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
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Crock Pot Vegan Chili
Ingredients
- 4-1/2 cups cooked beans. This would be (3) 15 oz cans of beans, drained and rinsed. I use black, pinto, and cannellini
- 15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes with juice
- 3/4 cups bulgur wheat uncooked dry
- 3/4 cup diced onion
- 2 large cloves of garlic minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth low sodium
- ¾ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup Worchester sauce without anchovies
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon season salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
- Begin by dicing up the onions and garlic.
- If using can beans, drain and rinse them. I do this by dumping them into a colander and rinsing them under water.
- Place all ingredients–onions, garlic, cooked beans, fire-roasted 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.
Video
Notes
- If you want to make chili in your IP, try this Instant Pot Vegan Chili recipe which is basically the same recipe.
- 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.
- Sometimes we like to top our chili beans with my 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.
- Buckwheat groats can be substituted for bulgur to make this recipe gluten-free.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
Can sorghum work instead of bulgur?
Hi Aleda- I haven’t tried this with sorghum but think it’s worth a try. If you give it try, I would love to hear how it comes out.
Absolutely love this chili,made it for game night,delish!!I added small can of diced jalapenos (drained) just for some heat,other than that followed step by step instructions, wonderful
Hi Sue- So glad you enjoyed it! I made it last night for the Super Bowl too. 🙂
OMGosh, this is so GOOD! It looks so “meaty” and tricks your brain. My husband and I love it. We tried 2 chili recipes previously, but this one is “hands down” the best. We just started a list titled, “Foods to serve anyone” and this recipe is on that list. I can’t wait to share it with my non WFPB adult children and I think it will blow their minds. Thank you, Terri!
Hi Kim- Your comment makes me so happy! I have been able to fool many meat-eaters with this chili. I love that you enjoyed it so much. Thank you for such a great review, and I hope it will indeed blow your adult kids’ minds with it. This is so awesome!
@Kim, I would love to see that list! So often the things I try are disappointing…
I made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious! Both my husband and I loved it, and it’s now a favorite chili recipe. I added some diced green peppers that I needed to use up and also used a 28oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes instead of the 15oz because that was all I had. Small changes but I will make it with those additions every time because it was fabulous! Thanks for this great recipe!
Vicki- AWESOME! I am so glad that it’s your new favorite chili recipe. Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback. ♥
I really wanted to love this recipe. It’s super easy to make. However, for me it had way too much ketchup in it. It’s all I really tasted. I think I’ll make it again but leave out the ketchup and add an 8 oz can of tomato sauce.
DP- I think substituting tomato sauce is a good option to help adjust the recipe to your taste preference.
I haven’t made this yet, but would like to know if you have gluten free option for the wheat? thank you!
Judy- A number of people have told me that they use buckwheat groats with great success to make this gluten-free.
Very tasty! I made this the other day. I ended up making a couple of “meal prep” containers of it for the freezer, for those days I don’t feel like cooking.