You must try these 22 vegetarian slow cooker recipes

Forget the oven, baked beans are best made in your slow cooker. Bacon seems to find its way into most baked bean recipes, but not this one from This Healthy Kitchen, which claims creamier results and promises “you won’t miss the meat.”

Chana masala, or chole masala, is an Indian spiced chickpea dish that’s naturally vegetarian. It traditionally contains ghee, but this version from Delish Knowledge does not, and thus it’s also vegan! Serve it with rice and/or naan.

Who says vegan chili can’t pack some protein? This version from Jessica in the Kitchen gets protein from a full can of black beans and half a cup of quinoa—good for 10 grams of protein per serving! Each serving is also only 200 calories, so going back for seconds is an easy choice!

These vegan enchiladas contain pinto beans, corn, green chilies, and onions, and are covered in a sauce made of olive oil, tomato paste, garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin. Oh, My Veggies can explain the process, which involves putting a layer of sauce both under and on top of your rolled-up tortillas. Feel free to add cheese and/or sour cream if you want to go vegetarian but not vegan.

Red peppers, green peppers, green chilies, sliced onions, diced tomatoes, and absolutely no meat products go into these fajitas, which are positively packed with flavor. Lazy Oven recommends 2 hours on high or 4-6 on low and serving the veggies with black beans, avocado, sour cream, and, of course, some tortillas. 

Mac & cheese is already a vegetarian-friendly meal, although meat is occasionally added. This version from the Fulton Fish Market swaps the meat for lobster and swaps your oven for your slow cooker.

Cauliflower has been turned into pizza crust, substituted for chicken wings, and snuck into other random dishes, but it’s time to let it be itself…sort of. This mashed cauliflower recipe from Detoxinista is vegan and dairy-free, and it requires just five ingredients: cauliflower, water, garlic, sea salt, and pepper, but also suggests thyme or rosemary if you have them on hand.

Risotto can be a really tedious task, but not when you use your slow cooker. Simply saute some butter, oil, shallots, and garlic with mushrooms and rice, and then add the whole thing to the crockpot with a bit of broth. This recipe from Mashed calls for chicken broth but notes that vegetable broth works just as well.

There’s nothing fancy about the ingredients for this oatmeal recipe from Rachel Cooks, as it only calls for steel-cut oats, water, and a pinch of salt. The novelty—and the advantage—is that the oats take 7 to 8 hours to turn into oatmeal, which means you can set your slow cooker before bed and have breakfast ready & waiting for you in the morning.

Corn blends with both russet & sweet potatoes in this creamy potato corn chowder from Real Food—Whole Life that’s both vegetarian and dairy-free. You’ll need an immersion blender to do a little mixing, but other than that, your slow cooker handles all the work.

Another one for the potato lovers, this potato leek soup from Fit Slow Cooker Queen also starts with russets but adds sliced leeks, garlic, ghee, salt, pepper, and thyme to a vegetable broth base. Simply mix all the ingredients, set it, and forget it (for 2-3 hours on high).

A whopping 2.5 pounds of pumpkin goes into this vegan pumpkin soup recipe from Jessica in the Kitchen. Of course, it’s not as simple as heating up pureed pumpkin, as you’ll also need butter, onion, garlic, vegetable broth, coconut milk, lime juice, and a handful of spices.

We have to include at least one dessert here, right? And we’re not going with something that’s adapted for the slow cooker but doesn’t really need to be in there—we’re picking rice pudding, a dessert that was born to be cooked in a crockpot. With this version from Good Housekeeping, you’ll still have to stir it a handful of times, but it’s much easier than the traditional saucepan method, which needs to be constantly mixed.

Clam chowder is a classic, but when was the last time you chowed down on some salmon chowder? Regardless of whether your answer is “a long time,” “never,” or “earlier today,” we recommend this recipe from Krumpli. In addition to a 10-ounce salmon filet, this chowder boasts potatoes, celery, carrots, and onion in a creamy broth that features the flavors of chili and lime.

Did you know you can make scrambled eggs in the slow cooker? And not just any scrambled eggs, but absolutely delicious ones. Recipes That Crock has a version that has been reviewed by about 50 home chefs and owns a perfect 5.0 rating! And they use the term “slow cooker” lightly, as these eggs can be ready in just 1-2 hours.

Vegetarian, vegan, low-calorie, low-carb, and packed with vitamins and minerals, spaghetti squash is also simple in the slow cooker. As Well Plated by Erin will tell you, it’s as easy as cleaning the outside of the squash, poking it with a paring knife, and chucking it into your crockpot for at least 3 hours.

Tell ham to take a hike, as this split pea soup from The Cheeky Chickpea is vegan! It also includes carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and a variety of spices. After clicking the link, be sure to keep scrolling to get to the slow cooker directions!

These precious little stuffed peppers from Happy Healthy Mama contain quinoa, corn, black beans, and salsa, and the recipe is 100% vegan. Of course, you can feel free to add cheese, and each individual cup can even be customized to your liking!

The only thing better than pasta is giant pasta filled with multiple types of cheese. Our favorite variety is stuffed shells, which can be cooked to perfection in your slow cooker in just 2-3 hours on high. Spend With Pennies can show you how to make both the cheese filling and sauce from scratch.

A vegan spin on traditional chicken tikka masala, this dish still has plenty of flavor thanks to the spice blend consisting of garam masala, paprika, coriander, cayenne pepper, turmeric, and salt & pepper. This recipe from Yup, It’s Vegan is also, of course, a slow cooker spin on the traditional Indian dish.

Anyone can open a can of tomato soup (well, almost anyone), but making it from scratch is much more satisfying—and tasty! And thanks to this slow cooker recipe from Damn Delicious, it doesn’t have to be difficult either. Heads up: You’ll also need an immersion blender, as well as an oven if you also want the homemade croutons (and trust us: you want them). 

We enjoy vegetable lasagna not because it lacks meat, but because it includes numerous veggies not often found in the classic Italian dish. This version from Food with Feeling calls for both spinach and carrots, but also features our favorite funghi: baby bella mushrooms!