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
Crock Pot Vegan Chili
Ingredients
- 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 (homemade or low-sodium)
- 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
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in crock pot on medium and allow to cook 4 hours.
Recommended Products
-
Crock-Pot 6-Quart Cook & Carry Manual Portable Slow Cooker, Stainless Steel -
Bob's Red Mill, Bulgur Wheat
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Amount Per Serving: Calories: 440 Total Fat: 2.5g Sodium: 384mg Carbohydrates: 80.6g Fiber: 18g Protein: 25g
Valerie Scrafford says
July 9, 2015 at 10:39 amLooks good. I never pre-cook my bulgar…just dump it in, and it cooks and soaks up the flavor.
susan says
October 29, 2015 at 8:41 amDo you add the extra water?
Terri says
October 29, 2015 at 10:27 amSusan, 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. 🙂
Helen E Sanborn says
December 5, 2018 at 7:51 pmYour recipe says uncooked bulgur, but doesn’t mention adding extra water. How much water?
EatPlant-Based.com says
December 5, 2018 at 9:56 pmThe recipe calls for 4 cups of vegetable stock, so that is all the bulgur will need to cook to the right consistency. Enjoy!
Carol says
November 28, 2018 at 11:22 amLooks awfully dry.
EatPlant-Based.com says
November 28, 2018 at 11:31 amCarol, 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?
Patsy Birkner says
November 4, 2015 at 11:24 amSounds wonderful. However, my slow cooker only has high & low. Guess 2 1/2 hours on high will do it. Take care.
Terri says
November 4, 2015 at 12:11 pmPatsy, yes, I think that would work just fine. Happy cooking!
Chris says
December 4, 2015 at 2:45 pmTerri, would you consider posting pressure cooking instructions, especially from dry beans? I love this recipe!
Terri says
December 5, 2015 at 2:56 pmChris, 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.
Doug says
December 7, 2015 at 9:03 pmI 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.
Terri says
December 8, 2015 at 6:43 amTomato paste or tomato sauce would be a great substitute for the ketchup. These colder days are perfect for chili. Enjoy!
Lonnie says
January 11, 2016 at 10:01 amSounds good. ……going to get the crock pot out. Thanks!
EatPlant-Based.com says
May 30, 2016 at 7:51 amThree-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.
Mary says
November 5, 2016 at 12:48 pmI live in Canada, and have never seen fire roasted tomatoes. Would a can of diced tomatoes work?
EatPlant-Based.com says
November 5, 2016 at 1:27 pmMary, yes, diced tomatoes will work too. Fire roasted tomatoes just add a little extra flavor. Enjoy!
Kay says
November 16, 2016 at 11:41 amThis 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.
Naomi says
February 2, 2017 at 12:21 pmIs there a gluten-der substitute for the bulgar?
EatPlant-Based.com says
February 2, 2017 at 12:48 pmSome people say buckwheat groats work well as a replacement. I haven’t tried it yet though.
Sally says
February 14, 2017 at 1:48 pmI 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
EatPlant-Based.com says
February 14, 2017 at 3:32 pmThat’s AMAZING! You just made my day! Thank you for letting me know. I think I’ll share this on my facebook page! 😀
Amanda says
February 15, 2017 at 9:16 pmWhat is season salt, and how is it different from sea salt? I don’t want to put too much salt in it. Thanks
EatPlant-Based.com says
February 15, 2017 at 9:51 pmVery 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.
Tami Cockrell says
February 17, 2017 at 7:45 pmAll 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.
EatPlant-Based.com says
February 17, 2017 at 8:35 pmI too love the texture of bulgur in chili. So glad that you are loving it. Happy cooking!
Dick H says
April 8, 2017 at 6:53 pmI didn’t have Bulgur available so threw in soy curls. Still cooking and keeping my fingers crossed that it turns out ok!
Tracy says
May 2, 2017 at 12:02 pmI 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 🙂
Katherine says
May 3, 2017 at 12:51 pmMade 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.