This recipe for The Best Crock Pot Chili gets better as it cooks low and slow in the slow cooker. Ground beef, seasonings and tons of flavor!
THE BEST CROCK POT CHILI
For me, there is nothing more comforting on a cool fall day than some delicious chili and warm CORNBREAD straight out of the oven!
VIDEO INCLUDED BELOW:
CAN I USE TURKEY OR CHICKEN INSTEAD OF GROUND BEEF?
Of course! You can use any meat you prefer in this. Some folks even use venison or ground pork. If you want it to be a bit spicier, you could even add some spicy ground sausage to the meat mixture.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
ground beef
celery
onion
chili powder
cumin
garlic
petite diced tomatoes
tomato sauce
dark red kidney beans
beef broth
refried beans
Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
Optional Toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, chopped red onions and sour cream

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST CROCK POT CHILI:
In a skillet, brown and crumble ground beef with celery, onion and garlic over medium high heat until meat is completely brown and vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper.
CRAVING MORE? GIVE THESE RECIPES A TRY!
SWEET SOUTHERN CORNBREAD
CROCK POT WHITE CHICKEN CHILI
CROCK POT BLACK BEAN CHILI
STUFFED PEPPER SOUP
FRITO CHILI PIE
HOMEMADE HOT DOG CHILI
CORNBREAD WAFFLES WITH CHILI & FIXINS
CROCK POT CHILI CHEESE DOGS
WHITE CHICKEN CHILI WITH CORNBREAD DUMPLINGS
CROCK POT TACO SOUP
THE BEST CHILI MACARONI
THE BEST CROCK POT CHILI
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 ½ tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans
- 1 (15 oz) can beef broth
- 1 (15 oz) can refried beans
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper, to taste
Optional Toppings
- shredded cheddar cheese, chopped onions and sour cream
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, brown and crumble ground beef with celery, onion and garlic over medium high heat (until meat is completely brown and vegetables are tender.) Season with salt and pepper.
- Drain excess grease and pour beef mixture into a 4-quart or larger crock pot.
- Open cans of tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans (do not rinse or drain) and refried beans, beef broth and dump those into the crock pot.
- Add chili powder, cumin, Worcestershire sauce and mix thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with lid and cook on low for 4-6 hours (the longer, the better).
- Taste before serving and add more salt and pepper as necessary.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published: January 2011
Updated & republished: September 2019
This is one of the best cold weather meals in my book! Happy belated birthday and happy to find you on FoodBuzz. Check my blog tomorrow for and equally yummy cold weather crock pot recipe!
This is the best chili recipe I have found. Now my family's favorite!
Will do Boulder! Thanks so much for stopping by.
Aww happy birthday! Wish I'd have known! And look how pretty you are! That chili looks good though I'm going to have to save it for another day. Got chili con carne on the menu this week so its a bit too similar for this week. But next week, game on!
Jill - it's all about good lighting...lol.
Happy late birthday!
We are having White Chicken Chili today....waiting for this snowstorm that is supposed to be rolling through.
Sigs - I was just talking to Jill about the snow. Her blog post is hilarious. However, I do believe y'all in North Carolina are going to get the worst of this storm. Be safe!!
I've never tried corn bread, might have to give it a go! Thanks for the inspiration!
Your Chili and Cornbread look so good especially today it is so cold. Thank you so much for coming to Full Plate Thursday and please come back!
I just put the chili in the crockpot for dinner! Can't wait to try it. I am making cheesy cornbread waffles to go with it.
Steph - I really hope you like it as much as we do. And cornbread waffles? That sounds INSANELY good. Now I want to come to your house for dinner!
Yum! This cornbread and chili looks delicious! Hope your bday was great too!
Happy Birthday to the Birthday Girl!! Sounds like you had a perfect birthday day.
I always forget to use my slow cooker... I really need to get that out more often.
Love that cornbread!! We are cornbread lovers here, and I know this would be popular!!
Yours is the third blog I've read about chili today... and that's what I just posted about myself!:)
The chili looks so good! I will have to make it this weekend. My bithday was the 19t this past wednesday. I turned 27 hehehehe +20
Happy Belated Birthday! And that chili looks so good, but especially the cornbread... I'm from down south originally so the sweet cornbread just brings back memories from my childhood! Glad you had a wonderful day!
Veronica - I hope you like it! Happy Belated Birthday!! I always say I'm 25 with 10 years experience...lol.
Why is cornbread so good? 🙂 Happy Birthday!
Happy Belated Birthday! Chili and cornbread warm you kitchen as well as your soul. We need chili here, because of below zero wind chills!
I'd have never thought to use Worcestershire sauce in a chili, but I'll bet it lends a terrific depth of flavor! Your Grandma may have something there with the peanut butter & crackers side dish... You've got a beautiful, fun family - the photo shows it. Cheers!
This corn bread is yummy! I was making it from a packet and the hubby said it tasted like card board lol! This is far from card board 🙂
Rebecca, that was so funny!! So glad you liked this recipe & thank you so much for taking the time to come back & let me know how it turned out for ya!
My husband has always been the chili maker in the house...until I found this. We've had it several times already and every time I've made it there isn't a drop left. Everyone loves it, including the kids! We even upgraded my crock pot (I had a 4 qt and the ingredients just barely fit) just so we could make a bigger batch! Thank you so much for this delicious and easy recipe!
Trish - that is so great to hear! Yay!! So happy to hear you love this one!! Thank you for taking the time to come back & let me know how it turned out for you!
This is going on my menu for next week!!! It sounds amazing, and SO EASY!!!
I made a big pot of chili and thought cornbread would be a nice complement. In 28 years of marriage, I'd never made it. When I asked hubby if he liked cornbread, he made a face and said, "it's ok". Unswayed, I gave this recipe a try. I used Bob's Red Mill whole grain cornmeal - medium grind which gave it some crunch. Baked the batter in an 8 x 8 glass dish. It took nearly 30 minutes and my oven temp is accurate. OMG is this recipe delicious! When hubby ate a piece, he kept saying how good it was and he ate another. Apparently, the cornbreads he's had in the past were dry and tasteless. I have to control myself from eating the whole pan. Thanks again for another fabulous recipe!