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?? 🤤
This chili is so delicious and wonderful! It was super easy to make and made my whole apt smell amazing!
I rarely comment on recipes, but this one was a winner!!! Such a quick, easy and delicious vegetarian/vegan recipe. Perfect meal prep for a busy week.
I was wondering about the oil. I see no need to add oil to a recipe when I am sautéing anything I have made chili and bean soup recipes tons of times and never added oil. but I hate to make it and at the end it doesn’t taste right so I though I would ask. Why add oil at all?
Adding fat to this recipe makes the soup a little richer, and carries the flavors better. I’ve also found adding a bit of fat to something with a lot of tomatoes make it taste a bit smoother.
Very yummy – after it came out of the slow cooker I found it to be quite watery, so I finished it off by simmering it on the stove uncovered. Will do this again, or may try adding cornflour to thicken it up, as I’m hesitant to add less liquid for the cooking.
Hi I’m new to cooking so I’m sorry if this is a stupid question.
Can you show me how 4 cups vegetable broth (about 32oz) cost $0.52? At my grocery store, 32oz of broth of various types usually cost $1.50.
Thank you so much!
You can find out more about our recipe costs here https://www.budgetbytes.com/how-to-calculate-recipe-costs/
If you use Better Than Bouillon it is a LOT cheaper than buying actual liquid vegetable broth! I think that may be where the price in this recipe came from.
Delicious! My husband and I love beef or turkey chili, but this was a great alternative. Served it with shredded cheese, greek yogurt, and cornbread on top! Cooked on high for 4 hours and low for another hour and it was perfect.
This chili was SO delicious! I made it a few weekends ago and I can’t wait to make it again this weekend!
Made this today with olive oil instead of coconut, and I used chicken broth, because I prefer it over vegetable broth. Came out really good, but a little heavy on the onions for me, and I only used 1/2 the onion. Next time, I will use 1/4 onion, and blend the tomatoes first with my immersion blender, to make them a little less chunky. Like others, it did take a little longer for the lentils to cook. I cooked it in the slow cooker for 4 hrs in Hugh, and 2 hours on low.
I made this over the weekend and it is amazing! It has such good flavor and is so filling. I took the easy route and used frozen diced onions, so all I had to do was chop the garlic and open a few cans. The prep could not have been easier! I highly recommend this recipe.
If using stove top, what cooking time would you recommend please?
I’m looking forward to trying this tonight however I just gave it a quick taste after cooking 8hrs on low and my lentils are still hard…not raw but not soft and need more cooking. Should I have soaked them?
I did not soak my lentils. 8 hours should have been plenty of time, so I wonder if your slow cooker’s low setting is extra low? Or if the lentils are old? Sometimes beans and other pulses don’t ever soften if they are too old.
Great flavor! I didn’t have enough lentils so I finished the cup with quinoa. Perfect.
LOVE this recipe, but can’t seem to find the nutritional information. Any help with calories per serving?
We only recently brought on a Registered Dietician to our team. She’s working hard behind the scenes to update the entire recipe database, over 1500+ recipes, with nutritional information. She’s working her way from the newest recipes back and it takes some time to update them all. Stay tuned!
Obviously it’s full of fiber! 😉
I calculated it as I cooked it in My Fitness Pal, and it came out as around 213 cal per serve – without any sides (e.g. the avocado, corn chips etc. were additional). Keep in mind this is based on the ingredients I used in Australia, but might give you a rough idea?
Can I used canned lentils?
Since canned lentils are already cooked and have absorbed all their liquid, you will need to reduce the amount of broth in the recipe or else the end result will be more soupy. It’s hard to say how much without testing it, but I’d guess somewhere around 1-2 cups broth instead of 4.
Made this in a pressure cooker as some others have mentioned. I sauteed the onion and garlic in the coconut oil for 5 minutes. Cooked on high pressure for 10 minutes and let it naturally release for 10 minutes before quick releasing. Tasted amazing! I used frozen black beans i had previously made, just threw them in straight from the freezer.
We needed a quick dinner so we made this in the Instant Pot instead. We cooked it for 10 minutes at high pressure, then a quick release after 5 minutes. It came out perfectly! For vegans or anyone else who has an Instant Pot, this is a great “go to” recipe for when you need a quick dinner with a minimum of work from items you can easily keep on hand.
We tried this twice, with lentils each time. The flavor was decent, but the lentils, even after 6 hours on high, were like little rocks. Even tried this on the stove top with similar results. The lentils were just crunchy and not good. Made it a third time, subbing in lean ground chicken mince and, well, wow! The flavor was way better overall; it turned out wonderfully.
Maybe you put too much salt?
when you cook hard beans / lentils in the slow cooker you have to add salt and seasonning after they’ve softened or it will never happen!
did you try soaking the lentils over night before using them? That’s usually the trick :-)