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…
What would the timing be to cook this on the stovetop (not in the crockpot)?
Gloria, approximately 30 minutes on medium high heat should be good for stovetop.
Terri, Your recipes are ones I keep coming back to, always delicious. This was the first time I have made this, added a 1/2 cup of green chilies because I love them. Only had regular diced tomatoes so added 1/2 tsp smoked paprika. Had this over brown rice with a big salad for dinner last night and then over a bed of spinach and added some corn for lunch today, both were delicious and filling. Thanks!
Sandy, thank you so much! This is such an easy and filling recipe, and I love your addition of green chilies. So glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. What can I substitute instead of bulgar.
Buckwheat groats will also work in place of the bulgur. Others have said it does great!
I wonder if I could add diced green peppers to this. Also could I use soy crumbles instead of bulgur?
Hi Phoebe- I think adding peppers sounds like an excellent idea!
Wat the total amount of broth/water used if using uncooked bulgar?
For 3/4 cup of dry bulgur, you’ll need 4 cups veggie broth (or water). Enjoy!
Thanks. I made it today, and I really liked it. It had a different flavor than most chili’s, which was good. No overwhelming chili powder flavor. I think I will just lessen the salt next time. I am with toddler twins, so I appreciate the easy recipes.
So glad you liked it, Annie. Tweaking to personal preference is what I love so much about cooking. Thank you for the great feedback!
would the amounts be the same if you use the buckwheat groats instead of bulgur ?
Hi Roberta- Yes, the measurements should be the same. Enjoy!
my crock pot has low or high but no medium…could you instruct me on about how long on high or low instead? Thanks
Sure! If cooked on high, the time should be around 3 hours, and if cooked on low, it would be around 4-5 hours, depending on your crockpot. Hope you enjoy it!
Could you please confirm the sodium content for your vegan crockpot chili recipe? The chili looks delicious but I have to restrict my sodium intake. I just discovered your website and subscribed–everything is very inspiring! Thank you so much.
Thanks for bringing the sodium content to my attention. The program definitely had not calculated that correctly. The number has been revised and should be around 384 mg of sodium per serving if using low-sodium ingredients such as vegetable broth and fire roasted tomatoes.
What can be used instead of vegan Worcestershire sauce?
You could use soy sauce or amino acids to replace the Worcestershire sauce, and it shouldn’t affect the taste too much. There’s already so much flavor with the chili powder, onions, spices that the chili will still be great. Enjoy!
Have always made this on the stovetop but on Sunday I made it in my crockpot. I think it was easier in the pot and tastier because the long cook time gave all the flavors time to meld. I left out the Worcestershire (none available) and added some chili peppers (a couple of large anaheim pepper from a friend’s garden), also added half of a large bag of corn (about 2 cups). I gave some to my 14-month-old granddaughter the other day and she loved it! She ate twice as much as I expected.
I love your additions of peppers and corn! So glad to hear that your granddaughter enjoyed it too. Thanks so much for letting me know!
Hi Terri! What are you referring to when you say “season salt”?
Season salt can be purchased in the spice section of many grocery stores, or you can make your own using salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and parsley. I add it to a number of different recipes and like it a lot.
Made this today. Followed the recipe exactly. It was waaaay too sweet for me. I wanted spice, but I am guessing it was the ketchup that sweetened it. I used organic vegan ketchup.
This is a no for me. Not sure how I can save it. Too bad because the recipe is easy.
Thank you for posting though.
I don’t remember ever hearing anyone say that it is too sweet before, but tastes do differ. Perhaps add more beans and bulgur, along with some hot spice such as jalapeno or chipotle. It will make a bigger batch, but it freezes well. Next time I suggest using tomato paste or sauce instead of the ketchup since it is too sweet for your tastes.
Terri I just made this again but used a can of black , a can of red beans, a can of hominy and a can of corn. Holy smokes it is really wonderful!
YAY! That’s awesome, and I love the addition of hominy. What a great idea!
P.S. I put it in the Instant Pot set on manual and cooked 12 minutes. Perfecto!
Thank you for that InstantPot information. Much appreciated!
I made this for the first time today and LOVED it! I didn’t have enough chili powder so I dumped in some crushed red pepper, which worked fine. I also left out the salts in consideration of my blood pressure. I really liked the kick, and it was the perfect bowl to have while I sat and watched the snow come down. Thanks!
Hi Liz- That sounds so fabulous! Where are you that the snow is coming down already? So glad you loved the chili.
Oh my gosh – you weren’t kidding about the flavor; definitely the best Vegan Chili recipe I have tried. Thank you for this!
Hi Ailene- I’m SO glad you enjoyed it!