This Slow Cooker Beef Chili is not only simple and easy to make, but it’s packed with warm, savory flavors! Loaded with ground beef, spices, and tomatoes, it’s hearty comfort food that happens to be Paleo and Whole30-friendly, too!
Growing up in Texas, chili was more than just a meal—it was a tradition. This Slow Cooker Beef Chili is my fuss-free take on the classic I grew up with, packed with bold, smoky flavors and just the right amount of spice. It’s hearty, comforting, and perfect for those who crave the rich, slow-simmered flavors of a traditional Texas chili without all the work. If you’re looking for something a little lighter or faster, our no-bean chili recipe is a stovetop favorite with a milder kick that works with any ground meat. Whether you go traditional or simple, there’s a chili here for every craving!
Helpful Tips
- For the best flavor, brown the ground beef in a skillet before adding it to the slow cooker. This step enhances the rich, savory taste and adds depth to your chili.
- Make a double batch, and freeze leftovers in portioned containers. This chili freezes and reheats beautifully!
- If you’re serving a crowd, keep the chili milder and let everyone spice it up to their taste with hot sauce or chopped jalapeños.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Below is an overview of the ingredients and instructions for this slow cooker beef chili recipe. Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete details!
- Neutral Oil – Use avocado oil or light olive oil to brown the meat and sauté the veggies.
- Beef – I use grass-fed lean ground beef, 80% or leaner. However, you can substitute ground chicken or ground turkey if preferred. Just note that the flavor won’t be quite as bold.
- Fresh Veggies – Green bell pepper, celery stalks, yellow onion, and minced garlic add bulk to the chili and create lots of depth of flavor.
- Canned Tomatoes – I use both crushed tomatoes and petite diced tomatoes for a savory broth and a chunkier consistency. Then, I include tomato paste to create a thicker chili.
Pro-Tip: Use fire-roasted tomatoes for the bold, smokey flavor we want!
- Seasonings – Chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper, dried oregano, allspice, and salt create a warm, savory, herbaceous flavor you’ll love.
How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Chili
Brown the meat. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the beef, and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned. Then, use a slotted spoon to transfer the beef to a slow cooker, leaving the excess grease in the pan.
There’s no need to drain. This is my secret ingredient to create the best savory flavor!
Sauté. In the same skillet, add the onion and garlic, and cook it in the leftover grease until fragrant. Then, add the celery and bell pepper, and cook until the onion is translucent. Transfer the veggies to the slow cooker with the beef.
Combine. Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and spices (except the salt and bay leaf!), and tomato paste. Stir to combine with the beef mixture, and place the bay leaf on top.
Cook. Cover, and cook on high or low until the mixture thickens and the flavors are well combined. Remove the bay leaf, and season with salt to taste. Then, leave the slow cook on warm for about 10 minutes to really let the flavors sink in.
Note: Make sure to wait to add your salt at the end of cooking! That way, you can taste and adjust to your preferred level of seasoning. This gives the flavors time to develop and meld, ensuring you’re not over-salting the dish before you’re able to balance the other flavors.
Enjoy! Transfer your Paleo crockpot chili to bowls, add your favorite toppings, and serve warm.
Serving Suggestions
I love to serve my beef chili with a side of gluten-free cornbread or gluten-free naan to soak up every last drop. If serving a crowd, I often add a side salad like my strawberry spinach salad or kale and pear salad with goat cheese.
Topping Ideas
Of course, you can serve this slow cooker beef chili on its own, but I can never resist the chance for toppings! Some of my favorite additions include:
Omit the dairy for the Paleo option.
- Fresh Cilantro
- Sliced Jalapenos or Green Chiles
- Diced Avocado or Guacamole
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt
- Crushed Tortilla Chips (gluten-free, of course)
Common Questions
Yes! A crockpot and a slow cooker are the same thing! This Paleo crockpot chili follows the same slow-cooking method.
If you prefer a thicker chili, mix 1-2 teaspoons of arrowroot powder or cornstarch with water, and stir it in during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
Once cool, you can transfer leftover chili to an airtight container, and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Yes! This slow cooker beef chili freezes well for up to 6 months! Thaw it in the fridge overnight, and reheat in the microwave, over medium heat on the stove, or in a slow cooker set to “warm” when you’re ready to serve.
Sure! Simply brown the beef, and sauté the veggies in a large pot or Dutch oven. Then, combine all the ingredients, and simmer over medium heat on the stove like we do in our no bean chili recipe.
More of Our Favorite
Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Recipes
Slow Cooker Beef Chili Recipe (No Beans)
- Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 (see notes) 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Make this Paleo slow cooker beef chili for a fuss-free, protein-rich, veggie-packed comfort food recipe full of bold, savory, smoky flavors!
