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 love this recipe! I’ve made it multiple times. This time I didn’t have any celery, but I did add a poblano pepper and a jalapeno so I pulled back on the chili powder a bit. Absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for putting it online for all to enjoy.
Loved it! I used a poblano chili, and “Mexican Fiesta” seasoning from Frontier Herbs, as well as some ancho chili powder. Squeezed a whole lime in at the end. Topped with some delicious local full-fat yogurt. My family LOVED it!
My husband and friends love this chili. Super complex and flavorful and you don’t miss the meet one bit. I add in one jalapeño and 2-3 tomatillos. Our go to comfort food
This is a wonderful recipe. I have made it several Times and taken to gatherings. Everyone has liked it.
Delicious veggie chilli. Used up what I had in my fridge that looked tired lol easy to follow recipe, keep them coming. From Shelagh in Scotland, UK.
Does this Chile recipe freeze well? Anybody try to freeze it?
Hi Doona! This recipe is a great option to freeze.
Turned out great!
That’s great, Ross!
Great recipe! I had some local corn I had frozen from the summer and threw a couple handfuls of that in. Also half a chopped fresh jalapeño with ribs and seeds removed added with the rest of the fresh veggies in the beginning and a half of a chipotle pepper in adobo I added with the spices and garlic. I used beef broth as I am not a vegetarian and wanted to give it some essence of beef. Used the red wine vinegar for the acid and mistakenly added a whole tablespoon but no harm done! It is delicious thank you for posting.
You’re welcome, Bette! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
LOVED THIS RECIPE. Perfect to warm your soul on a cold autumn evening. I live outside of the US but used the full amount of chilli powder. It was hot but just as a liked it!
It would be handy if you could provide how to prepare this recipe using soaked beans from a bag.
For those of us on a low sodium diet this is handy as the cans of beans with juices often contain a great deal of Sodium. Thank you
Can you make this in a crock pot?
Hi Liz! I know others have and didn’t mind the results.
Hi, Kate-when your recipes call for chili powder do you mean the blend of spices that also has cumin, garlic, oregano, etc in it? Or do you mean ground chile? I’d assume the blend but I made a recipe from your book that called for chili powder and cumin and because there was also cumin in the chili powder, the cumin flavor was overwhelming. What do you use here? Thank you!!
Hi! In the US, it’s a blend of spices.
Looks fabulous! If I tried in an instant pot- how much time, pressure would you use?
I haven’t tried it with an instant pot so I can’t say for sure. If you try it, let me know!
A GREAT recipe! I typically add roasted corn and love serving this over brown rice.
I made a double batch of this chili for a neighborhood potluck last Halloween and I’m making it again at poplar request for this year’s Halloween gathering…tripling the recipe this time!
This recipe rocks! I have made it several times, never need to adjust the recipe. It’s perfect as written. My kids love it too. We make it frito pie style. I have frozen it to take camping (ok, glamping) and it reheats nicely and is good, warm, and hearty to eat around the campfire. I love that it can be made vegan and gf and we can put fixings on it to suit our tastes. Thanks for another delicious recipe!
Thank you for the great recipe. I made it tonight for our Halloween dinner. Very tasty.
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it, Christie! I Appreciate your review.
This chili is SO good (as is OR w/ fire roasted tomatoes instead of reg diced tomatoes).
Sorry to all of my veg friends for the next part, but I also made this into a turkey chili a couple times for my grandpa (he was on a high protein diet for a health issue) and just added bone broth instead of veg & 1lb of ground turkey and that was a huge hit too. I much prefer the veg version though!
Canned beans tend to have a lot of sodium. Can I make this with dried beans? Start with beans and lentils and cook them for a while and then throw in the other chili ingredients? If anyone has tried this, I’d love some tips.
Hi, you can use no salt added beans or make your own dried beans up to add. Just be sure o use the same quantity.
I’ve been making this chili for years, as written with a bit less chili powder, and my entire family of 4 loves it. A carnivore, a vegan, pescatarian, and a TacoBellatarian – we all love this!
Have you tried it in a slow cooker? I’d like to try it, but am hesitant to mess with perfection.
Hi Lesli, I haven’t tried this in a slow cooker. I do know others have and didn’t mind the results.
I make this recipe every fall and winter. It’s become a staple and I love making it for my loved ones. Thank you so much for bringing warmth to my tummy <3
Thanks for the recipe, it’s a great one! I’ve tried it with the canned beans but usually prefer cooking my own dried beans, any way you can make a note for how much dried beans this would be?
Hi, you will want to use the same quantity by volume. You would need to cook your dried beans, then add them to the soup as directed.
Question here. Love your recipes! I’m looking for a chili recipe w/o any alliums (family member is allergic). Do you think I could make your recipe without the garlic and red onion? Is there anything you can think of to substitute or add? Thank you from an ardent admirer.
Hi Kim, I prefer this as written. You could try to omit, but they provide good flavor.
I made this chile with my daughter’s recommendation. It was very good!
My husband repeatedly complimented on its taste and texture!
Very good recipe with all the veggies. I modified this recipe by using crushed tomatoes and did not blend it. I also used a bit or cayenne and NM red chili powder along with a bit of cinnamon.
This now my go to chili recipe for the entire family. Half of it gets added to a pot of browned gr beef for the omnivores. You feel good after eating it like you’ve done something good for your body.
I’m excited you enjoy it, Sara! I appreciate your review.
