The Best Slow Cooker Vegan Chili

This vegan chili recipe will delight your taste buds. It’s not only wholesome but delicious and easy to make. A vegan twist on this classic comfort food for those chilly days ahead makes for a healthy dinner packed with nutrients brimming with flavor!

This post was originally published on Oct 15, 2017 and updated on Jan 27, 2020 by Elena Szeliga. 

It’s hard to believe that this wholesome slow cooker chili is vegan! Combining a winning grain mix, two kinds of beans, corn, bell peppers, onions and lots of tomatoes make it a hearty, nutritious and comforting meal to enjoy this fall.

The best thing about this easy vegan chili is that it’s basically self-cooking. Toss all the ingredients into the slow cooker, set it on high and wait for 6-8 hours. Just let it cook while you are at work and arrive to a home that smells like heaven!

An added bonus to this recipe is that this vegan chili freezes like a pro. Make a large batch and store what you don’t eat in the freezer, then you will have a bunch of quick and easy meals ready at your fingertips.

Can you believe October is coming to an end? I can’t either. I’ve managed to catch the tail end of summer last weekend. I was in Rome meeting my best friend and enjoying lots of pizza, pasta, lasagna and cappuccino as well as T-shirt weather!

However, when I came back, real October was already in full force. To kick off the chilly weather and rain, I immediately made this comforting slow cooker vegan chili!

I am always amazed by the power of sharing food that brings people closer. But there is something special about having vegan chili for dinner. To me, it brings the “homey” feeling of comfort, warmth and coziness. Making this best vegan chili (or my perfect vegan sloppy joes) for dinner is a great way to enjoy the presence of your loved ones and bask in the delightful feelings of comfort and peace.

Why Make Vegan Chili

You don’t have to be a vegan to enjoy this chili! Here is why I love it and you will too:

• It’s full of flavor and super delicious;
• It’s packed with nutrients and protein;
• It’s healthy and low in calories;
• You can customize it depending on what you like and have in your fridge;
• Having a slow cooker makes it incredibly easy and quick to make but you can also make it on the stove, or even in an Instant Pot;
• Adjust the spiciness to your taste and make it kid-friendly;
• It makes a great vegan packed lunch – just fill a mason jar with it and take it to work (my husband’s colleagues are always envious!);
• It feeds a crowd of at least 8 people;
• And my favorite – freeze it in zipper bags for up to 3 months to enjoy whenever you feel like it!

Chili is one of those foods that tastes even better the next day, just like ratatouille, grain stew with sweet potatoes or vegan minestrone soup.

Another hearty, heart warming vegan meal that you should be sure to check out is this Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese. It’s 100% plant based and made with one of my new favorite ingredients: Tempeh!

This easy vegan chili recipe is a delicious and comforting meal that comes together within minutes. Throw is into your slow cooker and let the magic happen.

How to Make Slow Cooker Vegan Chili

For this slow cooker chili you’ll need:

• Beans (I use black and navy beans, but feel free to use your favorite ones);
• Grain mix that I usually use for my healthy wholemeal bread, a combo of wheat berries, rye, spelt, millet and barley. You can also use any combination of the above-mentioned grains, as well as quinoa to save time (see notes below);
• Onions and garlic;
• Red and green bell peppers;
• Sweet corn;
• Diced tomatoes and tomato sauce;
• Vegetable stock;
• Jalapenos or red chilies;
• Spices;
• Vegan yogurt, avocados, lime and tortilla chips to serve.

Start with soaking your beans and grains in water overnight.
Are you pressed for time?
Here is a great shortcut: just use canned beans and quinoa.

Once the beans and grains are ready, dice the onion and bell peppers. Here is a life changing trick that will make chopping bell peppers so much easier!

Mince the garlic and chili peppers (I used two but if you like it hot, add more).

Put all the prepared ingredients in your slow cooker. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and vegetable broth, as well as cumin, sweet paprika, bay leaves, salt and black pepper. Stir everything well to combine.

