Is this a sweet slow cooker recipe, or a spicy one? That’s the beauty of sweet and spicy chili: you get a delicious helping of both. Sweet and spicy is a magical culinary pairing, and this chili delivers it through a healthy helping of chili peppers and brown sugar. It runs up and down the pepper scale, from red bells and smoky sweet piquillo peppers to fresh jalapeño and cayenne pepper powder. Piquillo chilies add only a light simmer of heat, but they provide a tasty smoky sweetness to assist that brown sugar in the recipe.
🌶️ Quick recipe snapshot
| Flavor profile | Sweet and smoky from brown sugar and piquillos, with steady chili heat and plenty of cumin. |
| Primary heat source | Crushed red pepper, cayenne and two fresh jalapeños. |
| Heat level | Medium-hot. The two tablespoons of crushed red pepper do most of the work, so cut that back for a milder pot. |
| Texture | Thick and meaty, with no beans. |
| Best uses | Game days, cold nights and make-ahead dinners. |
| Customization ideas | Less crushed red pepper for a milder chili, beans for a heartier one, or ground turkey for a leaner one. |
| Before you start | About 30 minutes on the stove, then 5 hours on low in the slow cooker. |
Flavor notes
The sweet side comes from two places. Half a cup of brown sugar is the obvious one, and the piquillo peppers are the other. Piquillos are small Spanish peppers sold roasted and peeled in jars, with a sweet, smoky, slightly tart flavor and only 500 to 1,000 Scoville heat units. And the red bell pepper adds more sweetness on top, with no heat at all.
The heat comes in layers. Two jalapeños bring a fresh, grassy bite, while crushed red pepper and a teaspoon of cayenne build the steady warmth underneath. Cayenne runs 30,000 to 50,000 SHU and tastes fairly neutral, so it adds fire without changing the flavor much. Crushed red pepper is mostly cayenne blended with milder chilies. But at two tablespoons, it’s the biggest heat source in the pot.
We recommend using dark chili powder if you have it, too, as it adds a rich, slightly sweet undertone as well. It’s usually heavier on ancho and roasted longer than the light kind, and our guide to dark vs. light chili powder covers the difference.
Want the deepest flavor? Take the time to brown the beef and cook the onions in its fat before anything goes in the slow cooker. It adds about 20 minutes up front, but you get a richer, more savory chili for it.
Adaptation ideas
Most of these adjust the heat, and a few change what goes in the pot.
- Want it milder? Cut the crushed red pepper to 2 teaspoons, and remove the seeds and pale membrane from the jalapeños, since the membrane holds most of their heat.
- Want it hotter? Leave the jalapeño seeds and membranes in, or stir in another teaspoon of cayenne in the last hour and taste as you go.
- Went too far? Our guide to fixing too much cayenne has ways to bring the heat back down.
- Can’t find piquillos? Use a jar of roasted red peppers or half a roasted red bell pepper. You’ll lose the smoky note, but the sweetness stays, and our piquillo pepper substitute guide has more options.
- Want beans? Stir in a can or two of drained kidney or pinto beans for the last hour of cooking.
- No slow cooker? Simmer it covered in a Dutch oven over low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring now and then so the bottom doesn’t catch.
- Want it leaner? Swap the ground chuck for ground turkey, and add a tablespoon of oil to cook the onions.
Serving ideas
Pile on the toppings, or keep it simple with a spoon and a bowl.
- With cool toppings. Sour cream, shredded cheddar and sliced green onions balance out the heat.
- With cornbread. A wedge on the side, for dunking.
- Over rice or baked potatoes. It stretches the pot further if you’re feeding a crowd.
- On hot dogs or fries. Spoon it over the top for chili dogs or chili cheese fries.
- With tortilla chips. For scooping, or crush a few over the top for crunch.
Storage notes
Let it cool, then keep it covered in the fridge for 3 to 4 days or in the freezer for 2 to 3 months, which is FoodSafety.gov’s guidance for soups and stews with meat. Freeze it in portions so you can thaw only what you need. And when you reheat it, bring it to 165°F, or until it’s steaming hot all the way through.
Like this recipe? You’ll love these too:
- Spicy Black Bean Mushroom Chili: A meatless chili with black beans, mushrooms and tomatillos.
- Beef Brisket Chili With Sweet Cornbread Dumplings: Chunks of brisket and fresh cayennes, topped with cornbread dumplings.
- Molten Habanero Cornbread: A sweet cornbread with minced habanero baked right in.
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Sweet And Spicy Chili
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground chuck
- 2 jalapeño peppers minced*
- 2 bell peppers 1 red/1 green, chopped
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can tomato sauce 28 ounces
- 1 can crushed fire roasted tomatoes 28 ounces
- 1/2 jar piquillo peppers 6 ounces total, chopped **
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup chili powder dark chili powder preferred
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
- 3 tablespoons cumin
- 2 tablespoons crushed red pepper
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
Instructions
- Brown the ground chuck over medium heat, then spoon the beef into the slow cooker, keeping the majority of fat in the pan to cook the onions.
- Cook the onions in the beef pan, until they become close to soft and translucent.
- Add the bell peppers to the onions and stir until all vegetables have softened.
- Add the jalapeño peppers and minced garlic, stirring frequently for one minute. Then transfer the vegetables into the slow cooker with the beef.
- Add the tomato sauce, roasted tomatoes, piquillo peppers, brown sugar, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, and crushed red pepper to the slow cooker. Stir to combine all ingredients.
- Cover the slow cooker, then cook the chili on low for 5 hours.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, then serve.
Notes
**Piquillo peppers add a light smoky sweet flavor to the chili. If no piquillo peppers available, look for a jar of red sweet peppers at your local grocer (they won’t have the smoky undertone). You can also substitute additional roasted red bell pepper (1/2 a red bell will work).
