An easy Vegan Slow Cooker Chili with Quinoa and Enchilada sauce is thick, hearty, and delicious. It’s packed with tons of vegetables, spices, and good-for-you quinoa (which happens to be gluten-free, too)! You won’t miss the meat in this comforting vegetarian meal.
This post is sponsored in partnership with NOW Foods. All opinions expressed (as always) are my own. Thank you for helping support the brands I trust and have the pleasure of working with, making Fit Mitten Kitchen possible!
I’ve been making different versions of this vegan slow cooker chili with enchilada sauce for the past couple of years, and I thought it was about time I share one of my go-to slow cooker meals with you.
But first, story time: I contemplated for quite a while whether or not to put this recipe up on the blog. Why? Because there are so many quinoa chili recipes out there I thought “Is it really necessary to post another?” … Well, funny enough Davida shared not only her same thoughts on the matter but also a quinoa chili recipe! So even though I already had this recipe prepared by the time I read Davida’s post, it just solidified the fact that I was meant to share it with you all along, don’t you think? Funny how life works…
Vegan Slow Cooker Chili with Quinoa
But for REAL, I love this slow cooker enchilada quinoa chili. I actually have this particular recipe to thank for introducing me to a sweet potato and black bean chili in the first place, which eventually morphed into what we have here today.
Ingredients for Vegan Enchilada Quinoa Chili
- sweet potatoes
- bell pepper
- onion
- canned black beans
- canned diced tomatoes
- frozen corn
- minced garlic
- chili powder
- cumin
- paprika
- salt
- quinoa
- enchilada sauce
- water
- lime
- avocado, cilantro, nutritional yeast, tortilla chips, etc. – for topping!
How To Make Vegan Slow Cooker Chili
- Prep your homemade enchilada sauce (more on that below) and vegetables.
- In the bowl of your slow cooker, add sweet potatoes, bell pepper, onion, black beans, tomatoes with juice, corn and garlic. Add chili powder, cumin, paprika and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add quinoa, enchilada sauce, water and lime. Stir all ingredients together until evenly distributed.
- Cook vegan slow cooker chili on HIGH for 3-4 hours, or until sweet potatoes are soft. Serve in large bowls with toppings of choice!
Note: This vegan crockpot recipe makes a hefty batch and will serve a large crowd. We froze about half of it, since it is just Drew and I, and we enjoyed the (unfrozen) leftovers all week!
Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Oh yeah… I always make my own enchilada sauce too because:
- It’s REALLY easy.
- It’s CHEAPER than buying it.
- You control the FLAVOR and ingredients.
All you need for the enchilada sauce is a little bit of flour, oil, tomato paste, chili powder, cayenne, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper and water. Basically everything you already have on hand in your pantry and you’ve got enchilada sauce in under 10 minutes. You can make the sauce while you prep the veggies 😉
Note: You will need to double the enchilada sauce to make 4 cups for the slow cooker vegan chili recipe. For gluten-free, make sure to use gluten-free all-purpose flour.
How To Store
The vegan slow cooker chili recipe will keep best stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
For longer storage, store in your airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Slow Cooker Chili Recipes You’ll Love:
- Butternut Squash and Bean Turkey Chili [Instant Pot and Slow Cooker]
- Vegan Sweet Potato Black Bean Pumpkin Chili
If you make this Vegan Slow Cooker Chili with Quinoa recipe, be sure to leave a comment and review on the blog! I love hearing from you, and it helps others learn more about the recipe too! Xx Ashley
PrintVegan Slow Cooker Chili with Quinoa and Enchilada Sauce
An easy Vegan Slow Cooker Chili with Quinoa and Enchilada sauce is hearty and delicious. You won’t miss the meat in this vegetarian meal!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped sweet potato, about 3 medium
- 1 large bell pepper, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 15oz cans low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 15oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed slightly
- 1 TBS minced garlic
- 1 TBS chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt, to taste
- 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
- 4 cups enchilada sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- juice of 1 lime
toppings:
- avocado, cilantro, nutritional yeast, tortilla chips, etc.