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon avocado oil or light olive oil
- 1 pound ground grass-fed beef
- 1 red or green bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup chopped)
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 garlic cloves)
- 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
- 14-ounce can petite diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 2–3 Tablespoons chili powder (to taste)
- 2–3 teaspoons smoked paprika (to taste)
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon allspice (optional)
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Optional: bay leaf
- Garnishes and Toppings – fresh chopped cilantro, sliced jalapeños, diced avocado
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook, stirring often and breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned (about 4–6 minutes). Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to the insert of a large slow cooker, leaving the grease in the pan.
- In the same skillet, add the onion and garlic, cooking for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add celery and bell pepper, cooking until the onion becomes translucent (about 5 minutes). Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker.
- To the slow cooker, add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and spices (excluding the salt and bay leaf). Stir to combine then place the bay leaf on top, if using.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 3½ hours or on LOW for 5–6 hours. Remove the bay leaf and season with salt to taste. Leave on the WARM setting for 10 minutes until ready to serve.
- Serve with garnishes like fresh cilantro, sliced jalapeños, or avocado. Once cooled, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
Serving Tips – The chili serves 4-6 people (1 ½ – 2 cups per person), depending on how much liquid is in the chili and how it’s served- either alone or with a side like rice, etc.
Storage Tips – Store cooked and cooled chili in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: slow cooker
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ½ to 2 cups per person
- Calories: 290
- Sugar: 11.7 g
- Sodium: 718 mg
- Fat: 13.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 23.4 g
- Fiber: 6.7 g
- Protein: 22.9 g
- Cholesterol: 58.8 mg
This was my husband’s absolute favorite chilli recipe. Why the change? Sweet potatoes was such an excellent edition.
Hey Chelsey,
We didn’t tweak it that much—I just added some more authentic flavors, which I found even more delicious! But you could easily add the sweet potato back in if you prefer. The main reason we left it out is that we already have a slow cooker sweet potato chili recipe, and the two were pretty similar.its a reader favorite as well! You might like that one as well! I’ll link it below.
https://www.cottercrunch.com/crock-pot-sweet-potato-chipotle-chili-paleo/
My whole family loves this recipe. I often make it, especially when on a round of Whole30. Thank you!
I”m so glad you enjoyed it Gemma! Thanks for feedback
This is delicious. I made a few changes to our taste. One was we only used 1 tablespoon of chilli (that was hot enough for us!) And I just used 2 tins of diced tomatoes and half a cup of water. As we are in Australia and I couldn’t find the fire roasted ones. This has become a new household staple.
Oh i love the tips! Thank you. Glad it worked out. My husband is from new zealand, so I understand the ingredient swap!
This is my go-to chili recipe, on or off Whole30. The spices are on point and I love the hint of cinnamon. I cook on low for 8 hours and it’s perfect every time!
so glad! We love it too! Thanks Erica!
Sounds delish! Don’t have a crock pot.
Might there be an insta-pot version?
I think it could work! I haven’t tried it though. Maybe saute/brown meat and onion, then drain grease. Add the rest of your ingredients, stir, and place on manual for 20 minutes, slow release. Or if you have the soup/slow cooker option. the only thing that might not cook all the way are the sweet potatoes, ya know?
Amazing non-bean chili! I triple the recipe and call it Wild Meat Chili by using Venison, Bison and Grassfed beef. Going to try Ostrich to replace the beef this year for New Years. YUM!
wonderful! So glad! Thanks for the feedback Julie!
Three tablespoons of chili powder?! Is this a mistake?
that’s correct. but feel free to tone it down a bit. The sweet potatoes soak up a lot.
If I don’t have 6 hours, but want to make this, how would this convert to stovetop?
This sounds so good that I can’t wait to make it!
I think so! I would brown meat then cook all on medium to medium low in Dutch pot. Maybe try similar timing/procedure as this one https://www.cottercrunch.com/easy-beef-stew/
I agree with Lindsay about browning the meat first as directed in steps 1 and 2. Then just add in the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. When I tried testing this in the slow cooker for 4 hours the sweet potatoes didn’t become tender enough. My guess is that has to do with the tomatoes inhibiting the potatoes from taking up the liquid and softening. So my advice would be to try it, but consider adding more liquid (like 1 or so cups of broth) as you simmer it on stove-top and keep stirring pretty often so it doesn’t stick to the bottom. You’ll know it’s done when the sweet potatoes are soft enough that they’re starting to break down and melt into the chili. Hope that helps! Let us know how it comes out.
Do the canned tomatoes have sugar in them? and do you taste the sweet potato? Sweet potato sounds odd to me in chilli.
The canned tomatoes have no added sugars, but may have a small amount of natural sugar. The sweet potatoes give it great texture and natural sweetness!
Hello! I see that the yield is 8 cups, am I missing the serving size?
Serving size is around 1.25 cups. Does that help? Sorry about that
My dad was a major fan of this!!
Love this recipe, thank you Katie! Can you be more specific about the nutrition breakdown – i.e. is that per serving and how many servings (ish) in this recipe? Thank you!!
