Farmhouse Slow Cooker Chili
A nice balance of meat and chili beans, gently complemented by tomatoes and a touch of brown sugar for a subtle sweetness, creates an enjoyable and mild slow cooker chili recipe.
Two Hour Crock Pot Chili Recipe
This is a great base recipe with shortcuts like using a packet of chili seasoning and cans of premixed chili beans that can be easily adjusted with additional spices to fit your pallet.
We love making this chili recipe in the slow cooker because we can dump all of the ingredients in, stir and walk away. Set to high and it’s ready to eat in two hours.
Set to low and the longer we’re gone the more time the flavors have to blend. Whenever we return an easy dinner is ready to go!
My mom has always made her famous Chili on the stovetop, but we find that using the crock pot just makes this meal easier. And it’s more convenient if we get called away to work on chores at the barn.
This is a simple chili recipe to get start cooking or eating chili. We like slow cooker soups like this one and Monterey Chicken Chili because people can serve themselves and enjoy a quality meal at their convenience.
Ingredients Needed
- Ground Beef – We like 85 or 90% lean.
- Onion – Yellow or white work well – a medium onion or about 1 cup diced.
- Tomato Sauce – a standard 16 oz can or homemade tomato sauce if you please.
- Packet of Chili Seasoning – saves the time of measuring out the spices yourself!
- Cans of Chili Beans – chili beans are a mixture of kidney and pinto beans in chili sauce – so don’t drain the beans.
- Brown Sugar – creates that hint of sweet.
Step By Step Instructions to Make Slow Cooker Chili
Brown ground beef in a skillet and drain.
Add onions and cook until tender. Sprinkle with seasoning packet and can of tomato sauce.
Stir well and continue to cook over medium high heat until the mixture is combined.
Next pour cans of beans into the greased or lined crock pot.
Add brown sugar and water. Pour seasoned meat and onion mixture over the top.
Cook on high for 2 hours. If using a larger slow cooker the chili will be ready after an hour. A smaller crock pot will take longer to heat through and takes 2 hours.
We prefer cooking on low for 4 to 6 hours to allow the meat and beans more time to absorb all of the seasonings.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- This simple chili recipe can be made on the stove in a 4 quart kettle or saucepan. Cook the chili gently on low heat, stirring often for 2 hours or until the flavors have blended and the meat is very tender.
- Extra chili reheats well and makes great leftovers. Stores well in the refrigerator for 3 – 5 days and can be frozen for up to 3 – 4 months. Reheat gently for best results.
- Omit the water to use as a topping on a baked potato bar.
- If you enjoy Hot Dogs and Sauerkraut you can substitute ground beef for a package of hot dogs diced up.
Other Easy and Delicious Crock Pot Recipes:
- Farmhouse style Crock Pot Mac & Cheese makes a great side dish or main dish. The leftover reheat really well.
- Crock Pot Sloppy Joes is another family favorite recipe
- Crock Pot Spaghetti makes such a simple dinner that we all enjoy
- Crock Pot Cauliflower Casserole is a great party food or fun way to slide more veggies into the family menu
- My new favorite candy – Chocolate Covered Cashew Clusters
- Make Ahead Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes make holidays so much easier
Farmhouse Slow Cooker Chili
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef browned and drained
- 1 medium onion diced
- 12 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1.25 ounce packet chili seasoning mix
- 4 15.5 ounce cans chili beans undrained
- 1 teaspoon pepper freshly ground
- 1 teaspoon koshor salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Brown ground beef and drain. Add onion to the skillet and cook until tender.
- Add tomato sauce and packet of chili seasoning to the skillet. Stir well.
- Grease crock or use a liner. Set slow cooker to high. Pour beans in crock – do not drain.
- Sprinkle brown sugar over the top, add seasoned meat and onions from the skillet and stir well.
- Cover and heat on high for 2 hours or on low for 5 to 6 hours.
Notes
- You can also choose a combination of cans of kidney beans, chili beans or pinto beans totaling 48 to 50 ounces.
- Eliminate water to make a more solid chili that is easier to serve over baked potatoes.
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Rate This Recipe Pin This RecipeRecipe originally shared on August 31, 2020 with updates to the recipe and pictures made on January 16, 2024.
We love chili, but I never think about making it in a slow cooker. I can’t wait to make this!
This is an appealing recipe. I especially like its being easy to prep. Myself, I always use dried beans from Rancho Gordo for their quality and because I know the beans have not been sitting around for a long time.
Is their anyway of getting the recipe before the changes? I had finally found a recipe that reminded my husband of his dad and then the recipe got changed and I didn’t write it down.
Hey There! Sorry about that. I found the message from the friend who shared it with me. Here are her notes: Brown ground beef put in Crock-Pot. Add 2 cans French Onion soup, 1 can of kidney beans( I’ve also used black beans instead), can if crushed tomatoes (or tomato sauce or fresh tomatoes) salt, pepper cumin and chili powder to taste. Then let it cool all day. Hope you enjoy 🙂