Crockpot Southwest Vegetarian Chili
Make this incredibly easy Crockpot Southwest Vegetarian Chili and let your slow cooker do most of the work! This bean, veggie, and flavor-packed stew-style chili is the perfect meatless meal for weeknights, potlucks, and more. For a protein boost, you can easily add cooked ground beef, ground turkey, or brisket to the mix. Gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan adaptable. It’s always a hit when I serve it!
If you’re looking for the best gluten-free vegetarian chili, you’ve come to the right place! This easy crockpot bean chili is made with a variety of hearty canned beans, nutritious veggies, and a blend of sweet, spicy, and smoky flavors. I love a good meaty protein-packed bowl of chili, but I was tasked with bringing a veggie chili to a teacher’s luncheon at my son’s middle school and it was a huge hit. They even asked that I bring it again the following year, so I wanted to share it on the blog.
The best part? After some effortless prep work, you can sit back and let your Crockpot do the rest.
Despite having no meat, this chili has incredible flavor thanks to various aromatic veggies, herbs and spices, and a 4 bean blend. The addition of canned baked beans may sound strange, but I promise, they’re a game-changer in vegetarian chili recipes.
If you’re looking for more simple slow cooker comfort food, check out this slow cooker southern ham vegetable soup, slow cooker beef chili, and slow cooker potato soup. Ready to make the best baked bean chili? Dust off your Crockpot, and let’s do it.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- There’s no need to hover over the stove. Fix it and forget it!
- It’s loaded with fiber and plant-based protein.
- Made with fresh vegetables and basic pantry staples.
- The customization options are endless.
- Naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan, but easy to adapt to a meaty version.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Oil: You’ll need a small amount of oil to coat the pan and prevent sticking, like olive or avocado oil.
- Celery, Garlic & Onion: This combo of aromatic veggies adds a layer of intense, savory flavor. I like using yellow onion for cooking chili and raw red onion as a topping.
- Bell Pepper: Green bell pepper adds a pop of contrasting color, but feel free to use red, yellow, or orange. You could also use poblano and cubanelle peppers here for some sweet heat.
- Zucchini: As it cooks down, the flesh helps thicken the chili and adds a subtle sweetness.
- Jalapeno: Use as much or as little as you like. Keep in mind the inner flesh and seeds pack most of the heat.
- Canned Beans: I used black beans, kidney beans, and Great Northern beans. Feel free to mix and match your favorite vegetarian canned beans.
- Canned Baked Beans: Be sure to use vegetarian baked beans. I use an organic brand that doesn’t use high fructose corn syrup. Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s have a good selection of baked beans with minimal ingredients.
- Canned Tomatoes: I love the smoky flavor fire-roasted tomatoes (Muir Glen) adds, but plain canned tomatoes work as well. Add some smoked paprika to deepen the flavor, if you like.
- Canned Chilis: for a layer of sweet heat.
- Frozen Corn: White or yellow corn (thawed). If using canned corn, do not add it until the end.
- Hot Sauce: Frank’s red hot sauce is my go-to, but feel free to use your favorite.
- Chili Spices & Seasonings: I went with chili powder, basil, parsley, and cumin. Add more or less spices to your liking. Paprika, cayenne, chipotle chili powder, and nutmeg are delicious in chili.
- Salt & Pepper (to taste): to balance all flavors.
How to make Southwest vegetarian chili in a slow cooker
Step 1: Sauté vegetables. Warm olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan. Add onion, bell pepper, zucchini, celery, garlic, and jalapeno, and saute until soft and fragrant.
Step 2: Cook chili in slow cooker. Transfer sauteed veggies to your Crockpot along with the remaining ingredients. Give everything a good stir and cook on low for about 6 hours.
Step 3: Garnish and serve. Serve over brown rice or another whole grain along with desired toppings. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- If your slow cooker has a “SAUTE” function – there’s no need to cook the veggies on the stovetop. You can do everything right in the slow cooker.
- Add meat– it’s easy to boost the protein in this recipe by adding a pound of cooked lean ground beef, ground turkey, or leftover brisket.
- Add cinnamon – According to a reader, adding a pinch of cinnamon does wonders in rounding out the heat and adding the right amount of sweet warmth, and I couldn’t agree more!
- Add cocoa powder – This may seem strange, but a tablespoon of cocoa brightens up the other flavors and makes your chili truly something special.
