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Crockpot Spicy Queso Beef Chili. The perfect bowl of winter chili to make on these coldest days of the year. Spicy chili seasoned meat, slow-cooked with onions, peppers, tomatoes, and hot sauce for a spicy buffalo kick. Finish this chili off with a cheesy mix of cream cheese and cheddar, just like queso! It’s so delicious. Top each bowl of chili with a dollop of yogurt, fresh cilantro, green onions, and avocado too. Great on its own, but even better with a side of tortilla chips, homemade beer bread, or both! Yum!
Ingredients
- Ground beef
- Yellow onions
- Poblano peppers
- Chili powder
- Garlic powder
- Smoked paprika
- Ground cumin
- Cayenne pepper
- Crushed fire roasted tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Diced green chiles
- Hot sauce
- Salted butter
- Bay leaves
- Salt
- Chicken or beef broth
- Cream cheese
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Mixed chili beans
- Fresh cilantro
- Chopped green onions
- Avocado
- Greek yogurt
What you need in the kitchen:
- Large dutch oven
- Spatula
- Ladle
- Chili bowls
When I woke up on Saturday morning, I looked outside to see a wintery wonderland of snow. It felt very festive, but it was also very cold. The perfect day to enjoy slow-cooked chili along with freshly baked beer bread.
Chili has to be one of the easiest family-style dinners to make. It’s always been such a comfort food in my mind. As a kid, my mom often made her Cincinnati-style chili on Sundays. We’d pile it high over a plate of angel hair pasta, then top with plenty of cheddar cheese.
No beans, no onions, which is odd since those are two of the more important toppings for Cincinnati chili. But my mom doesn’t like beans or onions!
When I was younger, I just thought this was how everyone ate their chili. But as I grew up and started to cook for the family, I quickly learned that most chili was served in a bowl, much more similar to soup than a plate of pasta.
Now, I love chili either way. I might photograph it in a bowl, but then later serve it over pasta, just because that’s what mom used to do. And well, who can deny that chili over pasta with cheese isn’t delicious?
Either way, I love to make chili this time of year, especially on snowy days! This is my spicy queso-style chili. It’s a mix between great chili and spicy, cheesy, buffalo-style queso. It’s delicious.
On to the details
Step 1: brown the beef
The only annoying step to this recipe is the very first one. You need to cook the meat. Whether you use beef, pork, chicken, or a mix, cook it up on the stove first. This doesn’t take long or much effort, but it is an extra step. However, it’s worth it!
So, brown the meat. I love to use ground beef, but as mentioned in the recipe, you can use ground chicken or even ground pork. Use whatever you and your family enjoy the most!
When the meat is broken up and browned, add it all to the bowl of your crockpot.
Step 2: throw in the remaining ingredients
Now that the meat is cooked, pretty much everything else can go into the crockpot. The onions, poblano peppers, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Then add tomatoes, tomato paste, a can of diced-up green chilies, and my two secret ingredients – hot sauce and butter. These will give the chili a nice spicy buffalo flavor. So YUM.
Then mix in the broth.
Step 3: slow cook
Now slow cook low and slow all day long. What’s so wonderful about chili is that the longer it has to cook, the more flavor it will develop.
If you can plan ahead, cook the chili a day before you plan to serve. Then just warm the chili the following day. Or simmer away all day on the stovetop. It’s really the very same thing.
Step 4: finish the chili
Just before serving, mix in the cream cheese and cheddar cheese. This is our “queso”. It makes for a more savory dip-like chili, which is the yummiest.
Now, the toppings. Most chili is delicious as is. But what makes a chili recipe over-the-top good are all the really yummy toppings.
I layer as follows: a thick layer of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, and sliced avocados. Then sprinkle on lots of fresh cilantro and some green onions too. You can enjoy this with tortilla chips (I make homemade baked chips in the oven) or beer bread. Both are great! But I think beer bread (5 ingredients, so easy) with chili is a must. It’s delish.