Instructions
- Have your enchilada sauce and veggies prepped.
- In slow cooker, add sweet potatoes, bell pepper, onion, black beans, diced tomatoes with juice, corn and garlic. Sprinkle in seasonings and stir until ingredients are combined.
- Add in quinoa, enchilada sauce, water, and lime. Stir together until ingredients are evenly dispersed in slow cooker.
- Cook chili on HIGH for 3-4 hours, or until sweet potatoes are soft. Serve in bowls and add on favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
*Use enchilada sauce link and follow instructions, but double to make 4 cups. I also subbed in avocado oil and an all-purpose gluten-free flour.
Chili should serve about 12-16 medium-small bowls as written. Store leftovers in fridge up to one week, or transfer to airtight container and store in freezer, up to 3 months.
Nutrition information approximate, based on 12 servings.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/12
- Calories: 237
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 319
- Fat: 7
- Saturated Fat: 1
- Unsaturated Fat: 5
- Carbohydrates: 38
- Fiber: 7
- Protein: 8
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: Vegan Slow Cooker Chili, Vegan Crockpot Recipes, Slow Cooker Vegan Enchilada Quinoa Chili
Kristyn says
Made this last night and it was fantastic! Added a bit of guacamole to the top (grocery store didn’t have any ripe avocados sadly), but it was still delicious! Thank you for this recipe! Do you mind if I use it to share on my own blog beyoutifullyhealthy.me? I’ll give you and your site the credit, of course.
Ashley says
Hi Kristyn! So glad you enjoyed 🙂 I always love adding any form of avocado to chill, guac works too 😉
As long as the recipe is rewritten in your own words with credit and link, that is fine! Thank you for asking 🙂
Rachel says
I love this recipe! Do you happen to know how many Weight Watchers points this is?
★★★★★
Ashley says
Thanks for your comment and review Rachel! Unfortunately I am not sure the WW points here.
nichole says
Hi! Do you have the nutrition info for this recipe?! So excited to try!
Ashley says
Just added it for you 🙂
Nichole says
Thank you!! Would you say 1 cup is about a serving?
Ashley says
Likely 1 heaping cup is close to 1 serving. It’s been a while since I’ve made this myself but that sounds about right 🙂
Rabbit Hor says
What can i use if i don’t have a slow cooker?
Ashley says
I haven’t tested this recipe on the stovetop but if trying, I think simmering everything together, except the quinoa, until the sweet potatoes are soft would work. I wouldn’t add in until the last 20 minutes so it doesn’t overcook.
Michelle says
Can I cook this all day on low? Do you know about how many hours that would be? Thank you, can’t wait to try this recipe!
Ashley says
Hi Michelle, I haven’t cooked this on low before but my guess is that it would need about 6 hours. If possible, I’d check on the tenderness of the sweet potatoes after 5 hours.
Ashlee says
How would I convert this using an instant pot?
Ashley says
I haven’t actually done that with this recipe yet! My *guess* would be maybe 8-10 minutes on Manual pressure??
Candice says
I made this in my slow cooker and it turned out great! Only change I made was using half the enchilada sauce (I added 2 cups vegetable stock in place of the extra sauce). I may even do less next time because I didn’t want that much sauce. Still really yummy and I will keep this recipe. I added cilantro and avocado on top for the perfect finish. Thanks you!
★★★★
Jorjann Kuypers says
Can I use almond flour in the enchilada sauce instead of all purpose?
Ashley says
I don’t believe the almond flour will thicken the sauce like all purpose will. You could use tapioca or likely arrowroot though.
Elizabeth says
My kids love this recipe, so it’s a winner! Filling and tasty, especially if you use a homemade enchilada sauce.
★★★★★
Ashley says
Thank you so much for leaving a review! Glad it was enjoyed 😀