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Crockpot Spicy Queso Beef Chili. The perfect bowl of winter chili to make on these coldest days of the year. Spicy chili seasoned meat, slow-cooked with onions, peppers, tomatoes, and hot sauce for a spicy buffalo kick. Finish this chili off with a cheesy mix of cream cheese and cheddar, just like queso! It’s so delicious. Top each bowl of chili with a dollop of yogurt, fresh cilantro, green onions, and avocado too. Great on its own, but even better with a side of tortilla chips, homemade beer bread, or both! Yum!
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Ingredients
- Ground beef
- Yellow onions
- Poblano peppers
- Chili powder
- Garlic powder
- Smoked paprika
- Ground cumin
- Cayenne pepper
- Crushed fire roasted tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Diced green chiles
- Hot sauce
- Salted butter
- Bay leaves
- Salt
- Chicken or beef broth
- Cream cheese
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Mixed chili beans
- Fresh cilantro
- Chopped green onions
- Avocado
- Greek yogurt
What you need in the kitchen:
- Large dutch oven
- Spatula
- Ladle
- Chili bowls
When I woke up on Saturday morning, I looked outside to see a wintery wonderland of snow. It felt very festive, but it was also very cold. The perfect day to enjoy slow-cooked chili along with freshly baked beer bread.
Chili has to be one of the easiest family-style dinners to make. It’s always been such a comfort food in my mind. As a kid, my mom often made her Cincinnati-style chili on Sundays. We’d pile it high over a plate of angel hair pasta, then top with plenty of cheddar cheese.
No beans, no onions, which is odd since those are two of the more important toppings for Cincinnati chili. But my mom doesn’t like beans or onions!
When I was younger, I just thought this was how everyone ate their chili. But as I grew up and started to cook for the family, I quickly learned that most chili was served in a bowl, much more similar to soup than a plate of pasta.
Now, I love chili either way. I might photograph it in a bowl, but then later serve it over pasta, just because that’s what mom used to do. And well, who can deny that chili over pasta with cheese isn’t delicious?
Either way, I love to make chili this time of year, especially on snowy days! This is my spicy queso-style chili. It’s a mix between great chili and spicy, cheesy, buffalo-style queso. It’s delicious.
On to the details
Step 1: brown the beef
The only annoying step to this recipe is the very first one. You need to cook the meat. Whether you use beef, pork, chicken, or a mix, cook it up on the stove first. This doesn’t take long or much effort, but it is an extra step. However, it’s worth it!
So, brown the meat. I love to use ground beef, but as mentioned in the recipe, you can use ground chicken or even ground pork. Use whatever you and your family enjoy the most!
When the meat is broken up and browned, add it all to the bowl of your crockpot.
Step 2: throw in the remaining ingredients
Now that the meat is cooked, pretty much everything else can go into the crockpot. The onions, poblano peppers, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Then add tomatoes, tomato paste, a can of diced-up green chilies, and my two secret ingredients – hot sauce and butter. These will give the chili a nice spicy buffalo flavor. So YUM.
Then mix in the broth.
Step 3: slow cook
Now slow cook low and slow all day long. What’s so wonderful about chili is that the longer it has to cook, the more flavor it will develop.
If you can plan ahead, cook the chili a day before you plan to serve. Then just warm the chili the following day. Or simmer away all day on the stovetop. It’s really the very same thing.
Step 4: finish the chili
Just before serving, mix in the cream cheese and cheddar cheese. This is our “queso”. It makes for a more savory dip-like chili, which is the yummiest.
Now, the toppings. Most chili is delicious as is. But what makes a chili recipe over-the-top good are all the really yummy toppings.
I layer as follows: a thick layer of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, and sliced avocados. Then sprinkle on lots of fresh cilantro and some green onions too. You can enjoy this with tortilla chips (I make homemade baked chips in the oven) or beer bread. Both are great! But I think beer bread (5 ingredients, so easy) with chili is a must. It’s delish.
Simple as can be, but every spoonful is so delicious. Think a little spicy, a touch creamy, filled with chicken, peppers, cheese, and all those toppings. I love a simple fall dinner when the days are busy and the nights are turning cold!
Looking for other fall dinners with a little kick? Here are a few ideas:
Healthy Slow Cooker Turkey and White Bean Chili
Healthy Slow Cooker Chipotle Bean Chili
One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake
Healthy Chipotle Chicken Sweet Potato Skins
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup with Salty Lime Chips
Crockpot Chipotle Queso Chicken Chili
Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Spicy Queso Beef Chili be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crockpot Spicy Queso Beef Chili
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef , (or use ground chicken or ground pork)
- 2 yellow onions, chopped
- 2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 can (28 ounce) crushed fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 can (8 ounce) tomato paste
- 1 can (4 ounce) diced green chilies
- 1/3 cup hot sauce
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 bay leaves
- salt
- 2-3 cups chicken or beef broth
- 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 can mixed chili beans, drained
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- avocado and Greek yogurt, for serving
Instructions
Crockpot
- 1. In a large dutch oven set over medium high heat, brown the meat all over, breaking up the meat as you go, about 5 minutes. Transfer the beef to the bowl of your crockpot. 2. Add the onions, poblanos, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, and cayenne. Mix in the tomatoes, tomato paste, hot sauce, butter, and diced chilies. Pour over 2 cups broth. Add the bay leaves, season with salt. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or hight for 4-5 hours. 3. Towards the end of cooking, stir in the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and beans. Cook until the cheese melts, 5 minutes.4. Ladle the chili into bowls. Top, as desired. I like Greek yogurt/sour cream, cheese, avocado, cilantro, and green onions. Eat and enjoy!
