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.
It’s about time I post here to thank you for this recipe! I’ve been using it for like 4 or 5 years I think? It is an absolute gem and got me to buy Love Real Food :)
Awesome chili. Excellent flavor. I added 8oz of finely chopped shitake and baby bella mushrooms along with an extra can of black beans.
Great recipe! We are trying to change over to a more vegetarian based diet and this chilli is one of the recipes I know my kids will eat without missing the meat version. I sometimes add a leftover veggie burger patty to this and I’m pretty sure the family wouldn’t even be able to tell it’s a vegetarian dish.
This was delicious! Thank you Kate! Now, I am not a vegetarian but as I age (EGADS!) I am just finding that my tummy isn’t in agreement with what I choose to toss into it! Rude! However, I do find that meat tends to make it unhappy more often than not. My aunt served me up a bowl of veggie chili a couple weeks ago and my first thought was hmmm, I dunno if I’ll like it without meat. Well I did! I really did! Which inspired me to come here looking for what I knew would be a great recipe of yours, and it was MORE than good! I didn’t change a thing! Ooops, well other than the beans, as a couple people have stated, using what was in the pantry. So I used a kidney, a black and a chickpea can. Was grand! Oh I lied again, I had some chipotle “sauce” that I’d bought awhile back for another recipe but hadn’t used since and figured this might be a good chance to use some. I didn’t have celery in the fridge so I just left it out, although I do love me some celery. I just used an extra pepper. Anyhow, hot diggity damn it was good and I will 100% be making it again!
Wait. This chilli is AMAZING! I have never left a recipe review before but this is well deserved. WOW! No notes, perfect! I opted for the lime and it was delicious will try the red wine vinegar next time.
Kate your chili recipe is out of this world! 5+ stars! My husband didn’t even miss the meat. This is a keeper for sure! I added more cumin because that’s my favorite spice & some cayenne pepper for more heat but this is a great vegetarian recipe. Thanks so much!
I have made this twice and my son said this was the best chili he has ever eaten.
The only change I made was using diced fire roasted canned tomatoes.
Amazing! First chili I ever made. I followed step by step instructions and added corn…it came out delicious! Thanks so much for sharing.
You’re welcome, Domo!
Great recipe. The tip to blend part of it and add back in, absolutely made the texture.
Thank you for sharing, DJ!
I am not a vegetarian or vegan person, but there are so many health benefits to eating more vegan dishes so i am trying to have one or two vegan days a week just to improve my health. I did skip the red wine vinegar. This chili was really very good. I dont feel like im missing out on anything. It tastes like chili. So good!!!
Excellent chili recipe that bursts with flavor. Served with a bed of spinach and a drizzle of tahini dressing. Thank you
I thought this was going to be good, but it was astonishingly good! Glad I found this post!
Great to hear, Brian! I appreciate your review.
This is my favorite chili recipe. Everyone in my family loves it. Making it today for the big game!
It was way too hot for us. I should have halved the chile powder and tasted. If you don’t like a lot of spice, be warned! Now I have to figure out how to tone it down to finish the rest of it because it has so many healthy ingredients in it.
Hi Sheila, I’m sorry to hear that! If you are outside of the US, the chili spice can be a lot spicier. I hope you try it again with less!
It is an awesome recipe! I followed your instructions, step by step, and it was delicious. I complimented it with cornbread. My 90 year old dad, a meat & potato man, thought I had made it with ground meat! He loved it! It was flavorful, perfect consistency, and filling. My family loves it. Thank you.
I love to hear that, Mari! Thank you for your review.
This turned out so well. It was my first time making it, so I followed the recipe as written. Next time I may add some jalapeño. It was super tasty served over a baked sweet potato.
I made this with only minor changes. It was very easy and very good. I served it as haystacks. I used Morning Star Griller Crumbles as my plant protein. The toppings vet a variety of dairy and vegan options. Will definitely make again! Thanks
Great to hear, Carolyn!
So glad I found this recipe! I love how versatile it is. I have made this twice now to rave reviews. I made a double batch for a teacher luncheon at my son’s school the first time and this time just for us at home. I used red wine vinegar and subbed a can of chickpeas for one can of black beans. I also added a can of chopped green chilis. Oh, I also subbed parsley for the cilantro because my family all have the gene that makes cilantro taste like Irish Spring soap. I used an immersion blender for step 4. I served it with some homemade wheat rolls and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt along with some freshly grated sharp cheddar. It tastes like comfort food and you don’t miss the meat!
It works in Australia too! We’ve had over 100’F days on end… so thought a little heat for the heat would work!
