This easy vegan Slow Cooker Tempeh Chili is the ultimate comfort food. It is a healthy and hearty meal the whole family will love.
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"What a great way to use tempeh! I love this recipe and am glad it wasn't too spicy! - Donna"
This Slow Cooker Tempeh Chili is super easy to make. The only thing you have to do is chop ingredients and throw everything in a Crockpot.
It is gluten-free if you use soy tempeh with brown rice. Make sure to read labels because some contain grains.
For this Tempeh Chili, I used all of my favorites: red and green pepper, tempeh, jalapeño, and black beans. I did not make this chili spicy so that it can be customized per person with hot sauce when eating it.
If you are a tempeh lover, try my Tempeh Avocado Wrap or my BBQ Tempeh Tacos.
Serve it with some Lemon Kombucha.
Jump to:
❤️ Why You'll Love It
- It is an easy hands-off recipe that only requires a bit of chopping.
- It's warm and comforting.
- It's perfect for a weeknight since it's made in a slow cooker.
🧾 Ingredients
- Onion: I used a yellow onion. You could also use a red onion or white onion. Adds a pungent flavor.
- Bell peppers: Red bell pepper and green bell pepper add a sweet taste.
- Jalapeño: Adds a spicy flavor. If you don't like a lot of spice, remove the seeds and ribs. If you like your chili really spicy, you could use a serrano pepper or habanero pepper instead.
- Garlic: Adds a pungent taste.
- Tempeh: For a meaty texture. You could also use tofu, more beans, or vegan crumbles.
- Beans: I used black beans, but you could also use pinto beans or kidney beans.
- Diced tomato: Adds a sweet tomato taste.
- Vegetable broth: I used low-sodium vegetable broth because I like to control the amount of sodium. You could use regular vegetable broth.
- Chia seeds: Get gelatinous when liquid is added. It is used as a thickener. You don't have to put it in.
- Herbs and spices: I used chili powder, cumin, and oregano to add a warm spice flavor.
- Dark chocolate: Adds a rich taste and helps deepen the flavors.
- Salt and pepper: Enhances flavors and adds flavor. I like to use sea salt.
To see the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
📖 Variations / Additions
- Other beans: pinto beans, kidney beans, white beans
- Vegan crumbles
- Tofu
- Soy curls
- Sweet potato
- Corn
- Salsa
- Fire roasted tomatoes
- Cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
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🔪 Instructions
Step 1: Chop bell peppers, onion, jalapeño, and dark chocolate. Mince the garlic and crumble the tempeh.
Step 2: Place the prepared ingredients along with the remaining ingredients in a slow cooker and give it a good stir.
It looks like there isn't enough liquid, but the diced tomatoes cook down and add more liquid to the chili.
Set the temperature on high and timer for 4-5 hours. Check at 4 hours to see that it's done. Cook another hour if needed. Mine took 4 hours.
Serve in bowls with your favorite toppings.
❄️ Can I Freeze It?
Yes! Wait for the chili to get to room temperature, then place leftovers in freezer-safe containers or baggies. It will last several months in the freezer.
♨️ Reheating
When reheating from the freezer, thaw overnight in the fridge. Heat on the stovetop in a saucepan until hot or in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl.
🍽 Serving
- Fresh cilantro
- Sliced avocado
- Vegan sour cream
- Hot sauce
- Vegan yogurt
- Grated vegan cheddar
- Tortilla chips
🍜 Other Vegan Chili Recipes
🎥 Video
If you tried this Slow Cooker Tempeh Chili Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and let me know how you like it in the 💬 comments below. I love hearing from you!
This slow cooker vegan chili made with tempeh is an easy set-it-and-forget-it meal.
I originally posted this recipe on January 14, 2016. I added new photos, text, and a video when I republished it.
📋 Recipe
Slow Cooker Tempeh Chili
Equipment
- Slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion (2 cups chopped)
- 1 red pepper (1 ½ cups chopped)
- 1 green pepper (1 ½ cups chopped)
- 1 jalapeño (¼ cup chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 8 oz. tempeh crumbled
- 15 oz. can black beans
- 2 (15 oz.) cans diced tomato with garlic
- 1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 tablespoon chopped dark chocolate I used 72%
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)
- Salt and pepper
Toppings
- Vegan sour cream
- Sliced avocado
- Shredded vegan cheese
- Cilantro
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a 4 quart slow cooker. Cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8-9 hours. (Mine took 4 hours on high.)
- Top with your favorite toppings and serve.
Notes
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Nutrition
*Note: Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only. Different nutrition calculators give you different results.
Donna says
What a great way to use tempeh! I love this recipe and am glad it wasn't too spicy!
Willow Moon says
Thanks Donna!
Kathy Hester says
Aren't slow cookers the best? Your chili looks delicious and I love tempeh!
Willow Moon says
I am already planning a bunch more recipes with mine! Thanks! I don't buy tempeh enough, but I love it too!
AvocadoPesto says
YUm! Thsi sounds delicious! Yay for getting your first slow cooker! I still don't have one but was recently house sitting in Costa Rica and the house had one so I was able to make 2 recipes with it. It's such an awesome tool! Love that this vegan chili is made with tempeh
Willow Moon says
Yay for house sitting in Costa Rica! I wish I knew someone in another country who wanted me to house sit!
Garlic + Zest says
I've never used Tempeh, but this chili looks really good.
Willow Moon says
Tempeh is definitely worth trying! It's texture is perfect for things like Sloppy Joes and tacos.
Julia says
I love chili! I have to try your vegetarian version.
Anne Murphy says
I can't believe I never even thought to try tempeh in a slow cooker! I usually steam/saute, but this is so easy...
You're going to love the slow cooker. I can't imagine doing without it, given how many beans we eat... Sometimes I do a whole recipe like this, but at least weekly I use it to just cook up a whole pot of plain beans that I then use in other recipes. Nothing like opening the fridge and taking out a big jar of cooked beans.
Willow Moon says
And you can customize your beans! I plan on making mine spicy! Rice is on my list to make in too. I will probably eat more of it now that I have a slow cooker.
vegetarianrecipecenter says
I am a big fan of vegetarian chili and tempeh. I like the use of chocolate too. Thanks for posting this.