Easy Slow Cooker Vegan Chili

It’s easy to make THE BEST Vegan Chili with soyrizo, three beans and a secret ingredient! Make this recipe in a slow cooker, or on the stove, for a delicious, comforting meal that’s plant-based and gluten-free.

There’s nothing quite like a big bowl of warm chili on a cold winter day. It’s comforting, filling and will warm you up from the inside out! If you’re vegan, or just trying to cut down on your meat intake, there’s no reason that you can’t enjoy that same bowl of piping hot chili.

This Vegan Chili recipe is guaranteed to impress both vegetarians and meat eaters alike! It’s incredibly flavorful and gets great texture from the combination of three beans and soyrizo. The secret ingredient that takes this chili over the top? Salsa! That’s right, instead of just adding canned diced tomatoes to the chili, I add two jars of salsa.

You can mix them up and add chunky or smooth salsa, mild or hot salsa, it’s up to your taste preference! I like a combination of one smooth and one chunky salsa, with one mild and one medium spice. This gives the chili a nice balanced flavor and texture.

Each serving of the chili contains 33 grams of plant-based protein, so you can get your protein, while keeping things vegan!

It only takes 15 minutes to prep this incredible chili recipe! The slow cooker will do the rest of the work for you. Let it slow cook all day and return home to the best vegan chili ever!

Ingredients you’ll need

• Olive oil
• Garlic cloves
• Onion
• Jalapeno
• Soy chorizo – I love the flavor and texture that soyrizo adds to this chili, but you could also substitute in your favorite meatless crumbles, like Impossible Meat, Beyond Meat or Lightlife Smart Ground.
• Black beans – for this recipe I used canned beans to make it quick and easy! When using canned beans, you always want to drain and rinse the liquid from the can, before adding the beans to the recipe.
• Pinto beans
• Kidney beans
• Salsa – this is the secret ingredient that makes this chili so special! Instead of adding a can of diced or crushed tomatoes to the chili, adding salsa gives it an extra layer of flavor and texture. I use one jar of mild salsa and one jar of medium salsa to add a little bit of spice. Feel free to add mild, medium or hot salsa to easily change the spiciness of the chili.
• Chili seasoning or taco seasoning – I’ve used both of these homemade seasoning blends to make this recipe. The chili seasoning is going to contain more chili powder, cumin and slightly more spice than the taco seasoning. It’s absolutely delicious in this recipe, but the taco seasoning is also a fun way to switch things up and it pairs perfectly with the salsa!
• Vegetable broth

Step by step instructions

1. Cook the veggies. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Saute garlic, onion and jalapenos in the skillet.
2. Add the soyrizo to the skillet. Cook the soy chorizo in the skillet for 6-8 minutes.
3. Add the beans to a slow cooker with the cooked soyrizo mixture.
4. Add the salsa and chili seasoning to the slow cooker.
5. Pour the vegetable broth into the slow cooker and stir to combine all of the ingredients.
6. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high 4-5 hours. Feel free to garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and spoon the chili into bowls.

What to serve with it

I like to top this chili with diced red onion, fresh chopped cilantro and slices of fresh avocado. You could also add a dollop of guacamole or vegan sour cream.

If you’re vegetarian, but not vegan, feel free to melt some shredded cheddar cheese on top, or you can always use vegan cheese!

When serving chili, cornbread and chips are always a welcome addition to the party! Try any of these vegan sides to pair with this easy vegan chili.

• Creamy Avocado Salsa with tortilla chips for dipping!
• Vegan Cornbread from Nora Cooks
• Vegan Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins from World of Vegan
• Roasted Poblano Corn Salsa with chips for dipping!

How to make it in an Instant Pot

This chili is delicious in a slow cooker, but also easily made in an Instant Pot in just 30 minutes! Simply follow the steps below for the best Instant Pot Vegan Chili!

1. Press the saute button on the Instant Pot.
2. Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot, then add the onion, jalapeno and garlic. Saute for 3-4 minutes in the Instant Pot.
3. Add the soyrizo to the Instant Pot and cook for 6-8 minutes.
4. Press the cancel/keep warm button.
5. Add the beans, salsa, chili seasoning and vegetable broth to the Instant Pot. Stir all of the ingredients together.
6. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the vent knob to sealing.
7. Cook on HIGH for 10 minutes.
8. Once the timer goes off, let the steam release naturally, then remove the lid from the Instant Pot.
9. Stir the chili and serve immediately with your favorite toppings.

Tips and tricks

• Vegan chili leftovers will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 7 days, stored in an airtight container. This means, you can easily meal prep it on Monday and eat it throughout the week!
• Leftover chili can be served in a bowl, on top of nachos, stuffed in a baked potato or served in a burrito.
• To reheat the chili, add it to a pot on the stove over medium-high heat and heat, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes. You can also reheat it in the microwave. Place the chili in a microwave-safe bowl, microwave for 2 minutes, stir the chili, then microwave for an additional minute.
• The spice of this chili can easily be altered. To make a mild chili, use mild salsa. To spice up the chili, use medium or hot salsa, or add 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper with the chili seasoning.
• You can make this chili on the stovetop. To do this, you’ll want to cook the onions, jalapenos, garlic and soyrizo on the stove in a large pot, or dutch oven. Add the beans, salsa, chili seasoning and vegetable broth. Combine all of the ingredients. Bring the chili to a simmer on the stove, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes on the stove. Remove the lid and serve.

More vegan recipes to try

For more delicious vegan recipes, check out these popular recipes!

1. Vegan Pad Thai with Zoodles
2. Thai Peanut Sweet Potato Buddha Bowls
3. Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos
4. Veggie Fajita Rice Bowls
5. Kimchi Fried Rice
6. Roasted Butternut Squash Spinach Salad

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