Simple as can be, but every spoonful is so delicious. Think a little spicy, a touch creamy, filled with chicken, peppers, cheese, and all those toppings. I love a simple fall dinner when the days are busy and the nights are turning cold!
Looking for other fall dinners with a little kick? Here are a few ideas:
Healthy Slow Cooker Turkey and White Bean Chili
Healthy Slow Cooker Chipotle Bean Chili
One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake
Healthy Chipotle Chicken Sweet Potato Skins
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup with Salty Lime Chips
Crockpot Chipotle Queso Chicken Chili
Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Spicy Queso Beef Chili be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crockpot Spicy Queso Beef Chili
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 472 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef (or use ground chicken or ground pork)
- 2 yellow onions, chopped
- 2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 can (28 ounce) crushed fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 can (8 ounce) tomato paste
- 1 can (4 ounce) diced green chilies
- 1/3 cup hot sauce
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 bay leaves
- salt
- 2-3 cups chicken or beef broth
- 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 can mixed chili beans, drained
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- avocado and Greek yogurt, for serving
Instructions
Crockpot
- 1. In a large dutch oven set over medium high heat, brown the meat all over, breaking up the meat as you go, about 5 minutes. Transfer the beef to the bowl of your crockpot. 2. Add the onions, poblanos, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, and cayenne. Mix in the tomatoes, tomato paste, hot sauce, butter, and diced chilies. Pour over 2 cups broth. Add the bay leaves, season with salt. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or hight for 4-5 hours. 3. Towards the end of cooking, stir in the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and beans. Cook until the cheese melts, 5 minutes.4. Ladle the chili into bowls. Top, as desired. I like Greek yogurt/sour cream, cheese, avocado, cilantro, and green onions. Eat and enjoy!
Stove
- 1. In a large dutch oven set over medium high heat, brown the meat all over, breaking up the meat as you go, about 5 minutes. 2. Add the onions, poblanos, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, and cayenne. Cook 5 minutes, until fragrant. Mix in the tomatoes, tomato paste, hot sauce, butter, and diced chilies. Pour over 2 cups broth. Add the bay leaves, season with salt. Stir to combine. Partially cover and cook on low for 2 hours or up to all day, stirring every hour.3. Towards the end of cooking, stir in the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and beans. Cook until the cheese melts, 5 minutes.4. Ladle the chili into bowls. Top, as desired. I like Greek yogurt/sour cream, cheese, avocado, cilantro, and green onions. Eat and enjoy!
This post was originally published on December 4, 2023
LOVED! Me and my bf both loved it and we are adding it to the rotation. Highly recommend.
Hey Rachel,
Awesome! Thanks for making this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it was a hit!
Happy New Year!🥂🎆
Thank you so much for this recipe! It is so delicious! I’ve been making it almost weekly for months now. I half the recipe when I make it And my husband and I eat it through out the week.
I almost exclusively use ground chicken. The only change I make is I soften the veggies in a pan for 5 minutes before adding to the crock pot. And then before adding the beans, I use my immersion blender in the crockpot as my husband prefers a more even texture. I do not add the cheddar cheese just the cream cheese and it’s still delicious!
Hey Rebecca,
Yay!! Love to hear this recipe always turns out well for you, I appreciate you making it so often!
Happy Sunday!
This has that great chili taste, but the cream cheese sets it apart, creating a silky texture.
Thoroughly enjoyed it!
Hey Guy,
Fantastic! I appreciate you making this recipe and your notes, love to hear it was enjoyed!
Have a great holiday week!🎄🎁
Do you add an anise star, or is that just for the photo?
Thank you!
Hi Catherine,
You do not need to use star anise in this recipe.
Please let me know if you have any other questions!
We have made this recipe sooooo many times and it is delicious!! We’ve used venison before instead of ground beef and it’s still delicious! One thing I like about this recipe is that if boil it down a little bit in a sauce pan, it becomes thick like a dip so we get tortilla chips to eat with it!! Super hearty and so yummy!!
