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Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili Recipe

October 30, 2017 by Jeanette 24 Comments

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Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili - I've gotten rave reviews on this delicious chili served over pasta - great for large gatherings - top with cheese, onions, beans if you like
Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili - I've gotten rave reviews on this delicious chili served over pasta - great for large gatherings - top with cheese, onions, beans if you like

Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili is packed with flavor, with a touch of cinnamon and spice. Serve topped with chopped onion and finely shredded cheddar cheese in the traditional style. I first made Cincinnati chili about four years ago after hearing several people from Cincinnati rave about it. A friend gave me a can of Cincinnati chili so I could try it, and I used that as a sample to come up with a version that was pretty close to it, but with a lot less salt.
Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili - this is one of my kids' favorite meals - pure comfort food - perfect for back to school

It took a number of tries before I got the recipe very close to true Cincinnati chili. There are a lot of different spices and ingredients that work together to create the unique flavor profile for Cincinnati chili.

Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili - this is one of my kids' favorite meals - pure comfort food - perfect for back to school

Although I could figure out the basic ingredients, it wasn’t until a Cincinnati chili enthusiast friend who is also an incredible food scientist told me the secret ingredients. He said there was probably a touch of cloves and vanilla in the chili, so I revised my original recipe and came up with this more flavorful Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili.

Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili - this is one of my kids' favorite meals - pure comfort food - perfect for back to school

This has become one of my family’s favorite recipes and my youngest son has requested it for his birthday dinner several times. Our family tradition has been that the birthday boy gets to choose whatever he wants for dinner. I remember making this Cincinnati chili with all the fixings for his 13th birthday several years ago. This chili freezes well, so don’t be afraid to make the whole recipe.

Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili - this is one of my kids' favorite meals - pure comfort food - perfect for back to school

Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili - this is one of my kids' favorite meals - pure comfort food
5 from 3 votes
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Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili Recipe

I use 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, but if you want a milder chili, reduce it to 1/2 teaspoon.
Course Main Course
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes
Servings 12 people
Calories 204 kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds lean ground beef I used grass-fed
  • 8 cups water
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 4 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons ground allspice
  • 1/2-3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 8.8 ounces tomato paste Two 4.4ounce tubes
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 4 cups water

To Serve

  • cooked spaghetti
  • fine shredded Cheddar cheese
  • chopped onions
  • cooked red kidney beans

Instructions

  1. Place ground beef and water in a large pot, breaking up pieces. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes. Drain meat and place in food processor; pulse until meat is a fine consistency (do not overprocess). Transfer to a slow cooker; add remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 8 hours.

To serve

  1. Spoon chili on top of cooked spaghetti and top with some shredded cheese, onion and kidney beans.

Recipe Notes

5 Freestyle points/serving. Nutrition facts are for chili only.

Nutrition Facts
Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 204 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Fat 7g11%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 70mg23%
Sodium 700mg30%
Potassium 718mg21%
Carbohydrates 8g3%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 26g52%
Vitamin A 1140IU23%
Vitamin C 6mg7%
Calcium 54mg5%
Iron 4.6mg26%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Filed Under: back-to-school, Clean Eating, Dinner, gluten-free, main courses, Pantry Recipe, Slow Cooker Tagged With: crockpot, Skyline Cincinnati Chili recipe, slow cooker

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Comments

  1. Corina says

    August 22, 2015 at 2:57 pm

    I don’t make chilli very often but this is really tempting me.

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      August 22, 2015 at 9:32 pm

      This is different from traditional chili – lots of sweet spices in it.

      Reply
  2. EA-The Spicy RD says

    August 22, 2015 at 4:20 pm

    Great recipe Jeanette and I love the addition of vanilla and cloves! Your son clearly has fabulous taste 🙂 Happy back-to-school!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      August 22, 2015 at 9:34 pm

      Thanks EA! My son does have a great sense for flavors. Hope you had a great summer!

