Easy, Healthy Vegan Slow Cooker Recipes

By Laurie Fanelli in Healthy Feeling

Slow cookers are often thought of as handy appliances to help omnivores prepare everything from pot roasts to turkey dinners, but this classic cooking method can also be applied to plant-based households. Vegan slow cooker recipes make it easy to fix meals that are meat-free, healthy, and delicious.

Whether you are planning a Mexican fiesta or inviting the family over for a big Italian dinner, these healthy slow cooker meals will have everyone asking for seconds. Vegan slow cooker recipes also make for fast, easy, and fantastic leftovers.

Start letting your slow cooker do the cooking while you enjoy nutritious, delectable meals without all the hassle.

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Tacos


Black bean and sweet potato tacos are perfect for the slow cooker
Taco Tuesday has never been easier. This great dish provides protein, carbohydrates, veggies, and yummy seasonings, and the best part is it cooks in the slow cooker while you're at work. Follow the instructions below and serve with corn tortillas and your favorite toppings (like Maureen's irresistible guacamole).

Here's what you'll need:

  • Two 15-ounce cans black beans
  • 2 cups sweet potatoes, diced
  • One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp. cumin
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • ½ cup onion, chopped
  • ½ cup green pepper, chopped
  • ½ tbsp. garlic powder
  • ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on low for six to eight hours. Before serving, give the mixture a stir and turn the heat up to high for fifteen minutes. Serve with corn tortillas and your favorite taco toppings.

Minestrone Soup


On a cold winter day, nothing beats coming home to a warm bowl of soup. This slow cooker minestrone recipe by Honestly Nourished is one of my favorites because it combines so many nutritious veggies in one recipe. Cannellini beans provide a healthy dose of protein, and I love that this dish includes the superfood kale.

Serve with some warm sourdough bread to treat yourself to a comforting meal that can't be beat.

Stuffed Peppers


Stuffed peppers are delicious from the slow cooker
Vegan stuffed peppers is another dish that's tailor made for slow cookers. This recipe is also gluten free, making it ideal for almost any occasion.

You'll only need a few items to get started:

  • 6 red bell peppers
  • Two 14-ounce cans kidney beans
  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1 ½ cups vegan marinara sauce

Cut the tops off the peppers and remove the ribs and seeds. Mix the beans, quinoa, and marinara sauce in a bowl and fill each pepper with the mixture. Add about a ½ inch of water to the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the peppers into the slow cooker and cook on low for six to eight hours.

Slow Cooker Curry


Curry is another wonderful winter meal that warms you up from the inside out. Full of flavor and nutritious ingredients, this fragrant dish will welcome you home after a hard day's work with mouthwatering aromas. Tofu provides the protein in Tablespoon's tasty slow cooker curry recipe, which is best served over basmati rice (which you can easily prepare in a rice maker).

Vegan slow cooker recipes allow you to go about your busy day without having to worry about preparing a healthy dinner for your family. When your schedule is full of activities, homework, and household chores, take meal prep off your plate and let your slow cooker do the cooking.

If you are looking for even more healthy slow cooker meals, check out Sher's recipes for slow cooker meals that squeeze in extra greens.

What are some of your favorite slow cooker time savers? Let us know on Twitter with the hashtag #GoodMatters.

Image sources: Flickr | Flickr | Max Pixel

The views and opinions expressed in any guest post featured on our site are those of the guest author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of Tom's of Maine.

Why It’s Good

Vegan slow cooker recipes help you make a healthy and delicious meal for your family that cooks while you work. Being short on time is commonplace in our modern world, but slow cookers take one thing off your plate while ensuring that dinner is a scrumptious success.