Sometime back, I experimented with a new recipe for chili. It turned out amazing! A follower actually won a cook-off with this delicious crock pot vegan chili recipe!
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 it can fool Grandma Edwards, it officially passes the test!
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Ingredients in crock pot chili
- beans
- fire roasted tomatoes
- bulgur
- onions
- garlic
- vegetable broth
- spices
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 in freezer to use in recipes like tacos, stews, nachos, etc. because bulgur adds a ground beef texture and soaks up flavors of dish you’re preparing.
But, you don’t have to precook it for this recipe. Just toss in 3/4 cup dry bulgur, and add 1-1/2 cups extra water. That makes it even simpler!
Buckwheat groats can be substituted for bulgur to make this recipe gluten-free.
Nutrition in Bulgur
Eating bulgur wheat may help to alleviate chronic inflammation, thereby protecting against some diseases.
In a clinical study published in the February 2008 issue of the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,” researchers found that people who consumed higher amounts of betaine, a metabolite found in whole wheat, had lower concentrations of homocysteine, a marker of chronic inflammation that has been linked to heart disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease and type 2 diabetes.–LiveStrong
This Crock Pot Vegan Chili goes very well with my Country Cornbread.
InstantPot cooking instructions
InstantPot instructions from follower Kay.
This was by far the best vegan chili recipe I have ever tried. The flavor from the combination of ingredients and seasoning was perfect. I made it in my instant pot cooking the bulgur and beans first. Added the rest of the ingredients and set for 6 minutes on manual.
To cook the bulgur I added 1 c dry to 1 3/4 c water and cooked in the IP for 4 minutes. I did decrease to overall salt by 1 teaspoon but that was personal preference. I also used the catsup and found it to add the perfect flavor addition.”
Award winning chili recipe
Earlier this year, 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 my Tofu Sour Cream. It’s so easy to make with only 5 ingredients and blender.
Other Great Recipes That Use Bulgur
Plant-Based Vegan Starter Kits $27
Sometime back, I experimented with a new recipe for vegetarian chili in my crockpot. Turned out amazing! A follower even won a cookoff with this delicious 3 bean vegan chili!
- 4-1/2 cups cooked beans. This would be 3 15 oz cans of beans, drained and rinsed. I used black, pinto, and cannellini
- 1 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
- ¾ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup Worchester sauce without anchovies
- 2 Tbsp. chili powder
- 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. season salt
- ½ tsp. cayenne pepper optional
- salt to taste
-
Place all ingredients in crock pot on medium and allow to cook 4 hours.
Recipe Video
Looks good. I never pre-cook my bulgar…just dump it in, and it cooks and soaks up the flavor.
Do you add the extra water?
Susan, in this recipe, I only add the extra water if the bulgur is uncooked. Most of the time, I have bulgur cooked and frozen to be easily added to recipes. In that case with this recipe, I would not add the extra water, because the bulgur is cooked. If, however, I didn’t have any on-hand in the freezer and needed to add it uncooked (dry), I would need to add the extra water to allow it to cook in the crockpot with the beans and have plenty of moisture. 🙂
Your recipe says uncooked bulgur, but doesn’t mention adding extra water. How much water?
The recipe calls for 4 cups of vegetable stock, so that is all the bulgur will need to cook to the right consistency. Enjoy!
Looks awfully dry.
Carol, it shouldn’t look dry at all. Make sure you included the 4 cups of vegetable broth and 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes with juice. Did you only use the 3/4 cup of dry bulgur and include only cooked beans (either from a can or freshly cooked) before adding them?
Sounds wonderful. However, my slow cooker only has high & low. Guess 2 1/2 hours on high will do it. Take care.
Patsy, yes, I think that would work just fine. Happy cooking!
Terri, would you consider posting pressure cooking instructions, especially from dry beans? I love this recipe!
Chris, I have never used a IP pot before, so I’m not sure about the cooking instructions. I’m sorry. Hopefully, someone on here that is IP savvy can chime in here.
I wonder if it’s a typo 3/4 cup ketchup? I used ketchup 75% less sugar. Chili came out way too sweet. Loved the look and the texture of this chili. I’ll make again later in the week using tomato paste instead of the ketchup.
Tomato paste or tomato sauce would be a great substitute for the ketchup. These colder days are perfect for chili. Enjoy!
Sounds good. ……going to get the crock pot out. Thanks!
Three-Bean-Bulgur Chili—
Ingredients:
3 cans of beans, drained and rinsed. I used black, pinto, and cannellini
1 can fire roasted tomatoes, with juice
1-1/2 cooked bulgur wheat (This has a ground beef texture and soaks up flavors. Cooks just like rice in 15 minutes and can be found at most grocery stores.)
1 small diced onion
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups vegetable broth
¾ cup ketchup
¼ cup Worchester sauce (without anchovies)
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. season salt
½ tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
2 tsp. sea salt
Place all ingredients in crock pot on medium and allow to cook 4-5 hours.
I live in Canada, and have never seen fire roasted tomatoes. Would a can of diced tomatoes work?
Mary, yes, diced tomatoes will work too. Fire roasted tomatoes just add a little extra flavor. Enjoy!
This was by far the best vegan chili recipe I have ever tried. The flavor from the combination of ingredients and seasoning was perfect. I made it in my instant pot cooking the bulgur and beans first. Added the rest of the ingredients and set for 6 minutes on manual. To cook the bulgur I added 1 c dry to 1 3/4 c water and cooked in the IP for 4 minutes. I did decrease to overall salt by 1 teaspoon but that was personal preference. I also used the catsup and found it to add the perfect flavor addition.
Is there a gluten-der substitute for the bulgar?
Some people say buckwheat groats work well as a replacement. I haven’t tried it yet though.
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
That’s AMAZING! You just made my day! Thank you for letting me know. I think I’ll share this on my facebook page! 😀
What is season salt, and how is it different from sea salt? I don’t want to put too much salt in it. Thanks
Very good point. I didn’t even realize that I had both salts listed. I would suggest just using season salt, as it is a mixture of salt, herbs, and spices like turmeric and onion.
All I can say is Wow! It still has 2 hrs in crock pot, but I keep going and stealing bites from it. I tweaked slightly, but it tastes amazing. I’ve never cooked Bulgar before, but I love how it looks like ground meat. I’ve tried several different WFPB chilis, but none a winner until now. I’m so excited to try more of your recipes.
I too love the texture of bulgur in chili. So glad that you are loving it. Happy cooking!
I didn’t have Bulgur available so threw in soy curls. Still cooking and keeping my fingers crossed that it turns out ok!
I just made this chili – it’s amazing!! Just thought I should share – also, I didn’t have pre-cooked bulgar so I added the uncooked and the extra liquid and it turned out great 🙂
Made this in my pressure cooker with a few modifications. Cooked 1 cup of each beans with 6 cups of vegetable broth and other ingredients except Bulgar. After beans were cooked i added 3 tablespoons of maple syrup and some liquid smoke and a sprinkle of Chipotle powder. Closed pressure cooker and set for 15minutes. Nice BBQ smokey chili flavor. Excellent flavor and texture. I will make it again and will plan on making this for friends and family that are meat eaters.