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Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili is hearty and filling. It is gluten-free, vegan, and loaded with beans and vegetables. If you need a football watching chili or a quick dinner, this is your answer!
I make a lot of chili recipes in the fall and winter. This Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili is one of my all-time favorites. I have been wanting to share it for a while now, and finally perfected it. I love having a plant-based chili recipe that I can throw in the mix during the winter. This is loaded with beans, veggies and rich spices.
Aside from the beans and vegetables in this recipe, the fact it cooks in the crockpot all day is a huge time saver. My site has a lot of meat based chili recipes but very few vegetarian and vegan friendly.
Some of my go-to chili recipes on my site are this Slow Cooker Turkey Chili, this Instant Pot Beef Chili, Instant Pot Turkey Chili and this White and Black Bean Turkey Chili.
Recipe Ingredients
This vegetarian chili recipe in the crock pot is made with simple ingredients.
- Beans: I consider the beans to be the star of this chili. For my recipe I used black beans, kidney beans and white beans. Feel free to mix it up and use your favorite beans. Chickpeas and red beans work nicely too.
- Vegetables: The veggies add texture, nutrition and flavor to this chili. I used garlic, carrots, red onion, bell peppers, diced tomatoes, celery and poblano peppers. Feel free to get creative and try things like zucchini, kale, spinach, spicy peppers, potatoes and cauliflower.
- Spices: Spices help to create the best chili possible. You will find oregano, cumin, chili pepper and cayenne pepper in this version.
- Garnishes: Of course when it comes to chili, the garnishes take it to the next level. I am the queen of garnishes. I enjoy fresh cilantro, chopped green onions, cheese {omit if you are making vegan}, diced red onion, sour cream, jalapeños and avocado. You can even add crushed chips to the top of your chili for that added crunch.
Recipe Modifications:
- Vegetables: There are a lot of options to add to a veggie chili. Some others I like are bell peppers, zucchini, poblanos, and mushrooms.
- Beans and Legumes: The beans I used are pinto beans but there are a lot of great options to try like red beans, black beans, chickpeas, red kidney beans or white beans. I also love adding lentils to chili!
- Potatoes: Add in diced sweet potatoes or russet potatoes.
- Spices: The spices you use in chili add so much flavor. Some other spices I really like are cumin, oregano or smoked paprika.
- Tomatoes: You can use diced tomatoes instead of fire roasted diced tomatoes.
- Garnishes: Try adding pickled red onions, this easy curtido, a dollop of pico de gallo, or homemade guacamole on your chili.
How to Make this Vegetarian Chili
Step 1: Add Ingredients to Crockpot: Place all ingredients in the crockpot and stir.
Step 2: Slow Cook: Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
Serve warm with your favorite garnishes.
Storage Tips
- You can freeze the chili. Make sure to let it cook completely. Store in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- To reheat remove the chili from the freezer and let defrost overnight. Add a splash of water or vegetable broth and then slowly reheat on the stovetop.
- Store the chili in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
More Chili Recipes
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Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili
Ingredients
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 poblano pepper, seeds removed, diced {optional}
- 1 bell pepper, seeds removed, diced
- 2 large carrots, peeled, diced
- 2 stalks celery , diced
- jalapeño, seeds removed, diced {optional}
- 2 can diced tomatoes
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 1 can tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons oregano , {or Mexican oregano}
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper , {optional for spice}
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in the crockpot and stir.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Serve warm with your favorite garnishes.
Notes
- If you want to help the flavors really bloom in this chili I suggest sautéing some of the vegetables and spices before adding them to the slow cooker.
- I would heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet and then add the garlic, onion and poblano. Sauté for about 3 minutes.
- Add the spices in and continue to sauté for about 3 more minutes. From here just add that in to the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Perfect for a rainy day and easy to make.
I now make this recipe weekly. It is perfect during this quarantine period. I hold back though on the jalapeños and chili powder to save my daughter from panting from the heat. A few avocado slices on top make this perfect.
Thanks for sharing! I am so happy to hear that. Yes, my kids don’t like the heat either so I just add that to my bowl separately! 😉