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.
I have been making sooo many of your soups and this vegetarian chili is now one of my favorites of all time! Along with your Best Lentil Soup and West African Peanut Soup. Thank you!
Made this for dinner yesterday!
So easy and delicious!
Thank you Kate
This chili is amazing! I’ve made it multiple times, and am always in love with the flavor.
That’s great, Isabella!
Delicious and satisfying! I just made it for the 2nd time tonight. Using my immersion blender is a game changer!!!!!!
My husband really liked it last time, but said it could use ‘more sustenance’ (he often says this of my veg recipes). Therefore I added 16oz of Beyond Beef ground to tonight’s batch.
I’m glad you made it already! I appreciate you taking time to review, Shelley.
Great recipe, blending some of the chilli and mixing it back in really makes all the difference! I used pinto and butter beans, plus added beet root! Thank you, Kaz
This was freaking delicious. I added a little bit of Trader Joe’s umami seasoning, some very dark chocolate for heft, and some hot red chilis for heat. And I snuck in enough spinach to trick myself into thinking I was eating my leafy greens but not enough that it tasted spinach-y. I was quite generous with the spices because I cook for a high-stim crowd. I added some cheddar cheese to mine, but the vegans were happy without it. This is a keeper.
I’m glad you loved it, Susannah!
Omg this is so good!!!! A must try, I’m vegan and added plant based ground beef and my husband added ground bison to his, but it is beyond tasty without!
Can you make this in the slow cooker?
Hello,
What adjustments might you make if cooking this in a slow cooker?
I haven’t tried it, Carol. I know others have and didn’t mind the results. I suggest checking through the comments to see what others have tried.
Mine didn’t turn out well in the slow cooker.
Thanks for the information, Natalie. I appreciate it!
Carol
This recipe is so spicy it’s inedible, coming from someone that loves spice. I don’t understand how there are so many good reviews that keep making this recipe.
Hi Kate, I’m sorry to hear that. Do you live outside the US? I have a note about the spice difference in the notes.
Spicy? Not at all. This is why I did add a jalapeño. Very good. Thank you
I think the difference comes down to chili powder being different outside the US. In the UK chili powder is made from pure chili peppers. American chili powder is actually a mixture of herbs and various spices like paprika, cumin, garlic, oregano, and ground chili peppers. Look for recipes, make your own, and try it again. I think It’ll be much better!
Did you use chilli powder or cayenne pepper. They are both the same colour and can be confused. 2 tbsps of cayenne pepper would have made the chilli very spicy.
Hi Cat, this calls for chili powder.
Really, really good. I followed the recipe although I did add a jalapeño (seeded, chopped) languishing in my crisper. Easy recipe and the leftovers are delicious.
This recipe is so good! But I’m glad I went super careful on the chilli powder, I put in 1 teaspoon and that was just a little hot for me! Eek 2Tbsp would have ruined it! I’m in New Zealand so yes our chilli powders must be very different!
As a fellow kiwi I wish I had of read this first haha. I love spice but wow, even my Indian partner couldn’t finish it.
Wish I’d read these comments. My chilli is just bubbling and I had a taste. It’s hot! I’m in the U.K. and usually add a tablespoon of chilli as I do like it quite hot. Think I’m going to be sweating but it did taste good.
I recently decided to start eating vegetarian and this is one of the first recipes I’ve made. It is even more delicious than all the previous chillies I’ve had, I’m incredibly shock! Even my dad, who loves meat and claimed to never enjoy a vegetarian chilli said this is the best chilli he has had! I highly recommend and thanks for sharing this amazing recipe! :)
This is excellent. Follow recipe, except used 1 1/2 T chili powder and used crushed tomatoes. Really good!!! Thank you!!!
You’re welcome, Teri!
This is a great recipe! I was looking for a vegetarian chili to serve to our daughter’s pescatarian boyfriend when he comes to our cabin for a ski vacation. I made this almost exactly as written, as a test, and it’s a keeper. Don’t need to look any further. Both he, and the rest of us carnivores will enjoy this hearty chili very much! Offering light sour cream and grated cheese as optional toppings will satisfy anyone who wants a bit of dairy. Will also offer up chopped cilantro, tortilla chips and salsa as add-ons. The blending of some of the chili is key to avoid feeling like one is just eating a bean and veggie soup.
