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I’m feeling like it’s a chili kind of night…
For one there’s Thursday night football… always a good excuse to make a giant pot of chili. But also, it’s just been that kind of a week (you know what I mean), and chili just sounds perfect right about now.
Anyone with me?
I’m sure you guys have heard me say this before, but the only way my mom will eat chili is if it’s served over a giant bed of angel hair pasta…aka Cincinnati style chili. So this is how I grew up eating chili. In fact, for the longest time I really just thought this was how everyone ate chili. I mean, why would you use a bowl if you could eat chili atop a bed of pasta?
It really wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized that not everyone enjoyed their chili this way. At first, I was kind of like, well you guys are doing it so wrong, and to a point I still feel this way, BUT now I understand that there are times when a simple bowl of chili might be just right.
I mean, don’t get me wrong I still prefer chili + pasta, but some nights it’s kind of nice to just have a big bowl of chili with a heaping pile of cheddar on top and a double serving of beer bread for scooping. So really, I’m just swapping out carbs for more carbs, but whateves, you guys know how I like to do it around here.
SIDE NOTE: I sent this over to my parent’s house and word on the street is that the brothers mowed down bowl after bowl. And mom… yeah, she boiled up some angel hair pasta and ate it Cinnci style. Typical.
I have been wanting to create a crockpot beef chili like this one for the longest time now, so I figured fall would be the perfect time to do it. To me, chili is just a fall food. I know it’s equally great for winter, but for some reason the majority of my chili making happens in the fall. Anyone else the same?
I went back and forth about whether or not this should be a crockpot recipe or not. It seems there are a lot of you out there who love crockpot recipes, but then there are some of you who don’t have crockpots, so I am always torn on what direction to go. In the end though, the thought of this chili just slow cooking all day on my kitchen counter sounded too good, so crockpot recipe it is!
That said, any of you who do not own a crockpot, don’t worry, you can just as easily make this on the stove! 🙂
Beyond the smell of the chili simmering all day, what’s really my favorite about this recipe is the flavors. The heat of the chili is balanced with just a touch of sweetness from the maple syrup and a pinch of cinnamon. Maple and cinnamon are honestly the perfect way to tie warm fall flavors into this hearty chili, and they pair so well with the beef in the recipe. Oh, and speaking of the beef, if you and your family prefer chicken or turkey, those will work great here too!
Just don’t forget the side of bread…preferably beer bread…or pasta if that’s more your thing…or ok, just both?!?!
Oh my gosh, and of course the cheddar! Can’t have chili without a giant pile of cheddar cheese on top. Cheddar is definitely a must! 🙂
Crockpot Beef Chili.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 small onions, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 2-3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 leaf bay
- cheddar cheese, avocado, green onions and cilantro, for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion and cook about 5 minutes or until it begins to caramelize around the edges. Stir the garlic and cook another minute. Use your hands to crumble the ground beef into the pot. Brown the beef, breaking up the meat as you go, about 8 minutes. Once the beef is browned, add in the poblano pepper, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, salt and cayenne. Give it a good stir and let cook about a minute or two. Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Transfer the beef mixture to the bowl of your crockpot. Add 2 cups chicken broth, the tomatoes, tomato paste, maple, and bay leaves, stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or hight for 4-5 hours. If your chili is too thick, add the remaining broth to thin.
- Remove the bay leaves and ladle the chili into bowls. Top with cheddar cheese, avocado and fresh cilantro. Eat!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Fist pump for the first chili of the season. YUM!
Hey 🙂 Could you share the stove top recipe for this? I usually see one if I scroll down, but not for this recipe. Thanks!
Hi Eleni,
You can follow the recipe as is, just simmer on low for 2-3 hours. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it!! xTieghan
Another amazing HBH recipe, I made this one for Super Bowl Sunday. I needed to make the chili a little faster than the crockpot but I don’t have a Dutch oven, so I ended up making it stovetop in a stockpot. Still delicious, a huge hit with the friends I was hosting. Like one of the reviews suggested, I added a few tablespoons of balsamic before letting it simmer. I have leftovers that I can’t wait to eat later today. Oh, and I served it with cornbread!
