Yeah, I know, it’s 90 degrees outside and most people don’t want to be eating chili right now, but I’m a year ’round chili eater. Especially back in the day when I worked in a building that kept their AC set to 68 and it felt like winter all year long. I know I’m not the only one who suffers in summertime office AC, so this one goes out to all you fellow members of the always cold club. And the rest of you? Just bookmark this page and set a reminder in your phone to revisit this awesome Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lentil Chili two months from now. ;)
It’s All About The Toppings…
I’ve written and priced this recipe for Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lentil Chili as just the chili itself, without toppings because toppings are very personal, and often depends on what is already on hand. I love adding something creamy (cheese, sour cream, or avocado), something green (green onion, cilantro, or avocado), and sometimes something starchy (tortilla chips, oyster crackers, cornbread, or crusty bread for dipping). Make the chili your own with the toppings and take advantage of this opportunity to use up some leftovers from your fridge!
Vegetarian or Vegan?
The chili itself is actually vegan! But I titled it with vegetarian because I’m picturing it with non-vegan toppings, but you can customize that to your needs. ;)
Freezer Friendly
This chili is extremely freezer friendly, so as soon as you’re done cooking it, I suggest dividing it into single portions. Once those portions have cooled completely in the fridge, transfer at least a few to your freezer for long term storage. You can take one out at a time whenever the craving for chili hits and reheat either in the microwave or in a pot on the stove.
Chili Seasoning Short Cut
For this recipe, I used a slightly modified version of my Homemade Chili Seasoning, but if you want a shortcut you can use a store-bought packet of chili seasoning in its place. But I have to say, I think the herbs and spices listed in the recipe below will definitely yield a better result. ;)
Serve with a side of Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread
Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lentil Chili
Servings 6 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 1 yellow onion ($0.33)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 15oz. can petite diced tomatoes (with juices) ($0.48)
- 1 6oz. can tomato paste ($0.48)
- 1 15oz. can black beans, drained ($0.59)
- 1 15oz. can kidney beans, drained ($0.59)
- 1 cup brown lentils, uncooked ($0.70)
- 1 Tbsp chili powder ($0.30)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika ($0.10)
- 1 tsp ground cumin ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- freshly cracked black pepper ($0.03)
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil* ($0.13)
- 4 cups vegetable broth ($0.52)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion and garlic to the slow cooker along with all the other ingredients and stir to combine.
- Place a lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours (or low for 8 hours). After cooking, the lentils should be tender. Taste the chili and add salt to taste, if needed (this will depend on the salt content of your broth).
- Serve the chili hot, with your favorite toppings.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Slow Cooker Lentil Chili – Step by Step Photos
Dice one onion and mince two cloves of garlic. Add the onion and garlic to the slow cooker along with one 15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes (with their juices), one 6 oz. can of tomato paste…
One 15 oz. can black beans (drained), one 15 oz. can kidney beans (drained), one cup of uncooked brown lentils…
1 Tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked pepper (about 20 cranks of a pepper mill). If you don’t have a well stocked spice cabinet, you can substitute one packet of store bought chili seasoning.
Also add 4 cups vegetable broth and 2 Tbsp coconut oil. I like to use coconut oil because it has a similar mouth feel to animal fats (because it’s a solid saturated fat), but you can use your favorite fat or oil in its place. Give everything a good stir to distribute the spices and tomato paste.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours (or low for eight hours). Once it has cooked the lentils should be tender. Give it a taste and add salt if needed.
Then grab whatever toppings you have in your fridge and GO TO TOWN.
Each bowl can be unique, which means leftovers of this Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lentil Chili will be a little less tiring…
But don’t you just want to dive in, tho?? 🤤
Made a double batch of this in my 8 quart instant pot last night because I didn’t have time for the slow cooker. I sauteed the onions in some olive oil on the saute setting first, then dumped everything else in. I cooked on high pressure for 8 minutes and let it do a natural release because I had the time. The lentils weren’t falling apart, but in hindsight I could have probably done 6 minutes. It was great!
This recipe was AWESOME! I Love to cook…and reading over many vegan chili recipes liked the sound of this one…my son in law is Vegan and I was visiting them for the Holidays…Thumbs up to you! The Smoked Paprika really set if off for me…I’m back home making it today for myself
Happy to hear you loved it as well as everyone else! Great work Sharon
Really satisfying, richly flavoured chilli! I’m trying to do meatless meals more often for environmental reasons and this one fits the bill. I squeezed it into a small slow cooker by adding 1 cup less vegetable broth and used fire-roasted diced tomatoes since it was what was in the pantry, but everything still balanced and cooked beautifully! Especially with a bit of cheese and green onion garnish, this thing is the real deal!! Thanks for another great recipe! Happy belly :)
Thank you Catherine!