Lovely dish, plenty of heat, ciltrano and lime just top it off. Couldn’tfind pinto beans so used barlotti, excellent thank you.
I sprouted and cooked black beans, nearly 4 cups,and used those instead, with a slight modification to the veggies, and a can of diced tomatoes and chilies, and fresh frozen tomatoes from the farm,this recipe was awesome! flavor without too much salt, choose your canned beans wisely. Made it for Thanksgiving and had it with sorghum, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, and a little bit of salad.
Two facts about me, 1: I NEVER follow a recipe exactly as written after the first time I make it but, this is the exception (although I do modify according to what i have on hand) and 2: I hate cold weather (except that it means I can make and enjoy this amazing chili).
I’m glad you are going to enjoy this chili and make the cold days better! I appreciate your review, Kathrin.
This was an excellent tasting chili. complex flavors, perfect with corn bread and a rainy day! Due to availability I used pinto and kidney beans. The Chili Powder here in Greece was quit hot (you were right, Kate) so I used about half of the recommended amount.
So! I love your recipes but I live in the United States and have a pretty high spice tolerance and I followed your recipe and used 2 tablespoons of chili powder (from Trader Joes) and my mouth is on fire. Do you mean teaspoon? I honestly couldn’t even tolerate eating it because I feel like I am on fire (and again, my spice tolerance is pretty high).
I have made a ton of vegetarian soups, stews, and chilis over the years. This was a definitive winner. It is so flavorful. I made the recipe with no changes, I added cilantro and lime juice for toppings, and I had two bowlfuls!!! I will definitely make this again…and again…
Thank you so much!
Great, Alison! I appreciate your review.
I’m an omnivore but I’ve made this great recipe about 5 times. I don’t miss the meat. Thanks.
I love that you have made it so many times! Thank you for your review, John.
Honestly was really hoping for a little more from this recipe. The flavor was good, but even pureeing a portion didn’t really thicken it enough for me. It tastes like a vegetable soup, not a chili. If I make it again I would double the smoked paprika, cumin, and oregano. Consider ditching the carrot (which is what I think makes it taste like veg soup to me), and adding beyond meat crumbles like another commenter, or using quinoa and corn. Idk, it’s just missing something. Respectable recipe, overall.
Hi J, I’m sorry you didn’t love this chili. I appreciate your feedback.
I love this chili. When my blender burned out in the heat of the moment, I added a can of refried beans to thicken it. Magic!
Yummy! We topped this with a dollop of guacamole and low-fat sour cream, then swirled it in. So good! Next time I won’t use the immersion blender though. It’s okay with us that it looks more like a thick bean soup. Your flavors are great ❤️
Thank you, Cee!
I love your recipes! This one also didn’t disappoint. I added some frozen sweet corn and Gardein plant-based beef crumbles to make it a little heartier, but your spice blend is really what makes the flavor. Thanks for another winner!
Ps…my dog is at my feet watching intently; even she loves the smell!
I doubled this veggie chili recipe and also added rotisserie turkey breast from Kroger’s market. It is delicious.
This recipe is so amazing . Delicious and perfect dinner for winters , I m a newly converted vegan and loving this
Hot enough for husband, too hot for kids Excellent recipe! I’ll have to modify for my kids though.
I’m glad you all enjoyed it, Kristen! I appreciate your review.
This recipe was AMAZING! We didn’t even miss the meat. Following another person’s suggestion I tossed in a bit of dark chocolate at the end, and I also added 1 diced jalapeno (de-seeded) with the vegetables. It came out perfect, not too spicy. It’s wonderful paired with cornbread! I will definitely be making this again and again, thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
Can this be made and then frozen?
Hi Maureen! I do know this makes a great freezer option.
I have made your chili recipe several times. It never ceases to surprise my friends the recipe is vegetarian. The chili has so much flavor. Thank you.
This chili recipe is delicious. I added a little
Cayenne for heat plus a bit more of the spices. Mixed them with a little of the liquid from the pot before adding it to the rest of the chili.
Very pleased and will make it again.
I’ve made this so often – always a hit with our family and friends!
If this is done in a slow cooker, how long do you recommend, and can everything be put in together at the beginning?
