You've just found your new favorite Beef Chili! With only 15 minutes of hands-on time, it isn't labor-intensive.  Plus is healthy and delicious!

Chilis made in the slow cooker are a fantastic make-ahead option for families who are constantly on the go, and this beefy version is no different. Serve with a simple green salad, corn bread or my tasty Skinny Cheddar Bay Biscuits for a dinner that will soon be a fan favorite.

Two bowls of beef chili with a spoon on the side. Served with corn bread
Enjoy this Healthy Beef Chili with a side of corn bread

Don't you love it when a comfort food dish is also healthy? Beef Chili is one of those dishes that is packed with protein, fiber, minerals, antioxidants and more. I like to use 96% ground beef but I heard other people like to make theirs with ground turkey. I'm not into ground turkey but if you are, you should give it a try!

The other thing that makes this recipe fantastic is that you can cook it in the crock-pot without being glued to the stove having to stir it every 15 minutes. Who has time for that?

Beef Chili in a black bowl with corn bread on the side

The Ingredients

The Beef: Use 2 pounds 96% ground beef for a very healthy & lean chili. You can use higher fat beef or ground turkey as well.

The Liquid: Tomato juice and tomato purée

Beans: Red kidney beans and pinto beans

The veggies: You'll need onions, green bell pepper and celery.

The spices: chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, kosher salt, black pepper, dried oregano, white sugar and cayenne pepper if you like to add a little kick to it.

Ingredients in a crockpot: ground beef, celery, beans, onions, spices, tomato puree and green bell pepper
Beef Chili Ingredients – place everything in slow-cooker.

How To Make This Beef Chili

In a large skillet or a medium saucepan, brown the ground beef until almost all liquid is gone. Since the beef it's low fat, you should not have much it.

Cooked ground beef in a white saucepan

Cooking it on slow cooker

Once the beef is ready, add the cooked beef and the rest of the ingredients in a large crockpot. Cover the pot and let the chili simmer for 4 hours on low.

Note: For me this is the best method for cooking Beef Chili. All of the flavors have time to develop well together without rushing the process. I have tried cooking it in the instant pot and it just didn't do it for me 🙂

Cooking it on stove top

If you cook it on the stove top, place the ingredients in a medium to large pot. Simmer on very low heat for 2 hours or until all of the flavors have developed well. Make sure not to cook it on very strong heat since it'll dry it out too quickly. Stir often so that it doesn't stick to the bottom.

A crockpot bowl with ground beef, spices, beans, celery, bell peppers & onions. All mixed in.
Beef Chili in slow cooker

Serve warm with crackers or cornbread.

Even though most people cook chili during cool weather days, I love to make it year round! Serve it with a tall glass of Homemade Limonada for the perfect balance.

Beef Chili in a black bowl with corn bread on the side
Amazing Healthy Beef Chili!

This recipe was originally published in Dec 2014. Post has been updated to be more helpful.

A crockpot bowl with ground beef, spices, beans, celery, bell peppers & onions. All mixed in.

Healthy Beef Chili

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 4 hrs

Total Time 3 hrs 15 mins

This Healthy Beef Chili is packed with protein, fiber, minerals, antioxidants and more. I like to use 96% ground beef but you can make it with ground turkey as well.

Prevent your screen from going dark

  • Slow cooker

10 people

  • 2 pounds 96% ground beef
  • 1 quart tomato juice 1 29-ounce
  • 1 can tomato purée 1 15-ounce
  • 1 can red kidney beans drained (15-ounce)
  • 1 can pinto beans drained (15-ounce)
  • 1 medium-large onion chopped
  • 3/4 cup diced celery
  • 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
  • 3 Tablespoon chili powder use 1/4 cup to make it spicy
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • In a large skillet, brown the ground beef.

  • Drain off the fat (if any).

  • While the beef is cooking, turn the crockpot to low to start warming it up and start adding the remaining ingredients.

  • *See note for cooking it on stovetop.

  • Cover the slow-cooker with lid and let the chili simmer for 4 hours on low.

  • Serve warm with crackers or cornbread.

Stovetop instructions:

  1. In a large pot, cook the beef as noted above.
  2. Add the remaining of ingredients.
  3. Simmer on very low heat for 2 hours or until all of the flavors have developed well. Make sure not to cook it on very strong heat since it'll dry it out too quickly.
  4. Stir often so that it doesn't stick to the bottom.

Whenever you come back to this recipe, you'll be able to see your notes.

Serving: 2 cup | Sodium: 694 mg | Calcium: 10 mg | Vitamin C: 22 mg | Vitamin A: 17 IU | Sugar: 8 g | Fiber: 13 g | Potassium: 1233 mg | Cholesterol: 57 mg | Calories: 336 kcal | Saturated Fat: 2 g | Fat: 5 g | Protein: 33 g | Carbohydrates: 42 g | Iron: 36 mg

The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.

I found this recipe on Facebook attached to a generic photo. I don't even know the exact source to credit accordingly. It's supposed to be Wendy's Copycat Chili recipe but I made a few adjustments that made it better!

Healthy Beef Chili. The perfect balance between comfort and healthy food. Use the crockpot to help you save time during the busy holidays!