the family arrives for Pre-thanksgiving. Our non-traditional thanksgiving is Fiesta thanksgiving, so this should fit right in. I plan to make some cornbread and possibly some rice as the grands LOVE rice. Oh we also have 4 family members that are Gluten free,(including me) so this fits the bill.
I hope everyone loves it!
Katie says
Hi! I made this on a whim after my husband told me last minute he had a chili cook off at work the next day. I did adjust a few things to accommodate what I had in my kitchen but I had to come tell you that he won the cook off! So your chili is award winning 🙂 thanks for the recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that!
Melissa says
A tablespoon of Liquid Smoke is WAY too much. It honestly has ruined all the chili. In my opinion. My boyfriend is okay with it. But I cannot handle it at all.
Yeah, this is one of those things of personal taste just being different. I love the taste of it in there and to me it is really subtle. To my memory, this isn’t a complaint I’ve gotten before on this recipe, so I really think its just a personal taste issue.
Cleo says
Delicious
Kathy says
Do you need more than a 6qt. Slow cooker to double the recipe?
I’m not certain because I haven’t tried doubling this recipe, but I think it would work in a 6 quart slow cooker. It might be a tight fit and you will need a longer cooking time, but. think it will fit. Again, I haven’t tested it though.
RMW says
OMG! EXCELLENT RECIPE! Delicious, easy and just a little different due to the liquid smoke!
I’m so glad you liked it!
Jenn says
I’ve done this chili 3 times now. The first two were in the crockpot and I made it tonight on the stove. It was just as good and I was able to make it with less time in advance. If you love chili, trust me and double this recipe. You will regret it if you don’t. I use it as a food prep meal and it freezes and thaws great!
I’m so glad that you like it, Jenn!
Alice says
Hey. Thanks for the recipe. I am curious as to whether one could sauté vegetables and the ground beef in the crock pot itself turned to high. After beef is no longer pink just proceed with rest of the recipe
This would be easier with less pans to wash. Thanks
A crockpot doesn’t really get hot enough to sauté.
Barbara says
I had to lessen the ingredients because I only started with 1 lb ground beef. Adding the beer was new to me. I also adde 2 T Brooks KETCHUP like I do in several soups for a little tang. I also added double the amount of kidney beans. It turned out delicious!
Thank you for the recipe.
I’m just a little bit confused because this recipe only calls for 1 pound of ground beef and doesn’t call for beer. I’m so glad you enjoyed it, but I’m wondering if it was someone else’s recipe.
Byron says
Hello Lisa I’m going to make your recipe for the 1st time. Do you use the hard dry beans or canned beans?
I use canned beans. If you wanted to use dry beans, you would need to soak them first.