Stove
- 1. In a large dutch oven set over medium high heat, brown the meat all over, breaking up the meat as you go, about 5 minutes. 2. Add the onions, poblanos, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, and cayenne. Cook 5 minutes, until fragrant. Mix in the tomatoes, tomato paste, hot sauce, butter, and diced chilies. Pour over 2 cups broth. Add the bay leaves, season with salt. Stir to combine. Partially cover and cook on low for 2 hours or up to all day, stirring every hour.3. Towards the end of cooking, stir in the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and beans. Cook until the cheese melts, 5 minutes.4. Ladle the chili into bowls. Top, as desired. I like Greek yogurt/sour cream, cheese, avocado, cilantro, and green onions. Eat and enjoy!
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.
Hi! Would this work with beefless grounds? Like the gardein meat replacement
Hey Amanda! I haven’t ever tried that before so I can’t say for sure! So sorry! xT
I am currently making this and added the beans with everything else at the beginning. Did I ruin it adding them too early? I’ll come back and let you know how it was, smells so good!
Hi Erin! I’m sure this still turned out delish! 🙂 xT
Tomato paste — is it one can or 8oz? I’ve only ever seen it in 4-ish ounce cans. Thanks!
I cooked this in the instant pot! Put it in for 30 mins and then put it on sauté to melt the cheese. Perfect!
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try! So glad to hear you enjoyed it! xT
Soooo good!! I followed the recipe exactly and the flavor was amazing! It was even better the next day. I’m planning to make this for a crowd next week as it was easy, delicious and can be made ahead. Thanks for another keeper! Merry Christmas!
Thanks so much for trying out the recipe! Have a wonderful holiday season! xT
About how much is each serving? Do you think around 1.5 cups?
Hey Natasha! Yes, I would say about 1.5 or 2 cups per serving! xT
Love this! Another winner! I couldn’t find any poblano peppers, so I used two jalapeños with the seeds and left the cayenne out. It was perfect for my spice level. The whole family enjoyed this! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so so much! Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed! xT
Can you freeze leftovers?
Hey Maura! That should work just fine 🙂 xT
Made it exactly as described and my only complaint is that it was so good that I ate way too large of a serving. It’s easy to prepare and very hearty.
Thank you for the feedback April! xT
This has been going down well all week as leftovers. Ended up w 2.5lbs beef, the slow cooker was overloaded. But transfered to pan for cream cheese and cheese step. I always prefer more spice, debated adding a chipotle pepper. Used kidney beans. Really no complaints except I know it’s not very healthy
This was absolutely delicious, one of the best chilis I’ve ever made! Definitely one I’ll be making again and again.
Wow, thank you Helen! 🙂 xT
I made this for a night of football with friends and it was a huge hit! I make a lot of chili and usually just “wing” it but decided to try this one and it will definitely be going in at the top of the rotation. The key to this being so different (and better) is with the cream cheese. It gives the chili a creaminess that is really unexpected! For the hot sauce, I used Frank’s. Thank you for the recipe!
We absolutely loved this chili! Another hit!
Thank you so much Barbara! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! xT
DELICIOUS! Great flavor with amazing spice. I will definitely be making this one again! Had some leftover chilis in adobo sauce in the fridge so chopped them up and added to this, so good! Served with all the suggested toppings along with a warm corn tortilla.
Thank you sooo much for giving this recipe a try 🙂 xT
This was delicious and will be added to our recipe rotation – even with forgetting to add the beans!
Hey! Thank you so so much! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe 🙂 xT
Do you have an instapot version of this recipe??
Hi there! I am so sorry I don’t! xT
Hi Tieghan,
Thank you for this nice recipe!
I made it without any meat and used black and northern beans.
I followed everything else. Also, because I didnt use meat, I smashed the beans and veggies for effect and extra flavor. I meant to upload the pic, but was so hungry when I finished, my husband and I just chowed down. 🤣🤣🤣
Hi Pamela! Thank you so so much! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe 🙂 xT
I’m so confused it says mixed chili beans but I can’t find anything in the stores that says mixed chili beans I looked up online and it says it’s a mix of kidney, pinto and black beans? Or did you just mean a can of chili beans?
I used a can of black beans and a can of kidney beans. It’s just a mix of whatever beans you prefer.
I found a can of organic bean trio at Whole Foods which is what I used. It’s a mix of kidney, pinto and black beans. Not sure if it’s just local to my area or not for delivery, but I see they have it on Amazon Prime for delivery too. Just FYI 🙂 It was delish!