The Best Easy Three Bean Slow Cooker Chili Recipe

This three bean slow cooker chili recipe is a hearty, cozy, delicious chili made with ground turkey, beans, tomato sauce, and rice. It’s super easy to make and will fill your home with the best aroma as it cooks in the slow cooker!

The first cold snap (and many more through the winter) means slow cooker chili for dinner in our house!

As the weather cools off and the leaves begin to change, I start to think about making soup. I tend to prefer hearty, thick soups because they are more filling.

My mom always made a simple beef and bean chili that was thin, as far as chili goes. It also seemed to be overtaken by dark red kidney beans, which I still don’t really like all that much.

As a result, I thought I didn’t particularly like chili.

And as it turns out, you don’t need kidney beans to make great chili!

When I started developing our own family chili recipe, I knew I wanted it thick and hearty.

But it also had to be easy and flavorful. For me, that meant making it in the slow cooker.

Slow cooking chili is the easiest way to make it because you can put it all in the Crockpot and forget about it. The low and slow cooking process really marries all the flavors of this chili together so that every bit is irresistible.

I played around with different versions for months before settling on the final product. Thicker…thinner…more beans…fewer beans…ground beef…ground turkey…different spices. The list went on and on.

We went through A LOT of variations to get the recipe just right!

All that experimenting paid off because, in the end, we have a delicious chili recipe that I love. And even better, the whole family loves it and requests it all the time!  A warm bowl of chili is the ultimate comfort food with savory flavor!

Slow Cooker Chili Ingredients

You’ll only find natural ingredients in this delicious recipe! Here’s what you’ll need:

• Lean ground beef or turkey
• Onion, diced
• Celery, diced
• Green bell pepper, diced
• Garlic
• Tomato paste
• Beans – Choose 3: pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, white beans (Great Northern or cannellini)
• Spices – chili powder, parsley, sea salt, dried basil, dried oregano, ground black pepper, paprika (I used smoked paprika), cumin
• Better Than Bouillon – this gives it that rich beef flavor without the need for beef broth, even when you use ground turkey!
• Rice – I use white rice in this recipe so it cooks faster and doesn’t need quite as much water.
• Water

Helpful Kitchen Tools:

• Large Skillet or saute pan for Browning Meat 
• Dependable Slow Cooker 
• Better Than Bouillon Beef Flavor – I love all these products because my make my cooking tastier and healthier while keeping it easy!

NOTE: Please refer to the handy printable recipe card at the bottom of the post for more recipe details.

How To Make Slow Cooker Chili

This is hands down the best crock pot chili recipe, and I love how easy it is to make! Just follow these steps:

Sauté meat and veggies – brown meat and soften the diced onion, celery, and green pepper in a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil.

Transfer to slow cooker & add other ingredients – I like to put the sauteed meat and veggies in the prepped slow cooker (sprayed with nonstick spray) first. Then I add the rest of the ingredients except for the rice and water.

Cover and cook – on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Add rice and water about an hour before you plan to finish cooking.

Best Toppings For Slow Cooker Chili

One of the best things about chili is that everyone can personalize this delicious dish to their own preferences just by adding chili toppings.

Here are some of our favorite toppings:

• Cheese – we usually use Mexican shredded cheese because it’s what I tend to have on hand, but cheddar tastes delicious too!
• Onion – diced green or red onion adds great flavor and a great pop of color.
• Sour cream – makes this dish nice and balanced (and delicious on a baked potato).
• Tomatoes – I often like to add fresh diced tomatoes to my chili!
• Avocado – doesn’t avocado work on just about everything?
• Sliced jalapenos – these are our favorite, but you can add any hot pepper for some spice.
• Cilantro – for garnish, color, and fresh flavor.
• Oyster crackers or pita chips – for a little crunch.
• Corn strips or Fritos – so yummy!

Side Dish Ideas

Although this chili is hearty enough to be a complete meal on its own, I like to serve it with a little something on the side. Here are some of our go-tos:

• Cornbread
• Toast or crackers with peanut butter
• Salad
• Homemade applesauce

Make It Spicy

To make it good for everyone, I make this classic chili mild.

However, if you love your chili hot and spicy, you can add some kick to either the pot or your own bowl. Try using:

• Hot sauce
• Cayenne pepper
• Extra chili powder
• Diced hot green chilis

Ways To Serve This Slow Cooker Chili Recipe

There are so many ways to get creative with this recipe so you aren’t just eating a bowl of chili every time you make it! Here are some ideas!

In a Bowl – load it up with your fav topping.

Chili Nachos – Make a bed of tortilla chips, then add some chili, cheese (shredded cheddar or queso), and top with chopped onions and avocado. Yum!

Chili Dip – Add chili to a small bowl and top it with cheddar cheese. Serve it as an appetizer with tortilla chips.

Chili Baked Potatoes – I’m actually doing this tonight as a team dinner for my kids’ sports team. Bake potatoes and top them with hot chili – it’s an affordable and easy crowd-pleaser!

Chili Cheeseburger – how amazing would your favorite burger be with some of this slow cooker chili on it?

Chili Dogs – Add chili and shredded cheese to a hot dog to transform it into an irresistible chili cheese dog.

Easy Crockpot Chili Recipe Variations To Try

For my family, I make this chili the same way every time, and we change it up with the toppings and sides that we add. However, if you want to vary up the recipe, here are some yummy ideas:

• Meat – I usually make this with ground turkey because we watch our red meat intake. However, you can absolutely use ground beef or even ground chicken.
• Ground chipotle – You can replace the smoked paprika with ground chipotle, which is easy to find in the spice aisle of the grocery store.
• Liquid Smoke – if you haven’t heard of it, it’s made from the condensed liquid you get from the smoke of burning wood. You can find bottles of liquid smoke at the grocery store. Feel free to add a little to your chili if you want a deeper smoky flavor.
• Add tomatoes – I’m the only one in my family who likes chunks of tomatoes, so I leave them out. If you love them, add them to the recipe!
• Beans – I’m not a fan of kidney beans, so I don’t use them, but you could easily swap out one of the other types of beans for kidney (or your other favorite) beans! NOTE: I prefer using canned beans, but you could use dry beans (soak them first).
• Worcestershire sauce – I love this sauce! Add a splash for additional depth of flavor.
• Thin it out – this is a thick, hearty chili recipe. If you prefer your chili thinner, add more water until you reach the consistency you want!

Storage And Freezing Info

It stores well, freezes well, and reheats well.  In fact, it tastes even better the next day!

You can safely store this chili in your refrigerator for up to one week and freeze it for up to 6 months in a tightly sealed, airtight, freezer-safe container or sealable bag.

To thaw your frozen three-bean chili, let it sit in a bowl of lukewarm water for a couple of hours and finish thawing in the refrigerator.

To reheat, put it in a microwave-safe dish and microwave it until hot (which we do). Or you can reheat this chili recipe in a pan on the stove, cooking it on medium-medium high heat until hot.

More Reader Favorite Crock Pot Recipes To Try

• Slow Cooker Peach Crisp
• Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
• Crock-Pot Lasagna
• Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes

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