Hey Rosie,
Love to hear this recipe is always enjoyed! Thanks for making it so often and your feedback!
We dialed back the heat a bit for our taste, skipping the hot sauce. All else same. Loved it. I noticed the star anise in the picture but not in the recipe. Will make again.
Hey Elizabeth,
Happy Monday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was enjoyed!
The cook time at the top says 2 hours… then when you start doing the recipe and get to the part of “low 6-8 hours high 4-6” so here I am at 4:00 thinking my supper will be ready at 6 when it won’t…
Hi Samantha,
Very sorry to hear this. The stove top version is 2 hours. I hope it turns out okay!
I’ve been making this consistently on rotation for 2 years now – in the winter it’s a weekly ritual. I make the full batch and freeze in Souper Cubes for easy single-serving weeknight meals. This is BY FAR my absolute favorite – the flavors POP. I eat it plain, scoop it up with organic multi-grain tortilla chips, have it over rice, stir it into noodles for a chili-mac – ladle over oven roasted sweet potatoes – it hits perfectly every single time. Thank you for this – seriously, I could eat it every single night and NEVER get bored with it. Also, you converted me to stir in a dollop of Greek yogurt instead of defaulting to sour cream and WOW – love that – creamy and cools the piping hot bowl down a bit. I’ll never turn back.
Hey Amy,
Awesome! Love to hear this recipe always turns out well for you, thanks for making it and your comment!
Have a great weekend!
I cooked this for 7.5 hr in the crock pot and it was amazing. Used 1/2 lb ground beef and 1/2 lb pork for flavor. Otherwise no tweaks! 10/10
Hey Asha,
So kind of you to try this recipe and leave feedback—glad it was a hit!
Can’t wait to try this! What if we want to exclude the beans – would you do anything different? Like add anything?
Hey Emily,
No big deal, you can just omit the beans:) I hope you love this recipe, let me know if you give it a try!
Literally award winning – won a chili cook off with this recipe (yes I shared the recipe with others). Made it again tonight for the family and our neighbor! Highly recommend. I only do one pound of meat per preference but you could also even double the beans and skip the meat. So versatile and extra protein with the added cheese and cream cheese. YUM!
Wow! Thank you so much, Tess! I am so glad to hear this recipe was such a hit, thanks for making it!
I have made so many chili recipes throughout my years, and this one will be my all time favorite and my go to chili recipe. I love Queso, so creamy, and the flavors are sooo good with the spices.
Only thing I would change is to season the ground beef when browning. The recipe did not call to season the beef while browning, and it did lack some flavor.
what would you recommend? I am thinking salt, pepper and some garlic powder.
If you like your chili on the spicy side, I would add more hot sauce and chili powder.
Thank you for the wonderful chili recipe…
Hey Holly,
Happy Monday! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks a lot for making it and your comment! Sure, you could totally brown the meat with some spices!
Made this recipe and the family loved it! Made the recipe on the stovetop as directed. I let it cook about 20-30 minutes and that was plenty of time. The only changes made was reducing the amount of spices because it would have been inedible for my family with the level of spice in the original recipe. Reduced the hot sauce from 1/3 c to 1/4 c and it worked out fine. Definitely a keeper and will make again!
Hi Valerie,
Love to hear this! Thank you so much for making this recipe and your feedback.
Have a great weekend!
I absolutely love this chili recipe and served it for my book club recently to rave reviews! I want to make it for my family when we get together next week. One of my sister in-laws doesn’t eat gluten. It seems safe, but I wanted to double check with you. Is this a gluten free recipe? Thank you so much and thank you for all your amazing content and creations – I appreciate you!
Hey Eileen,
Awesome! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, I’m so glad it was a hit!
Yes, this is gluten free:) Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Hi Tieghan,
I was just curious what variety of hot sauce you typically use in this recipe. Do you gravitate more towards a vinegar forward sauce or something a little more balanced?
Hi Matthew,
I like to use Frank’s Red Hot Sauce.
Please let me know if you have any other questions!