Homemade Vegetarian Chili
This simple vegetarian chili recipe tastes incredible! It's easy to make with basic pantry ingredients, vegetables and spices. Gluten free and easily vegan.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on October 3, 2024
It’s freezing cold outside, and has been for days. All I want to eat is cozy comfort food like this vegetarian chili recipe. It’s my favorite, and leftovers taste even better the next day.
This chili is perfect for watching football games with a crowd, since it’s a hearty meatless option that carnivores will enjoy. Plus, it can be vegan and gluten free if you choose your toppings carefully. This chili will satisfy everyone.
I originally published this recipe four years ago. Since then, it’s become your favorite chili recipe as well (four-hundred reviews and counting).
I’ve cheered when you’ve told me that it won your chili competition, and love hearing that it’s become a staple recipe in your kitchen. Hooray!
How to Make the Best Vegetarian Chili
While the ingredients in this chili recipe are super basic, the flavor is anything but. Simple ingredients can taste exceptional when they start off with aromatics like onion, carrot, celery and garlic.
I added traditional chili spices and some smoked paprika for an extra-savory, smoky note. Canned beans and tomatoes contribute delicious plant-based protein and heft.
Blending a small portion of the chili makes it look and taste like a chili that has been cooking all morning long, but it only needs about 30 minutes of simmering. That’s a little trick that I learned from my lentil soup, which is another cozy option for cold days.
Finishing off the chili with a little splash of sherry vinegar (or lime juice) and fresh cilantro makes it taste vibrant and fresh. The vinegar offers a little acidity and complexity, and it makes all the difference.
Watch How to Make Vegetarian Chili
Chili Toppings
This chili is dairy-free and vegan as written. You can keep it that way by choosing vegan toppings like sliced avocado and tortilla chips.
Here’s a full list of options:
- Grated cheddar cheese
- Sour cream or crème fraîche
- Sliced or diced avocado
- Tortilla chips (crumbled if desired)
- Additional cilantro
- Lime wedges
Leftover Chili?
This chili makes great leftovers, which keep well for four days in the refrigerator. Reheat your chili in a bowl, and it’s good to go.
You can also serve this chili as a protein-rich topping on nachos, baked potatoes or oven-baked fries. Stuff your burritos or quesadillas with chili. Why not?
Please let me know how this chili turns out in the comments! I always love to hear from you.
Stay warm out there, and if you love this hearty soup, be sure to check out the soup recipes in my cookbook.
Homemade Vegetarian Chili
The smoky, complex flavor of this simple vegetarian chili comes from basic pantry ingredients, vegetables and spices! It makes great leftovers, too. Recipe yields 4 large or 6 moderate servings of chili.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt, divided
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder*
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika*
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 large can (28 ounces) or 2 small cans (15 ounces each) diced tomatoes**, with their juices
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups vegetable broth or water
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnishing
- 1 to 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar or lime juice, to taste
- Garnishes: chopped cilantro, sliced avocado, tortilla chips, sour cream or crème fraîche, grated cheddar cheese, etc.
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the chopped onion, bell pepper, carrot, celery and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Stir to combine and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the onion is translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and oregano. Cook until fragrant while stirring constantly, about 1 minute.
- Add the diced tomatoes and their juices, the drained black beans and pinto beans, vegetable broth and bay leaf. Stir to combine and let the mixture come to a simmer. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally and reducing heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, for 30 minutes.
- Remove the chili from the heat and discard the bay leaf. For the best texture and flavor, transfer 1 ½ cups of the chili to a blender, making sure to get some of the liquid portion. Securely fasten the lid and blend until smooth (watch out for hot steam), then pour the blended mixture back into the pot. (Or, you can blend the chili briefly with an immersion blender, or mash the chili with a potato masher until it reaches a thicker, more chili-like consistency.)
