This is the best chili recipe slow cooker style! It is a contest winner, total crowd pleaser and the best version you’ll find. It is packed with flavor, texture and color. Make it for your next gathering, large or small, and you will get rave reviews. Add jalapenos for extra spice or go mild!
Why This Recipe Works
You have just found THE BEST chili recipe your lips will ever taste. That is a massive claim, I know, but you will soon agree! You are about to have either a very happy tummy, a very happy family, very happy guests or all of the above.
My husband and I have been making this delicious soup for years. Together we have tweaked it many, many times and it is absolute comfort food perfection.
We make this recipe frequently to enjoy on cold, snowy days and we also make it for larger gatherings like game-day parties or holiday feasts. We’ve never thrown a single morsel of it away because it always gets gobbled down in its entirety.
It has the most perfect consistency and the flavor is beyond explanation (gotta taste for yourself!). This is a GREAT quick and easy comforting soup!
Recipe Ingredients
Ground beef – To keep this chili on the leaner side, use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef. To add a delicious flavor, replace 1 pound of ground beef with 1 pound of ground sausage.
Jalapeno peppers – Although the end result is not “spicy,” omit the jalapenos and cayenne pepper to ensure a totally mild soup.
Tomato juice – For a thicker chili, use half the amount of tomato juice in the recipe.
Beans – While kidney and pinto beans are super tasty inside, feel free to swap out any variety of beans.
Toppings – Shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, sliced green onions, crushed saltine crackers.
How To Make The Best Chili Recipe Slow Cooker Style!
Step 1
In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook ground beef over medium-high heat until it is no longer pink. Transfer the meat to a bowl. Drain the excess grease from the skillet, but do not clean it out.
Step 2
Add the olive oil to the skillet and reduce heat to medium. Add the chopped onions and bell pepper, garlic, parsley and jalapeño peppers (if using) and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and fragrant (about 5 minutes).
Remove the pan from the heat and add the following to the beef onion mixture: chili powder, cumin, sugar, oregano, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir until combined.
Step 3
If you are cooking it on the stove top, add the cooked meat back to the skillet. If you’re using a slow cooker, add the meat-veggie mixture to the slow cooker.
Add the tomato juice (replace a portion of the juice with beef broth to add a kick of flavor, if desired), diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans and pinto beans to either the skillet or slow cooker, depending on which you are using.
On the stove top, bring to a boil, dial the heat back to medium-low and simmer for 2 hours (stir occasionally). In the slow cooker, cook on low heat for 7 to 8 hours.
How To Make Chili In An Instant Pot
This comforting meal turns out like absolute perfection when made in an Instant Pot. Head over to my Instant Pot Chili post to get the full instructions!
Recipe Notes
- Serve warm with cheese and sour cream! Other great topping options include sliced green onions or minced jalapenos (give your meal a nice kick!).
- To thicken, replace the diced tomatoes with crushed tomatoes and reduce the amount of tomato juice by half.
- For a different flavor, replace some or all of the beans with black beans.
FAQ About Chili
The ingredients in chili that typically make it spicy are chili powder, peppers and pepper (or cayenne pepper). To decrease the amount of heat in the recipe, reduce the amount of chili powder used and omit peppers (aside from bell peppers, which are very mild) and cayenne or black pepper.
A bowl of chili is the perfect template for delicious toppings! Consider any or all of the following: shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, sliced green onions or oyster or saltine crackers.
Serve chili warm with a bit of shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream. A few good options to serve alongside it include chopped salad, dinner rolls and cornbread.
If you prefer thick chili, it is easy enough to transform any version to fit your liking. Decrease the amount of tomatoes (juice and diced) used by half (or more) and simmer for 30 additional minutes.
Related Recipes
What To Do With Chili Leftovers
If you have leftovers (and it’s very possible that you will because this makes a large batch), please check out these delicious recipes to help use them up:
If you absolutely cannot find a chunk of time to make this delicious dish, consider trying my Easy 5-Ingredient Chili for a much-condensed version. ENJOY!
What People Are Saying About This Recipe
“I will NEVER make another chili recipe in my life again!! This is so good! I absolutely hate cooking and all the prep so the first time I made this I told myself I would never again do it. It was so good that it was worth the chopping up of a few veggies and measuring of a bunch of spices. I make it at least 2-3 times every fall/winter now!“ ~ASHLEY
“This IS THE BEST Chili! This recipe has been on rotation in my home for awhile now. Everyone raves about how it IS the BEST chili they be ever had! Thank you for sharing this with us! “ ~SARA
Best Chili Recipe Slow Cooker Style
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup flat-leaf Italian parsley finely chopped
- 2 jalapeño peppers finely chopped (optional)
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 46 oz tomato juice
- 28 oz diced tomatoes
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 16 oz kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 16 oz pinto beans drained and rinsed
- Shredded cheese and sour cream for topping
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook ground meat over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Transfer the meat to a bowl. Drain excess grease from skillet, but do not clean.
