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Ultimate Slow Cooker Chili is one of the most comforting, ulta-satisfying, full of flavour and incredibly hearty recipes to try! It’s slow-cooked for hours, jam packed with protein, and the perfect weeknight dinner for the family to enjoy! Top with cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions, tortilla chips, and serve with a side of Easy Classic Buttermilk Cornbread or warm crusty bread!
For more soup and stew recipes, try my Healthy Hearty Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup and my Traditional Jamaican Pumpkin Beef Soup.
Chili is one of my favourite recipes to make, it’s so easy, flavourful and hearty. It’s great in the Fall and Winter months and tastes even better a day later – yes for chili leftovers! This recipe has very little prep involved, and that’s something else I love about it. Browning the meat, and sauteeing the onions, garlic and spices are an essential step is creating a flavourful chili so don’t skip it! I share some tips below that will help you create best chili, follow them as well as adjust the flavour to your liking and this will be a winner!
Table of Contents
How to Make Slow Cooker Chili from Scratch
First you start by combining all the spices, this just helps to create an even mix of the flavours in the slow cooker and prepping all your ingredients – beans, pepper, and tomatoes.
Secondly, brown your meat, and saute your onions, garlic, cumin and chili this will help the flavours burst.
Finally, you add all the ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Three simple, easy steps!
Ultimate Slow Cooker Chili Step by Step Recipe Video
Ultimate Slow Cooker Chili Tips
- Drain and rinse the beans before adding them to the pot. Although it contains starch, it will thin out your chili, always drain and rinse then add to the slow cooker.
- Brown your ground beef first. This will allow for deeper, richer flavour.
- Saute your onions and garlic. This also helps to allow the flavours to deepen and burst.
- Bloom the chili powder and cumin. Do this by adding the chili powder and cumin when you brown the meat or soften the onions to bring out the flavor of the spices.
- Cook on low, slow. Chili needs time for the flavours to meld and come together, the longer the simmer the more flavourful the chili will become.
Grab the Grocery List (Screenshot The Below)!
Slow Cooker Chili Ingredients
2 lb Ground Beef
Yellow Onion
Garlic
Red Kidney Beans
Black Beans
Crushed Tomatoes
Diced Tomatoes
Poblano Pepper
Beef Broth
Bay Leaves
Chili Powder
Parsley
Cumin
Oregano
Smoked Paprika
Cayenne Pepper
Granulated White Sugar
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Olive Oil, Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Slow Cooker Chili Toppings
Sour Cream
Green Onions, sliced
Jalapeños, sliced
Tortilla Strips
Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Cilantro Leaves
Slow Cooker Chili Best Served With
Butter Toasted Crusty Bread
Cornbread
Steamed Rice
Pasta
Other Comforting & Delicious Recipes to Try
One Pot Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta with Sausage, Easy Classic Buttermilk Cornbread
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Ultimate Slow Cooker Chili
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 lbs lb Ground Beef
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Yellow Onion, large, diced
- 6 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 16oz Can Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 16oz Can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 16oz Can Crushed Tomatoes
- 1 16oz Can Diced Tomatoes
- 1 Poblano Pepper, large
- 1 cup Beef Broth
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2 tbsp Chili Powder, more to taste
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper, more or less to taste
- 1 tsp Salt, more or less to taste
- 1 tbsp Granulated White Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Toppings
- Sour Cream
- Green Onions, sliced
- Jalapeños, sliced
- Tortilla Strips
- Cheddar Cheese, shredded
- Cilantro Leaves
Instructions
- Combine all your seasoning in a small mixing bowl except your chili powder and cumin, and set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil. Once heated, add ground beef and cook until browned, around 5-6 minutes. You may want to brown the beef in batches, 1lb at a time to allow the beef to fry and not steam. Be sure to break apart/crumble the beef as it cooks and drain the excess fat if necessary. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Add garlic, onion, cumin and chili powder, saute until fragrant and softened around 4-6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl (get all the browned bits and seasoning from the bottom of the skillet) and set aside.
- In a 6-qt slow cooker, add cooked ground beef, onions and garlic. Stir in red kidney beans, black beans, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, poblano pepper, beef broth, bay leaves, and seasoning blend; season with salt, pepper, and add more chilli powder to taste, if needed. Cover and cook on low heat for 6-7 hours or high heat for 4-5 hours.
- Ladle into individual bowls, top with sour cream, cheddar cheese, jalapenos, and tortilla strips, if desired and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Should you drain the beans first?
Hi Amber, yes – drain and rinse the beans then add to the slow cooker!