This Vegan Slow Cooker Mole with Potatoes and Beans is as easy to make as it is impressive. Make the sauce the night before and throw it together in the morning.
But Isn’t Mole Hard to Make?
If you haven’t made vegan slow cooler mole before, you might be a little intimidated, but it’s so much easier than you think it is. All you need is some dried chili peppers
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Then you toast the dried chilies, remove the stem and seeds, and reconstitute them in water. For this recipe we’re going to puree them and use it as the sauce. There are other types of moles, like my Slow Cooker Mushroom Mole Tacos.
Where Can I Buy Dried Chilies?
Many regular grocery stores will have packages of them in their international section. In fact, I just got some from my local Aldi’s. Of course, you can also get them online or at a Latin grocery.
We’re going to be using guajillo and ancho chilies.
Welcome to another sponsored post for the Idaho Potato Commission. I love working with them because they are great people, and I get to cook with potatoes. That’s a win-win every time!
How Do I Make Vegan Slow Cooker Mole?
Once you have those chilies in your hands, you need to open them up and take out the seeds and stems. You can also do this after toasting if you want.
The chilies we are using here aren’t very hot, but you can always wear gloves to make sure you don’t transfer the chili oils anywhere unpleasant. I always seem to want to touch my eye.
Toast them in a dry skillet until they become fragrant. Then you’ll put them in a pan of water and reconstitute them.
After cooking, they will puree easily and smoothly with the other mole ingredients in your blender.See how easy that is? And it’s the hard part. I love this recipe!
Then all you have to do is mix the sauce with the cut potatoes and cooked beans and cook on low 7 to 9 hours in your crockpot. When you come home, you can either steam some rice or break out the tortillas.
How Do I Serve Vegan Slow Cooker Mole with Potatoes and Beans?
I like to have a variety of toppings out on the table. You could do a few or all of these: spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, salsa, guacamole, and a variety of salsas.
You can serve with large flour tortillas This is a hearty dinner that’s perfect for a winter night.
Vegan Slow Cooker Idaho® Potato and Bean Mole
Ingredients
chili puree ingredients:
- 2 dried ancho chili peppers
- 2 dried guajillo chili peppers
- 1/2 dried chipotle or mora chile pepper optional to make it hotter
- water to cover chili peppers
sauce ingredients:
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil or dry saute to make oil-free
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup chili cooking water see instructions
- 1 bouillon cube
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/3 cup tablespoons blanched almonds
- 1 ounce unsweetened dark chocolate
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar or maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- salt to taste
for the slow cooker:
- 4 cups Idaho® potatoes peeled and chopped
- 1 can kidney beans rinsed and drained (or 1 1/2 cups homemade)
- 1 can pinto or black beans rinsed and drained (or 1 1/2 cups homemade)
Instructions
Prepare the chilies:
- Toast the chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat. You don't want to overcook or burn them, just to dry them out a bit and cook until they become fragrant.
- Let cool, then remove the seeds, stem and ribs and discard. Place the flesh of the pepper in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes to reconstitute. Then take the pan off the burner and set aside for later.
- Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Once hot add the onions and saute until translucent. Stir in the garlic, cumin, allspice and cinnamon and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, until the spices become fragrant.
- Use tongs or a slotted spoon to carefully remove the reconstituted peppers and put them in your blender with all of the sauce ingredients EXCEPT for the salt. Blend until smooth, taste, add salt and taste again.
- Add the Idaho® potatoes, beans and the sauce ingredients to your 3 to 4-quart slow cooker. Cook on low 7 to 9 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
- Note: If you may be home late add an extra 1/4 cup water to make sure the filling doesn't burn.
- Serve over rice, in tacos or burritos.
While you’re trying new things take a look at Doras’ Spicy Peanut Sauce Enchiladas.
Molly Kumar says
OMG this looks so yummy, I wanna grab that role out of the screen and just munch on it. Great recipe !
