Slow cooker beef mince chili (or chilli) is rich, warming and deliciously full of flavour. This hands-off recipe can cook all day and be waiting for you like a warm hug when you get home!
Slow cooker beef chilli
This slow cooker ground beef chili is a rich and warming dish that is absolutely full of flavour and so easy to make. It’s great for feeding a crowd and will cook all day while you get on with other things.
See also
- Slow cooker turkey chili (with mince), a lean, economical alternative to beef.
- For a great alternative accompaniment, try my easy slow cooker cornbread.
- Pumpkin chilli chicken is another delicious chilli recipe
- Use Quorn as the base for this easy veggie chilli
The richness of beef makes it ideal for standing up to spicy flavours, resulting in a dish that is really satisfying.
Filling your chili with beans and vegetables too helps keep this dish economical, as well as adding to your daily fruit and veg quota.
The touch of cocoa in this slow cooker beef mince chili gives the sauce real depth. It balances the acidity of the tomato and produces a really well-rounded dish.
This slow cooker minced beef chili is perfect for batch cooking or feeding a crowd. Like most chilies and curries, the flavour develops with time, so you can leave it overnight or with freeze, defrost and reheat with no worries about spoiling the dish.
This batch recipe will feed 10 people, so it’s great for parties or for filling the freezer.
Serve it as part of a spread for people to help themselves, with lots and lots of toppings and sides. Try it with rice, baked potatoes, tortillas or wedges, salads, guacamole, sour cream dips and salsa, grated cheese… whatever you love.
Why make slow cooker beef chili?
- Easy and fuss free in the slow cooker
- Rich, delicious and spicy
- Satisfying and full of flavour
- Economical and packed with veg
- Perfect for batch cooking
Slow cooker beef mince chili – ingredients
- Beef mince / ground beef – I tend to choose 15% fat mince, as you do need some fat for flavour.
- Onion and garlic
- Kidney beans – I love the beans that come in a chilli sauce fuss-free cooking. If you can’t find them, use a regular can of rinsed kidney beans, give them a good rinse and add a tablespoon of your favourite chili sauce to the pot.
- Black beans – also known as turtle beans. I like these for the depth of colour and they taste great, but you can use other types of canned beans. Just drain and rinse.
- Canned tomatoes – You don’t have to pay top price for these but choose one with a flavour that you like. Some of the cheap versions can have a nasty metallic tang.
- Peppers – I’ve used the sweeter red and more astringent green for a colour and flavour contrast.
- Olive oil – for frying
- Dried mixed herbs – an ordinary supermarket mix, nothing fancy
- Spices – I have tried keep these to a minimum to balance flavour without the need for an over flowing spice cupboard. You can vary them or adjust quantities to taste.
- Cocoa – for depth of flavour
- Tomato puree
- Pickled jalapenos – I always keep a jar of pickled jalapenos in the fridge. They add both heat and crunch.
How to make slow cooker beef mince chili – step by step
Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this perfectly every time.
Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.
Step One – Put a little oil in the pan and fry the beef until it starts to brown. Season with salt and pepper halfway though. If any liquid comes off the meat, pour it out of the pan and set to one side for later.
This will take a good 5–10 minutes. Don’t rush, as taking your time does make a difference to the flavour. You can peel and chop the vegetables while the beef is cooking.
When the beef is browned, transfer it to the slow cooker. There will probably be some little bits of beef stuck to the pan. Don’t waste them, as they are full of flavour. Use a spatula to scrape it all out into the pot.
Helen’s Pro Tip
You will find recipes that just ask you to put the raw meat straight into the slow cooker, but I find it’s always worth browning the meat first.
When you fry the meat in the pan, you speed up the Maillard reaction, which is a process by which proteins and amino acids react with sugars in food, creating rich, savoury flavours.
It’s not a lot of extra effort and it really pays dividends in flavour.
Step Two – Fry the onion and peppers in the pan you used for the beef, so that the remaining fat will flavour the vegetables. Add a little oil if needed.
Once the vegetables are fragrant and growing soft, add the garlic and cook for a further minute before adding the spices. Stir well and fry for a minute more.
Step Three – Transfer the contents of the pan to the slow cooker. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well.
The dish will thicken as it cooks, so add any liquid that came off when you browned the mince or use a little water if your ground beef chili needs to be loosened.
Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 3–4 hours on high or 6–7 on low. I usually start on high for half an hour and then switch to low.
Step Four – If your slow cooker beef chilli needs to thicken towards the end of cooking, either leave the lid ajar for 20 minutes, or mix a teaspoonful of cornflour/cornstarch with a little cold water to form a slurry, before stirring it into the chili until it thickens.
Check the seasoning and serve.
