Slow cooker chilli con carne
Comforting, hands-off slow-cooker chilli with tender beef, beans and smoky spice — perfect for a midweek crowd.
This is the slow-cooker chilli you’ll rely on when you want a big bowl of comfort with almost zero babysitting. It’s smoky, gently spiced and makes the house smell like a cosy kitchen for hours.
Make it for a relaxed midweek dinner, batch-cook for the freezer, or serve at a casual get-together — everyone will be back for seconds. The long, slow cook turns ordinary mince into fork-tender goodness.
Ingredients
- 700 g lean beef mince
- 30 ml olive oil
- 1 brown onion — large, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves — crushed
- 1 red pepper — deseeded and diced
- 1 green pepper — deseeded and diced
- 30 ml tomato purée
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes — one 400g tin
- 400 g tinned kidney beans — one 400g tin, drained
- 300 ml beef stock — hot
- 10 ml smoked paprika
- 10 ml ground cumin
- 10 ml chilli powder — increase to 2.5 tsp for noticeably hotter
- 5 ml dried oregano
- 15 ml brown sugar
- sea salt — to taste
- freshly ground black pepper — to taste
- 10 g fresh coriander — roughly chopped, to serve
- 1 lime — juice to finish
Equipment
- slow cooker
- frying pan
- colander
Instructions
Prepare the veg: finely chop the brown onion, dice the red and green peppers and crush the garlic cloves.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the brown onion and diced peppers and sautée until softened and starting to colour, about 8 minutes.
Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, then add the lean beef mince. Break the mince up with a wooden spoon and cook until no longer pink and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Season with a little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper while browning.
Tip the browned mince and veg into the slow cooker. Add the tomato purée, tinned chopped tomatoes, beef stock, tinned kidney beans (drained), smoked paprika, ground cumin, chilli powder, dried oregano and brown sugar. Stir well to combine.
Cook on the slow cooker’s low setting for 6 hours, uncovered or with the lid slightly ajar if you prefer a thicker finish.
With 5 minutes remaining, taste and adjust seasoning with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Squeeze in the lime juice, stir through and sprinkle over the fresh coriander. Leave to rest in the slow cooker for 2 minutes before serving.
Tips
- Brown the mince properly in a frying pan — it adds caramelised flavour you won't get if you throw raw mince straight into the slow cooker.
- If the chilli looks too runny after cooking, remove the lid and cook on high for 20–30 minutes to reduce; for a thicker finish use less stock at the start.
- Make-ahead: chilli keeps and improves in flavour. Cool completely, then refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze in portions for up to 3 months.
- To reduce splatter while browning mince, start with a hot pan and do not overcrowd — work in batches if necessary.
- If you prefer a milder dish, remove the seeds from the peppers and reduce chilli powder to 1 tsp.
Substitutions
lean beef mince → turkey mince, same weight
Stays closetinned kidney beans → tinned black beans, same weight
Stays closeolive oil → vegetable oil, same quantity
Stays closebeef stock → vegetable stock, same quantity (for a lighter flavour)
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 352
- Calories
- 28 g
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 600 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this vegetarian?
Yes — swap the beef mince for 700g cooked lentils or a firm textured plant mince and use vegetable stock; the texture and protein will differ but the flavour still works well.
Can I cook this on high in the slow cooker?
Yes — cook on high for 3–4 hours instead of 6 hours on low. Check towards the end to avoid drying out.
How should I reheat leftovers?
Defrost overnight if frozen. Reheat gently in a saucepan over a medium-low heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring, or microwave in a covered dish until piping hot.
How can I thicken the chilli quickly?
Stir in a tablespoon of tomato purée and simmer uncovered, or mix 1 tsp plain flour with a little cold water and stir into the chilli, then simmer until thickened.
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