Easy Vegetarian Crock Pot Spanish Rice

Written by
Jolinda Hackett
Jolinda Hackett has written five books about plant-based cooking and has developed hundreds of vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Jolinda Hackett
Updated 04/03/19
Vegetarian Spanish rice with tomatomes

 The Spruce / Jolinda Hackett 
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 6 hrs
Total: 6 hrs 5 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
174 Calories
1g Fat
37g Carbs
5g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 174
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 1%
Saturated Fat 0g 1%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 267mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 37g 14%
Dietary Fiber 3g 10%
Protein 5g
Calcium 29mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

If you like Spanish rice, try this simple vegetarian and vegan Spanish rice recipe that you can make right in your crockpot or slow cooker. Using vegetable broth or water instead of a meat-based stock makes this crock pot Spanish rice recipe both vegetarian and vegan and using a combination of both fresh and canned ingredients makes it a snap to prepare.

In this recipe, you've got canned diced tomatoes (though you could certainly substitute for fresh if you prefer) but fresh onion and green bell peppers, and, using salsa adds a bunch of flavor quickly, so that you can have this recipe into the crockpot in just as much time as it takes to open a can and chop one onion and a bell pepper. 

What to do with your Spanish rice? Serve it as a side dish along with any Mexican-inspired vegetarian entree, or, use it to stuff vegetarian burritos. Got leftovers? Here are a few ideas for how to use up leftover rice. 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups rice
  • 1 onion (diced)
  • 1 green bell pepper (diced)
  • 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes (including liquid)
  • 1 3/4 cups water or vegetable broth
  • 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 2 tsp. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1/4 cup salsa

Steps to Make It

  1. Place the rice, diced onion, bell pepper, diced tomatoes (including the liquid), and the water or vegetable broth in your crock pot or slow cooker and give it all a quick stir to combine the ingredients together.

  2. Next, add the garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, and salsa, and give it another quick stir just to combine. 

  3. Cover the crock pot and cook on your crock pot's low setting for 6 to 8 hours. Stir again before serving.Â