Slow Cooker Vegan Chilli

This really is the best vegan chilli recipe made from pantry staple ingredients and only 10 minutes of prep! A hearty mix of beans, vegetables and lentils are dumped into a slow cooker making it perfect for meal prepping. The result is a thick, filling and deeply satisfying vegetarian dinner.

This slow cooker vegetarian chilli is one of my favourite dairy free dinner recipes. Its honestly so simple, is packed full of good for you ingredients, and tastes so good! I seem to always forget just how tasty this recipe is and each time I make it I am so glad it’s a big batch!

While the whether might still be pretty warm here in sunny Queensland, it is technically Autumn and therefore it’s time to pull out the slow cooker.

This slow cooker recipe is not one that is going to ask you to do a bunch of prep work. You don’t have to sauté anything in a pan first. It’s a 100% dump and go style recipe which we love for days (and weeks) that just feel busy.

Plus we make a huge pot, making 6 serves so it’s perfect for a Sunday meal prep day where you don’t actually want to spend hours cooking but still want to have delicious and healthy lunches ready for the week.

Key Ingredients

This chilli recipe is the ultimate in pantry staple comfort food as most of the ingredients used here also have a long shelf life so it’s perfect for using up those extra cans of beans and vegetables that you have collected in the back of your pantry.

Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Onion and garlic – finely diced and added straight into the pot – no sauteing needed!
• Tomatoes – canned diced tomatoes are what I use here.
• Tomato paste – to add depth and richness to the flavour.
• Beans – I am using 1 can each of black beans and kidney beans. You can use all of one or the other or substitute with a can of chickpeas as well.
• Red lentils – dried red lentils are what’s going to make this chilli really thick and filling! I don’t recommend skipping or adding a different type of lentil as they wont absorb the liquid and break down in the same way.
• Corn – I am using canned corn to keep this recipe all pantry staples, but you could also add frozen corn.
• Taco seasoning – I like to use a store bought spice blend to reduce the prep time as you don’t need to individually measure a bunch of spices. You can however make your own taco spice mix if you prefer, I’ve got the details for that in the recipe notes.
• Vegetable stock – Being a slow cooker recipe, we don’t need a lot of liquid but the stock is going to be absorbed by the lentils and give the dish extra flavour. You could however just use water if that’s all you had.

Feel free to play around with what you use in this chilli and make it your own! You can also use diced capsicum if you have any. If you like things spicy, you can also add a chopped jalapeno or some extra chilli powder.

How to make vegan lentil chilli

To make this vegetarian chilli you will of course need a slow cooker. You can use either a regular slow cooker, or the slow cook function on your multi-cooker which is what I’ve done. I have the Philips All in One Pressure Cooker which has both high and low slow cooker functions.

The prep involved in this recipe is to chop your onion and garlic and then rinse and drain your beans. From there, you just start dumping everything into your slow cooker and give it a good mix to combine.

Pop on the lid and set your timer for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. And that is it!

This recipe honestly is so easy and once the timer is up, just give it a big mix again and then taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.

From there, it’s up to you how to serve it!

Freezing and storing instructions

This vegan chilli will last in the fridge for 4-5 days no worries and freezes very well for up to three months.

This is one of those recipes that get’s better with age as the flavours develops making it perfect for meal prep!

To reheat, let it defrost in the fridge overnight or heat directly from frozen in the microwave or in a small pot on the stove.

More Vegan Dinner Recipes:

Vegan Mac and Cheese
One Pot Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
Crispy Black Bean Tacos
Golden Turmeric Sweet Potato Soup
5 Minute Sweet and Spicy Noodles
Roasted Vegetable Bowls with Green Goddess Sauce

Slow Cooker Vegan Chilli

This really is the best vegan chilli recipe made from pantry staple ingredients and only 10 minutes of prep! A hearty mix of beans, vegetables and lentils are dumped into a slow cooker making it perfect for meal prepping. The result is a thick, filling and deeply satisfying vegetarian dinner.

4.72 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours hours

Total Time: 4 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Sally

Equipment

• slow cooker

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 1 onion peeled and diced
• 2 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
• 2 x 400 gram cans tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 x 400 gram can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 x 400 gram can kidney beans drained and rinsed
• 1 cup red lentils
• 1 x 400 gram can corn drained
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 x 30 gram pack taco seasoning
• 2 cups vegetable stock

Optional Toppings

• avocado
• tortilla chips
• vegan sour cream or plain yoghurt
• vegan cheese

Instructions

• Place all ingredients in the base of a slow cooker and stir everything together. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
• Once cooked, give the chilli a good stir and serve as is or with vegan sour cream or yoghurt, sliced avocado, vegan cheese and tortilla chips if desired.

Notes

Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Taco seasoning: you can make your own taco seasoning by combining ½ tablespoon chilli powder, ½ tablespoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon paprika,1 teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon black pepper. 

Nutrition

Calories: 537kcal | Carbohydrates: 112g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 1491mg | Potassium: 974mg | Fiber: 20g | Sugar: 64g | Vitamin A: 932IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 6mg

Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.

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This post was originally published on the 5th April 2020 and has been republished to include better instructions, more helpful information and new photos.