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Home / Comfort Food

Classic Beef and Bean Slow Cooker Chili

4.93
/5
8 hours 30 minutes
26 Comments
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By: The Chunky Chefpublished: 10/08/2017

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.


Warm up with a comforting bowl of this classic beef and bean slow cooker chili! Perfect for game day or a busy weeknight!


This time of year, nothing beats a big bowl of comfort food, like this slow cooker chili.  Made with plenty of beef and beans, it’s full of protein and filling fiber, and is perfect for tailgating, a game day party at home, or a busy weeknight meal!

Classic Beef and Bean Slow Cooker Chili | Make classic beef and bean chili the easy way... in the slow cooker!  Come home to a big bowl of comfort food, or serve this chili at a game day party! | https://www.thechunkychef.com | #chili #slowcooker #crockpot #gameday Who’s ready for chili season?!  Technically, there’s no chili season for me, since I make it year round, but as the weather cools down, I definitely get a hankering for a big bowl of comforting chili!

You guys have LOVED these turkey chili and chicken chili versions, so I knew I wanted to bring you guys a great beef chili recipe that’s made in the slow cooker.

After all, is there anything better than walking through the door at the end of a lonnnngggg day, and being hit with the smell of a delicious chili simmering away?

Classic Beef and Bean Slow Cooker Chili | Make classic beef and bean chili the easy way... in the slow cooker!  Come home to a big bowl of comfort food, or serve this chili at a game day party! | https://www.thechunkychef.com | #chili #slowcooker #crockpot #gameday 

So I guess the only thing it comes down to, is one quintessential question…

DO YOU LIKE BEANS IN YOUR CHILI?  OR PREFER NO BEANS?

Growing up and living in Ohio, our “chili” is WAY different than what anyone else considers chili (check out the ultimate Cincinnati-Style chili here!), so I’m really the type of person who can have it both ways.

Sometimes I like the added fiber and texture of the beans, and other times, I prefer it without.  If you can’t stand the thought of beans in your slow cooker chili, you can leave them out of this recipe, or try this beef and poblano version!

Classic Beef and Bean Slow Cooker Chili | Make classic beef and bean chili the easy way... in the slow cooker!  Come home to a big bowl of comfort food, or serve this chili at a game day party! | https://www.thechunkychef.com | #chili #slowcooker #crockpot #gameday 

Are you a huge chili toppings fan?  I am.  I load my chili up!  My personal favorite toppings are:

  • diced avocado
  • chopped tomatoes
  • shredded cheese (the Mexican blend cheese is my personal fav!)
  • tortilla strips or crushed chips
  • sliced green onions
  • minced cilantro
  • sliced or diced jalapeños
  • sour cream

Classic Beef and Bean Slow Cooker Chili | Make classic beef and bean chili the easy way... in the slow cooker!  Come home to a big bowl of comfort food, or serve this chili at a game day party! | https://www.thechunkychef.com | #chili #slowcooker #crockpot #gameday 

This chili has a kick, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it spicy.  There are a few ways to tame the spice here if you’re worried about it:

  • Use a MILD can of died green chiles
  • Use a green bell pepper instead of diced green chiles
  • Top with plenty of cheese and sour cream 🙂

Classic Beef and Bean Slow Cooker Chili | Make classic beef and bean chili the easy way... in the slow cooker!  Come home to a big bowl of comfort food, or serve this chili at a game day party! | https://www.thechunkychef.com | #chili #slowcooker #crockpot #gameday 

The next time you’re craving some classic Fall comfort food, try this slow cooker chili!!

Try this chili with a big slice of this skillet cornbread (cooked in bacon drippings!)!

Skillet Jalapeno Cheddar Homemade Cornbread | In true homestyle fashion, this jalapeño cheddar cornbread is baked in a cast iron skillet with bacon drippings for extra flavor!  Soft inside, with a mouthwatering crunch on the outside, this cornbread is the one you've been looking for! | https://www.thechunkychef.com | #cornbread #homemade #jalapenocheddar #castiron #homestyle

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!