Hi Hayley, I haven’t tried it in a slow cooker, sorry!
I always make it in the slow cooker:I guesstimate: if I have a lot of time, I put it on low for 6 hours or so but if I’m in a hurry I put it on high for 3 or 4 hours:
This is my go-to veg chilli recipe. We have 3 vegetarians in the family and it always impresses. I add chipotle chillies in adobo sauce for some extra kick & lovely smokiness. (I add less chilli powder as instructed by my kids!) Top it with avocado/tomato/cilantro salsa and a big dollop of sour cream plus corn chips of course!
I’m glad it’s a hit, Pete. I appreciate your review!
i’m obsessed. the spice level was just right for me (i use mccormick brand). served mine with a side of corn bread!
I try to stay meat free half the time. This is my go to chilli. I make it at least twice every winter ( we dont have much of a winter in South Texas) but it still hits the spot!! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Ashton!
Yum! I was super skeptical while cooking until I blended two cups and poured it back in. Magic! Used a can of chick peas, black beans, and pinto beans, followed the rest of the recipe except used chili flakes. Lovely comfort food for the winter.
This was Great! I skipped the blending part and added 2 large russet potatoes diced for a little extra chunky filling texture:) AMAZING
I’m glad you loved it, Morgan! I appreciate your review.
This chili is amazing! Great flavor – easy to make and oh so healthy. This was my first recipe of yours that I’ve made and I look forward to trying others.
My super vegetarian daughter hates carrots. How can I sub sweet potatoes? Help.
Hi Shelly! Sure, let me know what you both think.
I added diced sweet potatoes to this once and it was delicious! It “cools” the spice a little bit as the sweet potato is sweet and creamy. This is my go to chili recipe. It’s so flexible! Just made a whole pot of it today as we are expecting a foot of snow here in Colorado this week and my pregnant self will pour it over chips and use vegan cheese to make sheet pan chili nachos.
That sounds like a great way to use this chili!
This is the best chili ever. I usually make it with Impossible or Beyond meat, and add a can of corn. Everyone to whom I have served it loves it!
That’s great, Cecilia!
Made this and it’ll remain in the rotation for quite a while, cause its just soooooo good. Not too spicy at all – i recommend continuous tasting to find your sweet spot.
This is legitimately one of the best vegan chili s i’ve ever had! So flavourful. I added some canned corn and a bit more garlic and onion personally. Soooo good! Thank you! :-)
You’re welcome, Mads!
Super good. As a part-time carnivore, I really value veg recipes like this for the magic they make with aromatics and spices. This, like the lentil soup, will become a staple!
Great to hear, Steve!
Unfortunately this recipe disappoints in that it’s not a chili and is more of a soup. Very soupy and we didn’t even add the full amount of water or broth called for. Any suggestions on how to make it like a chili? We just added more beans…
Hi Kim, I’m sorry to hear that. You can increase the amount of vegetables next time.
This was delicious!! I ended up substituting bay leaf for cloves, used curry powder instead of cumin and it was very good. I even added jalapeños to add a kick since I used a chili powder brand from my neighborhood store in America.
Also added white vinegar on top of the lime because I love that acidic taste
Aloha! I enjoy your soup recipes and I appreciate all the flavors. I did not have cilantro but I had cilantro essential oil and it worked out just fine. Mahalo for the yummy recipes. Beanie and Baxter
Hi, I love this recipe!! My mother in law made it and it was fantastic. Could this be made in an InstantPot? Has anyone tried that?
I haven’t tried it, sorry! But, I believe others have with success.
Hi Kate,
I tried it and it was incredible!!
Just sauteed the veggies until they were tender and then added everything else and put it on chili mode.
Thank you for this recipe!
I made this as a blessed palette cleanser after what has been a real ham fest this Christmas and to freeze for work lunches.
For those in Australia and NZ, Masterfoods does a ‘Mexican chilli powder’ which is probably closer to the American version, though I’d still add a tablespoon and taste before adding further…the regular ground chilli we get here would blow your head off at that amount
This is EXACTLY what I have been looking for. Recipe is perfect. Chili is delicious.
This a family favorite! My picky 5 year old asks me to make this weekly :)
I love that! Thank you for sharing, Katie.