I always include the aquafaba in with my dishes, full of flavour, fibre and nutrients… and thickens the chili naturally.
I also added chipotle to the mix and love how easily it all comes together. Thank you!
A Kate recipe has never disappointed me, and this chili was lip smacking good. I topped my bowl of chili with lime juice and cilantro — icing on the cake, for sure!
We rated it 4 stars because it was easy to make and it is healthy, but we liked it but thought it wasn’t the best, but overall, pretty good!
Got the recipe from my daughter today and made it right away! It is a winner and will definitely make it regularly!
That’s great to hear, Michael! I appreciate your review.
Hey Kate! I’ve made this recipe a few times now, and it’s absolutely delicious! I would like to start cooking with dried beans instead of canned, but I’m not sure how to do that. Do you have an alternative recipe method that uses dried beans, and maybe even fresh tomatoes instead of canned? Thank you!
I don’t, sorry! I’m happy to hear you have enjoyed this version, though.
I’d like to make a big batch of this for 20 people the night before a party. I note you reheat leftovers in a bowl. Will this be fine cooked on the Thursday, then heated through again the next night in the pot or will it turn to mush? Thanks Kate :)
You’re welcome, Marisa!
Love this recipe, I use around 3 cans of various beans including butter beans but also add courgette and a few baby tomatoes into the mix
I absolutely love this vegan chili recipe. The only thing I changed was no smoked paprika and extra salt and chili powder. It has the most amazing flavor and the hint to blend a little at the end and add it back to the pot is genius!!
Thank you for this!
You’re welcome, Delicia!
I was looking for a Lent friendly soup recipe, stumbled on this meat free chili. Made a big batch 5X. Turned out great, flavors popped, everything was well balanced. It was a hit, everyone loved it. I won’t change a thing about it.
Great to hear, Christian! I appreciate your review.
Hi! When you say chili powder do you mean the spice mix or chili pepper powder? Thanks!
Hi Crystal, it’s a blend in the US.
I LOVE this recipe! I started adding rice as well. I either eat it as a meal or a snack with blue corn chips. I have been making it weekly and it just gets better day by day.
Hey Kate! This is one of my all-time favorite recipes, but I’m trying to become more diligent about tracking my calories—any chance you could specify the serving size? :)
Hi Kaite, 1.5-2 cups is roughly a serving size.
Love this recipe! Can I freeze this chili?
Yes, this is a great option to freeze!
So good! We made Greek meatballs on the side for the carnivores among us! It was so delicious . No modifications necessary! Now excuse me while I go back for a second bowl .
Great to hear, Taylor! I appreciate your review.
Superb. I’m not really a cook but like to make the more esoteric recipes so tried this a month ago. None left so this Scotsman is off to make another one.
Made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! Recently re-committed to being vegetarian and needed a replacement for my usual turkey chili. I subbed a can of vegetarian refried beans for the can of pinto and it gave it a nice chili-like consistency without having to use a blender. I’ve made several recipes of yours and they’ve all been great!
That’s great to hear, Shauna! I appreciate your review.
This was so delicious and even better the next day. I have been making meat chili for over 30 years. No More!!!!
Just made this tonight, looked up best vegetarian chilli and found this recipe so decided to try it and I’m so glad I did, absolutely delicious, I only changed the beans as I used what I had, black beans, kidney and blotting amazing thank you.
Thank you for your review, Julia!
So yummy! Full of flavour and healthy ingredients. Served on rice
Thank you for sharing how you made this, Christina!
Awesome recipe. Cooked this for my family tonight and my wife loved it. She rated it above the mince based one I normally make.
Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome, Michael!
This is the best chilli recipe I’ve ever had even my husband said you can’t really tell there’s no meat!
Did kidney beans, pinto & white kidney beans everything else was the same.
Delicious!
Thank you for your review, Michele! I appreciate your review.
I have made this often, usually as written though I have sometimes used chicken broth or water. I do have to reduce the amount of chili as the chili I have now is quite potent. I made it for a friend for lunch today and she asked me to send her the recipe.
I love to hear that, Bev! Thank you for your review.
Hi, great recipe, made it a couple of times and it’s always a hit, even with non-vegetarians. Just wanted to ask about the step where you add spices (chilli, cumin, paprika), mine burn in the pot with the veggies, in that 1 minute stirring before adding water, tomatoes and beans etc. Is my oil too hot or is this normal? Thank you!
Aaaack!!!! I feel so bad, I didn’t rate the recipe when I left my comments on how awesome this is!!! I shall now! Thank you again Kate ❤️❤️
You’re welcome, Nicolle!