Classic Beef and Bean Slow Cooker Chili | Make classic beef and bean chili the easy way... in the slow cooker!  Come home to a big bowl of comfort food, or serve this chili at a game day party! | https://www.thechunkychef.com | #chili #slowcooker #crockpot #gameday 

Classic Beef and Bean Slow Cooker Chili

4.93 from 13 votes
Author: The Chunky Chef
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
Total Time: 8 hours 30 minutes
Calories: 534
Servings: 8 servings
(hover over # to adjust)
Print Rate Pin
Warm up with a comforting bowl of this classic beef and bean slow cooker chili! Perfect for game day or a busy weeknight!

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 yellow onions, diced
  • 1 red or green bell pepper, diced
  • 2 lbs ground beef (I use an 80/20 fat content)
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1 Tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (or diced)
  • 14 oz can tomato sauce
  • 2 (15oz) cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 4 oz can diced green chiles

TOPPINGS:

  • diced avocado
  • diced fresh tomatoes
  • sliced green onions
  • shredded cheese
  • sour cream
  • minced cilantro
  • tortilla strips or broken tortilla chips
  • diced or sliced jalapeños

Instructions

  • To a large skillet, add oil and heat over MED to MED-HIGH heat.  Add onions and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and very fragrant, about 5 minutes.
  • Add ground beef and cook about 5 minutes, crumbling with a wooden spoon or potato masher, until beef is no longer pink.  Drain any excess fat, and return beef mixture to skillet.
  • Add salt, chili powder, cumin and black pepper and minced garlic, and cook about a minute.  
  • Transfer beef mixture to the bottom of slow cooker.  Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans and green chiles, and stir well to combine.  Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours, or on HIGH for 5-6 hours.
  • Taste chili and season with salt and black pepper if needed.  Serve with any desired toppings and enjoy!

Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!

Chef Tips

This chili is thick and rich, but if you prefer a less thick version, when adding the cans of crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans and green chiles, add about a cup of beef stock/broth.
To cook this on the stove top:
  • Complete steps 1-3, using a dutch oven or stockpot instead of a skillet, then add all remaining ingredients to pot and bring to a boil, then cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes, or until chili has thickened to desired consistency.
 

Nutrition Disclaimer

The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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Classic Beef and Bean Slow Cooker Chili | Make classic beef and bean chili the easy way... in the slow cooker!  Come home to a big bowl of comfort food, or serve this chili at a game day party! | https://www.thechunkychef.com | #chili #slowcooker #crockpot #gameday 

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Meet The Chunky Chef

Hey there! I'm Amanda. Wife, mother, photography nerd, and bacon lover! I believe that delicious meals should be easy to make. Now that you’re here, stay a bit, browse a few recipes, and let’s get cookin’!

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Recipe Rating




  1. Becky says

    Posted on 12/18 at 7:00 pm

    wonderful

    Reply
  2. Gerald says

    Posted on 12/15 at 7:02 pm

    You have a lot of wonderful recipes, I enjoy every one of them. I’m just not into anything being too hot by using hot peppers 😩 or spices.

    Reply
  3. Gerald says

    Posted on 12/15 at 6:56 pm

    Loved it and wasn’t hard to prepare

    Reply
  4. Kennie P. Coco says

    Posted on 12/11 at 8:02 pm

    I seared my beef with bacon and drippings for a deeper flavor. Everything else exactly as written. Excellent.

    Reply
    • Gerald says

      Posted on 12/15 at 6:58 pm

      I’m going to have to try that next time.

      Reply
  5. Kelli Hutchinson says

    Posted on 6/25 at 10:05 pm

    Yummy recipe. We put extra tomatoes and extra pinto beans. We also put prime rib from our left overs and that was delish. Thanks for sharing

    Reply
  6. Carissa Fernandez says

    Posted on 1/28 at 7:03 pm

    Easy and delicious. I added a can on chili beans for more diversity. 