Today is the 2nd time making this in the past couple of weeks! So good! In fact it will be the chili served on Christmas Eve instead of the traditional that I’ve always served.
My family loved this chilli! I made it the day before to let the flavors mellow and added roasted corn. Next time I’ll probably start with half the chilli powder and add to taste. It was otherwise a very tasty comfort enjoyed with cornbread in front of Sunday football :)
Can you make this chili the night before?
This chili is great leftover.
This was simply delicious, so warming and full of flavour. Love, love, love this recipe, will definitely cook it again and again. Perfect as it is but I had some leftover broccoli, courgettes and ginger that I also threw in, I also swapped the beans for chick peas.
My new favourite. Yum!
That’s great to hear, Claire! I appreciate your review.
This is our favorite chili! Don’t miss meat at all! I don’t add much broth because I prefer it chunkier, never have a bay leaf so I leave that out.
My daughter has been vegetarian for last few years since junior year in college. I’ve made this for multiple times. She is coming home for Thanksgiving. She reached out and asked if I could make her another batch to bring home. This recipe is THAT good!
I love to hear that, David! Thank you for your review.
Delicious recipe and so easy to make. I used low sodium cans of beans and low sodium vegetable broth to try and cut back on the
1000+ mg of sodium per serving. Gave it 4 stars because of the whopping sodium content. Might try cooking dried beans first then add them to this recipe, but then it wouldn’t be so easy!
Hmm. I’m going to try this. Unsure of the chili. I read the comment about what to do if you live outside the US. I see a lot of comments here from folks in the UK, who had to cut the chili down, but I’m in Canada. So much is similar here in Canada and the US that it’s hard to know if I should cut it down, too. Well, better to little than too much, so I’ll cut it down a lot, and if I need more, I can always add it.
I usually just wing it when I make veg chili but today I thought I’d actually follow a recipe. GAME CHANGER! Absolutely loved it and already forwarded it to one of our daughters. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Bianca! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
There’s only one word for this vege-terrific legume melange: YUM!! I’ve been serving it to my high school book club for a few years, always to rave reviews. We particularly enjoy it with Tostito’s Hint-of-Lime chips.
Delicious!!!
What if I want to add red lentils to the recipe? How should I do that?
Hi JB, I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. Sorry!
JB – I just made this today and added red lentils and it turned out great! I rinsed them and added them with the broth. Just cooked it a bit higher than in the recipe for a short period (just this side of boiling), and then turned it way down to simmer (covered) for about 45 minutes to make sure they were cooked through.
Really enjoyed this chili. Very yummy.
Best chilli I’ve made OR tasted in years!
Hooray! That’s great to hear, Sony.
Another winner of a recipe! I used an immersion blender just so I didn’t have to wash my blender and it worked like a charm! I loved the idea of the tortilla stop topping as well. This is definitely one we’ll come back to again and again.
I made this and a traditional beef chili for a family gathering. We enjoyed this one so much I am making it again and we are not vegetarian! Absolutely need to purée some of it for texture.
Sooo yum. I’m a spice person so I add additional spice to my bowl (chili crisp oil, sriracha or Cholula) and sometimes wheat crackers on the side to dip into! Thank you!!!
You’re welcome, Tia!
Fantastic recipe! Great comfort food that comes together in no time!
This delicious, easy to make chili was perfect for a cold day. I really like the technique of belnding part of it to make it thicker. The only change I made was to use parsley instead of cilantro because I’m the only one in my family who likes cilantro. Thanks for another tasty, reliable recipe!
You’re welcome, Vivian! I appreciate your review.
I used this recipe today as a guide to cook a chili for my sister who doesn’t eat red meat. It came out very nice, though I did make a couple of changes. I used a bit more cumin and oregano, and omitted the fresh coriander as my sister doesn’t like that either. I also couldn’t get pinto beans, so I swapped them for kidney beans. I do love smoky flavours myself, so I also smoked the tomatoes and beans before adding them.
Awesome! My very first time ever making chilli. My daughter is Vegan so after I seasoned and got all the beans and fluids into the pot, I then split it into two pots so I could add meat to mine (mild Italian sausage chunks) and added blocks of tofu to hers. Soooooo tasteful!! Thanks so much – easy for Dad to prepare and make, and a very tasty dinner for everyone. I had it as is, and also topped it with a three cheese blend and a dollop of sour cream. I also splurged and bought a fresh French baquette for dipping into the chilli. Thanks very much!! GP
Love this chili recipe, one of many I’ve tried over the years. This chili is my new favorite! I did change a couple of things…regular onion rather than red, 1 Tb of chili powder and regular paprika rather than smoked. I used lime juice to finish the chili. Thanks for such a great recipe.
Hooray! That’s great to hear, Suzanne. I appreciate you taking the time to share.
Not a vegetarian but trying to eat healthier. We all love this chili! Even my 8 year old and my picky 82 year old mom. Ha! Thank you!
Very good chili. I liked the texture of blending up a bit of it before serving. I added a little cinnamon and cocoa for richness and we added red pepper flakes after served (with some yummy toppings of cheese, avocado, green onions and cilantro). Cornbread on the side!
Next time I may sub some beer for the veggie stock and might add some corn.
The recipe is a great foundation in and of itself, but could be built on as well.
Thank you. I’ll be back for more recipes (especially since I’m addicted to your baked oatmeal).