Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili with Quinoa and Avocado

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili is thick and creamy, made with fresh veggies, quinoa and avocado. It takes just 20 minutes to prep and 3 hours to cook in your crockpot. You’ll want to add this easy chili recipe to the menu for busy weeknights or game day!

This post was originally published in September 2017 and has been updated with new text, photos and adjustments to the recipe. Scroll to the bottom to see an original photo!

Is it too soon for chili? I mean, it’s not quite fall yet, but I think we could all use some cozy, comfort food. 

Truthfully, I’ve been enjoying this crockpot vegetarian chili a lot lately. It’s been great for those cooler days that are starting to creep in, and perfect to prep ahead for easy lunches and dinners.

This recipe is a little different than your typical veggie chili recipe for a few reasons:

• It’s made with mostly fresh vegetables like baby tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, carrots, peppers and herbs. While the recipe includes canned beans and tomato sauce, this is definitely not a “pantry staples” recipe. 

• There’s no sautéing the onions or other veggies. Everything just goes in the slow cooker at the same time. 

• The cooking liquid is almond milk, not broth. And the chili is thickened with puréed avocado, which adds an ultra creamy texture.

Details on some of the ingredients

Fresh tomatoes: Instead of using canned tomatoes, this recipe calls for fresh baby tomatoes, such as grape or cherry. I love the texture and fresh flavour they add to this slow cooked chili.

Mushrooms: There are four cups of fresh mushrooms in this chili, with a mix of chopped cremini and whole button mushrooms. You can change up the variety of mushrooms you use, or use all the same kind. Just make sure they’re whole or cut into chunky pieces so they don’t overcook in the slow cooker.

Beans: This recipe doesn’t overdo it on the beans so only one can is added to the chili. While I used red kidney beans, feel free to use whatever canned beans you have on hand, such as black, cannellini or pinto beans.

Quinoa: For added heartiness and protein, this recipe includes one cup of quinoa. I used tri-colour quinoa but you can also use just white, red or black.

Lime juice and fresh cilantro: They may not be your typical chili ingredients, but I love adding them for some zest and flavour. It’s subtle, so you can forego these ingredients if you prefer, or even substitute some fresh parsley for the cilantro.

Almond milk: As mentioned above, unsweetened almond milk is used as the cooking liquid in place of veggie broth, which adds to the creamy texture. You can also use another type of non-dairy milk with a neutral taste such as cashew milk.

Avocado: Puréed avocado gets stirred into the chili just before serving for added thickness and creaminess. You can forego the avocado if you prefer, or just serve it on top, but the chili won’t be as thick or creamy.

How to make vegetarian chili in the slow cooker

• Step 1: Add all of the prepared ingredients to your slow cooker, except for the avocado. Stir to combine.

• Step 2: Cook on high for 3 hours, or until the carrots are tender and the quinoa is cooked.

• Step 3: Carefully add a few spoonfuls of the chili liquid from the slower cooker to a blender with the avocado and blend until creamy. Pour into the chili. 

• Step 4: Stir until combined and serve immediately.

How to thicken meatless chili

Here are a few of my tips for keeping vegetarian chili thick, creamy and chunky:

• Avoid cans of watery diced or stewed tomatoes, and use fresh whole grape or cherry tomatoes. If you use canned tomatoes, consider draining them (unless this is your main source of cooking liquid).

• Cut your veggies into thick pieces. This keeps the chili chunky and helps the veggies stay tender as they cook.

• Similarly, don’t overcook the chili. To avoid mushy veggies, cook the chili until the veggies are just barely tender.

• Quinoa and other grains are a great way to thicken chili, and they add heartiness and texture.

• Add more beans to your chili, or blend some up to use as a thickener.

• For an ultra creamy texture, add some puréed avocado or guacamole just before serving.

What to serve with veggie chili

• Tortilla chips are a must for scooping chili out of your bowl, and these homemade air fryer tortilla chips are a go-to in our house.

• You can also go beyond tortilla chips and serve this chili on some loaded veggie nachos.

• This garlic and basil no-knead bread from my friend Carmy looks perfect for dipping into a thick bowl of chili.

• A big dollop of homemade guacamole or jalapeño dip makes the perfect chili topping.

• Add a vegan caesar salad to the side of any bowl of chili for an extra dose of veggies.

• And, of course, what pot of chili is complete without cornbread? This maple skillet cornbread from Flavor the Moments looks like a must try.

Storage, freezing and reheating

How long will vegetarian chili last? Store this chili in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator and it should last for 4-5 days.

Can you freeze it? I often freeze chili but I don’t recommend freezing this one because of the high vegetable content and cooked quinoa in the chili. There’s a good chance it will be a bit mushy once defrosted and reheated.

How do you reheat crockpot chili? This chili works great as leftovers or meal prep. Just reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Additional recipe tips and substitutions

• If you don’t have access to fresh cilantro or basil, you can forego the cilantro or use fresh parsley. You can also replace the fresh basil with one tablespoon of dried basil.

• This chili isn’t overly spicy so feel free to add more chili powder, or even a dash of crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper. 

• Be sure to cut your veggies into thicker pieces (as called for in the recipe). This will ensure they cook evenly and stay tender.

• Try changing up the veggies by adding some fresh corn or stirring in some fresh spinach at the end.

• This easy vegetarian chili calls for no salt added canned beans and tomato sauce. If you use beans and sauce with salt added, you might want to reduce the amount of salt you add to the chili.

If you make this slow cooker vegetarian chili, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.

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Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili with Quinoa and Avocado

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 5 reviews

• Author: Leanne
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 3 hours
• Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
• Yield: 6 bowls
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Slow Cooker
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili is thick and creamy, made with fresh veggies, quinoa and avocado. It takes just 20 minutes to prep and 3 hours to cook in your crockpot. You’ll want to add this easy chili recipe to the menu for busy weeknights or game day!

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Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh grape or cherry tomatoes, whole
• 2 cups cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 2 cups button mushrooms, whole
• 2 cups sliced carrots, 1/4-inch thick
• 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, packed and chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, stems mostly removed, packed and chopped
• 1 can (540 ml) no salt added red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (398 ml) no salt added tomato sauce
• 1 large green pepper, sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 large ripe avocado

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Instructions

1. Grease the slow cooker insert with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker, except the avocado. Stir until combined.
3. Cook on high for 3 hours, or until the carrots are tender and the quinoa is cooked.
4. Add a few spoonfuls of the chili liquid (be careful as it will be hot) to a blender with the avocado and blend until creamy. Pour into the chili and stir to combine. Serve immediately.
5. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 4-5 days.

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Notes

1. If you don’t have access to fresh cilantro or basil, you can forego the cilantro or use fresh parsley. You can also replace the fresh basil with one tablespoon of dried basil.
2. This chili isn’t overly spicy, so feel free to add more chili powder, or even a dash of crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
3. Cut your veggies into thicker pieces (as called for in the recipe). This will ensure they cook evenly and stay tender.
4. This recipe calls for no salt added canned beans and tomato sauce. If you use beans and sauce with salt added, you might want to reduce the amount of salt you add to the chili.
5. Be sure to check out the detailed sections above the recipe card for additional advice and suggestions for making this recipe.