- Add the chopped cilantro, stir to combine, and then mix in the vinegar, to taste. Add salt to taste, too—I added ¼ teaspoon more at this point. Divide the mixture into individual bowls and serve with garnishes of your choice. This chili will keep well in the refrigerator for about 4 days or you can freeze it for longer-term storage.
Notes
Recipes consulted during the making of this recipe: vegetarian chili with winter vegetables (The New York Times), vegetarian chili (Saveur) and winter vegetable chili (Food and Wine).
Make it vegan/dairy free: This chili recipe is vegan as written. Just be sure to choose vegan/dairy free toppings, such as avocado and tortilla chips.
If you love this recipe: You’ll also love my butternut squash chipotle chili and sweet potato chili. You might also enjoy my hearty lentil soup and black bean soup.
*Spice note: If you are sensitive to spice or using particularly potent spices (I hear that chili powder purchased outside of the U.S. can be very hot), you might want to scale back on the spice here. Start with half of the amounts listed and add more to taste. That said, I enjoy spicy food and found this chili to be well-balanced as written.
**Canned tomatoes note: I recommend Muir Glen brand—they have the best flavor and their cans are BPA-free!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Tweaked a bit (used Mexican flavoured tinned toms, Mexican bean mix and red kidney beans), much less chilli powder (yes it’s super hot in Australia!!! And the chili was absolutely delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!
I have made this recipe several times now and it’s a winner every time fantastic combination of flavours!! Thank you
You’re welcome, Sheena! Thank you for your review.
Hi,
Does the onion have to be red?
I prefer red here, but you can use yellow too.
You could use any type of onion you have available that you like the taste of. Purple or yellow for example.
Hi again,
What does the * on the chili powder mean?
Renee
See the note below. Chili powder can vary by country for level of spice.
Love this recipe. Better than any meat chilli I’ve ever had. I’ve made it multiple times and it always turns out excellent.
Love this recipe! Always made it with beans in cans but would like to make it with pre-cooked dry beans next time. Do you know how many cups of dry beans I need? Black and Pinto. Thanks in advance!
Hi, Each can is roughly 1.5 cups I believe. Or if you have a scale, you can measure the ounces that are listed in the recipe. Thank you for sharing you enjoyed this one!
Hi there – I have made this with canned beans about 5 times. I made it with dried beans (soaked then cooked), and it wasn’t as good!! I thought it would be better, but nope – I will be going back to canned for this one.
Thank you for sharing, Sarah!
This is delicious and I’d highly recommend! I did omit the bay leaf and used beef stock instead of vegetable. My family also loves spice, so I added a whole jalapeño(seeds and all) to the blender. It turned out great!
Second time making this chili and it’s delicious! I throw in whatever beans I have around and it turns out great every time.
Would have been a good idea to add the comment about the chili powder in the ingredients list. Luckily I only used 1 tablespoon but even that was too much! Did you mean to write teaspoon rather than tablespoon?
HI Deirdre, I made special note that some chili powders vary as to the * next to the ingredient. I’m glad you went with what worked for you!
This really good. I used mexican hot chili powder, added 1 tbsp. Cocoa powder, fire roasted diced tomatoes and used my immersion blender. Will be making this again.
I am considering trying this recipe with bulgur. Have you tried it with bulgur? How might that change liquid proportions?
THANKS!
I haven’t tried it. I would cook it prior to adding it, otherwise you would need to change the liquid amount. I’m not sure how much.
Because of all the great reviews, I am making this for a football watch party. However, I SO wish ingredients like “2 medium red onion”
“2 large red bell pepper” and “4 medium carrots” were translated into cup/oz measurements.
Whatever size the vegetables are, that will do. Doesn’t need to be an accurate weight.
Love this chili! Recommend!! Adding it to fall & winter favorites!
Fantastic chilli! Love your recipes and I’m finally getting around to rating all of the ones I have saved to my phone home screen.