The 1 Tbsp of Chili Powder was way too spicy for me!!! Gonna have to reduce it next time I make this.
The lentils didn’t seem to cook too well in my Tefal All-In-One CY505E40 Cooker on the Slow Cooker setting. Has anyone got tips for conversion to different machines?
Can you double this recipe in a 8 quart crock pot?
We haven’t tried it yet Melissa but you can certainly try!
Could you make this with ground beef instead of lentils? I’m looking for a non vegetarian chili recipe.
You could try it Danielle but we have a great chili here that may be more up your alley https://www.budgetbytes.com/basic-chili/
As usual, this recipe did not disappoint!
I didn’t read the directions initially and didn’t notice this was a slow cooker recipe, so I ended up making it on the stove top.
I added a poblano pepper and 2 large carrots. Otherwise kept everything the same.
My 6 yr devoured it and asked to take it to school tomorrow!
That’s a win all around! Great work Cinda!
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this recipe. Tonight is my 6th time making it. It’s delicious. I’m cooking it tonight and it will be done just before I get up. Even my carnivorous son loves it. I haven’t put the coconut oil in. I’m not sure what to buy at the store as I’ve never used it before. The seasonings are awesome. This has such wonderful flavor. Thank you.
That’s awesome! You can just swap olive oil for the coconut.
Can I use red or French green lentils instead of brown?
Thank you
Red lentils break down very quickly when cooked, so instead of holding their shape in the chili like the brown lentils, they’ll just turn into mush. That might not bother some people, but you’ll definitely end up with a different texture than what’s pictured. :)
This chili was fantastic and as a rule I don’t even like chili to begin with! My daughter gave me the recipe when I told her I had some lentils I didn’t know what to do with. I was really skeptical that I would like it, but I made it anyhow because my son is vegetarian. We both absolutely loved it and will definitely make it again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Laurie! :)
I can’t find lentils in any local stores, can I substitute something like quinoa?
I’ve seen recipes for quinoa chili before, but never tried it myself, so unfortunately I’m not sure just how well it would perform in this recipe.
Fall has arrived in the Midwest, and this chili is exactly what we needed today. It was super easy to make and extremely flavorful. This one will definitely make the regular rotation. Thanks!
Finally right Ginny! Happy to hear you liked it!
Hi I am just wondering what the fat content per serve is for this recipe without all the optional toppings.
Can you please let me know?
Thanks
Natalie
Thanks for the request! We do get that request a lot, but unfortunately we don’t have a reliable source for the nutrition information. The calculators and databases that most bloggers and websites use to calculate the info can be extremely inaccurate, and for something that can so severely impact the health of people with health conditions, we just don’t feel comfortable publishing unreliable numbers. We prefer to leave it up to the reader to use the database or calculator they trust. I’m sorry and I wish accuracy were easier than shipping the food off to a lab for analysis!
Very flavorful and filling!
Is there a way to prepare this without a slow cooker?
It should be pretty easy to convert to stove top. I haven’t tested it so I can’t give exact instructions, but you should be able to just add all the ingredients like you do in the slow cooker, bring it up to a boil, then turn it down to low and let it simmer until the lentils are tender.
TLDR yes, you absolutely can make this without a slow cooker.
So I’ll chime in here and say that this recipe is nearly identical to the basic chili recipe from this same site, the differences being no brown sugar (why Beth?), four cups of broth, and less salt (because of the broth). And of course lentils vs ground meat. I also add the optional smoked paprika, because once you try it, it’s no longer optional.
I LOVE the basic chili recipe and make it all the time. Usually I’ll use TVP in place of meat, but I will also often use lentils instead and can tell you it’s delicious. If doing lentils, I cook the lentils in the broth with the onion and garlic, then add the rest of the ingredients (omit the cup of water from the basic recipe since you used broth cooking the lentils) and simmer on low for about an hour. I eat this all the time.
I just found the lentil slow cooker version about a week ago and I’m making it today, and I’m kinda kicking myself for not just dumping everything in the pot and cooking the lentils while simmering the chili, but I never claimed to be the sharpest tool in the shed.
Great tips Scott!
How come the stuff in the image isn’t on the ingredients list, such as avocado, sour cream, etc? It would be hard to replicate the image and stay in the cost range.
They’re optional toppings that not everyone wants to include. So we keep them out of the ingredient list for that reason.
You can save a couple bucks by buying dried beans and cooking them yourself! Then you can buy an avocado for the topping. 😃