- Add the olive oil to the skillet. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, parsley and jalapeño peppers (if using) and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and fragrant (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and add the chili powder, cumin, sugar, oregano, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir until combined.
- If cooking on the stove top, add the cooked meat back to the skillet. If using a slow cooker, add meat-veggie mixture to the slow cooker. Add the tomato juice, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans and pinto beans to either the skillet or slow cooker, depending on which you are using.
- On the stove top, bring to a boil, dial back to medium-low and simmer for 2 hours (stir occasionally). In slow cooker, cook on low for 7 to 8 hours. Serve warm with cheese and sour cream.
Notes
- Serve warm with cheese and sour cream! Other great topping options include sliced green onions or minced jalapenos (give your meal a nice kick!).
- For a thicker chili, replace the diced tomatoes with crushed tomatoes and reduce the amount of tomato juice by half.
- To keep this chili on the leaner side, use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef.
- To add a delicious flavor to the recipe, replace 1 pound of ground beef with 1 pound of ground sausage.
- For a different flavor, replace some or all of the beans with black beans.
This is my go to chili recipe! I’ve been making it for some time and my family loves it. Thank you so much.
So glad it’s enjoyed – that’s how dinner should be! Thank you for sharing!
This is the recipe that my husband asked for when we decided to fix our first batch of soup for the fall! A friend made it last year and I just had to have the recipe from her. It’s a family favorite now.
That’s wonderful! Using your slow cooker for meals is great so you can focus on other things. Thanks for sharing! I’m ready to go make myself a big batch now too just thinking about it.
Hi Megan!
I absolutely love this chili recipe and have made it often. Recently I have gone low carb. How would you recommend adjusting the recipe of I made it without the beans? Would you change anything? Had anyone else tried it without the beans?
Thanks!
Great question! You can omit the beans and leave the recipe the same. Great job on getting some focus on healthy choices!
Agree with your claim for the base recipe completely! It is so versatile, tonight it’s shrimp and bacon chili, with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and roast corn.
We like thicker so the tomato sauce, can of diced tomatoes and extra chipotle’s sauce are perfect! Thank you ma’am !
That sounds amazing and I’m glad you shared that inspired version with us. I love how cooking can just start one way and easily tweak or cater to some other flavors, ingredients in a moment.
Absolutely love this recipe. Only one I use for Chili, making it tonight! I use ground Venison and only cook that first, then dump everything else in the slow cooker.
Sounds like a great way to use this recipe – I’m so glad you shared that tip with us!
You killed it, Megan! Turned out great. My wife was very skeptical when she saw me dumping in all the tomato stuff, but we loved it. It has a heartiness that I haven’t been able to achieve trying other recipes over the years. I’ve been trying to recreate a few restaurant dishes that are no longer available, this one fills one of those slots, so thank you. The only thing extra I added was 1/2 tsp of MSG, which I highly recommend experimenting with.
I’m so glad you loved it! I love that feeling when you satisfy a craving of a recipe you’ve been trying to make for yourself. Glad you shared!
This has been our go-to recipe for several years. We love that it is easy to customize and makes a TON of food…good for company or to cook once and have dinners for multiple nights! My husband and I are vegetarian so we will add in a package or two of Gardein meatless ground beef and/or add in extra beans (any variety) and we have never been disappointed in the result.
Such a great meal to have, especially in the cooler months. I’m so glad you’re enjoying it and love that you tweaked it perfectly for your home. Thanks for sharing!
This is by far the best chilli recipe I have found & I won’t be looking for another one. This is THE ONE!!😋😋😋 Thank you for sharing it!
That’s great to hear! Thank you for sharing!
Can this be cooked on high for 4 hours?
No problem!
Everyone loves this chili when I make it. If making chili this is the only recipe you need, it never needs any pimping either.
Thank you Brittany. I think its a great dish for the winter too to stay warm. Thank you for sharing!
Could this be done by stove top as well?
Oh yes, chili can be made easily on the stove, in a crockpot or in the IP – that’s why I love this recipe!
So good every time I make it! I found this recipe couple of years ago and it really is the best !
Thanks pipandebby.com !
Yay! So love that you have enjoyed it as much as my family does. Thank you for sharing!
This is our go-to recipe for chili.
I have searched hi and low for a good Chili recipe. This is by far the best my family has had!! It is out of this world!
THank you for sharing! I appreciate your comments!
I’ve been using this recipe for awhile now and I love it! I use my crockpot and only sauté the meat with garlic in a skillet and then add everything else uncooked to the crockpot and still works great! I tried using fire roasted diced tomatoes this round and I’m excited to try it! The best part of this recipe is you can switch things up a little to your preferences but the base is still the same. Sooo good!
I totally agree, each recipe can be tweaked to your preference or what you have on hand. Thank you for sharing!