My husband and I loved this recipe. Same as the chipotle chili, I used bean broth and extra water if I needed it, instead of vegetable broth. I’ve made this even when I’ve been out of carrots and celery, and it’s still delicious. I’ve made two of your recipes and both are five stars!!
I love to hear that! Thank you for sharing, Cheryl.
I appreciate you and others that help us to make such wonderful, flavorful vegan dishes!! I come to your site offen, when I need help with being creative and trying out new dishes; and this chili recipe, I use often. So thank you very much!!
You’re welcome, Corrina!
Would this recipe freeze well?
Yes! This recipe is a great freezer option.
How can I do this in an instant pot?
I don’t have instant pot instructions, but I believe others have tried it. I would suggest looking through the comments to see what others recommend.
This was delish. I did not miss the meat because it was so tasty and hearty
I LOVE this recipe. It converted me to vegan chili. I don’t blend and I don’t add water. I also add a bunch of random spices (whatever I have on hand) and some cucumber. I love that I can just throw in random stuff I have! Thank you.
Adding cucumber sounds very interesting! Do you add it before or after you simmer the chili?
This was by far the best vegeterian chilli I have ever made! I’m keeping this one for the books. I used gardein veggie ground and it was perfect. Even my neighbour’s picky kid loved it! I find I can trust most of your recipes to be delicious… so kudos to you!!
That’s great! I’m glad it was a hit, Prabhjot.
Very high in sodium how can I cut that sodium by 75 percent? And also half that sugar? Thank you
Hi Anthony, you can adjust by using no or low sodium ingredients and omitting the salt. More on my Nutrition Disclaimer
I made a few minor adjustments because of what I had/didn’t have on hand (yellow onion instead, regular paprika with a bit of liquid smoke, kidney beans instead of pinto and added beyond meat grounds), turned out really good! Will make this again and would recommend :)
Thanks Katie!
That’s great, Sada! Thank you for your review.
Just made this and it’s AWESOME! The combination of the spices works really well. Thank you for sharing with us.
You’re welcome, Claudia!
I would love to try to cook in a sliw cooker…any thoughts?
hands down, the BEST chili recipe!! I make this ALL the time because 1.) It tastes amazing 2.) It’s extremely easy to make 3.) The recipes makes enough to have leftovers for dayyysss 4.) The concept of “fall/winter foods” does not exist in my book because I live in Florida where it’s almost always summer. I’ll just turn my AC way down, pretend it’s cold outside, and eat my delicious vegetarian chili :) Thanks for the great recipe!!
This is a delicious recipe that everyone I’ve served it to has loved, from vegans to meat lovers. Thank you!
I just made this and I’m enjoying it now. I had to say that, This chili is delicious, right away! I added cheyanne pepper, black pepper, 1/2 a can of roasted corn and thyme. Blending 1 1/2 cups is a must for consistency.
HOLY delicious! My husband and I both agree this was the best chili we have ever made. I halved the chili powder and added extra red wine vinegar. Topped with a homemade lime cashew sour cream and lime tortilla chips. DEF making this a regular recipe in our lives!
I’m so glad you both loved it, Amy! Thank you for your review.
Amazing! I just went pescatarian, and chili used to be one of my signature recipes. I have to say, I like this vegetarian version even better. I added a bit extra salt, pepper, and chili powder for an extra kick, and it was super flavorful (even though I forgot the cilantro). I’ll definitely be making again!
That’s great, Jenn! Thank you for your review.
Hi looking forward to making this chilli, sounds so nice. As I love to batch cook was wondering how well it freezes? Thank you
Hi Dee! This is a great option to freeze. I hope you love it!
Thank you
FABULOUS. Thank you so much, it was delish, my family loved as well. I like the idea of blending-never thought of this.
This was a huge success with my wife and mom! They said it was just the right amount of spice, and the flavor is wonderful! Thank you for sharing this!