Oops! I think the nutrition was deleted. Serving is around 1.5 to 2 cups or so. I can double check.
Born and raised Texan here – Texas chili has no beans, so you are correct! But I have grown to love chili many ways. Can’t wait to try your recipe!!
I love the fact that the meat is grass fed 😀 It’s hard to get here in Europe 🙁
I also didn’t know that texans are proud of their chili 😀
Elis
Hi! Question, this doesn’t need any liquid ? Broth or water ?
I think most the liquid comes from the tomatoes. Canned, don’t drain them. I’ll ask Katie though
Hello, is that really on High for 6 hours or Slow?
Hi Venus, believe it or not, yes high. The reason is that the sweet potatoes need to soften, and they weren’t soft after 4 hours on high. After 2 more hours they broke down more and were tender. They add an overall sweetness to the chili that balances the acidity and spice. If you want to try it on 8 hours on low, my guess is that would work as well, though I never tested it myself. Hope that helps and Happy Cooking!
Can this be cooked on low in the crockpot? If so for how long?
HI LIndsay! I will ask Katie about this and get back to you ASAP!
Hi LIndsay! Spoke with katie. She said this. ” 8 hours on low should work fine. I tested it on 4 hours on high and the sweet potatoes didn’t cook into the sauce as much. The texture was a little under and I wanted them to add sweetness to the acidity of the sauce, so increasing to 6 hours on high gave them enough time to break down more. I haven’t tested it myself at 8 hours on low, but my guess is that the texture will be somewhere between what I experienced at 4 and 6 on high. “
Thanks so much!!
Hi! I’m making this today! Looks great and it’s a perfect day for chili! One thing I want to point out in the recipe it has smoked paprika listed but there is no mention of it in the directions – or is that just me?? Just pointing it out because my Virgo nature follows instructions to a tee! Anyway, can’t wait to see how it comes out
Hi Kris, so glad you’re making this! That’s my mistake. Add it in with the other spices. I’ll edit the recipe to reflect the change. Thank you for catching that, and happy cooking!
Wanted to let you know that we loved the chili! So good and easy! Thank you for a keeper recipe and it was done after 4 hours in the crockpot!
Awesome!! Love that chili
Ok, this may sound funny, but sometimes I get this odd idea that the professional bloggers are more like superwoman or superman, but I have to remember that you are human too. And I’m so grateful that you’re stepping back and sharing guest posts. This looks absolutely amazing. Chili is so so good, especially for all those awesome snowy glorious days you’re having there!
I’ll do a day in the life of my non super woman powers. LOL! i am a mess. Bless this mess! haha
I just love how the slow cooker makes everything super delicious. We love chili so going to give your version a go.
woohoo! Let me know how you like it Bintu
The chilli looks amazing! Looking at the pictures is making me really hungry and it’s not even 12pm over here! I get the writers blocks a lot, I try to get away from my computer, do something else and then come back to write.
haha i’m always hungry when looking at this too!
Okay first this looks and sounds amazing! Second that is the cutest dish you have! I love it!
isn’t it? I love it too!
Isn’t it? I want all of Katie’s props!
Ha ha, Thank you! I need a prop room at this point. It is out of hand.
This looks so great Katie! It’s been far too long since I’ve made chili of any kind which I’m sure any Texan would be absolutely appalled by. I’m definitely no chili connoisseur but I do love a good bowl of warm, cozy food and this one sounds lovely.
PS. Lindsay – Congrats on the move! Best of luck getting settled in. I’m sure you’ll have it feeling homey in no time! 🙂
thank you friend! we are closer to you now! YAY!
Thanks so much Angela! You’ll have to change that, STAT! 😉 Have a great day!
I have like… 4,527 friends doing Whole 30 this month lol. They need this!
you and me both! Haha
Linds… you’re not super woman?! Insert looks of shock here. HAHA!
This looks lovely and warming. Almost enough to make me want to live some place colder… almost… 😉
unfortunately no. Unless we are in New Zealand, then I have super woman powers. I think it’s the wine
You ARE a super woman… just not Superwoman. LOL!
Looks delicious, Katie — even if it’s not officially Texas chili! 🙂
Thank you Blair. It certainly isn’tt but heck, it tastes great!
I have chicken chili in my slow cooker now! Definitely in a chili mood lately. I’ll have to make this recipe for Adam and I next week, love using the slow cooker when I can 🙂
Ha ha, glad to know you are human, I wondered about that. 😉 Thank you so much for having me today Lindsay! Hope your move goes smoothly.
haha human and crazy. <3 you so much friend.
Battle of the chilis! Though I’m guessing yours will win, I also have a chili up today on my blog. Good luck with everything, Linds!
we are chili twins today! YAY!
WHAT a pretty chili recipe and I so get the writers block! Happens at the most inconvenient times. Sometimes if I walk away for a few hours that helps me.
totally a good refresher. Walk away, make chili, come back ready to write. haha