An easy slow cooker chilli con carne recipe that doesn't require browning the meat! This simple tex-mex dish is meltingly tender, very flavourful, and perfect with rice!
Simply combine all of the ingredients in the slow cooker, set the timer, and return 6 hours later to a delicious, hearty chilli.
My family often turns to this slow cooker chilli as a reliable and family-friendly meal option. Not only is it ideal for serving a crowd, but it can also be made in advance for hectic weeknights.
The level of spiciness in this recipe is just right too - not too mild, not too overwhelming - making it a hit with everyone.
👩🍳 Love chilli con carne? Try my extra mild chilli con carne for kids or for something healthier, my turkey mince chilli!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- No browning.
- Ready in 6 hours on low setting.
- Tasty and flavourful.
- Great for batch cooking and feeding a crowd.
- Freezer friendly.
Don't forget to check out all of my easy slow cooker recipes on the blog!
🛒 Ingredients
- Minced Beef - use a lean 5% fat minced beef. You could also use frozen minced beef from the freezer department at your local supermarket, which can be cooked straight from frozen
- Onion - 1 brown or red onion, peeled and chopped finely.
- Garlic - 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- Red Pepper - diced. Use yellow or orange peppers if you prefer.
- Passata - or substitute with tinned chopped tomatoes.
- Tomato Puree - for richness and flavour.
- Beef Stock Pot - or stock cube. I use the Knorr rich beef stock pot.
- Sweet Chilli Sauce - or substitute with caster sugar.
- Worcestershire Sauce - just a dash gives the chilli a lovely savoury flavour.
- Spices - a mixture of smoked paprika, ground coriander, ground cumin, oregano, and chilli flakes.
- Kidney Beans - for extra spice use kidney beans in chilli sauce. You could also use black beans.
- Optional Extras - I like to garnish my slow cooker chilli with grated cheddar, chopped coriander and sliced red chilli for the adults.
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
Step 1: Place the onion, garlic and red pepper in the bottom of the slow cooker basin.
Step 2: Mix in the minced beef.
Step 3: Add the passata, tomato puree, beef stock, spices, sweet chilli sauce, Worcestershire sauce, kidney beans and salt and pepper. Give everything a good stir.
Step 4: Cook on a low heat for 6 hours. Remove the lid for the last hour of cooking to thicken the sauce. Alternatively, use some thickening granules. Garnish with chopped coriander, grated cheddar, and red chilli (for the adults!).
💭 Top tips
- Make a double batch and freeze half for another day! You would need to use a 6-litre slow cooker for this, or a 3.5 litre slow cooker to make the original recipe.
- We've cut out the browning stage in this easy recipe, so use a low-fat beef mince (5% or less).
- If you're in a hurry, you can cook the chilli on a high setting for 4 hours.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the slow cooker chilli con carne with rice, slow cooker corn on the cob, tortilla chips, lime wedges, sour cream, grated cheddar and chopped coriander. It's also a great filling for enchiladas.
You can serve leftovers over air fryer jacket potatoes, in chilli dogs, spoon it through cheesy pasta to make a chilli macaroni cheese, or, why not make chilli nachos?
📖 Variations
- Make the chilli con carne spicier by doubling the amount of chilli flakes.
- Add more chopped peppers or different vegetables such as courgette, sweetcorn, and mushrooms. Or why not try my vegan sweet potato chilli recipe?
- Up the protein and add another tin of kidney beans.
- Experiment with different types of beans, such as kidney, pinto, or black beans, to add variety to your chilli. You could even add a tin of baked beans!
- Try adding a touch of cinnamon or cocoa powder for a unique flavour twist.
- Diced cured chorizo sausage will give the chilli an extra smoky flavour.
- Use turkey mince or pork mince instead of beef mince for a lighter, lower-fat slow cooker chilli.
🥡 Storage
Store. Place the cooled chilli con carne in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheat. Use a microwave-safe container and reheat in the microwave, or otherwise heat it up in a saucepan on the hob
Freeze. The slow cooker chilli can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating in the microwave.
