Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa (Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free)
A simple drop, stir, cover, and go recipe; Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa (Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free) is so easy to prepare, tastes amazing, and packs well for lunch the next day.
I’ve had my eye on a few slow cooker enchilada quinoa recipes around the web, but hesitated making any of them because they often contained massive amounts of cheese. Even though Elle and I still eat some cheese, Andrew is dairy-free so I usually avoid cheese-laden recipes.
Since the idea of enchilada quinoa in a slow cooker sounded so easy and tasty, I thought I’d work on a cheese-free version.
I also wanted to substitute a spin on homemade enchilada sauce, since most commercial brands of enchilada sauce contain gluten, which I know some of you prefer to avoid.
After a few attempts I’m pretty excited about this version, which is naturally creamy from the quinoa, and packs plenty of flavor from the veggies and spices.
Since water is used as the cooking liquid in this recipe, and since there’s no cheese, I suggest tasting the mixture prior to adding the quinoa to make sure it’s properly seasoned. If the mixture tastes bland, add more salt!
Then, at the end, green chilis and lime juice are stirred in for additional flavor. Feel free to omit the green chilis if you’re sensitive to heat, and to add more salt if the enchilada quinoa tastes flat.
You can, of course, top the final results with anything you like, including cheese or avocado and plenty of hot sauce. Leftovers pack and reheat quite well for lunch the next day, or pop a few servings in the freezer for a night you don’t feel like cooking.
I hope you enjoy this super simple, flavorful, vegetarian slow cooker meal. If you’re a fan of hearty, satisfying plant-based meals – then definitely add these black bean quinoa bowls to your list too. Now let’s make some enchilada quinoa!
RECIPE & KID-FRIENDLY ADAPTATIONS
1 | Pull aside a portion prior to adding the green chilis if you’re serving someone sensitive to heat.
2 | Top with avocado and chopped green onions, or sprinkle with cheese and dollop with sour cream.
3 | Since the consistency of this dish is decidedly creamy, feel free to top with crushed corn chips or chopped white onion to add crunch.
THIS RECIPE IS…
Dairy FreeGluten FreeNut FreeVeganVegetarian
Slow Cooker Enchilada Quinoa (Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon mild chili powder
- 2 (15-oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 (15-oz) can diced, fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 cup water
- 1-3 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- 1 (4-oz) can chopped green chilies
- Juice of 1 small lime
Optional Toppings
Equipment
Instructions
- Combine the onion, bell pepper, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, beans, tomato sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes, water, salt (taste the mixture prior to adding the quinoa, adding salt to taste), and quinoa to a 6-quart slow cooker, stirring to combine. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours, or until the quinoa is cooked through.
- Uncover and stir in the green chilies and lime juice. Taste and add additional salt or lime juice if you like.
- Serve with any toppings you like such as avocado, chopped green onions, cilantro, grated cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, or sliced limes. If you want crunch, go for crushed corn chips and chopped white onion.
Unfortunately this recipe turns out really mushy. I followed all of the directions, and as it does have good flavor (I used chicken stock and added extra salt),it was a miss for my family. I think it’s the texture.
Darn, sorry this one didn’t work out for you! I think adding corn chips or something else crunchy might help if you’re looking for added crunch!
Do you drain your can of diced tomatoes?
Cari, I use the entire can, tomatoes and liquid.
We loved this! Thank you!
Yay, so glad you enjoyed Cari! 🙂
Made this tonight…I thought the texture was perfect (not too mushy at all)! My whole family loved it. Thanks for a great recipe!
Yay Becky, so glad you and your family enjoyed! 🙂
This was the first recipe of yours that I’ve made and it was FANTASTIC! The texture was perfect (really creamy!) and I had two servings – one with cheese and one in a tortilla. Will definitely make this again! Thank you.
I’m so glad you tried a recipe and that you enjoyed Kimberly! Love the idea of stuffing into tortillas. I’ll need to try that next time. 🙂
Another keeper! I was a little worried about it becoming too mushy because I’m gone for a good 9+ hours during the day but it held up just fine. I topped it with cilantro, lime, green onion and avocado…and a little drizzle of sour cream. Next time I’d like to try it in a tortilla like Kimberly!
Yay, I’m so glad it turned out for you Shannon, especially after such a long cooking time. Our toppings sound fantastic!
just threw this in the crockpot! Thinking of adding a can of corn….do you think that would be good?
Jacey, yes, I think it would be tasty! You could stir it in during the last few minutes, just to warm it through. Hope you enjoy!
Have you ever added chicken to this?
Shelly, yes, I have and it works quite well. I just put it in with the rest of the ingredients, cook as directed, then take out when everything is cooked, shred the chicken, then stir it in or use it as a topping.
I made this for my family tonight and WOW! So easy and delicious! I used petite diced tomatoes instead of fire roasted because that’s what I had on hand. I also added the green chilies to the mixture before cooking because of personal preference.
Yay, so glad you enjoyed Jasmine! I love the idea of adding green chilis. So glad you made it your own. 🙂
I made this tonight and it’s simply wonderful. I made it as posted, and wouldn’t change a thing. I have leftovers for lunch for the week, too.
Later in the week, I plan on serving it over an open avocado. YUM!
Valerie, yay, so glad you enjoyed this one. Serving leftovers over an avocado sounds AMAZING! 🙂
Hi Robyn, I just bought a slow cooker and I’m so excited to find your fabulous looking recipes. I made this one today, and the flavors are amazing! Unfortunately though, the quinoa didn’t open up – any idea why? I followed your instructions precisely except that I didn’t rinse the quinoa (it was pre-rinsed) and I added one chopped zucchini. Suggestions for next time? Thank you!
Hi Alexis, I’m so glad you found the site and are using your new slow cooker. Each slow cooker is different, so exact times can vary. Chances are the quinoa just needed extra time to cook all the way, and I’m guessing the temp dropped when you added the zucchini, requiring additional cooking time. Make sure the lid is on the entire time (every time the lid is removed the slow cooker loses quite a bit of heat and takes time to come back to temp) and give it an extra 30-60 minutes on high next time. 🙂
This is a 10/10! Absolutely flavor packed and cooks easily in 3 hours. This is a great recipe to meal prep or freeze to save.
Bethany, yay, so happy to hear this was a hit! Thanks so much for leaving a review!
We make this so often!! It’s so delicious and easy to put together. I even do it stove top, as well. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
Oh yay, so happy you enjoyed this one, thanks so much for leaving a review!
I have made this recipe 3 times now! It is a favorite in our house for my husband, 4 and 3 year old boys and myself! We like to eat it with tortilla chips!
Yay, so glad you’re enjoying this one, thanks so much for leaving a review!
This was good! Easy, economical, and nice to have a slow cooker recipe that can be done in 3hrs. Added corn at the end as another user recommended and topped with a fried egg and avocado to make it a more hearty meal.
Allison, love the idea of adding corn and topping with egg and avocado. So smart! Thanks so much for leaving a review!
Fast, easy, and DELICIOUS!
Yay, so happy to hear you enjoyed this one, Ashley! Thanks so much for leaving a review.