Finding the best easy chili recipe has been a mission for me.

Crockpot chili is a fall and winter favorite in my house. Chili is the best comfort food, and thanks to the cooking pots, this recipe is so easy to put together when you walk out the door in the morning!

The spicy and

spicy taste of bean chili and meat will warm your soul. It’s that good.

CROCK POT CHILI

Busy weeknights make putting dinner on the table sometimes an impossible task, but the kids have to eat! It’s one of the reasons I love the slow cooker.

Just a few minutes in the morning and you can literally set it and forget it.

With this chili recipe, you’re not giving up anything by using this convenience… In fact, I think the flavors mix even better because it’s cooked in the slow cooker.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS CROCKPOT CHILI RECIPE

This is by far the best crockpot chili recipe. While chili is always a quick dinner idea, crockpot chili takes it to another level of ease!

The best part is that you don’t have to mess with the stove, your whole family will love it, and it tastes even better the next day once all the seasoning really settles. It’s a great recipe.

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Chili Crockpot Recipe Ingredients

2

• pounds lean ground beef

1

• large onion (about 2 cups),

chopped 2

• garlic cloves, chopped

1 can (15.5 oz) beans, drained 2 cans (28 oz)

• diced tomatoes, undrained
• 4-5 tablespoons chili powder, more or less depending on taste

2 cans

• (15 oz) tomato

sauce

• 3 tablespoons
• Worcestershire

sauce

2 cans (15.5 oz) chili peppers, soft or hot 1

• can (15.5 oz) pinto beans, drained
• 2 teaspoons cumin, more or less depending on taste
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt

SUBSTITUTIONS AND VARIATIONS OF CHILI IN CLAY POT

Chili chili adapts so easily to suit different dietary requirements! To make vegetarian chili, simply skip the meat. You can use more beans, such as black beans, and/or add a vegetarian or vegan “meat crumble” substitute.

To make vegan chili, skip the meat and make sure you don’t add any dairy products. For ingredients, you can use vegan sour cream and grated vegan cheese.

HOW TO MAKE CHILI IN CROCK POT

Check that you have all your supplies and ingredients, before you start! And don’t be afraid to make substitutions that make sense to you… The last thing you have time for is a trip to the grocery store.

Step

1

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef until almost ready

. Step 2 Next, add

the chopped onions and garlic and cook until there is no pink left in the meat and the onions are soft, about

3-5 minutes. Step 3

Drain well and then add to the cooking pot

. Step 4

Then, add the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined

. Step 5

Simmer for 4-6 hours or stop for 2-3 hours

. Step

6

Serve with your favorite ingredients

.

Step 7

Store leftovers in the refrigerator

.

EASY CROCKPOT CHILI RECIPE NOTES

This recipe is enough for a crowd. You can easily cut it in half (skip the pinto beans), or serve and freeze leftovers for another meal.

Tip for preparing it: Cook ground beef, onions and garlic and store it in the refrigerator in a covered container for 1-2 days before making chili.

Want a hot chili?

Add your favorite

hot sauce to the mix or cut your favorite peppers like habanero peppers over high heat. Or if you want medium heat a jalapeño or poblano pepper will work.

Do you want leaner homemade chili? Instead of using ground beef, use ground turkey. Ground chicken is also an option for the slow cooker chili recipe.

Want more flavor? Try ground pork!

The best Crock Pot chili ingredients

Not sure what to put on top of your chili? The options are endless, you can put all your favorite things on top of your chili, whether it’s fresh or leftover chili.

You can add things like:

• cheddar cheese

green

• onions
• diced fresh green peppers or any crushed cracker crackers
• sour cream How

to

store, freeze and reheat

clay pot chili Cool the chili

1. to room temperature or cool in the refrigerator until the leftover chili is completely cooled.
2. Divide leftover chili into high-strength freezer bags (I prefer ziploc bags because of how easy they seal). Fill each bag to no more than 80% capacity, allowing excess air to be squeezed out before sealing, allowing them to lie flat in the freezer and stack easily.
3. Label your freezer bag, chili, and add the date.
4. Freeze for up to 6 months… OK, 7-8 months commonly occur in my home, but optimally 6 months.
5. When you’re ready to thaw, simply transfer your bag of frozen chili to the fridge and leave it overnight or up to 48 hours. If you need a quick defrost, my favorite way is to use the defrost settings in your microwave.

Frequently Asked Questions About Chili Crockpot Recipe Can you substitute ground beef

in this chili crockpot recipe for ground turkey or another type of protein?

Yes, almost any crumbled protein works as a suitable protein such as ground turkey, ground chicken, extra firm seasoned tofu, shredded golden tempeh, seasoned shredded seitan, Beyond Meat beef crumbles, Ground Boca crumbles or my favorite is the vegetarian Morning Star Farms Grillers Crumbles.

Do you need to brown the meat before slowly cooking

the chili?

Using a slow cooker for hours to cook chili in this recipe is not to cook the meat, but to mix the rich flavors of chili. Any protein you use to make chili, including ground beef, should be browned first. We brown it with the onions to obtain a deeper caramelized flavor that tastes great.

Can you put raw ground beef in the clay pot for chili?

Yes, you can add raw ground beef to your slow cooker to make

chili, but you need to make sure your slow cooker cooks and cooks long enough to cook the ground beef thoroughly. You’ll miss out on the caramelized goodness of browning meat with onions!

How long can you slowly cook the chili?

Optimally, you can cook in a slow cooker high temperature setting for 2-3 hours or in a low setting for 4-6 hours. It is possible to leave it longer on low heat (for example, overnight), but it may have a slightly different texture from cooking so long.

Can you overcook chili in a cooking pot?

Yes, when chili is overcooked it becomes a combination of dry and soft and may include burnt pieces.

More Chili and Cornbread Recipes We Love on the Kids Activities Blog Chili

is a fall and winter favorite for a reason! Check out all these amazing

recipes: Speaking of chili,

• here are 25 chili recipes to choose from

!

• Have you ever tried buffalo meat? This buffalo chili is a great first taste, if you haven’t! You can’t make chili
• without cornbread… Well, you can, but why would you want to?
• Cornbread also goes well with these 5 cold weather soup recipes.
• The Nerd’s Wife Black-eyed Pea Chili is a delicious vegetarian chili option!
• A chile de olla paste is a new twist on an old favorite!
• Need more quick dinner ideas? We have over 25 slow cooker recipes that kids love!

What did you think of the Easy Crockpot Chili recipe?