Vegan Chili (Slow Cooker)
This Vegan Chili is hearty and cozy and takes only 10 minutes of prep! It goes right into your slow cooker and is perfect for meal prepping. It results in a thick, and delicious chili that is so filling!
Thanks to Crockpot™ for sponsoring this blog post! Thanks so much to you my readers for supporting the brands who support Jessica in the Kitchen! All texts and opinions are my own.
I’ve been making this chili for my family from before I even went vegan, and that in and of itself is a testament to how delicious (and requested!) it is! Time and time again, after a single spoonful when it’s done, I hear a satisfying “ahh”. This Vegan Chili uses some simple pantry ingredients to make a hearty and delightful meal that you and your family will also be looking forward to. And if it’s just you, this freezes so beautifully too! Read on for more on that. It’s also an incredible option for serving at Thanksgiving or any holiday occasion this year.
Speaking of holiday occasions – how is that looking for you this year? I know things look a bit different for everyone this year. If you’re participating in a virtual Friendsgiving/Zoomsgiving (I am for one of them!) this is such a cool option to show up with! Let me know how you’re adjusting this year!
You may remember me mentioning Crockpot MyTime™ 6-QT. Programmable Slow Cooker in my Mushroom Wild Rice Soup recipe last month. Firstly, you guys LOVED that dish and I love seeing all your photos to this day about it! I’m using that Crockpot MyTime™ 6-QT. Programmable Slow Cooker today again for this Vegan Chili!
I’ve been using it for a while and on a few different recipes, and needless to say, I’m in love. Not only do I love the size, I love the fact that it fits into your lifestyle. If you love prepping dinner in advance (AGAIN, teach me your ways!) – YOU tell it what time you want to have dinner, and your Crockpot™ does the rest. This is so ingenious for meal prepping or if you have specific meal times that you want to fit into. If you want to be able to set a manual cooking time though, no worries, your Crockpot™ also easily caters to the traditional “HIGH” or “LOW” settings.
For this Chili, either option is up to you. Which is pretty much the way life should be right?!
Notes on the Ingredients:
Uncooked Quinoa – be sure to use uncooked quinoa since it’ll soak up your veggie broth and add to the texture
Black Beans – feel free to swap this for pinto or kidney beans, or any of your favourite kind of beans
Diced Tomatoes – I prefer using canned tomatoes here because it’s way easier, but you can use regular tomatoes. I would recommend juicy and fresh tomatoes, so they have a similar amount of liquid as canned diced tomatoes.
How to Make Easy Vegan Chili (Step by Step Instructions)
Add the vegetable broth, uncooked quinoa, black beans and tomatoes to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
Next add the peppers, carrot, corn, onion and garlic, and stir.
Then add the rest of the seasonings and stir a few times to combine.
Cover your Crockpot™ and set to high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or on low for 5-6 hours (for high, monitor the last 30 minutes and for low, monitor the last hour). If you like a chili with more liquid, do the 2 1/2 on high, and 5 on low. If you like thicker and just a little bit it liquid, go with the higher number for each option. Taste when finished, and add any more salt or heat if needed.
After your soup is finished cooking, serve and top with your favourite toppings such as vegan sour cream, avocado, scallion and vegan cheese or shredded carrots. Enjoy!
Expert Tips & FAQ
- Dice the veggies into similar sizes so that everything cooks evenly. That’ll give you the best texture for the vegetables in the chili.
- Be sure to stir everything together well. Since you want to let your Crockpot™ do its thing without disturbing it, you want to ensure all your veggies and seasonings are properly mixed so they all cook together perfectly.
- If you want an extra creamy chili, you can blend a cup of it at the end in a blender, then stir it back in. This is a method I love to do in many of my soups, and it works well with chili too!
- I often get asked “does this freeze well? This one does! Freeze, then thaw overnight in your fridge when ready to enjoy, then reheat.
- Feel free to make this your OWN! You can leave the corn out, try two different types of beans – the options are endless!
How to Serve – I would suggest trying to my vegan sour cream to serve on top with a few slices of avocado!
More Crockpot Recipes
Enjoy friends! If you make this Easy Vegan Chili Recipe, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Easy Vegan Chili Recipe (Slow Cooker)
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 15 oz black beans, (1 can of black beans) drained and rinsed
- 14 oz canned diced tomatoes, do not drain
- 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1/2 cup corn kernels
- 1/2 onion , chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 small chili pepper
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
Instructions
- Add the vegetable broth, uncooked quinoa, black beans and tomatoes to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Next add the peppers, carrot, corn, onion and garlic, and stir, then add the rest of the seasonings and stir a few times to combine.