Cook on high for 6-8 hours or until cooked through. Adjust the seasoning to your taste. Serve hot with a spoonful of vegan yogurt, chopped avocados, jalapenos, lime and tortilla chips.

If you’re not cooking for a crowd, let it cool and freeze in zipper bags for up to 3 months.

Cook’s Tips

• You can store this chili for up to 5 days in the fridge. 
• This chili is perfect for meal prep. Freeze it for up to 3 months in freezer bags and reheat on the stove or in the microwave. Add a bit of water or vegetable stock if it’s too thick.
• Use leftover cooked beans for this chili for a quick and nutritious meal. Just throw the rest of the ingredients in your crockpot and cook on high for 3-4 hours.
  

Recipe Variations

• Use other types of beans that you like in place of black and navy beans.
  
• If you don’t have time for soaking, just use canned or cooked beans. In this case the cooking time reduces to 3-4 hours (on high).
• You can use any combination of the above-mentioned grains like uncooked quinoa or skip the grains and add lentils.
• Cook this vegan chili on the stovetop for around 1 hour instead of using the slow cooker.

Here is the full recipe for you, hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did! If you did, I would appreciate you giving it a 5-star rating! 😉

Print

4.62 from 21 votes

The Best Slow Cooker Vegan Chili

The Best Slow Cooker Vegan Chili Recipe is wholesome, delicious and easy to make. Comforting and healthy freezable dinner packed with nutrients and flavors!

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword bean chili, easy vegan chili, slow cooker vegan chili, the best vegan chili, vegan chili, vegan chili recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes

Slow cooking time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 260kcal

Author Elena Szeliga

Ingredients

• 2 cups navy beans soaked overnight or two 14 oz cans cooked beans
• 2 cups black beans soaked overnight or two 14 oz cans cooked beans
• 1 cup grain mix a combo of wheat berries, rye, spelt, millet and barley (see notes below), soaked overnight
• 1 big yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 cup or 14 oz can sweet corn
• 2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes
• 2 14 oz cans tomato sauce
• 5-6 cups vegetable stock
• 2 red chili peppers or jalapenos, adjust the hoteness to your liking
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and freshly ground bell pepper to taste
• Vegan yogurt, avocados, lime and tortilla chips to serve

Instructions

• Start with soaking your beans and grains in water overnight. If you don't have time for that, just use canned beans and quinoa.
• Dice the onion and bell peppers. Mince the garlic and chili peppers (I used two but if you like it hot, add more).
• Put all the prepared ingredients in your slow cooker. Add sweet corn, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and vegetable broth, as well as cumin, sweet paprika, bay leaves, salt and black pepper. Stir everything well to combine.
• Cook on high for 6-8 hours or until cooked through. Adjust the seasoning to your taste. Serve hot with a spoonful of vegan yogurt, chopped avocados, jalapenos, lime and tortilla chips. Let cool and freeze in zipper bags for up to 3 months if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

Cook’s Tips

• You can store this chili for up to 5 days in the fridge. 
• This chili is perfect for meal prep. Freeze it for up to 3 months in freezer bags and reheat on the stove or in the microwave. Add a bit of water or vegetable stock if it's too thick.
• Use leftover cooked beans for this chili for a quick and nutritious meal. Just throw the rest of the ingredients in your crockpot and cook on high for 3-4 hours.
  

Recipe Variations

• Use other types of beans that you like in place of black and navy beans.
  
• If you don't have time for soaking, just use canned or cooked beans. In this case the cooking time reduces to 3-4 hours (on high).
• You can use any combination of the above-mentioned grains like uncooked quinoa or skip the grains and add lentils.
• Cook this vegan chili on the stovetop for around 1 hour instead of using the slow cooker.
  

Nutrition

Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 593mg | Potassium: 509mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1385IU | Vitamin C: 34.3mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 3.7mg

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Other Vegan Soup Recipes You’ll Love:

• One Pot Vegan Minestrone Soup
• Easy Vegan Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup)
• Vegan Roasted Carrot Soup with Lentils
• Silky Vegan Cauliflower Soup