Kathy Hester says
Thank you!!
Traditionallymodernfood says
Never used slow cooker..this looks inviting.. I should buy one
Lucy says
I never thought to make a bean mole! So creative! Your photos are gorgeous. I want a burrito, like, NOW.
Just Jo says
I adore Mexican food and am always looking for more meat free ways to enjoy it. These look superb!
Sarah says
I can’t put into words how amazing this looks! Love that it’s made int the slow cooker….need it ASAP, can’t wait! 🙂
Sarah says
The* ahhh, worst typer ever!
Amanda says
Looks delicious. The depth of flavor must be incredible. Pinning to try!
Janella says
Slow cooked meals always have so much flavour, this looks devine
Shreyashi says
Kathy,
This sounds yummy. Your sauce is so smooth and on point. I was always under the impression that mole is going to be a messy, difficult thing. So I just used to leave it for the professional. This recipe looks extremely inviting. Just a question, I do not own a slow cooker. How can I adapt this recipe for stove top / oven?
Thank you, Cheers!
Kathy Hester says
You would add the sauce, beans and potatoes to a covered saucepan and simmer until the potatoes are tender. You will probably need to add extra water since you’ll probably get more evaporation.
Jackie says
I see that you add cinnamon to this recipe, but I don’t see how much. Can you let me know … this looks dee-lish and we’re collecting the ingredients so we can try it out. 🙂
Kathy Hester says
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Be sure to let me know how it goes.
Jackie says
We made it last night and it was perfect … rich, complex and delicious! And, you were right … the chiles were the hardest part, and not all that hard at all. We included toasted pepitas in our “toppings” and served it with a tortilla. Thank you for sharing such wonderful and nutritious vegan options with us … I used to tuck my crock pot in the closet between uses, now it stays out on the kitchen counter awaiting your next recipe!
Kathy Hester says
You made my whole day!! I love the idea of topping with pepitas!
Becky Striepe says
This looks fabulous, Kathy! I love a mole, and your recipe looks so delicious and easy!
JL Fields says
Potatoes and beans pretty much rock my world. Of course, I’m trying to figure out how to do this in the pressure cooker! 🙂
Kristina says
I love potatoes and I put them in burrito type things often. this sounds so flavorful!
Alicia Stoneroad says
Hi Kathy,
I have the szechuan dried chili, can I use them and how much do I use?
Thank you.
Kathy Hester says
They would not be good to use in this. You really need the mild chilies called for to make the base. You could add a little Szechuan dried chili to make the mixture hotter though. If you just used them though it would be too hot for 98% of people to eat.
Tammara says
How do I alter this to be UWL compliant? Can I use white beans or a roasted onion in place of the blanched almonds & how many dates can be used as a substitute for the maple syrup? Thank You!
Kathy Hester says
You could use rolled oats for the almonds and I’m not sure how many dates you’d need. I would start with one, taste, and add more if needed.
sanjay Mishra says
I do love simple, quick and easy! This recipe checks all those boxes. And not only that it sounds so very yummy.
Verna says
I live alone and have food allergies so am constantly looking for ways to eat healthy without dairy, wheat, and sugar. Those being 90% of the american diet, this is no easy feat! So I am excited about your slow cooker recipes. I want to do things other than prepare food!
Does it cost to join your Cooking Club? The monthly classes and cook along sound wonderful, but I have been fooled many times by ‘wonderful sounding’ ideas. I simply cannot spend more money than I already am since I live on social security.
Look forward to your reply.
Kathy Hester says
It does cost to join Kathys Cooking Club or you can buy single classes at https://kathyhester.com. I do many demos for free on Facebook, have a YouTube channel and run 2 blogs where you can get free info.
I’m happy to make as much as I can available and if you are in my private FB group vegan recipes: cooking with Kathy Hester you will be able to get discount codes for my classes too. Selling books, classes, and ads on the blog is the way I pay my bills, so I can’t give away everything. I wish I could.