Happy Meatless Monday, friends!
Since soup season seems to be in full swing lately, I thought it would be apropos to kick the week off with one of my favorite recipes that just so happens to be meatless, vegan, gluten-free, super-easy to make, and wonderfully warm and comforting for chilly fall nights — my Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili!
This recipe is admittedly a riff on my Slow Cooker Chili recipe that’s usually made with ground beef. But I’ve been making it meatless for my vegetarian and vegan friends for years, adding in some farro (not gluten-free) or quinoa (gluten-free) for extra protein. And let’s just say, it is always a hit with vegetarians, vegans and meat-lovers alike. My friends love this chili!!!
If you’re in a hurry, it’s easy to whip up in about 30-ish minutes on the stove (see instructions below). But for anyone who loves coming home to a delicious meal simmering in the Crock Pot, I think it’s hard to beat the ease of letting your slow cooker do all of the work with this one. Whatever method you choose, I think you’re going to love this one too. :)
As I said before, I love adding in some extra grains to this vegetarian chili recipe to thicken it up and add some extra protein. About half the time I go with quinoa, which is a great gluten-free option that people seem to enjoy. But my favorite option is to actually use farro, which isn’t gluten-free but does add a deliciously chewy texture and nutty flavor to the chili. That said, you could also sub in barley or rice or other grains that you’d like, or just nix adding extra grains entirely. The choice is yours.
To make the chili in the slow cooker, simply toss all of your ingredients in the Crock Pot and stir to combine. Then cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours until everything is cooked through. So easy!
Or, if you’d like to make this chili on the stovetop, saute your onions in a tablespoon of oil until soft. Then add all of your remaining ingredients (minus the vegetable stock and quinoa or farro) and cook on high until the chili reaches a simmer. Meanwhile in a separate pot, simmer the quinoa or farro in the vegetable stock until it is cooked through. Then add that entire pot (including the extra broth) to the chili mixture, and stir to combine.
Then it’s time to ladle up that chili!
You can either serve it plain…
…or load it up with any of your desired toppings. I went with (vegan) avocado, cilantro, green and red onions. But you could also add in some shredded cheese and/or sour cream if you’re making this vegetarian. Whatever sounds good to you sounds good to me. :)
Hope that you enjoy, and have a happy chili season!
Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 240 minutes
- Total Time: 250 minutes
- Yield: 6 -8 servings 1x
Description
This Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili recipe is hearty, delicious, easy to make, and naturally vegan and gluten-free (if using quinoa).
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked farro* or quinoa**
- 1 medium red or yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce***, chopped
- 2 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (**see below for substitution ideas)
- 2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 (15 ounce) can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup beer (or you can just add extra vegetable broth)
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- (Optional toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, crushed tortilla chips or strips, thinly-sliced green onions, sour cream, salsa, etc.)
Instructions
Slow Cooker Method:
- Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and stir thoroughly to combine. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours until the chili is cooked through. Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper or seasonings if need be.
- Serve immediately, garnished with extra toppings if desired. Or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Stovetop Method:
- In a small pot, cook the farro or quinoa in the vegetable stock according to package directions until it is cooked through. (There will be extra vegetable stock — don’t worry, you’ll add everything to the chili once the farro/quinoa is cooked.)
- Meanwhile as the farro/quinoa are cooking,heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a separate large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add your diced onions and saute for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add all of your remaining ingredients minus the vegetable stock and farro (or quinoa), and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the chili reaches a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Once the quinoa/farro is cooked, add it (along with any extra vegetable stock) to the chili and stir to combine. Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper or seasonings if need be.
- Serve immediately, garnished with extra toppings if desired. Or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
*Farro = not gluten-free
**Quinoa = gluten-free (feel free to use any color of quinoa)
***I used about 3 chipotle peppers, but did not add any extra adobo sauce.
Feel free to also substitute your favorite kind of beans (such as black or Great Northern beans) if you do not like kidney beans.
If you love chili, be sure to also check out these other favorite chili recipes on the blog!
I made this tonight. Probably the best vegetarian chili I’ve tried yet! It was great that you could just throw the ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning and have supper ready after work in the evening. I also liked that I didn’t have to chop up a ton of vegetables like in some of the other vegetarian chilis I’ve made, which can be time consuming. I’ll definitely make this again! Thanks :)
Just a quick note of thank you! I won 3rd place with this recipe at our neighborhood chili cook off. In Texas. Where meat is everything. I put in ground crumbles instead of grains, as someone suggested above, and it was amazing!! Everyone loved it and I will be making this again soon!
Awesome, so glad to hear it!! :)
Just made this for a school fundraiser chili event and it went fast! I did a bean variety (garbanzo, pinto, and black in addition to kidney), added bay leaves and green chilis, and liquid smoke. Next time I might personally put in more chili, salt, and sweetener, but that’s my own taste buds. This is a really great recipe, thanks!
Just as an aside in response to the last commenter asking about using dried beans, they won’t ever fully cook if you add them to the crock pot because of the acidity of the tomatoes (the salt also doesn’t help). Better to cook them separately and toss them in while the chili is cooking, or even when done.
Thanks for sharing with us, Jeremy — we’re so happy it was a hit, and we love your additions! :)
Hi there! We haven’t tried this with dried beans, but yes, cooking this on low should allow enough time for them to cook (and you won’t need to soak them beforehand either). Let us know how it turns out! :)
Thank you for this recipe! My husband and I LOVE this dish and it’s on regular rotation for our meal planning. It’s one of our favorites!
You’re welcome Jasmine — we’re so glad to hear you and your husband love this! :D
Delishous! I’m not a vegetarian, l just want to eat less meat. I am trying to build up my arsenal of meatless meals and this recipe is a keeper. I added more veggies and another can of beans to “beef” up the consistency.
Thanks Warren — we’re so glad you enjoyed it! :)
I am looking at this recipe to use in the chili buffet my son has requested for his 13th birthday party. What size crockpot does this require? I have 4, 5 1/2, and 8 quart models.
Hi Amy! We made this in a 6-qt slow cooker, but we think a 5 1/2 should work fine. We hope you enjoy!
Thanks for a great chili recipe! My office had a chili cook off last Friday – this was the perfect recipe to divide up ingredients among my team and cook the morning of. And guess what? We won the cook off! So thanks! :)
That’s awesome Breanne — we’re so glad it was a hit! :)
I LOVED this chili. I did make a couple of adjustments, but the base was amazing. I added 4 chipotle peppers, omitted the grains and added a package of meatless veggie grounds. So much depth of flavor,just spicy enough. Will make this again! Thank you!
P.S. I used a dark stout for the beer and it was great
Thank you Donna — we’re glad you enjoyed it and the tweaks you made sound yummy! :)
I have a coworker who challenged me to make her a good vegetarian chili. I think I may just use this recipe instead of coming up with my own! If so, I’ll be sure to write about how amazing it is on my blog! It looks so good I can almost smell it! Hahaha ?
That’s awesome Casey — we hope you and your co-worker love it! :)