Crock Pot Chili
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Make the best Crock Pot Chili with this easy recipe! Two secret ingredients make this the best chili ever, chipotle peppers and stout beer. These ingredients add a rich, smoky flavor to this traditional chili recipe that takes the taste to another level! It only takes a few minutes to prep, then you can let the slow cooker do the work, and come home to a delicious dinner.
Table of contents
There’s just something about a warm bowl of chili on a cool, crisp night. It’s filling, oh-so-comforting, and easy to make in the slow cooker!
From Buffalo Chicken Chili, to Three Bean Vegan Chili, to this Chipotle Chili, I love a good bowl of chili in the cooler fall and winter months!
So bust out the slow cooker, and make ALL the chili this fall and winter!
I served this crock pot chili with a side of Jalapeño Cheddar Focaccia Bread for dipping. I’m not saying that you have to do this, but I’m definitely saying that you should!
Ingredients
- Ground beef – you can also make this recipe with ground turkey, if you prefer.
- Onion – you’ll need one cup of diced onions for this recipe. This should be equal to one small onion or half of a large onion. Feel free to use red onions for more bite, or yellow onions for a more neutral flavor.
- Garlic cloves – I recommend fresh minced cloves for the best flavor.
- Diced tomatoes – petite diced tomatoes work perfect for this recipe. They add small chunks of tomatoes to the chili that blend in well with the other ingredients.
- Kidney beans – for this recipe, I used canned beans, not dried beans. You’ll want to drain and rinse the can of beans before adding it to the chili. You can use dark red kidney beans or light red kidney beans. Or if you prefer pinto beans or black beans in your chili, you can use those instead.
- Stout beer – Guinness is probably the easiest stout beer to find, but feel free to use your favorite brand of stout. Adding beer to the chili adds an amazing deep and malty flavor. The alcohol cooks off during the cooking process, so it’s safe to serve all ages. However, if you prefer not to cook with beer, you can use beef broth in it’s place.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce – these peppers are easy to find at the grocery store near the other canned peppers, chilies and hot sauce. We’ll use both the peppers and adobo sauce from the can in this chili to give it a warm, smoky flavor.
- Brown sugar – to sweeten the chili, and balance out the smoky, spicy flavors.
- Seasonings – black pepper, paprika, cumin, and kosher salt are combined to season the chili.
- Olive oil – to cook the onions and garlic.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cook the beef. Pour olive oil into a large skillet, or pot, on the stove over medium heat. Add diced onions, cook for 4-5 minutes, then add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add ground beef, crumble and cook through until no longer pink. Drain any grease from the pan.
- Load the slow cooker. Transfer the cooked ground beef, garlic and onions to a slow cooker. Add diced tomatoes, kidney beans, and chipotle peppers.
- Add in the flavor. Pour stout beer into the slow cooker and mix everything together. Add adobo sauce, brown sugar, black pepper, paprika, cumin and kosher salt to the Crock Pot.
- Let the slow cooker do its thing. Stir everything together, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
Ways to top it
When serving this chipotle chili, feel free to add the toppings of your choice. This might be sour cream and cheese for a creamy topping, sliced jalapenos for a bit of spice, or tortilla strips for a delicious crunch.
No matter which toppings you choose, you can’t go wrong with adding one, two, or all of these toppings to a big bowl of chili!
- Diced avocado
- Lime wedges – for juicing fresh squeezed lime juice over the chili
- Sour cream
- Sliced jalapeno
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- Diced green onions
- Crumbled cotija cheese
- Shredded cheddar cheese, pepper jack or Monterey jack cheese
- Tortilla strips or crumbled tortilla chips
How to make it on the stove
This recipe is also easy to make on the stove, if you don’t have a few hours to leave it in the slow cooker. Follow these simple steps to make the chili in under an hour on the stove top.
- Pour the olive oil into a large pot, or dutch oven, on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and cook for 4-5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the ground beef, crumble and cook until no longer pink, around 7-9 minutes. Drain any grease from the pot.
- Add the diced tomatoes, kidney beans, chipotle peppers, and stout beer to the pot. Season with adobo sauce, brown sugar, black pepper, paprika, cumin and salt. Stir everything together.
- Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Recipe tips
- I always recommend cooking the ground beef before adding it to a slow cooker. Technically you could add raw ground beef to the slow cooker and let it cook in there, but browning it first adds a nice flavor to the meat. Cooking it first, also allows you to drain off any grease, so you don’t end up with greasy chili. It also has a better texture and blends better with the other ingredients when it’s cooked and crumbled first.
- This recipe has a mild-to-medium spice level, depending on how sensitive you are to spice. To reduce the spice, only add one chipotle pepper. To increase the spice, add an extra 2-3 chipotle peppers.
- If you want to thicken the Crock Pot chili after it’s cooked, I recommend adding a cornstarch slurry. Combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water, or beef broth. Pour this mixture into the chili after the cooking time and stir to combine.
- To double this recipe, simply click on the 2X button in the recipe card below. The ingredient amounts in the recipe card will automatically update. This is great for making a big batch of chili for a party, or if you want to freeze a second batch for a future meal. I promise, future you will thank you!
Storage and reheating
Chipotle stout chili leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.
The chili can be reheated in a pot on the stove over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes, or until heated through. You can also add the chili back to a slow cooker and reheat on low for 1 hour.
To reheat the chili in the microwave, place a single serving of chili in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 2-3 minutes, or until heated throughout.
You can also freeze leftover Crock Pot chili for up to 6 months. After the chili is cooked, let it cool before moving it to the freezer. To allow it to cool safely, place it in the refrigerator first.
Once cooled, transfer the chili to a freezer safe Ziplock bag. Flatten the chili in the freezer bag for quicker and easier defrosting. When it’s time to defrost the chili, I recommend placing it in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours to thaw.
After it’s thawed, place it back in a slow cooker on low heat for 3-4 hours to reheat. You can also reheat the chili in a pot on the stove over medium heat for 20-30 minutes.
What to serve with it
Serve this Crock Pot chili recipe with any of the following sides for dipping right into the chili!
More slow cooker recipes
Make weeknight meals a breeze by adding these other popular slow cooker recipes to your menu!
Crock Pot Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 15.5 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced
- 12 ounces stout beer
- 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Pour the olive oil in a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the ground beef, crumble and cook until no longer pink. Drain any grease from the ground beef, then transfer everything from the pot to a Crock Pot.
- Add the diced tomatoes, kidney beans, chipotle peppers and stout beer to the Crock Pot.
- Add the adobo sauce, brown sugar, black pepper, paprika, cumin and kosher salt, and stir everything together. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
Video
Notes
- To make this chili on the stove, instead of in a Crock Pot, follow these instructions:
- Pour the olive oil into a large pot, or dutch oven, on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and cook for 4-5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the ground beef, crumble and cook until no longer pink, around 7-9 minutes. Drain any grease from the pot.
- Add the diced tomatoes, kidney beans, chipotle peppers, and stout beer to the pot. Season with adobo sauce, brown sugar, black pepper, paprika, cumin and salt. Stir everything together.
- Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- This recipe has a mild-to-medium spice level, depending on how sensitive you are to spice. To reduce the spice, only add one chipotle pepper. To increase the spice, add an extra 2-3 chipotle peppers.
- Chipotle stout chili leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days. The chili can be reheated in a pot on the stove over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes, or until heated through. You can also add the chili back to a slow cooker and reheat on low for 1 hour.
- You can also freeze leftover chili for up to 6 months. After the chili is cooked, let it cool before moving it to the freezer.
Nutrition Facts
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10 Comments on “Crock Pot Chili”
Made this the other night and used deschutes obsidian stout and boy was it delicious,making it tomorrow for a chili contest at work on friday.
Love to hear that Chris! You’ll have to come back and let me know if you win the contest!
I entered this recipe into a chili cook off at work, and tied for first place. Everyone loved the kick. Thank you.
That’s awesome Ashley! Thanks so much for sharing!
Made this last night–thanks for another easy, tasty recipe! It definitely was not bland. I recommend Guinness.
Thanks so much Erica! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Really tasty.
I’m surprised you used an imperial stout. Although they are quite sweet, they also tend to have very IBU (bitterness) in the range of many IPAs. Thus, I’ve found that imperial stouts tend to give the food an unwanted bitterness.
What has been your experience with this?
Hello, if I double the recipe, would you recommend changing the cook time? And if so, for how long? Thanks!
This chili sounds perfect! October is also pizza month AND cookie month. So there is a lot of eating that needs to be done in the next 4 weeks!