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!
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.
Hi Yessica! Loved this recipe! It’s very simple and delicious! My husband and I are from South America. We tried this soup for the first time a couple of weeks ago while on a ski trip up in Michigan (we currently live in Miami). It was so delicious that I wanted to make it myself at home and looking for a recipe I came across yours! I made it and it tasted as good as the one we had in Michigan. We were so glad! Thanks a lot for sharing! We appreciate people like you that share their ideas!
Hi Sunny! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and that it reminded you of your trip! Thanks so much for the feedback and your kind words. 🙂
Thanks for this recipe Jessica! I needed a vegan chili to feed the officials at our karate tournament, and this looked great. I doubled the recipe, and to take care of the extra liquid I threw in a handful of red lentils after 2 1/2 hours and continued cooking until thicker. I also played with the seasonings as I didn’t want it too spicy since it was for a wide audience (and I grow, dry and grind my own chili and cayenne powders so they are hotter than store bought). We also eat a lot of chili – we have a longer cool season in Canada so get to enjoy that more- and my kids are adventurous enough to appreciate different food experiences.
Hi Angela,
I’m so glad you and your kids and the crowd enjoyed the chili! I love the changes you made to it and that you grow your own seasonings – that’s so cool! Thanks so much for the feedback!
Hi Jessica! Wondering how big of a crock pot you used for this recipe? And how big each serving is? I am making this for 4 adults and 4 kids, and I’d love to have some leftovers to use for another meal, too. Do you think doubling it would fit in a 6 qt crock pot? Or tripling it? Thanks in advance! This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it!
Hi Lori,
When I go home today I’ll check the size of my crockpot but I think it’s 4 qt and it wasn’t completely filled. Thanks for your kind comments and I hope when you try it you love it!
If I double this recipe should it be the same amount of time?
Hi Lauren,
I can’t guarantee since I haven’t tried doubling it, but I’m sure it would be the same amount time. Just test it when the time is finished and judge whether it needs another 10-15 minutes.
Hey Jessica,
Just wondering if it would be possible to use lentils instead of quinoa? Is there any change to the cooking time? Am looking to make a double batch for a potluck tomorrow!
Hi Laura,
I’ve never tried lentils in this chili so I’m not sure, but if it’s what you have I would recommend using a chili that uses lentils in the ingredient list instead. Good luck and I hope it works out!
Almost done!!!
I doubled this recipe for the potluck I’m going to tonight. My crock pot is only 3qt though, so I ended up taking out around a cup of liquid because it wouldn’t have fit otherwise! Have been checking it and decided to give the full 6hrs on low…just under 30 mins to go!!!
Tastes darn good so far though, would just like a bit thicker!
Made a double batch (with beans and quinoa), cooked on low for 6hrs – didn’t use quite as much liquid (took out maybe 1-1.5cups because my slow-cooker is only 3 quart), and thickened with a little bit of arrowroot powder.
The verdict?! AMAZING! Worked pretty well for the potluck – people took some to keep as well!
Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Hi Lauren,
I’m SO glad they worked out! Loved the variations and I’ll definitely try it out. You’re so welcome and thanks so much for the feedback!
This was absolutely delicious! I had to work this weekend and my husband decided to surprise me with this and I was in heaven! The flavor and texture were the perfect balance and I would not have changed a thing!
Hi Dawn,
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for the feedback and you have such a lovely husband!
The whole family LOVED this chili!! YUM! Great flavor!
Hi Beth,
Great! Thanks for the feedback and so glad you all enjoyed it!
This was so good. Even my nonvegan boyfriend loved it. I add kale to mine which eorked great. The cashew sour cream is wonderful with it
Hi Linda,
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you for your feedback! 🙂
I have a confession to make… I’m not vegan, or even vegetarian. I love meat. But I stumbled across this recipe and loved it! I used dried black beans (upped the broth accordingly) and fresh heirloom tomatoes. I added a block of tofu, and I topped it with real cheese instead of the vegan sour cream. I kept thinking I was eating chunks of ground beef and having to remind myself that there was no meat. Something about the quinoa and tofu I think…
Hey Jen,
So glad you loved the recipe!! Yes the chili is quite beefed up (excuse the pun 🙂 ) isn’t it! Thanks so much for your feedback! Love that you added tofu!
How many people does this feed?
Hi Lauren,
About 4-5 people.