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.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
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.
Originally published: January 2011
Updated & republished: September 2019
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
CRAVING MORE? GIVE THESE RECIPES A TRY!
SWEET SOUTHERN CORNBREAD
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
Hey Christina & USA Mom! Thank you for taking the time to come back & let me know how it turned out for you! I truly appreciate your comments. It means so much to me to know folks are enjoying the recipes from this website. So thrilled you loved it!
I have made the cornbread 3 times now. This is such good, moist, and just plain corn goodness. I have had such great luck with the recipes you post! I am going to be making a carrot cake in the next week…I only wish I was using a recipe from you, because then I know it would be great, lol! Anyway, the cornbread is awesome. We always devour it.
I made this Chili and Cornbread tonight!! I could have eaten the entire pan of cornbread!! SOOOO good!!! I have tried SO many of your recipes…they never disappoint! Thank you!!!
This recipe is great!
Thank you! I love all your recipes..
This is a great crock pot chili! My family loved it! Thanks
I need this cornbread in my life. My stomachs will be very pleased.
I make my cornbread with Lilly White Cornmeal (recipe on back of bag) in a 10" iron skillet. Put your skillet in the oven & get it hot with a little oil to keep the cornbread from sticking. Let the cornbread cool just a bit. Turn the iron skillet up side down. The cornbread also know as a corn pone should just fall out. As far as peanut butter & crackers with chili. My husband who's southern born has been eating peanut butter & jelly sandwiches with his chili since he was a little boy . Oh tried your hamburger steak recipe it was Yummy.
I think this is very similar to my chili but with the cumin and celery difference, so I am going to try it. Big ballgame coming up Monday so this will be a treat for my game-on husband for a very cold day.
I'm making it right now! Mine is a little runnier than I would have thought and it's been on about 5 hours. I've never made chili so I wanted to ask if it should be and if not, how can I fix it? Thank you!! Love your recipes!!
I love chili and this sounds awesome!! I pinned it a while back but forgot to make a comment. Thanks!!
if you use 2 lbs of meat do you just double everything else? Sorry if it's a dumb question, I'm not much of a cook LOL
You don't have to at all. It'll just make it a little thicker and meatier 🙂
If you double the entire recipe do you have to alter the cook time?
Just made your cornbread and it's delicious! Thank you for a great recipe!!
I know a lot of my fellow southerners have heart palpitations when I mention that I love a sweet cornbread (many call it corn cake) but I don't care – I love it! Ha!
I love this chili recipe. I've used it so many times for family and friends. You should totally enter this chili contest! I think you have a good chance at winning (because I don't want to steal your credit)!
http://bushbeans.thedailymeal.com/
ha! Thank you Molly!!
I made the chili and the cornbread tonight for my family and it was DELICIOUS!!! For the chili we doubled everything except for the broth and omitted the onions and celery and cooked it on the stove for about 2 hours. This was the first chili recipe that I have come across that was just what I was looking for 😀 The cornbread was perfect as it wasn't too sweet nor too dry and I cooked it in the 8×8 casserole dish. Thanks for sharing this with us!
LOVE hearing that Alana!! Thank you SO much!
Can you tell me approx how many people this recipe will feed? TIA.
About 4-6 (depending on how large the serving size is)
So i made a mistake i accidentally put my crockpot on high for 4 hours insteaf of low will it be ok it looks really soupy i switched it to low
Add some cornmeal to it and it will thicken it up. Hope that helps!
Is it okay if it cooks longer than 8 hours?
It should be fine to cook a little longer or if your crock pot has a warm setting it can sit on warm for a bit until you can get to it. Enjoy.
Found your recipe, lost mine.. DELICIOUS!! I had some leftover bacon in the fridge..crimbled it in, sprinkled with chives…Yummy!
Perfect match for the Chili!
Thank you so much for putting this up, I have to say it’s better than the one I misplaced..☺
Everything happens for a reason..right??? ????
That is great Sandy! So glad you found this recipe to enjoy!
I am going to use deer burger for this recipe. How would you change things? Also thinking about leaving it on low overnight.
This is the best chili I’ve ever had and first time I’ve ever made chili. I will always use this recipe from now on. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Hi Amanda! Woo hoo! Absolutely love hearing that it turned out great for you!! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
This chili recipe was a huge hit last night. I have to say it was the most flavorful chili I’ve ever had. It’s always scary to try new recipes but this chili was amazing. I added bell peppers and doubled the garlic. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Hi Danielle! Sure do appreciate you coming back to let me know. Thanks so much!! So happy it was a hit!
Just made today and we loved it!! I did add a little cornmeal to thicken the chili, but my hubby said it was the best meal I’ve ever made ????. The cornbread…. to die for!! The best either one of us has ever had!!
Hi Amanda!! Oh wow – that is awesome! Cornmeal is always the way to go. Love it! Thank you for coming back to comment!