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The Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne is the ultimate winter comfort food! Spicy and packed full of flavour, perfect for loading on rice, nachos or jacket potatoes. And this beef chilli con carne is cooked in the slow cooker for a zero effort meal! Perfect for batch cooking!
Whether you call it a chilli con carne, beef chilli or beef chili one thing is for sure – making chilli con carne in the slow cooker is my favourite way to do it!
Sure, I absolutely love my classic chilli con carne recipe. But this is definitely the cheapest and easiest way to make a beef chilli.
Using a slow cooker is definitely more energy efficient and this is the best slow cooker chilli con carne recipe because you can just dump it in and leave it!
I always recommend the optional step of browning the mince first, but if you don’t have time you can skip this. And it’s also great for batch cooking too.
Serve it up with rice topped with my 4-ingredient guacamole, loaded into air fryer jacket potatoes or on top of my easy oven chips, or as loaded gluten free nachos.
Ingredients
There’s a printable card for this chilli con carne slow cooker recipe below. But for the shopping list here are the main ingredients you’ll need:
- Beef Mince: aim for 15% fat or higher, as leaner meats can go mushy in the slow cooker.
- Onion
- Red Pepper
- Tinned Tomatoes: I used chopped, canned tomatoes but you can chop up some whole canned tomatoes to save some extra pennies.
- Passata
- Tomato Puree
- Garlic: Either garlic cloves (peeled and crushed), pre-chopped garlic, or garlic paste.
- Beef Stock Pot: Not all stock pots are gluten free so be careful. I always use Knorr.
- Kidney Beans: Black beans or adzuki beans also work well.
- Dark Chocolate: Trust me on this one! Use at least 80% cocoa chocolate and make sure you’re using a gluten free brand. I use Lindt.
For the chilli con carne spice mix:
For your slow cooker chilli spice mix, you’ll need the following spices. Just ensure they are gluten free with no ‘may contain’ warnings:
- Cumin
- Chilli Powder: Mild, medium or hot – depending on how fiery you like it!
- Marjoram: Or use oregano if you don’t have this.
- Paprika
How to Make Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne
Here are some step-by-step photos to show you how to cook chilli con carne in a slow cooker. It’s really very simple!
I always recommend browning the beef mince before adding it to the slow cooker. You can skip this step if you like, but it really does help the texture and flavour a lot.
To brown the mince, add a little oil in a pan and place on a medium heat. Add the beef mince and fry, breaking it up with a spatula, until browned.
If you have a slow cooker like mine, you can actually do this in the slow cooker pan as it’s hob safe. Otherwise, use a frying pan then transfer to the slow cooker after.
Then add everything to the slow cooker pan, including the browned beef mince, and stir well so it is combined.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or low for 6-8 hours. It really is as simple as that!
Once cooked, you can serve the slow cooker beef chilli con carne up straight away, or portion up any leftovers to store and freeze them.
Storing and Freezing
- To refrigerate: Any leftovers can be kept in a tub and cooled to room temperature before popping in the fridge. Store for up to 3 days, and reheat thoroughly before eating.
- To freeze: I like to portion any leftover slow cooker chilli con carne up into tubs, then freeze for up to six months. Microwave from frozen to reheat.
For an easy gluten free ready meal, portion the slow cooker chilli up with a side of cooked rice and freeze. Then you can heat and eat when you need a speedy dinner!
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some FAQs about this slow cooker chilli con carne recipe. If you can’t find the answer to your question here or in the post above, please comment and I’ll try answer!
If you don’t have a slow cooker, don’t worry! You can follow my gluten free chilli con carne recipe instead for a delicious, stovetop alternative.
Yes you can! You could try and find a gluten free, vegetarian minced beef replacement, but instead I recommend trying my slow cooker sweet potato chilli recipe instead. It’s absolutely delicious and packed full of veg!
I always recommend taking 5 minutes to brown off your mince before adding it to the slow cooker, otherwise I find it can go a bit soft and mushy. Always ensure you’re using a higher-fat mince for slow cooking, as this will hold its structure better than a lean mince for the long cooking time.
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. You can also share your creations in my Facebook group! And please do leave a 5* review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me and really helps support my website.
Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 g 15% fat beef mince
- 1 onion, (peeled and finely chopped)
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 150 ml passata
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 3 garlic cloves , (peeled and crushed)
- 1 gluten free beef stock pot
- 400 g tinned kidney beans, (drained)
- 1 square dark chocolate, (at least 80% cocoa)
For the spice mix:
- 2 tsp chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp marjoram
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
Instructions
- OPTIONAL STEP: I highly recommend browning the mince for the best texture and flavour. Heat a little oil in a pan and place on a medium heat. Add the beef mince and fry for 4-5 minutes, breaking it up with a spatula, until browned. (You can skip this step if you're short on time!)
- Add everything to the slow cooker pan, including the browned beef mince, and stir well so it is combined.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or low for 6-8 hours. Stir well and then serve.
Notes
- Step-by-Step Photos: Check out the blog post above for step-by-step photos to guide you through how this Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne should look.
- Storing and Freezing: Any leftovers of this slow cooker chilli can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days, or frozen. I find it best to do this in portions so you can microwave what you need at-a-time.
- Like this Recipe? It would mean SO much to me if you could leave a 5* rating and tell all your gluten free friends about this Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne!
Nutrition
More Slow Cooker Recipes
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