Crock Pot Vegan Chili

Believe it or not, chili can be made healthy without loads of saturated fat and calories with this amazing Crockpot Vegan Chili that even has meat-eaters licking their lips.

Sometime back, I experimented with a new recipe for chili. It turned out amazing! A follower actually won a cook-off with this delicious crockpot vegan chili recipe!

You’re going to love this vegan chili because it’s…

• Bursting with flavor
• Smokey
• Packed with wholesome ingredients
• A one-pot recipe
• Crockpot recipe
• Super easy to make
• Filling
• Crowd-pleasing
• Award-winning

Even our own 88-year-old Grandma Edwards said she would’ve thought it had ground beef, and she asked me to leave a bowl of it for her dinner.

If this crockpot vegan chili can fool Grandma Edwards, it officially passes the test!

Ingredients in crockpot chili

• cooked beans
• fire-roasted tomatoes
• bulgur
• onions
• garlic
• vegetable broth
• ketchup
• spices

The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.

How to make vegan chili

Begin by dicing up the onions and garlic.

Personally, I like to use can beans for this recipe because I like a variety of different kinds. Simply drain and rinse all of the bean juices before using them.

However, you could just use one type of bean for the whole recipe. This is especially good if you want to make your own beans fresh.

Remember to make sure your beans are already cooked before adding them to the crockpot.

Place all ingredients–onions, garlic, cooked beans, tomatoes, veggie broth, bulgur, maple syrup, and spices–in a crockpot on medium and allow to cook for 4 hours. You can also turn the setting down to low and cook for 6-8 hours.

That’s seriously all there is to it!

If you would like to make this chili in your IP, try my Instant Pot Vegan Chili recipe which is basically the same recipe with a few adjustments.

Award-winning vegan chili recipe

Sometime back, someone won a Chili Cookoff with this recipe. 

I won our chili cook Off contest at work today with your recipe. I proudly let everyone know it was vegetarian and shared your recipe! Thank you!”–Sally

Sometimes we like to top our chili beans with Tofu Sour Cream. It’s so easy to make with only 5 ingredients and a blender.

What is bulgur?

Bulgur is one of the most important ingredients in this recipe. Bulgur is a whole wheat grain that is cooked exactly like rice in about 15 minutes. Follow package directions.

I like to make a big batch of it and store it in the freezer to use in recipes like tacos, stews, nachos, etc. because bulgur adds a ground beef texture and soaks up flavors of the dish you’re preparing.

Remember that you don’t have to precook it for this recipe. Just toss in 3/4 cup dry bulgur.

Pro tips & suggestions

• Either canned or freshly cooked beans work well with this recipe.
• Any type of beans can be substituted. Great options include kidney beans, cannellini, navy, pintos, black beans, and others.
• There is no need to cook the bulgur first. Simply toss it in the pot dry.
• To add more heat or spice to this chili, simply add more cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
• Buckwheat groats can be substituted for bulgur to make this recipe gluten-free.
• To make it in your IP, try my Instant Pot Chili Recipe.
• Sometimes we like to top our chili beans with Tofu Sour Cream. It’s so easy to make with only 5 ingredients and a blender.
• This Crock Pot Vegan Chili goes very well with my Country Cornbread.

*Originally published October 07, 2015.

Other great vegan chili recipes

• Vegan Chili Cheese Fries
• One Pot Mac and Chili
• Yes-You-Can Chili
• Instant Pot Chili

For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!

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If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it by rating it and leaving a comment. We love to hear from you!