I developed this Vegan Chickpea Chili during a stressful week. This easy slow cooker recipe was exactly what my family needed. It’s comforting, healthy, nourishing and flavorful. Best of all, it’s completely vegan with all the hardy satisfaction of a meat stew.
What was so stressful about that week, you might ask? Our large hyacinth parrot, Solomon, managed to escape from his flight aviary. His wings are clipped to protect him, but he’s a huge parrot with a very large wingspan and he can glide if he catches a breeze. We live in a mountain range above Los Angeles surrounded by large expanses of wilderness. Long story short, Solomon caught a breeze.
After hours of searching we found him several houses up the road between the yards of two neighbors. He was stuck high in a tree on the side of a mountain, confused and unable to make his way down. We spent hours, tried everything to coax him down. Nothing worked. Even the fire department dropped by; they tried to figure something out, but the tree was too high and too far from the road for their equipment.
Both neighbors on either side were tremendously helpful. They spent several hours of their own time throwing around ideas. Solomon wouldn’t budge. He spent the night in that tree, cold and alone. I couldn’t sleep all night for fear of losing him.
One of the neighbors suggested that we call his tree trimmers, who are experts at climbing those very high, hard-to-reach branches. This morning they came and they climbed. As they got close, Solomon spooked and caught another breeze, gliding far into the canyon below. This canyon is difficult to access and filled with wildlife– bobcats, mountain lions.
Solomon doesn’t know how to feed himself, he’s been raised by humans since he hatched. I thought it was the last we would ever see of him. But these tree climbers didn’t give up. They scaled the canyon walls and located Solomon in a small tree in the center of the canyon. Several minutes and a large net later, they emerged from the brush carrying our beautiful Solomon. He ended the day back in his aviary, munching on bananas and peanuts. What an adventure he had.
What does this all have to do with Slow Cooker Vegan Chickpea Chili? Not a whole lot. And yet, during that crazy week I could only imagine cooking something comforting to soothe our frayed nerves. This delicious vegan chili fit the bill. Chickpeas, sweet potatoes, and spices slowly cook together until their flavors meld. The cashews become tender during cooking, giving the chili a hearty texture.
On a holiday week where many are skipping the turkey in favor of a meatless meal, it would be fitting to serve this Slow Cooker Vegan Chickpea Chili. After all, it was developed with a very special bird in mind! This is clean, healthy, meat-free comfort food. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
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Slow Cooker Chickpea Chili
Ingredients
- 5 1/4 cups cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans (or 3 cans chickpeas 15 oz. each, drained)
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced small
- 2 ribs celery, diced small
- 2 medium onions, diced small
- 2 red bell peppers, seeds and stem removed, diced small
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
- 1 3/4 cups diced fire-roasted tomatoes (1 can)
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
- 2 cups raw cashews
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons curry
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable stock, or more if needed
- Fresh parsley or cilantro sprigs for garnish
NOTES
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, onions, bell pepper and 1 tsp salt. Cook on medium for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and have nice color. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 additional minutes till fragrant.
- Pour the vegetable mixture evenly to cover the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Return the saucepan to medium heat and add the fire roasted tomatoes and vinegar. Use a spoon/spatula to scrape up any brown bits that remain in the pan. Once the mixture begins to boil, turn off the heat. Continue to scrape up as many of the brown bits as you can. Add the mixture to the slow cooker.
- Add remaining ingredients and spices to the slow cooker (reserve garnish), stir to combine and cover. Cook for 4 hours on high setting.
- After 2 hours, check your moisture level and add more stock if desired. Continue cooking for remaining 2 hours, or until chili is cooked through. Serve warm, garnish with parsley or cilantro if desired.
Nutrition
Excellent taste but 4 hours is too long on high. Veggies got very mushy. Will make again and cook for less time or even on stovetop
Thanks for the feedback Amy. I think it depends on your slow cooker, some run hotter than others. Other readers have had great results with the timing as written, and so have I. But not all cookers are identical, so this adjustment might be helpful for some.
As I’m making this I can’t help but think it would translate well to the instantpot. Have you tried that way?
I have not, but I think it would probably work well. I have noticed that the Instant Pot tends to draw out more moisture when cooking, so you may need to cut back on the vegetable stock. Without testing it I can’t give you a specific recommendation, but it’s worth experimenting with! Hope you enjoyed it 🙂
I made it tonight as a dump and go Instant Pot recipe and it turned out great! Mixed everything together, except the tomatoes which I poured on top. Pressure cooked on high for 5 minutes and quick released after 10 minutes. I made it with the full amount of broth, but you could probably get away with only a cup or two. Definitely recommend trying it out!
I first tasted this dish at a friend’s house in Israel and loved it! When I returned to the US, I made it in the instant pot. The only modification I made was to first combine carrots, celery, red peppers, onions and garlic on saute mode (with olive oil). I then added the remaining ingredients other than cashews and cooked on high for 5 minutes, as recommended. Added cashews after it was finished cooking. It was amazing! I LOVE this recipe!
The only suggestion I have is to that to keep the cashews from getting soggy, add at the end. Next time I might try to use roasted cashews and just add before serving (or as a side). Any thoughts on this?
Hi Tori! I love your blog. We have hyacinth macaws, too. We have 10 now! It’s a full house, lol. I’m so glad you got Solomon back! Cheers!
Tori, so glad your tale had a happen finale! I had a similar experience many years ago when my young (1 yo) Bare Eyed Cockatoo ended up at the top of a 60-ish foot tree. Fortunately, one of my neighbors at the time was a tree surgeon, and he was able to climb the tree to where she was perched. “Okay, I’m near her. What do I do now?” She was very tame and he was able to coax her onto his hand and bring her down.
Okay, that aside, I will be making this over the weekend, and I hope to post my impressions once done.
Thank you for the recipe and I’m so happy Solomon is home safe and sound. What a stressful experience. As an animal and parrot lover I can’t imagine how upsetting that was.
Looks interesting and tasty … we cook an Indian dish called Chole with similar ingredients… must try this too !
A really great vegetarian recipe – Tori you have a wonderful approach to good-sense cooking.
Tori, Last spring I taught a lesson on Esau selling his birthright for a bowl of Red, Red Pottage. I found, and used your recipe because I felt it was the most authentic, and I strongly felt that the kids couldn’t relate to what Esau did unless they knew what Red Red Pottage was/is. They loved it and it filled the Church with a yummy aroma. Three weeks ago one of my 10 year old girls asked if I would make it again and bring it the next Sunday. I did, and I had very happy kids, and very unhappy adults. They adults didn’t get any because I went off to a meeting, and my husband grabbed everything and took it to the car. Last week we were talking about Daniel’s Pulse, but unfortunately I never found a real recipe, or even a consistent definition, so we just talked about beans and seeds, and/or fresh veggies. One of my boys spoke up to say he doesn’t like lentils, at which point I said “yes you do”. “No I don’t!”. “Yes you do, You like Red Red Pottage, don’t you?” “yes”. “Well, That’s what Red, Red Pottage is, lentil stew”. OHHHHHHH.
Ha! That is a great story Constance. Thanks for sharing!
how do you print your recipes without the comments?
Sharon, there is a “Print Recipe” button on the recipe card. If you use that it will create a print-friendly version.
Hi! I have made this before with friends and family and it is one of my favorites, but I am wanting to cook it for myself and as much as I think I could probably eat the whole pot, I will probably have a good amount left over. Do you have any tips on how best to store this? Does it freeze well or does it do best to just be refrigerated?
Thanks!
You can freeze it, no worries!