Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne
Coming home to a slimming-friendly, slow-cooked bowl of Chilli Con Carne never gets old. It's a comforting midweek warmer on colder days, or make it the star of the show at the centre of a Mexican-inspired fakeaway feast. We like ours hot, since you can always cool things down with a sprinkling of reduced-fat cheese, or a dollop of sour cream. Grab your favourite toppings and dig in!
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories259
- Carbs22g
- Protein26g
- Fat5.3g
- Saturates2.2g
- Sugars13g
Your dishes
You’re amazing, look at the Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne dishes you’ve made…
For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff to know in the blurb!
There are lots of different versions of Chilli Con Carne out there, but one thing’s for sure about ours: it’s totally slimming friendly! You can make it in a pan or in an oven, and yet there’s something extra special about leaving it to bubble away low and slow for hours. The longer you cook a chilli, the deeper the flavours mix together. We promise, it’s well worth the wait (and the smells in your kitchen will be unmatched!).
It’s spot on for a weeknight dinner, and you can top it with lots of different tasty ingredients – leafy coriander, reduced-fat cheese, guacamole, sour cream…there’s loads of options! You can vary the spice as much as you like, and if you’re feeling brave enough you can up the hot sauce and chilli powder for more of a kick.
Our favourite thing about Chilli Con Carne is that it’s so versatile. Serve it over a fluffy portion of basmati rice, or branch out by enjoying it with pasta or potatoes. You can even enjoy leftovers on a baked potato, or inside an oven-baked tortilla wrap.
Take a look through all of our Chilli Con Carne inspired ideas by visiting our blog: Different Ways to Serve Chilli Con Carne.
What diet is this Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne suitable for?
This recipe is suitable for dairy-free diets. If you’re gluten-free, this recipe is suitable as long as you swap out the following ingredients for gluten-free versions:
- Beef stock cubes
- Beef stock pot
- Worcestershire sauce
As always, make sure to double or triple-check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
Do you need any special ingredients to make this Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne recipe?
Most of the ingredients in this recipe are store cupboard essentials – tins of tomatoes, kidney beans and some vegetables from the fridge.
As for the hot sauce, we generally use Frank’s as it adds a bit of heat without overdoing it. It also brings a nice bit of acidity. If you don’t have any though, you can leave it out without any problems. You can use whichever hot chilli sauce you like to give this chilli a kick!
You can make this as mild or as hot as you like; add a bit more or less chilli powder, or stir in more fresh chillies.
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We like it hot! Frank’s Hot Sauce does the job.
We love our trusty slow cooker for hearty midweek dishes like this one!
How many calories are in this Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne?
There are 259 calories in each portion of our slimming-friendly Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne. This means it falls into our Everyday Light recipe category.
This recipe is perfect if you’re following a calorie-controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Step 1
Spray a frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and set on a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, chillies, carrots and peppers. Fry for 5 minutes until softening.
Step 2
Add the mince and cook for 4 minutes until it starts to brown.
Step 3
Stir in the chilli powder, Worcestershire sauce, Italian herbs and cook for another minute or so.
Step 4
Add the tomato puree and chopped tomatoes, stir well. Add to the slow cooker pot along with the mushrooms and courgette.
Step 5
Add the stock cubes to the water and mix until dissolved. Pour into the slow cooker pot.
Step 6
Cook for 3 hours on high.
Step 7
After 3 hours add a few drops of hot sauce and beef stock pot. Add the kidney beans and cook for a further hour.
Step 8
Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with your choice of accompaniment.
What could I serve alongside this Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne?
Any of the following go really well with Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne. It’s one of those dishes that goes with pretty much anything. It’s so hearty it can of course be eaten on its own!
Whatever accompaniment you choose, don’t forget to account for the extra calories, and adjust the nutritional values.
How do you know when this Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne is cooked?
You should cook this Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne until the meat is tender and the sauce is rich and thick. This will take around 3-4 hours in a slow cooker.
Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.
Can you cook this Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne any other way?
Yes, you can! We’ve cooked ours on a ‘medium to high’ setting in a slow cooker for around 4 hours, but if you’re in a hurry, you could cook this recipe quicker in a pot on the hob, or in the oven.
You’ll need to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn though! Click here to try our Chilli Con Carne hob method.
How long can you keep this Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne in the fridge?
Once you’ve served it, ideally you should eat this dish within 4 hours.
If you allow any leftovers to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so
Can I freeze this Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne recipe?
Yes, you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label telling you the name of the recipe, and the date you’re putting it in the freezer.
How do I reheat this Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne recipe?
From chilled: Place in a microwave-proof container with loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot.
From frozen: Allow to defrost, and heat covered in the microwave for 3-5 minutes then stir. Cook for a further 5-7 minutes until piping hot.
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Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne
Leave this Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne to bubble away in the morning, and come home to a comforting bowl of Mexican-inspired flavours.
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Prep Time
10 MINS
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Cook Time
4 HR
- KCals 259
- Carbs 22G
Instructions
- Spray a frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and set on a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, chillies, carrots and peppers. Fry for 5 minutes until softening.
- Add the mince and cook for 4 minutes until it starts to brown.
- Stir in the chilli powder, Worcestershire sauce, Italian herbs and cook for another minute or so.
- Add the tomato puree and chopped tomatoes, stir well. Add to the slow cooker pot along with the mushrooms and courgette.
- Add the stock cubes to the water and mix until dissolved. Pour into the slow cooker pot.
- Cook for 3 hours on high.
