Crock Pot Chili and Beans is an easy, hearty stew that will warm and fill you up on those chilly nights. The crock pot does almost all of the work, making this a great weeknight meal.

Update: This recipe was originally posted in October 2012. The recipe and photos have been improved for reader enjoyment as October 2020.

Light blue bowl filled with beef and bean chili, topped with shredded cheddar cheese and pickled jalapeno slices. The bowl sits on top of a terra cotta colored plate that is full of buttered saltine crackers.

I've always found it amusing that a hot food is called chili (chilly), but that's because the recipe comes from chile con carne which is a stew made of meat, tomatoes and chili peppers.

Did you know that chili is one recipe that completely varies in ingredients depending on where you are eating it? Many states have their own versions and for those states that hold chili cookoffs, there are even rules about what constitutes as chili and what's a knockoff!

ingredients for crock pot beef and bean chili

🥘 Ingredients for this recipe

ground beef - 1 ½ to 2 pounds and a lean version, otherwise you'll end up with greasy chili
kidney beans - light or dark red kidney beans go great in chili
diced tomatoes - for this recipe I used a combination of homemade and canned. You can use whatever you have on hand. I like using a jar of Rotel because it adds in more flavor.
tomato sauce - 15 oz is what I use for the recipe, but for a thicker chili, use an 8 oz can
onion - medium diced
jalapeno - seeded or not, your choice. (I don't seed jalapenos when I'm cooking them in the crock pot)
Spices: garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, oregano - when cooking in a crock pot, flavors can get lost, that's why I use a variety of spices and a decent quantity of them. If this were a stovetop recipe, I wouldn't go this heavy on spices.
salt and pepper - you can never take salt out of a recipe, so this is the only ingredient I go light on until the chili has fully cooked and I can do a taste test.
optional toppings: cheddar cheese, pickled jalapenos, sour cream

ingredients for crock pot chili and beans in a slow cooker

🔪Instructions for this recipe

Cook the ground beef. Add ground beef to a skillet and crumble, cooking until browned. Drain fat and set aside. (See image below for my draining grease from meat tip!)
Add ingredients to the slow cooker. Combine kidney beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion, jalapeno and spices to the slow cooker. Add in the ground beef and stir to combine.
Cook the chili. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Eat! Divide into bowls and add optional toppings.

tip for draining fat from meat - line a bowl with foil. Place a colander or mesh sieve on top. Pour meat into sieve. Grease will drain through and harden. Discard foil. — How to drain grease from browned meat: Line a bowl with foil. Place a colander or mesh sieve on top. Pour meat into colander/sieve, allowing grease to drain through. Use a spatula to press down on meat, releasing all excess grease. Grease in foil will harden once cooled. Wrap up foil and discard.

Light blue bowl filled with beef and bean chili, topped with shredded cheddar cheese and pickled jalapeno slices.

FAQ's about crock pot chili

Can you put raw meat into a crock pot? You totally can! In this recipe, I brown the ground beef on the stove first. But if you use a lean ground beef, you can add it directly to the crock pot.
Can I cook chili in a crock pot overnight? Yes. Chili should cook for at least 8 hours and the flavor only increases the longer it cooks.
How long can cooked chili sit in a crock pot on warm? Two hours is best practice. After that, you'll want to transfer it to a container in the fridge.
What's a secret ingredient in chili? Some people add in cornmeal to thicken up their chili. Ohers add honey for sweetness or cinnamon and chocolate to really enhance the flavors.
Do you drain the canned kidney beans? Personal choice. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.

Serving Suggestions for crock pot chili and beans

buttered saltine crackers - how I had chili as a kid
mix in cooked macaroni pasta and shredded cheddar for a play on chili mac
serve over spaghetti noodles to be Cincinnati-style
garden salad, roasted broccoli or other green veggies

This recipe can also be made with ground turkey. If you prefer a turkey chili, check out my spicy two-bean turkey chili recipe.

Substitutions

Ground beef can be replaced with ground turkey
Add in more veggies like bell peppers or green chiles
Switch up the spices: replace the cayenne with paprika or skip it all together. Add in some cinnamon or chocolate!
Skip the beans or add in more

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Recipe

a blue bowl filled with beef chili, topped with shredded cheese and pickled jalapenos sits on a terra cotta colored plate surrounded with buttered saltine crackers

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