Serving suggestion
Serve with rice or baked potatoes and a spread of different toppings for everyone to enjoy it their way. Offer salad, guacamole, sour cream dip, grated cheese, extra jalapenos, lime wedges, radishes, chopped avocado, onion rings … everything you usually enjoy with your chilli.
Variations
- Add any extra vegetables that you like. Leftovers are great for adding to this dish. Baby corn would be great.
- If you don’t love beans – then leave them out and add some extra vegetables – use an extra onion, bell pepper and add some sweetcorn for the last 30 minutes of cooking
- Ramp up the heat with a little extra chili powder if you like it really hot, but add it slowly and check as you go. If you add extra chili you may want to add extra salt for balance. A smoked paprika makes a good addition too.
- A smoked salt can be used to boost the smoky flavours.
- Serve with sweet potato or mashed butternut squash for a delicious alternative to potato or rice.
Storage
Fridge – Allow to cool and then store in a covered container in the fridge, where it will keep well for up to three days. The flavours will develop over time, so there is reason not to make it ahead.
Freezer – Pack into portions in stackable, sealable boxes and once cool, transfer to the freezer. Keeps well for three months. Defrost and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Hints and tips
- Don’t leave anything in the pan! Any dark caramelized bits that stick will only add to the flavour, so get your spatula out and grab them all.
- Leaving the chili in the fridge overnight will only help the flavour so don’t hesitate to prepare in advance. This will leave more time for last minute jobs like grating cheese and preparing dips and salads.
- This recipe is ideal for batch cooking, so fill the freezer with this delicious comfort dish.
FAQs
It depends on what you like but I choose 15% fat beef mince. You can go a little higher or lower but you need some fat in there for flavour.
This dish is best cooked slowly to allow the flavours to develop. The slow cooker is the perfect choice for such a dish.
Yes. If you don’t have a slow cooker, simply follow the recipe using a good flame-proof casserole dish as a substitute for both the pan and the slow cooker. When you need to take the beef out, set it aside on a plate and return it with the last ingredients.
Transfer to the oven at 160°C / 140°C fan / Gas 3 / 325°F and cook for two hours.
More recipes
- Mexican pulled chicken and black beans – a delicious alternative to the usual beef
- Leftover turkey fajitas – a great way to use up leftovers, with a twist of Tex-Mex spice
- Easy Mexican rice and beans – a great accompaniment to Mexican style dishes.
Slow Cooker Beef Chili
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 tsp oil
- 450 g minced beef
- pepper and salt (to season)
- ½ tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
- 2 tsp cocoa
- 1 can tomatoes
- 1 can black beans (turtle beans, rinsed and drained)
- 1 can kidney beans in chili sauce (or 1 can kidney beans and generous slug of chili sauce)
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 tbsp pickled jalapenos
Optional
- 1 tsp cornflour/corn starch (optional, to thicken at the end of cooking)
Instructions
- Heat a little oil in a frying pan and add the mince. Season with salt and pepper, and fry gently and slowly until browned.1 tsp oil, 450 g minced beef, pepper and salt
- While the beef cooks, peel and chop the onion and garlic. Deseed, trim and chop the peppers.1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 red bell peppers
- When the beef is cooked, transfer it to the slow cooker. Scrape the sides of the pan well with a spatula and add the scrapings too, as they will be full of flavour.
- Now cook the onion and peppers in the same frying pan, adding a little extra oil if necessary. Cook gently.
- When the onion is translucent and softening, add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Then add all the spices, and stir, cooking for another minute or two.½ tsp chili powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp ground coriander
- Transfer to the slow cooker together with all the remaining ingredient. Stir well and add a little water to loosen if needed.1 tsp dried mixed herbs, 2 tsp cocoa, 1 can tomatoes, 1 can black beans, 1 can kidney beans in chili sauce, 2 tbsp tomato puree, 2 tbsp pickled jalapenos
- Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 3–4 hours on high or 6–7 on low. I usually start on high for half an hour and then switch to low.
- If your beef mince chili needs thickening when you are getting towards the end of cooking, either leave the lid ajar for 20 minutes, or mix a teaspoonful of cornflour/corn starch with a little cold water to form a slurry, before stirring it into the chili until it thickens.1 tsp cornflour/corn starch
- Serve your chili hot with all the usual toppings and accompaniments.
Notes
Storage
Fridge – Allow to cool and then store in a covered container in the fridge, where it will keep well for up to three days. The flavours will develop over time, so there is reason not to make it ahead. Freezer – Pack into portions in stackable, sealable boxes and once cool, transfer to the freezer. Keeps well for three months. Defrost and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.Hints and tips
- Don’t leave anything in the pan! Any dark caramelized bits that stick will only add to the flavour, so get your spatula out and grab them all.
- Leaving the chili in the fridge overnight will only help the flavour so don’t hesitate to prepare in advance. This will leave more time for last minute jobs like grating cheese and preparing dips and salads.
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