Slow Cooker Chili Recipe • 5★

Updated December 28, 2025

Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: LIza Jernow.

A great chili should be richly spiced, with layers of deep, savory flavor. Here, that big flavor comes from the usual contenders, but also from the unexpected additions of unsweetened cocoa, soy sauce and Worcestershire, which provide complexity. This recipe makes a thick, comforting chili that can be prepared in a slow cooker or in a Dutch oven on the stovetop. Chili is perhaps the ideal slow-cooker dish because its flavor improves with a long, slow simmer. This makes a big batch, perfect for a cold-weather get-together, but if you’re making it for a smaller group, the leftovers freeze well.

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2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow or red onion, finely chopped

2 pounds ground beef, 80 percent lean, 20 percent fat

8 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

2 teaspoons chipotle powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons mustard powder

2 teaspoons hot smoked paprika

½ teaspoon cayenne powder

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

12 ounces (1 ½ cups) pilsner beer, such as Modelo Especial

1 (14-ounce) can diced or crushed tomatoes in juice

¼ cup cider vinegar

2 tablespoons maple syrup or dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons beef stock bouillon paste, such as Better Than Bouillon

1 ½ teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 (14-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 (14-ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Hot sauce, grated sharp Cheddar, sliced scallions, sour cream and crushed tortilla chips, for serving

Step 1Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and translucent, about 8 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the beef and garlic, season with salt and cook, breaking the beef into crumbles with a spatula, until the beef has lost its pink color, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until slightly darkened and caramelized, about 1 minute. Stir in all the spices and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beer and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan.

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and translucent, about 8 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the beef and garlic, season with salt and cook, breaking the beef into crumbles with a spatula, until the beef has lost its pink color, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until slightly darkened and caramelized, about 1 minute. Stir in all the spices and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beer and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan.

Step 2Transfer the beef mixture into a 5- to 8-quart slow cooker. Stir in the tomatoes, vinegar, maple syrup, soy sauce, beef bouillon paste, cocoa, beans and ½ cup water. Cover and cook on low for at least 4 hours and up to 6 hours. (The chili can hold well on warm for an additional 2 hours.)

Transfer the beef mixture into a 5- to 8-quart slow cooker. Stir in the tomatoes, vinegar, maple syrup, soy sauce, beef bouillon paste, cocoa, beans and ½ cup water. Cover and cook on low for at least 4 hours and up to 6 hours. (The chili can hold well on warm for an additional 2 hours.)

Step 3When ready to serve, stir in the Worcestershire sauce. If the chili is too thick, stir in a bit of water until the texture is to your liking. Season to taste with salt. Serve in bowls and pass the toppings at the table.

When ready to serve, stir in the Worcestershire sauce. If the chili is too thick, stir in a bit of water until the texture is to your liking. Season to taste with salt. Serve in bowls and pass the toppings at the table.

You can also cook the chili in a Dutch oven on your stovetop in about 1 hour. In step 2, add 1 cup water instead of ½ cup and let the mixture come to a simmer over medium-high. (Because the cooking liquid reduces further on the stovetop, this method starts with more water.) Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the meat is tender, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes.

I’ve been making chili for years, merging all types of recipes, but couldn’t resist trying one more. And didn’t-due to my work schedule. So gave recipe and ingredients to my college kid living at home.

She tweaked it again, slightly charring hamburger and adding lemon zest towards end. Best chili ever!

But maybe that’s cause I could just walk in the door from work and devour it. Smokey, with very slight citrus lift. I’d probably halve the sugar. It’s a keeper; so is my daughter.

If you are going to go to the trouble of cooking the onions and beef in a Dutch oven you might as well cook the entire recipe in the Dutch oven. What is the point of dirtying two pots when one would suffice?

Just like other herbs, dried & fresh both have their own properties. Fresh gives you 9fresh flavors you often desire: dried gives more concentrated flavors that hold up better during long periods of cooking. Dont think of the dried as shortcuts...think of them as embellishments. Fresh & dried serve two distinctly different purposes. Take time to learn the science of cooking through a local extension class or cooking school - its really interesting & fundamental in developing layers of flavor

LEAVE OUT THE CINNAMON! I love cinnamon as well as the next guy, but the amount here is a lot. And thankfully, I didn’t have any cloves. It had kind of a weird flavor and I’m definitely not making this again.

This is the best chili con carne recipe I have ever cooked. Though I don't use the slow cooker or the instant pot, simmering it slowly for several hours in a Dutch oven produces a terrific chili. Some of the required spices seem bizarre, but they definitely create a tremendous taste. Bravo. This is now my go-to chili that I have made several times.

It changed everything I ever thought I knew about chili. So elevated, bold, comforting, and aromatic. Mindblown. Craving.

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019903-slow-cooker-chili