Absolutely delicious! We didn’t have chili powder so I subbed 1/2 tsp cayenne and 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder and it still came out great. Also subbed 1 can on chili beans, 1 can of red kidney and 1 can black beans since we didn’t have exactly what the recipe called for. I’m definitely saving this recipe and will make it again and again.
Thank you for sharing how you were able to adapt it to what you had on hand!
Can this be made in an instant pot? Any tips or recommendations on that? Thank you!!
I don’t have Instant Pot directions, sorry!
I cooked my beans using an instant pot and added some diced onions, salt, and pepper to the pot before bringing it up to pressure. I then took the beans the next day and added them to a pot on the stove and followed the recipe above with a couple of tweaks.
Some advice for if you wished to cook the entire thing in the instant pot would be to cook the beans first, to where they are pretty much finished cooking. I would then remove any excess liquid from the beans so the consistency is closer to chili.
After that, I would follow steps 1 and 2 of the recipe and saute the veggies and add the seasoning etc.
From there I would combine the beans, tomatoes, sauteed veggies in the instant pot and then cook for maybe 1 or 2 minutes (this is just a guess, you would need to try it out and determine if longer is needed) and then let the pot slow release for maybe 10 or 15 minutes (you would need to play with the time desired to cook everything to the level of doneness needed). If you feel the chili needs more time you could either add another minute or two of pressure cooking time or you could finish it off on the stove.
I would then finish it off by following step 4 of the recipe and blending a portion of the chili.
Finally follow step 5 and add some salt if needed, the vinegar, cilantro and whatever else you usually accompany your chili with.
I would also skip the veggie broth since you would be cooking in a pressure cooker where you lose a lot less moisture than cooking on the stove. If you think more liquid is needed you could always add some of the bean juice or something like that.
As a substitute for broth, you can also add stuff like Worcestershire or Red Boat Fish Sauce, along with nutritional yeast.
This recipe is amazing! I think it is the smoked paprika that gives it the depth of flavor. This dish is flavorful and both satisfying and somehow light at the same time. Even my meat-eating husband and son loved this! I can’t wait to make it all winter! (I had some extra fresh ears of corn and I added the kernels from 2 ears during the last 10 minutes.)
I’m glad you loved it, Jenna! I appreciate your review.
Love this recipe! I’ve made it several times, Thank you!!
For my meat eaters, do you think adding grass fed ground beef to this exact recipe would work? Would you cook the meat, then add the onions, peppers etc then continue with the recipe?
LOL can you tell I’m not a cook.
Hi Patty, I’m sorry I can’t say as I’m a vegetarian and don’t have experience there.
You definitely can add ground beef to the recipe. I would advise cooking the ground beef first and then adding the onions and other veggies once the meat is nearly done.
You could also saute the meat and veggies separately if you wanted to, although I am not sure there would be much benefit do doing so.
This chili is amazing! I followed the recipe except I also added a can of fire-roasted Rotel for extra flavor plus a bit of V-8 juice to thin out the chili. I pre-cooked some bulgar and added in about 1.5 cups to the finished chili. The bulgar looks exactly like ground beef and gives the dish a little extra heft.
Another PHENOMENAL recipe. Love the trick to puree a small amount at the end, it creates a filling and satisfying texture.
I used Rotel because that’s what I had in the pantry, and I didn’t have any carrots so I added extra onion and red pepper.
I served this with cornbread, guacamole, and sour cream.
Recipe was VERY tasty but we had to scale the chili powder back by over half. My partner couldn’t even eat it the first time we made it.
Yes, be mindful of the chili powder (per the note) depending on where you live. Thank you for your feedback.
I just made this chili and I have to say, it’s the best I’ve ever tasted! I didn’t have 2 cans of tomatoes, so used one can plus an equal amount of diced fresh tomatoes from the garden plus a little tomato paste. I also had to use frozen bell peppers, and didn’t have celery either, but the end result was still amazing! This is definitely going to be my go-to chili recipe from now on.
