Name: Mom's Crockpot Chili
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 6 h
Total time: 6 h 20 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 2 lb lean ground beef; 1 teaspoon cumin; 1 teaspoon dried rosemary; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 2 tablespoons chili powder; 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg; 1/8 teaspoon cloves; 1 teaspoon salt; 3/4 teaspoon paprika; 3 cloves minced garlic; 1 14 oz can kidney beans; 1 14 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes; 1 14 oz can tomato sauce

Jump to Recipe

This crockpot chili is hearty, filing, so savory and delicious! This takes minutes to throw together and then the crockpot does all the work!

This chili can be adapted to suit your family’s tastes!

I’m always, always, up for a big bowl of chili. I know most people eat soups, stews, and chili’s in the winter when we are all cold and craving comfort food. But in all honesty, I can eat chili all year long.

This chili recipe is my mom’s and I think it is the BEST. I’ve tried so many different chili recipes and I find myself coming back to this one over and over again. It is meaty, perfectly seasoned, easy and makes enough for leftovers!

What Do I Need To Make Crockpot Chili?

Ground Beef – I prefer to use 90 % lean ground beef. Feel free to change the protein. You could easily use ground, chicken, turkey, pork, chorizo or Italian sausage. If you use ground beef with high-fat content, make sure your drain your beef before you season it and add it to the crockpot.

Seasoning – Dried rosemary, thyme, cumin, chili powder, salt, garlic, paprika, and a hint of nutmeg and cloves. I know cloves can be strong, feel free to omit this.

Beans – Your favorite canned chili beans will do. For this particular recipe, I use kidney beans and I leave them undrained. For one thing, I want the liquid, secondly, that liquid is filled with starches that will help thicken your chili

Tomatoes – I used fire-roasted diced tomatoes and a can of tomato sauce

Slow Cooker or Crockpot

How To Make This Crockpot Chili Recipe

Preheat your crockpot to low heat.

Lightly spray a large skillet with non-stick spray. Add your ground beef and cook your ground beef on medium-high heat until it is no longer pink, crumbling as it cooks.

Season chili with rosemary, thyme, cumin, chili powder, paprika, minced garlic (fresh or jarred) and a pinch of nutmeg and cloves. Finally, season with the beef with salt.

Place the cooked beef into the crockpot. Add the canned beans with their liquid, the diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce.

Cover and allow the chili to cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

Why Should I Slow Cook Chili?

You can easily cook this chili in a large stockpot or a Dutch oven, let it simmer, and then serve it up.

However, because the crockpot allows for the chili to cook low and slow, the flavors and seasoning have time to blend together perfectly.

Even if you cook this chili on high, that is still enough time for the flavors to marry together.

If your chili is a little thin and you are wondering how you thicken chili, I have some suggestions for you. The best way to thicken your chili is to add cornmeal. It doesn’t take much. Adding a tablespoon at a time is all that is needed to give your chili a little bulk. Alternatively, you can also you can Masa Harina in the same manner.

Tips For Making This Crockpot Chili

As mentioned above, you can use any kind of protein in this recipe.

To add more flavor, cook diced onions and diced green bell peppers with your ground beef.

If you aren’t a fan of kidney beans, then black beans or pinto beans will make a nice addition.

Fire-roasted tomatoes can have a little kick to them. Feel free to substitute unseasoned tomatoes. Also, tomato puree or petite diced tomatoes can be used instead.

Canned jalapenos or green chilis can be added to the chili.

If you want a thinner chili, water, beer, chicken broth or beef broth can also be added to the crockpot.

Top each bowl of chili with shredded cheese, sour cream, chives, avocados or green onions.

What To Serve With This Crockpot Chili

Try serving this chili with Bacon Cheddar Beer Bread or these Orange Sage Beer Biscuits. Cornbread, corn chips or tortilla chips are good as well.

If you are feeling frisky, grab some hot dogs, buns and serve your family chili dogs!

How Long Will Crockpot Chili Keep?

If properly stored, your chili will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat, place any leftover chili in a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Add water if your chili is too thick.

How do you freeze crockpot chili? Place your cooled chili in a freezer-safe container or a ziptop bag and place it in the freezer. Chili can be frozen for up to 3 months.

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Yield: 10