Name: Three Bean Crockpot Chili
Prep time: 15 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds ground beef; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1 Tablespoon tomato paste; 1 cup onion, chopped; 1 cup green bell pepper, chopped; 1 cup water; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (15 ounces); 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (15 ounces); 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained (15 ounces); 1 can diced tomatoes with mild green chiles (10 ounces); 1 can no salt added tomato sauce ( 8 ounces); 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 1 teaspoon chili powder (more if you like more heat); 1 teaspoon paprika; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 2 bay leaves; cheddar cheese, grated; red onion, chopped; sour cream

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This Three Bean Crockpot Chili is easy-to-make, thick, hearty, and slow-simmered. It makes the best comfort food for the fall or winter.

Chili is one of our favorite fall and winter foods. There are dozens (thousands?) of chili recipes out there, and we’ve tried many of them!

This Three-Bean Crockpot Chili always comes to top of our favorite list because of the flavors and the simplicity of making it in a slow cooker. Using a crockpot to make chili is one of our favorite methods because the flavors have a chance to blend and the chili is more robust. It turns out perfect every time!

Three-Bean Crockpot Chili is a delicious weeknight meal and makes awesome leftovers. Great for packing into containers and taking to work for lunch. Hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients for making Three-Bean Crockpot Chili

Beef: We typically use grass fed beef that is 85-90% lean for this recipe since it has lots of flavor and not too much grease. If you use beef with a higher fat content, be sure to drain the grease before cooking the recipe, or you can skim the grease from the top.
Beans: The best beans for chili are pinto, kidney, chickpea and black beans. Of these, our favorite combination is kidney beans, chickpea and black beans, but you could try another combination.
This is a mild chili. If you prefer a spicier chili, add some hot sauce at the end.
We like a variety of chili toppings on the side such as shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions, diced tomatoes, tortilla strips and avocado.

Recipe Variations

This is an EASY chili recipe, so variations may not apply. However, if you want to try other flavor combinations it would be easy to do:

Vegetables: You could add other veggies like corn
Beans: You could use any variation of beans
Protein: This recipe also works with ground turkey, but of course, beef is always our favorite protein!

Can I make this on the stovetop?

Yes! If you don’t have a slow cooker or you want to serve this recipe faster, you can make this on the stove top. Complete the first two steps of the recipe (Brown the ground beef; add onion, garlic and bell pepper and cook until softened), add the other ingredients and simmer for 2-3 hours over low heat.

How to store crockpot chili?

Chili is one of our favorite leftover meals. Allow any leftovers cool completely, then store in the fridge in an airtight container. It will keep for 3-4 days.

Chili is a great candidate for the freezer. Once chili is completely cooled, freeze it in a freezer-safe airtight container or gallon sized resealable freezer bag for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw the bag or container overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat the chili on the stovetop over medium heat.