❓ FAQs
Yes, you can! Mix the raw mince in with the other ingredients, switch on the slow cooker, and I guarantee you will have meltingly tender mince at the end of cooking. I almost never bother browning mince for slow cooker recipes.
Yes, slow cooker chilli can be made in advance and stored in the fridge or freezer. If you're making it ahead of time, let it cool completely before storing it in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
Cornbread, tortilla chips, tacos, salad, and jacket potatoes all go well with chilli con carne.
It's believed chilli con carne first originated in San Antonio, Texas in the 19th century, created by Mexicans residing in the southern US state. In the beginning it was a simple stew with chilli peppers but it is now a world-famous tex-mex dish.
Yes, you can make chilli without beans if you prefer. Simply omit the beans or replace them with another ingredient, such as diced peppers or mushrooms.
😋More slow cooker recipes to try!
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Recipe
Easy Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne (No Browning)
Equipment
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 Onion peeled and chopped
- 2 Garlic Cloves peeled and chopped
- 1 Red Pepper diced
- 500 g Minced Beef 5% fat or less
- 300 g Passata
- 2 tablespoon Tomato Puree
- 100 ml Beef Stock made with stock pot or cube
- 1 teaspoon Sweet Chilli Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 tablespoon Cumin
- 2 teaspoon Chilli Flakes
- 2 teaspoon Oregano
- 400 g Tin of Kidney Beans drained
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 tablespoon Thickening Granules
Instructions
- Place the onion, garlic, and red pepper in the bottom of the slow cooker basin.1 Onion, 2 Garlic Cloves, 1 Red Pepper
- Mix in the minced beef.500 g Minced Beef
- Add the passata, tomato puree, beef stock, spices, sweet chilli sauce, Worcestershire sauce, kidney beans and salt and pepper. Give everything a good stir.300 g Passata, 2 tablespoon Tomato Puree, 100 ml Beef Stock, 1 teaspoon Sweet Chilli Sauce, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce, 2 tablespoon Smoked Paprika, 1 tablespoon Cumin, 2 teaspoon Chilli Flakes, 2 teaspoon Oregano, 400 g Tin of Kidney Beans, Salt and Pepper
- Cook on a low heat for 6 hours. Remove the lid for the last hour of cooking to thicken the sauce. Alternatively, use some thickening granules. Garnish with chopped coriander, grated cheddar, and red chilli (for the adults!)2 tablespoon Thickening Granules
Video
Notes
- Make a double batch and freeze half for another day! You would need to use a 6-litre slow cooker for this, or a 3.5 litre slow cooker to make the original recipe.
- We've cut out the browning stage in this easy recipe, so use a low-fat beef mince (5% or less).
- If you're in a hurry, you can cook the chilli on a high setting for 4 hours.
- Make the chilli con carne spicier by doubling the amount of chilli flakes.
- Add more chopped peppers or different vegetables such as courgette, sweetcorn, and mushrooms.
- Up the protein and add another tin of kidney beans.
- Experiment with different types of beans, such as kidney, pinto, or black beans, to add variety to your chilli. You could even add a tin of baked beans!
- Try adding a touch of cinnamon or cocoa powder for a unique flavour twist.
- Diced cured chorizo sausage will give the chilli an extra smoky flavour.
- Use turkey mince or pork mince instead of beef mince for a lighter, lower-fat slow cooker chilli.
Qashang | Chili to Choc
This is the perfect comfort food. So good! Thanks for the great recipe.
Dannii
I love chilli in the slow cooker. The meat is just perfectly cooked.
maryanne
I love the amount of warm spices in this recipe! My family is going to love this!
Mindee Taylor
This turned out so delicious! Loved saving time by not having to brown the meat!
Angela
Great recipe! I love things that I can dump in the crockpot and forget about. The addition of the sweet chili sauce is such a great idea.
Sue
Could you prepare/ chop everything, add spices etc. then freeze and defrost in the fridge the night before you want to cook it?
Beth Sachs
Hi Sue. yes absolutely you can do this.