Hi Kate,
Thought I would share my vegetarian recipe with you. I basically ‘wing it’ with the amounts; basically, these are the ingredients.
cremini mushrooms, cut into chunks and caramelized
chopped onion also caramelized
lots of garlic
cumin, ground ancho or chili pepper, chili flakes, fresh corriander
roughly pitted and chopped kalamata olives
kidney beans, chick peas, black beans
diced tomatoes and tomato paste
We love it more than the regular meat variety chili. Hope you find this interesting We love your recipes!
Just came here to say this is a great recipe, just like all your others I have tried. You are my go to on the internet! In lieu of sherry vinegar, we used juice from our favorite jar of pickled jalapeños and it tasted GREAT. Thank you!
Thank you, Jessica! I’m delighted you have confidence in my recipes.
Love this recipe. I’ve made it as is and it’s amazing, and I’ve also made it with mods. My favoite mods are adding cremini mushrooms, a tablespoon of chopped chipotle with adobo, and a tiny bit of brown sugar at the end.
Thank you for sharing, Angie!
Those additions sound delicious! I will have to try them out and see how it tastes.
Have made a few times – always great!
Can this be done in a slow cooker or Instant Pot?
I haven’t tried it, but I believe others have. I would suggest looking at the comments to see what others have done.
You definitely can make it in a slow cooker and I don’t see any reason to not be able to make it in an instant pot. I wrote a reply to Rachel further up the comment section with my input on making this recipe using an instant pot.
I have made it in the slow cooker, and it works fine. I think I just sautéed the veggies at the beginning, then added them and everything else (except for the final additions) to the slow cooker and cooked for a few hours. I add a tsp of liquid smoke for extra flavor.
I made this last night and I really loved the texture and taste with the cumin and smoked paprika. I used plant based beef in it as an add in. My husband, who is very vegetarian skeptical ate three (3) bowls! I think it was a hit. I will definitely make this again.
I love that! Thank you for sharing, Holly.
Best vegetarian chili recipe!! Sooo good.
I’m glad you love it, Patricia!
I made this last night and it was delicious! I only made a couple of minor changes to the recipe to use what I had in my pantry. I used a can of navy beans in place of pinto beans, along with a 28oz can of Muir Glen (diced) roasted tomatoes. The whole family loved it.
Thanks for all the fantastic recipes. I changed my diet to plant based two years ago and your website has made the transition so much easier!
I just had to tell you your baby is beautiful. Chili looks good too. I will have to try it.
Great recipe. I enjoy all types of chili, my meat-loving husband does not really like any of it. I made this last night (followed exactly – served over rice, topped w/ jalapeños, red onion, sour cream) and he said it was the best chili he has ever had. He even took leftovers to work this AM. Psyched to add a very tasty vegetarian chili recipe to the queue.
Mmmmmm. Just made this lovely chilli. I used lime juice to flavour, and half avocado to garnish. I Didn’t have the cilantro (I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before in the supermarket).
Looking forward to serving it up in a couple of days for me and my friend.
Suzy uk
okay this was fantastic! I will be honest I changed some things – I increased the amount of most of the spices (I’m kind of a spice nut), added red kidney beans, and didn’t blend any of it. but because I didn’t blend any of it i had to add some powdered instant potato mix to get the texture just right, which worked like a charm. I paired it with a nice pumpkin pie for dessert.
but yeah thank you so much for this recipe Kate! me and my boyfriend both really enjoyed it and I will definitely be making it again
Do you have recommendations for using a Crock-Pot or transferring it into a Crock-Pot after cooking to keep it warm? I got suckered into participating in a chili cook-off at work, and we have to bring it in a Crock-Pot. I wanted to have a vegetarian option for all of my coworkers who don’t eat meat. :)
I don’t, sorry!
You should be able to transfer it to a crockpot to keep it warm for the event at work.
The only thing I would keep an eye on is making sure the chili does not get too dry, although if you keep a lid on the chili that should stop too much moisture from being cooked off.