Instant Pot Instructions
Follow the instructions below for your Instant Pot pressure cooker:
- With the Instant Pot on SAUTE, heat the oil. Then, add the veggies and garlic to the pot and saute until soft and fragrant (2 to 3 minutes).
- Add the remaining ingredients and cook on HIGH for 10 minutes before quickly releasing the remaining pressure—season to taste with salt and pepper.
Variations
Beans – Feel free to use a variety (red kidney beans, chickpeas, black beans, red beans, pinto beans, navy beans, Northern beans, cannellini beans, etc.).
Adding more protein – In addition to the various beans, you can add protein to your chili by adding tofu, or your favorite vegetarian meat crumbles.
Adding meat – Feel free to make a meaty version. I recommend browning lean ground beef or turkey with the veggies before adding everything to the Crockpot. You can add cooked brisket in step 2 before the slow cooking process.
What to serve with Southwest veggie chili
Sides – This bean chili is fantastic served over hearty sides like jasmine rice, brown rice, riced cauliflower, and quinoa.
Toppings – A bowl of homemade baked bean chili isn’t complete without toppings. Serve your chili straight from the slow cooker alongside a chili toppings bar, including:
- Shredded Cheddar
- Sour Cream
- Jalapeno Slices
- Chopped Chives
- Tortilla Strips
- Crackers
- Diced Avocado
- Chopped Cilantro
- Diced Red Onion
- Cornbread
Leftovers – Repurpose leftover crockpot baked bean chili in chili mac, burritos, nachos, and loaded chili cheese fries.
Storing & Freezing
Storing: After cooling, transfer your chili to an airtight container and keep it refrigerated for 3 to 4 days. I love making a big pot of this chili on Sundays to enjoy throughout the week.
Freezing: This chili also freezes well. Transfer cooled chili to a freezer-safe container or a resealable bag and freeze for 2 to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating on the stove over medium heat or in the slow cooker over high heat.
Recipe FAQ
This chili is perfect when slow-cooked for 6 hours on low heat. As a general rule, chili can be cooked for 6 to 8 hours on low heat and 3 to 4 hours on high heat.
To add greens to your chili, it’s best to stir them in at the end and let the residual heat soften them. You can use spinach, chopped kale, swiss chard, or collard greens.
If you love this easy crockpot vegetarian chili recipe I would be so grateful if you could leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below. I love reading your comments and feedback!
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Crockpot Southwest Vegetarian Chili
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 15 oz canned black beans undrained
- 30 oz canned kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 15 oz canned great northern beans drained and rinsed
- 16 oz canned vegetarian baked beans without HFCS
- 30 oz canned fire roasted crushed tomatoes I use Muir Glen
- 1 cup frozen white corn thawed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 2 zucchini chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 4 oz. canned diced chilies
- 1 jalapeno chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1/4 cup Franks red hot sauce
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Saute onion, bell pepper, zucchini, celery, garlic and jalapeno in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until soft.
- Combine with all other ingredients into a large slow cooker and cook for about 6 hours on low.
- Serve over brown rice, if desired.
Notes
- If your slow cooker has a “SAUTE” function – there’s no need to cook the veggies on the stovetop. You can do everything right in the slow cooker.
- Add meat– it’s easy to boost the protein in this recipe by adding a pound of cooked lean ground beef, ground turkey, or leftover brisket.
- Add cinnamon – According to a reader, adding a pinch of cinnamon does wonders in rounding out the heat and adding the right amount of sweet warmth, and I couldn’t agree more!
- Add cocoa powder – This may seem strange, but a tablespoon of cocoa brightens up the other flavors and makes your chili truly something special.
Nutrition
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I’ve found that adding a small bit of cinnamon (maybe 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon) to my chili really does wonders in rounding out the heat. You don’t want to be able to taste cinnamon (hence the small amount) but it adds just that right amount of sweet warmth at the back of your throat. It offsets the sharpness of chili powder and hot sauce beautifully.
I’ve also started using a mix of regular and chipotle chili powder in my vegetarian chili. The smokiness helps to somewhat appease the carnivores (*cough* hubby *cough*) who think meat needs to be in every meal. ๐
I’d like to invite you to join me at the Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week! http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/11/clever-chicks-blog-hop-8-turkey.html
I hope to see you there!
Cheers!
Kathy Shea Mormino
The Chicken Chick
This was really good, even without jalapeno (we’re kind of wimps when it comes to spice!) Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you Anne! So glad you liked the recipe. ๐