- Cover your Crockpot™ and set to high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or on low for 5-6 hours (for high, monitor the last 30 minutes and for low, monitor the last hour). If you like a chili with more liquid, do the 2 1/2 on high, and 5 on low. If you like thicker and just a little bit it liquid, go with the higher number for each option.
- Taste when finished, and add any more salt or heat if needed. Feel free to add more veggie broth too if you want it more liquid.
- After your soup is finished cooking, serve and top with your favourite toppings such as vegan sour cream, avocado, scallion and vegan cheese or shredded carrots. Enjoy!
Notes
- Dice the veggies into similar sizes so that everything cooks evenly. That’ll give you the best texture for the vegetables in the chili.
- Be sure to stir everything together well. Since you want to let your Crockpot™ do its thing without disturbing it, you want to ensure all your veggies and seasonings are properly mixed so they all cook together perfectly.
- If you want an extra creamy chili, you can blend a cup of it at the end in a blender, then stir it back in. This is a method I love to do in many of my soups, and it works well with chili too!
- I often get asked “does this freeze well? This one does! Freeze, then thaw overnight in your fridge when ready to enjoy, then reheat.
- Feel free to make this your OWN! You can leave the corn out, try two different types of beans – the options are endless!
If you try this Vegan Chili with Quinoa and Black Beans please let me know in the comment section below, or tag me on instagram with the hashtag #jessicainthekitchen! For more exclusive recipes follow me on Instagram AND on Snapchat: jessinkitchen.Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
This works in an Instant Pot too!
I should have mentioned this in my first comment, but I cooked this recipe in an Instant Pot for 5 minutes and let it sit for 7 minutes. Then released the pressure.
We needed our meal in less time than it takes in a crockpot.
Thanks!
Easy, hearty, delicious meal! Great tip on blending a cup of it to thicken. Topped with coconut yogurt and avocado to cool things up a bit, as I used a whole chili pepper.
Hi! I was wondering about adding some vegan ground ‘beef’ to the chili! Do you think I should add it frozen in the beginning with the other ingredients?
Hi Kim,
That’s an excellent question and idea and we do it all the time! Cook the vegan meat first in a separate pan then add it into the chili. Adding it in frozen means all the liquid will pool and water the chili down plus the texture of the vegan meat will be off. I hope this helps! Enjoy!!
My family loves this chili because it is absolutely delicious and turns out perfect every time!! It’s so flavorful and the perfect texture. Thank you for such a great recipe 👏🏻
Thank you for this awesome recipe, Jessica! I’ve won the vegetarian category of the chili cook-off at my kids school for the past two years with it. Going back for year 3 in a few days!
Thanks for sharing Kim and wow fantastic!!! Hope you win again this time!! ☺️☺️
I made this more times than I can count last fall/winter season. I looked it up so I could make it again since the weather is getting cooler. It is so good and loved by the entire household (carnivores and plat eaters).
I added mushrooms to it when I made it yesterday…. Such a great addition!!!
Thank you for this super easy, delicious and nutritious recipe.
Can I use frozen veggies in this recipe?
Hi Will,
Yes you can!
I prepared this for a girls night with my coworkers, and it was a WIN!!!! Very savory and just hit the spot after a long week. I served this with sour cream and cornbread on the side. Very easy to prepare and is versatile for special diets. I forgot the carrots, but that didn’t take away the flavor. I imagine it would have added a bit of sweetness to complement the savory spices. The cornbread was a quick fix for that;-) will be making this regularly!!! Used the slow cooker function on my instapot 4 hours overnight then heated on the soup setting for about a half hour before serving – perfect!!!!
Hi, is this recipe better with purple or yellow onion?
Hi Teresa,
Either works perfectly fine!
I never leave a review, but this was so unbelievably delicious I had too!
Awww wow thank you soo much!!
Hi Jessica!
I got the ingredients to make this, but could only find “instant” type quinoa that is microwavable. Any suggestions as to how to tweak the recipe for this?
Thanks!
Hi Melissa,
It sounds like this kind of quinoa might break down and get mushy in this recipe, I’ve never tried this type so it’s hard to say! I would leave it out and reduce the liquid by 1 1/2 cups (then you can always add more at the end!). Hope that helps!