    Reply
  7. E.T. says

    Posted on 1/20 at 11:42 am

    This is the best recipe I’ve found. Absolutely love this chili! Thank you so much for sharing and thanks again for all of the additional toppings ideas. Everytime I make this chili I bring the leftovers for my shipmates (I’m active duty Navy). They fight over it sometimes. I’ve made this for pot-lucks and I always bring home an empty crockpot. Thanks! 🙂

    Reply
  8. Susan says

    Posted on 3/3 at 9:08 pm

    My 11 year old grandson Ambrose made this chili for us. The only difference was he used 3pounds of hamburger and 2 1/2 cans of kidney beans. This chili was fabulous. The best I’ve had in a long time. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  9. Jeanette Hammond says

    Posted on 12/23 at 1:20 pm

    I have made this chili numerous time and it is the best chili I have tasted since my mother’s chili. It’s chock full of meat and beans and so full of flavor. Thank you so much. Do you have the nutritional information for this one other than the kcal value?

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 12/23 at 8:47 pm

      I’m so glad you love the chili! As I’m not a nutritionist, I don’t provided full nutritional information for my recipe (don’t want to inadvertently pass along incorrect information). Your best bet would be to copy the ingredients into your favorite online nutritional calculator.

      Reply
  10. Christine says

    Posted on 12/13 at 12:43 am

    Can you double this recipe for a party and have it still fit in a crockpot?  If so, do you need to adjust the heating time at all? 

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 12/13 at 9:32 am

      I’ve never doubled it, but if you do, you’d need a pretty big crockpot (or two of them). I’d increase the heating time to 8-10 hours to account for the extra servings.

      Reply
  11. Tyler says

    Posted on 11/27 at 11:29 am

    Post a link to a ‘skillet’ big enough to hold 2 diced onions, 1 diced bell pepper, and 2 pounds of ground beef please.

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 11/27 at 8:36 pm

      https://amzn.to/2FLAI6Y or you can break up the beef into two batches of 1 lb each.

      Reply
  12. Amanda says

    Posted on 11/7 at 2:47 pm

    As soon as I read you were an Ohio girl, I knew this was the recipe I’d be going with. I’m from Cincinnati and work downtown so I love hearing out-of-staters opinion of our “watery chili” lol and while I love our version, these fall days have me in the mood for the chunky kind. I will be sure to post an update but I suspect my boys are going to love this- especially the avocado toppings!

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      Posted on 11/14 at 3:07 pm

      UPDATE: So I did end up making this and usually any crockpot meal leaves at least some left overs in our house, but there was none of this chili left! Very good and will probably bookmark this for another cold day 🙂 

      Reply
  13. Cindy says

    Posted on 2/5 at 10:26 am

    Drives me crazy when people post a comment and not a REVIEW….I want to hear if someone made it and if they liked it! Well I made this Chili for the Super Bowl last night and it is fantastic! Easy to make and so full of flavor! I usually make mine with ground turkey but I wanted to change it up because it was the SUPER BOWL! ha! Don’t skimp on the toppings for this one, diced avocado is a must! As well as green onions, fresh tomatoes, shredded cheese, broken tortilla chips…you get the picture!

    Reply
    • Suirgi says

      Posted on 9/17 at 11:19 am

      I have to agree with you! I want to hear how it taste to someone after cooking it. Thanks for the review!

      Reply
  14. Krista says

    Posted on 10/10 at 10:31 pm

    I am always in for a good chili!

    Reply
  15. Amy @ Little Dairy on the Prairie says

    Posted on 10/10 at 1:02 pm

    I am loving this chili recipe! I will be making it soon!

    Reply
  16. Renee - Kudos Kitchen says

    Posted on 10/10 at 7:21 am

    This may be one of the best looking bowls of chili I’ve ever seen!

    Reply
  17. jenn peas and crayons says

    Posted on 10/10 at 7:19 am

    Totally my kind of chili! YUM!

    Reply
  18. Sabrina says

    Posted on 10/9 at 10:24 pm

    My husband loves chili! This is a perfect easy recipe to make for him!

    Reply
  19. Paula - bell'alimento says

    Posted on 10/9 at 10:19 pm

    15 minute prep? Heck yeah! Sign me up.

    Reply
  20. Jenny | Honey and Birch says

    Posted on 10/9 at 5:36 pm

    This chili looks amazing and I’m definitely a fan of beans!

    Reply

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