Slow Cooker Beef and Bean Chili (Printable Version)

Hearty beef and bean chili with vegetables, tomatoes, and spices. Perfect winter comfort food.

# What You Need:

→ Meats

01 - 1 pound ground beef

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 medium onion, diced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 red bell pepper, diced

→ Beans & Legumes

05 - 1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
06 - 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed

→ Tomatoes & Liquids

07 - 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
08 - 1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes
09 - 1 cup beef broth

→ Spices & Seasonings

10 - 2 tablespoons chili powder
11 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
12 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
13 - 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
14 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
15 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
16 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

# How-to Steps:

01 - Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks. Drain excess fat from the skillet.
02 - Add the browned ground beef, diced onion, minced garlic, diced bell pepper, drained kidney beans, drained black beans, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and beef broth to the slow cooker.
03 - Sprinkle chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, dried oregano, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper into the slow cooker.
04 - Stir all ingredients thoroughly until well combined and spices are evenly distributed.
05 - Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW setting for 6 to 8 hours, or on HIGH setting for 3 to 4 hours.
06 - Taste the chili and adjust salt, pepper, or additional spices as needed.
07 - Ladle chili into bowls and serve hot. Optionally garnish with shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped green onions, or fresh cilantro.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • This chili practically cooks itself while you go about your day, then welcomes you home with a rich, developed flavor that tastes like you spent hours actively cooking.
  • The combination of two bean varieties creates interesting texture differences that keep each bite exciting, something I discovered by happy accident when I ran short on kidney beans one winter.
02 -
  • Never add kidney beans without rinsing them first, as I learned the hard way when my chili turned an unappetizing murky color from the canning liquid.
  • The flavor difference between chili cooked on LOW versus HIGH is surprisingly noticeable, with the slower cooking method producing a much more developed, rich taste profile that I cant achieve with the shorter cooking time.
03 -
  • If your chili seems too watery in the final hour, remove the slow cooker lid and switch to HIGH heat to reduce the liquid, but stir occasionally to prevent the bottom from scorching.
  • The garnishes arent just pretty extras, theyre flavor balancers, with acidic items like lime juice or pickled jalapeños cutting through the richness in ways that transform each bowl.
Go Back