Crock-Pot Black Bean and Quinoa Chili - Roast Quinoa and Veggies and then dump it in the slow cooker with spices and vegetable broth. Cook for 5-6 hours on low. Serve with Sour Cream and Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Also try Easy Vegetarian Skillet Chili or Vegan Sweet Potato Black Bean and Quinoa Chili .

Jump to:
Black bean and Quinoa is a match made in heaven. I generally use canned black beans and when you pair it with quinoa you get the best of both worlds.
Both Black bean and Quinoa adds a nutty tone to the overall taste of this recipe. Have you tried Black Bean Quinoa Burrito Bowl or Vegan Black Bean Quinoa Burgers or Southwestern Quinoa Black Bean Salad . These are the MOST amazing recipes that you can make with Black bean and Quinoa. Of course you can also make Black Bean and Quinoa Tacos or Black Bean and Quinoa Quesadillas.
Besides that, making this in the slow cooker improves their taste further. I like how the quinoa blends in with the spices and the veggies making it taste more hearty and comforting. Taking about Slow Cooker and Beans have you tried this Slow Cooker Baked Beans with Bacon & Maple! It's a must try for this crisp fall weather. See More Plant Based Fall Weeknight Dinner Recipes.
Why You'll Love this Quinoa Chili recipe

- Hearty and Comforting
- Easy to Make
- No Fuss at all
- Just dump and forget
- Roasted Quinoa
Talking about Quinoa I cannot wait to share with you guys these amazing Quinoa recipes. BTW, Do You Know what happens if you eat Quinoa everyday?
- Roasted Mushrooms with Herby Quinoa
- Healthy Quinoa Fried "Rice" with Crispy Tofu
- Cinnamon Apple Quinoa Breakfast Bowls
- Keto Quinoa Zucchini Muffins - (No Flour, No Sugar, No Oats)
- Cilantro Lime Quinoa

Well, this recipe is not complete without Black Beans. Black Beans adds that much needed nuttiness to this hearty and comforting black bean and quinoa chili bowl.
You can of course add Sweet Potatoes or Baby Potatoes to make it even more comforting and cozy. Try this Sweet Potato and Black Bean Casserole
Talking about Black beans, let me share with y'all some more black bean recipes, in case you are interested.
- Green Goddess Black Bean Burgers
- Black Bean Taquitos with Cream Cheese
- Black Bean and Corn Tacos - Healthy Vegetarian Tacos
- Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower and Black Bean Tacos
- Black Bean Pasta Casserole
- Vegan Black Bean Enchilada Soup
Ingredients Needed to make Black Bean Quinoa Chili

- Canned Diced Tomatoes
- can of Tomato Sauce
- onion
- freshly minced garlic
- Red Bell Pepper
- Green Bell Pepper
- Fresh or Frozen Corn
- Black beans - drained and rinsed
- Quinoa
- Vegetable Broth
- Spices - Cayenne Pepper, Chili Powder, Ground Cinnamon, Salt, Freshly Ground Black Pepper, Ground Cumin, onion powder, garlic, powder, powdered ginger.
- diced carrots
- Freshly chopped cilantro

How to Make Black bean Quinoa Chili
Step 1: Roast Quinoa and Onions
In a pan heat some olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until transparent and soft. Add washed and rinsed quinoa and sauté for about 2-minutes until quinoa becomes fragrant.

Step 2: Dump Everything in Slow Cooker
Add roasted quinoa, onions, garlic along with all other ingredients in your slow cooker.
Step 3: Pour Vegetable broth
Pour Vegetable broth or water and stir lightly until everything combines.
Step 4: Cook
Cover the lid and cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

Step 5: Garnish and Serve
Once done, garnish with Fresh Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Sour Cream, chopped parsley. Serve right away!

Is this vegan
No, it is not vegan because I have used Shredded Cheddar Cheese. However, if you just skip the cheddar cheese or use any other vegan cheese blend then you can definitely call this Vegan Black bean and Quinoa Chili.
Is it important to Soak Quinoa?
Before you roast quinoa please take out 5 minutes to soak quinoa in clean water.This step is not optional. It is important. Soak it for 5-minutes and whisk with a spoon or a wired whisk until you get all the foamy and soapy residue out on the top. This is Saponin - the bitter outer coating on Quinoa. It's important to strain this completely so that your quinoa doesn't taste bitter. Strain your quinoa using a fine mesh strainer and rinse it under cool water until it becomes absolutely clean.
How to Roast Quinoa?
Roasting Quinoa is an additional step that I highly recommend to improve the texture and flavor of this Quinoa Chili Recipe. Generally to roast quinoa we simply add it in a pan with no oil. And then roast it until it turns light brown and gives out a nutty smell.
But, for this Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili we are going to sauté our onions and garlic and then add quinoa to get it roasted.

Storage
You can store your Quinoa Chili in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. BUT, make sure your chili cools down completely. Remove garnish (especially cilantro, as it will go bad). Transfer it to an air-tight container such as tupperware and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
You can also freeze your crockpot black bean and quinoa chili for 3-months if stored properly. Allow your chili to cool down completely and then transfer it to an air-tight container. Wrap it with a plastic wrap and then once again with a foil. Label it and store it for 3-months.
Make sure you thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before reheating and serving it the next day. To reheat just transfer it to an oven-safe dish and microwave at 350 degrees F for 10-minutes or until warmed through.
Recipe
Crock-Pot Black Bean and Quinoa Chili
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup quinoa soaked, drained, and rinsed
- 1 medium onion yellow or red (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
- 1 can (10 oz) tomato sauce
- 1 can (28 oz) Yellow Sweet Corn
- 2 cans (15 oz) black beans drained and rinsed
- 5 cups vegetable broth can replace with water
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper diced
- 1 medium carrot peeled and diced
- 2 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika such as smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Soak Quinoa in a large bowl filled with water for at least 5-7 minutes. Swish around with a spoon until you see foamy residue on top. That's saponin. Do this for a couple of minutes until you get all the saponin off. Then, strain the quinoa using a fine mesh.
- Heat a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and stir occasionally until the onions are translucent and soft but not brown. (about 5-minutes). Add finely minced garlic and cook on medium heat for 30-45 seconds until it becomes fragrant and mellows down with onions.
- Add quinoa and sauté on medium until it gets light brown and smells nutty. Once done, take it off the heat.
- Add everything into the slow cooker. Stir well and cover with a lid.
- Cook on low for 5-6 hours or on High for 3-4 hours. Once done, garnish with fresh shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and Avocados.
Kristina says
This was fabulous. My meat eating son really enjoyed it. Thanks for the recipe.
Anjali says
Thanks a ton. This made my day...