      Reply
  3. Katy says

    August 23, 2015 at 11:18 am

    I love Cincinnati chili and the chocolate square is such an intriguing idea, I bet that adds some serious depth. Great recipe Jeanette!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      August 24, 2015 at 7:48 pm

      Thanks Katy – this chili has lots of great flavor – hope you have a chance to try it.

      Reply
  4. Angie@Angie's Recipes says

    August 23, 2015 at 1:20 pm

    This looks so much better than a traditional chili….so delicious!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      August 24, 2015 at 7:48 pm

      Thanks Angie – this chili is very rich in flavor 🙂

      Reply
  5. Sheila says

    August 29, 2015 at 6:03 pm

    Any suggestions on an alternate way to cook it, as I don’t have a slow cooker? Thanks in advance.

    Reply
    • Michael Kline says

      May 4, 2019 at 11:08 am

      5 stars
      Place the meat in 8 cups of cold water in a Dutch oven or your favorite chili pot, I stir the meat in the cold water and it breaks down to a fine consistency, add all ingredients and simmer uncovered until desired consistency

      Reply
  6. Sarah says

    October 25, 2015 at 6:32 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for this recipe!
    My family is from the North, but we all relocated down South. We’ve been trying to replicate Cincinnati Chili for years since you cannot find it anywhere, and this is the closest I’ve ever tasted. I tweaked a bit, (instead of pulsing the beef, I just broke it up so well with my hands, that it becomes the right consistency in the water while still raw), but the spices are spot on!! I will be making this regularly!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      October 27, 2015 at 9:49 pm

      Sarah – so glad you liked this recipe. Thanks so much for trying it and letting me know how it turned out.

      Reply
  7. Amanda McIntyre says

    October 22, 2016 at 11:10 am

    Do you add the 4 cups of water to the crackpot after boiling the meat? Or is that what you boiled it in?

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      October 22, 2016 at 3:15 pm

      Hi Amanda, after boiling the meat, drain off the water. Then, when you put everything in the slow cooker, add 4 cups of water.

      Reply
      • Heather says

        February 1, 2018 at 7:42 pm

        What’s the point of boiling the meat?

        Reply
        • Jeanette says

          February 1, 2018 at 8:40 pm

          I think it helps break the meat down. However, I found pulsing it in the food processor helped get it to the right consistency. You do not want to brown the meat, just cook it.

          Reply
  8. LF says

    July 27, 2017 at 8:39 am

    Made this tonight with all of the toppings and it was a big hit. We’d never had Cincinnati chili before and this recipe is so flavorful and interesting. Our kids really loved it. I was hoping to freeze some for another meal but there just isn’t enough left. 🙂

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      July 27, 2017 at 8:09 pm

      So glad your family enjoyed this recipe – it’s one of my kids’ favorites so I try to make a big batch and freeze it. Maybe double it next time so you can freeze a batch. Great for busy nights.

      Reply
  9. Tom says

    October 25, 2017 at 4:22 pm

    Wanting to try this but only chocolate I have in the house is dark chocolate chips. Could I use some of those?

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      October 25, 2017 at 7:21 pm

      Hi Tom, I would not use dark chocolate chips as they usually have sugar in them. If you have unsweetened cocoa powder, you can substitute that for the unsweetened chocolate. One ounce of unsweetened chocolate is sometimes substituted with 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder.

      Reply
      • Tom says

        October 26, 2017 at 9:41 am

        Thanks so much for the quick reply. I just came back on here to ask about using cocoa and saw your reply. Gonna be making this today. Thanks again.

        Reply
        • Jeanette says

          October 27, 2017 at 11:08 am

          Hope you enjoy this recipe Tom!

          Reply
  10. Tom says

    May 26, 2018 at 6:20 pm

    5 stars
    Had tried this a while back. My daughters and I enjoyed it. Now it is Memorial weekend and we are planning on having some hot dogs on the grill. Girls asked me to make this to use as a hot dog sauce. So, will be trying that this weekend.

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      May 26, 2018 at 6:47 pm

      Glad your daughters enjoy this – it’s one of our family’s favorites. Enjoy Memorial Day weekend!

      Reply

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