Easy Homemade Slow Cooker Chili Recipe

This Easy Slow Cooker Chili recipe is homemade chili at its best! Perfect for parties, Holidays, Game Days, and feeding a crowd!

An Easy Slow Cooker Chili Recipe

If you’re like us, we enjoy chili most of the year round! Whether for the perfect Game Day grub or Sunday Dinners, it really is so nice to have it simmering in the slow cooker all day. You’ll love this simple yet completely flavorful chili!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• This recipe is not only delicious, but so simple to make!
• It’s perfect for Holidays, parties, Game Day eats, and great for feeding a crowd!
• Once the ingredients are in the slow cooker, it gets better as it simmers all day.

Try my Simple White Chicken Chili Recipe too! Follow Picky Palate on Instagram for daily recipe inspiration.

What You’ll Need

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make a delicious homemade chili recipe. See the recipe card located at the bottom of the post for full instructions.

• extra virgin olive oil– You’ll use the olive oil to saute the vegetables
• onion– I like to use white onion. Make sure it’s finely chopped.
• fresh garlic– Fresh garlic is always preferred, but the pre minced garlic in jars is fine too.
• ground sausage– I pick up the Jimmy Dean sausage rolls. Ground beef works great too.
• chicken broth– Look for the reduced sodium chicken broth.
• black beans– Canned black beans work just fine, make sure you drain the liquid before adding to chili.
• diced tomatoes– The mild Rotel cans are my preferred choice.
• tomato paste– The tomato paste helps thicken the chili. Adds a nice layer of flavor too.
• dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning– Find the Ranch dressing seasoning packets in the salad dressing isle.
• ground cumin– Ground cumin is found in the spices section of the grocery store. It’s fragrant flavor is perfect in chili.
• chili powder– Chili powder adds another deep layer of chili flavor.
• garlic salt– Lawry’s Garlic salt is my favorite.
• whole jalapeños– You’ll use jalapenos to simmer in the chili. Adds flavor, but not too much heat.
• fresh cilantro– Fresh cilantro adds the perfect fresh bite.

How To Make this Homemade Chili Recipe

Heat Oil. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.

Saute Vegetables. When hot add chopped onions cooking for 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute.

Brown The Sausage. Add ground sausage, cooking and crumbling until browned. When cooked, add sausage mixture to large 5-8 quart crock pot on low setting.

Add Chili Ingredients To Slow Cooker. Add broth, black beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Ranch Dressing Dry mix, cumin, chili powder and garlic salt. Stir to combine. Add two whole jalapeños to chili.

Close Lid and Simmer. Close slow cooker lid and let cook on low for 4-6 hours. Remove lid and use a number of spoons to taste and season as needed. Add chopped fresh cilantro, stirring to combine. Simmer on low until ready to serve.

Can I Make Homemade Chili Without A Slow Cooker?

Yes, follow recipe and add ingredients to a large pot instead of slow cooker. Simmer on low just like you would a slow cooker.

What Is The Difference Between a Slow Cooker and Crock Pot?

A Crock-Pot is a type of slow cooker; however, not every slow cooker is a Crock-Pot. Crock-Pot is the name of a brand that first came on the market in the 1970s. It has a stoneware pot that is surrounded by a heating element, whereas a slow cooker is typically a metal pot that sits on top of a heated surface. The term slow cooker is not a brand but rather refers to the type of appliance. There are many other brands that manufacture slow cookers, such as KitchenAid and Cuisinart.

Mistakes To Avoid When Making Chili

1. Don’t Add raw meat to your chili, make sure it’s browned first. The first order of business before adding anything else to the pot is to brown any meat in your recipe. This important step adds an extra savory flavor that simply cannot be replicated by simmering on the stovetop or in a slow cooker. Plus, the texture is vastly improved when the meat is seared.
2. Don’t buy the store bought “chili seasonings.” Use fresh ground cumin and chili powder and other seasonings to taste.
3. Don’t wait to season the chili until the end, season as you go! Season early and season often. When you add seasoning early on, the flavors develop an even rich taste while the chili simmers. Taste test along the way.
4. Don’t forget a squeeze or two of lime juice before serving! This brings a bright tang to each bite.
5. Have LOTS of toppings available for your guests, not just cheese and sour cream 🙂 See my favorite chili toppings at the bottom of this post.

Can I Substitute Black Beans For Other Varieties?

You can use whatever variety of beans you prefer. I’ve prepared this chili recipe with white beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans and pinto beans. You can even use a combination of all of them.

When I prepare my Slow Cooker Homemade Chili Recipe, I always simmer either jalapeños or Anaheim Chili Peppers inside the chili while it cooks all day. Gives a nice flavor without being too spicy.

Tips For Making The Best Chili

1. When you’ve got the time, it’s all about the simmer. The longer you simmer, the more amazing flavor you’ll get.
2. I like to place a whole Anaheim Chili or jalapeño inside the chili to simmer as well. You get even more flavor this way!
3. Serve this recipe with a nice chef salad with lots of vegetables.
4. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.  Mason Jars work great too.

The Best Chili Topping Ideas

1. Avocado
2. Sour Cream
3. Cilantro
4. Diced tomatoes
5. Salsa
6. Cheese
7. Onion
8. Jalapenos
9. Crackers

What Are The Best Sides For Serving Chili?

When we have chili night, generally we have a little bar set up with all of the toppings in little bowls. Cornbread is great to serve with chili along with tortilla chips and salsa. Some occasions we serve chili over steamed rice too. Don’t forget chili dogs! Delicious over your favorite hot dogs too!

How To Store Leftovers

Refrigerate. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Reheating Instructions. Reheat chili in a heat proof bowl, loosely covered in the microwave for 60-90 seconds, until hot.

Freezing Instructions. Freeze leftover chili in an airtight container for up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw before reheating.

Enjoy More Chili Recipes

• The Best White Chicken Chili
• Southwest Chicken Chili Mac
• Taco Turkey Chili