10 Comforting Vegan Slow Cooker Recipes

The slow cooker is so good at so many things, but it really excels when it comes to making warming, comforting, hearty fare — without a whole lot of effort. These 10 recipes, from curries to stews to the most delectable ratatouille, check all of those boxes. And they’re also vegan.

If you love classic chicken tikka masala you’ll love this vegan take made with chickpeas and wilted spinach. It’s hearty, flavorful, and the perfect thing for serving over a pile of warm rice.

Get the recipe: Vegan Slow Cooker Chickpea Tikka Masala

This hearty weeknight chili is made with just six ingredients. You can toss most of it into a slow cooker in the morning, let it cook all day, and then just stir in the chopped kale right before serving. It’s the perfect no-effort veggie-packed dinner. And if you have time, prep some quick-pickling onions in the morning as well — they’ll be ready by dinner and really make the dish.

Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Vegan Chili with Sweet Potatoes, Lentils, and Kale

This comforting soup recipe starts with a homemade broth you prepare in the slow cooker using mushrooms and a generous amount of ginger. The result is intensely flavorful and makes the perfect base for this noodle soup. If you’re short on time, you can swap in store-bought mushroom broth.

Get the recipe: Gingery Tofu Slow Cooker Soup

Ratatouille, that simple French stew made with tomatoes, onions, eggplant, and peppers, is perfect for serving over rice, pasta, or any other cooked grain. While typically prepared on the stovetop, this slow-cooker version makes it a perfect hands-off meal. Pick up some fresh basil from the grocery for this one — it’s worth the investment.

Get the recipe: Slow-Cooker Ratatouille

This recipe calls for one tablespoon of curry powder to give the stew a rich flavor and cheery yellow color. While there are countless varieties of curry powders available, we recommend using Madras curry powder for this recipe to lend it a subtle heat and bright flavor — although any variety would work, so feel free to use your favorite.

Get the recipe: Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew

This recipe, as it stands, isn’t vegan. It calls for half a cup of Parmesan cheese in the pistou — a type of French pesto. But it’s not necessary. You can leave it out, use a different pistou recipe (like this one) or completely skip the sauce altogether. Either way, you’ll end up with a delicious meal. If you want to get that cheesy flavor while keeping the dish vegan, we recommend swapping the Parm with nutritional yeast.

Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Butter Bean Minestrone from Hugh Acheson

This “recipe” for pizza chickpeas has just two ingredients: Marinara sauce and chickpeas! It’s part of our “2-ingredient slow-cooker dinners” series. It makes an easiest-ever stew, or you can serve it over cooked pasta and garnished with a generous amount of torn basil. The slow cooking really develops the flavor, and the recipe couldn’t be easier.

Read more: 2-Ingredient Slow Cooker Dinners

Make sure to hold off until right before serving to add the coconut milk. This will give the curry a super-creamy texture that ties it all together. While you can technically add it right at the beginning along with the other ingredients, the final curry won’t have as rich of a coconut flavor.

Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Coconut Lentil Curry

Another of our 2-ingredient drop dinners, this flavorful tofu dish calls for two blocks of extra-firm tofu and a bottle of Thai peanut sauce — and that’s it. It’s easy, incredibly comforting, and the flavors rival anything you could order from your favorite take-out spot.

Read more: 2-Ingredient Slow Cooker Dinners

This recipe is delicious in a bowl, but as the name implies, you can also just set the slow cooker out alongside some warm tortillas, and let everyone build their own burritos. We recommend including some add-ins, like salsa, guacamole, and a vegan-mayo version of taco-slaw to the table.

Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Veggie Burrito Bowls