- After 3 hours add a few drops of hot sauce and beef stock pot. Add the kidney beans and cook for a further hour.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with your choice of accompaniment.
Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?
With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.
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32 comments
See what others have to say
ReeThursday 4th August 2022
Hi,
Is it possible to just chuck everything in the pot in the morning before I leave for work and stick the slow cooker on low? It would be great to come home to!
Thanks!
HollyFriday 5th August 2022
Hey Ree, we find it’s best to brown the onions and mince before adding to the slow cooker to release the flavours and give the chilli a rich flavour but you can skip this step if you prefer. We have a slow cooker conversion guide HERE which has a time conversion chart so if you are cooking on low instead of high it will suggest the timing needed. Hope that helps!
Elle HarrisonTuesday 22nd February 2022
Hello
Going to make tonight, could you swap the beef mince for turkey? If so would I need to do anything different?
TIA
Elle
SharonTuesday 22nd February 2022
Hi Elle, yes, you could use turkey mince instead and just follow the recipe instructions as they are. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
BeccaThursday 13th May 2021
How many grams would 1 serving be please ? Thanks
HollyFriday 14th May 2021
Hey Becca, We work out our recipes on the serving size not by weight. To work out your own weight of a serving you would need to make the finished dish and divide servings, as the weight will vary due to variation of ingredients and water content it’s not something we can do as an exact measure. If you scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page on the website there is a little arrow by servings and you can alter up or down to serve more or less people. Hope that helps!
FeeSunday 11th April 2021
Hey I’m doing the chilli tonight can’t wait to see how it goes x I’m sure it will be delicious as every recipe always has been x yum
HollyMonday 12th April 2021
Hey Fee, hope you enjoy the chilli!
SamanthaMonday 29th July 2019
Made a vegetarian version, substituted mince and stock, didn’t add chilli’s or Worcester sauce. Made a mild chilli. Put it over homemade wedges and cheese on top. Yummy!! Thanks PON x
Holly LevellFriday 15th May 2020
Hi Samantha, Thanks for your suggestions they sounds delicious!
IANThursday 14th February 2019
Recently tried the instant pot as slow cooker (on one of your recipes – caciatore chicken)
Found it really cooler than my crock pot
Upped setting and recooked
Took ages and chicken still not fall off bone
then did pressure cook – although got burn notice
Do you find instant pot slow cooker temperatures lower than normal slow cooker?
Lots on instant pot facebook page said the same
EmmaMonday 27th August 2018
How long do I cook in instant pot please
AnneSunday 15th July 2018
I have a recipe where all you fry is the meat and then you put everything else in -including the kidney beans – and eave it on slow for 7 hours. Why do you only add the ebans for the last hour- making it not great if you want to come home to a cooked meal?
Im also tempted to not fry the meat as I dont have time for that before I go to work, but so far have used it a the weekend only so I can do that.
ClareSaturday 2nd June 2018
Want to give this recipe a go. I’ve done chilli in slow cooker before and it’s always come out a bit runny and watery does this come out like this too?
AvrilTuesday 1st May 2018
Could you just bing it all in the slow cooker without sautéing the veg etc first? Looking at doing this tomorrow but very short on time, love a chuck it all in kinda recipe, would be cooking all day while I’m at work so would be cooked through anyway. Tia
ShaunSunday 18th February 2018
Can you sauté the ingredients the night before, allow to cool and keep in the fridge until morning, ready to throw in slow cooker?
Bernie DowdleSunday 1st October 2017
Hi Kate what colour chillies red or green?
MichelleMonday 19th June 2017
How do you make the couscous alongside it? It looks amazing! Making the chilli tonight but would love to know how the couscous has been done x
KateFriday 30th June 2017
Hi Michelle
There’s a link to the Tabbouleh Salad in the write up before the recipe 🙂
KathySunday 11th June 2017
Sounds lovely will be trying out the chilli and lasagne recipes. Ideal for batch cooking.
JulieMonday 30th January 2017
OMG I used this recipe tonight, I didn’t use the slow cooker `I cooked it in the hob, I had to make 2 minor changes I only had kidney beans in chilli sauce and I never had any bovril so I used a Knorr beef stock pot, but I have to say its the best chilli recipe I’ve made….delicious, thank you for this re pie ????????
KaySaturday 11th February 2017
Hi Julie, SO glad you liked it! It’s one of our favourite recipes ????
Kim walkerSunday 15th January 2017
Can this be frozen?
KateMonday 16th January 2017
Hi Kim,
Yes it’s fine to freeze
TrishMonday 2nd January 2017
Hi just wondering what setting for the slow cooker please. I’m guessing low for 3 hours? Thanks recipe looks fab
KateTuesday 3rd January 2017
Hi Trish,
We generally use the medium to high setting. If you want to leave it on low it may take a bit longer
JodieSunday 1st January 2017
I would like to know as well if this can be pressure cooked also? X
KaySunday 1st January 2017
Yes it can! Just brown the mince, then set aside. Deglaze with some beef stock and cook on hi pressure for 10 minutes NPR.
JillThursday 17th November 2016
Hi
I would like to know what setting for the instant pot as well please
Thank you
Jill
Marian HughesWednesday 3rd August 2016
If using your Instant Pot as a pressure cooker, what would the setting & cooking time be? Many thanks, Marian
KarenSunday 24th July 2016
well off to make this ready for tomorrow night evening meal. I actually have all the ingredients in so that’s me happy
KateSunday 24th July 2016
Hi Karen,
We love slow cooker recipes. Just chuck it all in and leave it to do it’s thing. Hope you enjoy it, it’s one of my favourites!
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