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.

Spoon lifting a scoop of delicious mild chili out of a meaty bowl full with crusty bread and a slow cooker in the background.

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.

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Overhead view of a black slow cooker full of a basic chili recipe that is full of flavor.

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.
Ingredients to make crock pot chili are cans of mixed chili beans, tomato sauce, chili seasoning mix, brown sugar, ground beef and an onion on a wooden counter top.

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.
Close up bowl of chili made of an equal blend of meat and chili beans and accented with tomatoes and brown sugar to create a tasty meal on a blue and white plaid napkin.

Other Easy and Delicious Crock Pot Recipes:

Spoon in a bowl of easy chili sprinkled with chopped parsley with bread and a slow cooker in the background.
5 from 1 vote

Farmhouse Slow Cooker Chili

Created by Jennifer Osterholt
Servings: 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
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.

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 212kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 18gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 721mgPotassium: 623mgFiber: 3gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 3159IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 4mg

“Plowing Through Life” is not a dietitian or nutrition professional. Any nutritional information shared is an estimate and can vary greatly depending on specific products are used. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator of your choice.

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Recipe originally shared on August 31, 2020 with updates to the recipe and pictures made on January 16, 2024.

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4 Comments

  1. We love chili, but I never think about making it in a slow cooker. I can’t wait to make this!

  2. 5 stars
    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.

  3. Jessica Vaughn says:

    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.

    1. Jennifer @ Plowing Through Life says:

      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 🙂

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