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4.71 from 27 votes

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili

This Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili recipe is hearty, delicious, easy to make, and naturally vegan and gluten-free (if using quinoa).
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 10 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: dairy free, gluten free, slow cooker, vegan, vegetarian
Servings: 6 -8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup uncooked farro* or quinoa**
  • 1 medium red or yellow onion peeled and diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce*** chopped
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans rinsed and drained (**see below for substitution ideas)
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
  • 2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 (15 ounce) can light red kidney beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 cup beer (or you can just add extra vegetable broth)
  • 2 Tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • (Optional toppings: shredded cheddar cheese crushed tortilla chips or strips, thinly-sliced green onions, sour cream, salsa, etc.)

Instructions

Slow Cooker Method:

  • Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and stir thoroughly to combine.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours until the chili is cooked through.  Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper or seasonings if need be.
  • Serve immediately, garnished with extra toppings if desired.  Or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Stovetop Method:

  • In a small pot, cook the farro or quinoa in the vegetable stock according to package directions until it is cooked through.  (There will be extra vegetable stock — don’t worry, you’ll add everything to the chili once the farro/quinoa is cooked.)
  • Meanwhile as the farro/quinoa are cooking,heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a separate large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add your diced onions and saute for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent.  Add all of your remaining ingredients minus the vegetable stock and farro (or quinoa), and stir to combine.  Continue cooking until the chili reaches a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.  Once the quinoa/farro is cooked, add it (along with any extra vegetable stock) to the chili and stir to combine.  Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper or seasonings if need be.
  • Serve immediately, garnished with extra toppings if desired.  Or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

*Farro = not gluten-free
**Quinoa = gluten-free (feel free to use any color of quinoa)
***I used about 3 chipotle peppers, but did not add any extra adobo sauce.
Feel free to also substitute your favorite kind of beans (such as black or Great Northern beans) if you do not like kidney beans.