Slow Cooker Taco Chili is the ULTIMATE hearty comfort food. It’s warm, meaty, and has a slight kick to keep you wanting more!
A delicious mixture of taco seasonings, turkey meat, and savory beans, this Slow Cooker Taco Chili Recipe is a staple in our house. The greatest thing about it is it’s as simple as throwing a bunch of ingredients into your slow cooker and letting it work it’s magic! It really couldn’t be any easier.
Are you in a slow-cooker mood and want some more ideas? Try out this amazing Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe!
SLOW COOKER TACO CHILI
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Chili was always my dad’s specialty – every fall he’d break out his giant pot and get simmering. For him, the spicier the chili, the better. You know, that level of spice that really cleared out your sinuses?
Yeah, that’s the way he liked it. Eyes watering, mouth on fire, needing a glass of milk now…. he ATE. THAT. UP.
He always knew that the rest of us (normal people) in the family needed our chili a little less fiery, so he toned it down when he was willing to share 🙂
I take after my dad in his love for chili, though perhaps not as much in his love for all things spicy. I can take a little heat, but I prefer my tastebuds to remain intact. However, I avoid his big simmering pot in favor of my beloved crock pot. As the weather gets colder, I break out my slow cooker any chance I can.
There’s nothing better than walking into the kitchen in the evening and being overtaken with the smell from whatever has been simmering in there all day. Taco chili is the perfect slow cooker recipe because cooking it low and slow allows all the flavors to mix and mingle into one delicious chunky meal!
This crockpot chili is even a hit with my kids who can be super picky (do all kids go through a picky phase or just mine?!). I love that they get the added protein from the beans, and they love that they get to eat tortilla chips with dinner! I call that a win-win scenario. All I have to say is “TACO!” and the kids come running… they don’t need to know that its actually a chili filled with all kinds of other nutritious stuff!
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Chili
For the chili you’ll need:
- Olive oil
- Ground turkey
- Onion
- Tomato sauce
- Black beans
- Pinto beans
- Salt & pepper
- Cumin
- Ground coriander
- Cayenne pepper
- Chili powder
No chili is complete without toppings – here are my favorites:
- Cheddar cheese
- Purple onions
- Fresh cilantro
- Tortilla chips
- Sour cream (or greek yogurt)
- Any other of your favorite taco toppings!
One thing I love about this taco chili recipe is that it doesn’t take a big, long grocery list of extravagant items – I almost always have all of these ingredients already in my pantry and spice cabinet!
You can even make some substitutions or omissions to fit your own family’s tastes.
Have ground beef on hand and not turkey? Go for it!
Have a vegetarian in the group? Leave out the meat altogether and up your bean input!
There’s almost no way to mess this delicious chili recipe up!
How to Make Chili in a Crock Pot
This is a very simple recipe to make, but it takes a few steps of prep before you can just dump it all into the slow cooker and let it do its thing. If you’re looking to have a quick meal to throw in the slow cooker first thing in the morning, then you can prep steps 1-6 the night before. Just refrigerate your dish overnight and set it to cook on low when you wake up the next morning!
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Start by heating the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
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Add ground turkey, crumbling it into small pieces as it cooks.
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Next, you’re going to season your turkey with salt, pepper, cumin, and coriander. These seasonings are what gives the chili the ultimate title of “TACO” chili. These ingredients are what make up your typical packaged taco seasoning. We’ll be adding in the rest of those yummy seasonings in a bit 🙂
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When the turkey is browned and cooked all the way through, add it to the dish of your slow cooker.
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Add your chopped onions to the hot skillet and cook 2-3 minutes, then add them to the slow cooker dish.
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Now it’s time to dump it all in and let the chili simmer: pour the remaining ingredients into your slow cooker dish and stir it all together.
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Cook your chili on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. You’re really just heating everything and allowing all the flavors to meld, everything is already cooked!
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Last (and most definitely not least…) spoon the chili into your favorite bowl, top with as many toppings as you’d like and ENJOY!
How Long to Cook Taco Chili in a Slow Cooker
I mentioned in the instructions that once you get everything into the crock pot, you’re simply warming the ingredients and giving them time to simmer together. Everything is fully cooked and “edible” – but I promise, it’s worth the wait!
The secret to most slow cooker recipes is cooking “low and slow.” Give your ingredients time to really meld together! If you’ve got time to spare, I suggest cooking your chili on the low setting for 6 to 8 hours.
Now, if you’re anything like me and you’ve found yourself right around lunchtime and panicking because you’ve totally forgotten that you need to cook dinner for a crowd tonight, don’t worry – this taco chili recipe will still work for you!
Just get all your ingredients into the crock pot and cook on the high setting for 3-4 hours. I promise it’ll be just as yummy and in a quicker time frame!
Looking for some more dinner inspiration? Check out these other Real Housemoms favorites!
- Crock Pot Chicken Chili
- Slow Cooker Ham and Potato Cheese Soup
- Classic 30 Minute Chili
- BBQ Ranch Chicken Tacos
- Instant Pot Chicken Chili
- More MAIN DISH recipes…
Tools used to make Slow Cooker Taco Chili
Slow Cooker: you can find all kinds of great slow cookers on the market – this one is my tried-and-true FAVORITE!
Frying Pan: no kitchen is complete without a set of great non-stick frying pans!
*This post originally posted on 01/27/2014.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1.25 pounds ground turkey
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 60 ounces tomato sauce
- 45 ounces canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 45 ounces canned pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 3 teaspoons salt divided
- 1 teaspoon pepper divided
- 3 teaspoons cumin divided
- 3 teaspoons ground coriander divided
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
Toppings
- Cheddar cheese shredded
- Red onions chopped
- Fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- Tortilla chips
- Sour cream
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey to the hot skillet. Break up the turkey as it cooks.
- Season turkey with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin, and 1 teaspoon coriander.
- When turkey is browned and cooked through, add to the slow cooker.
- Add chopped onions to the hot skillet and cook for 2-3 min. Add onion to the slow cooker.
- Pour remaining ingredients into slow cooker dish and stir everything together.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours (or HIGH for 3-4 hours). You're really just heating everything and allowing all the flavors to meld, everything is already cooked.
- Serve chili warm in soup bowls and add your favorite toppings.
Nutrition
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