Hey Grace,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed!! ?xTieghan
Loved this recipe. Simple and delicious. Did not know if I would like that much cinnamon in a chili, but it was great. Added ‘1 can of beans of your choice’, and it filled out the texture of the chili beautifully. We have loved every one of your recipes.
Hey Dale,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed!! ?xTieghan
Thank you!!! I made this recipe a few days ahead and kept in refrigerator till the day we needed it. Then cooked it in the crockpot day of!
Soooo good! A big hit with all my family! I doubled the recipe and needed two crockpots! So good! ♥️
Hey Sonja,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xTieghan
Delicious! My husband made this on the stovetop in our Dutch oven. Didn’t realize that stovetop still called for 2-3 hours of simmering until right before. Didn’t have time for that so we only simmered for 45 mins and just used less broth. Still turned out great but will plan to simmer for 2 hours next time (:
Only things changed were using a bell pepper instead of poblanos because Trader Joe’s didn’t have poblanos. Also used regular paprika instead of smoked because that’s what we have in our cabinet.
Hey Christina,
That’s great!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! Thanks for sharing your feedback, sorry about the amount of time! xxT
Can I make this a few days ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator??
Hey Sonja,
Totally, that will work well for you! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Sounds wonderful. If you can’t get poblano peppers, what would be a good sub? Thanks! I don’t get them where I live.
Hi Lucy,
You could use jalapeños if you like the heat or bell peppers. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Great flavor- used one pound of ground turkey and one pound of beef
Hey Stacey,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best week! xTieghan
This is our go to chili recipe. Everyone in our family loves it and that’s saying a lot. I’ve got a couple of picky eaters in my home. We’ve never actually done it in the crock pot. I always do it in my Dutch oven on the stovetop. The only thing I really do differently other than that is I add a couple or three of tablespoons of balsamic to it before letting it simmer for a while. ? Guys, it is so so good. It’s even better reheated the next day! We are big tent campers and this is ALWAYS on the menu when we go camping. I make it ahead of time and heat it back up over the fire and we’re all full and warm and happy afterwards!
Forgot to add that we usually throw in a can of kidney beans cause that’s how we like it! Just one is the perfect amount of beans for us.
Thanks again Sarah!!
Hey Sarah,
Awesome! I love to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! Happy New Year!? xTieghan
Was looking for a new crockpot chili recipe and found this! I have yet to try one of Tieghan’s recipes that hasn’t been delicious, and this one was no different! I usually don’t like crockpot recipes that require me to use a separate pan first (more dishes lol), but this was super easy and SO delicious. I was skeptical of the cinnamon and maple syrup, but trusted the process (mostly) and did half the recommended amounts of each. Used beef bone broth since that’s what I had on hand, 1lb ground beef with 2 tins of beans. So tasty, even my toddler asked for seconds! Will definitely be making it again! Thank you Tieghan for another delicious recipe! 🙂
Hey Rona,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! Happy Holidays!?? xTieghan
I have a ton of frozen fresh tomatoes from my garden. Think these would work if I thawed them out beforehand?
Hey Sarah,
Yes, that should work well for you! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
The best chili I’ve ever had! We used ground Turkey and added black beans the last hour.
Thanks so much!! xTieghan
This recipe was outstanding! I used kettle & fire beef bone broth instead of chicken and the end result was so good. I will be making this over n over.
Hey! Thanks SO much for trying out this recipe, I hope you loved it! xxTieghan
This is a great chili recipe. Love the spices and flavor of cinnamon makes it uniquely delicious. I’ve made it twice already. Once to take on a camping trip (everyone loved it) and made again last night. The only change was that I add a pound of bite size fillet and a can of kidney beans.
Hey there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, so glad you enjoyed this recipe! xxTieghan
You can definitely taste the cinnamon! I cut it in half and was still noted. Different, but very good! Made it in the instapot in 45 minutes. Awesome!
Hi there! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! ? xTieghan
Hi! how would you recommend making this in an instant pot? (like, making it quickly?) unfortunately we’re going to get a late start on it, but this weather has me needing chili- tonight!
Hey Molly! I haven’t made it in the instant pot before so I’m not too sure! I would say just add the meat in first and then the sauce and then everything else? Hope this helps! 🙂 xTieghan