Vegetable Chili Recipe
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This Easy Vegetarian Chili Recipe is our family's go-to, one-pot meal. It's full of vegetables, made with pantry staple ingredients, and is so easy to make. It's a delicious vegan chili that everyone raves about!
Photos updated in 2020. Same delicious chili recipe.
This veggie chili recipe is the comfort food you need!
I love sitting down to a big bowl of hearty vegetarian chili on a cool evening. I actually prefer vegetarian chili to a meat-based chili, even though I can no longer refer to myself as a vegetarian.
When I was 20 years old, I decided to stop eating meat. During those 14 years, I became really attached to my meat-free comfort foods. Vegetarian chili is at the top of my list followed very closely by Thai coconut curries and Indian curries.
There's just something about a one-pot meal where all the flavors meld together to become so much more than they could have been on their own.
I've been making this homemade chili for so many years that it's become second nature to make it. Honestly, it felt a little funny measuring the ingredients so I could share the recipe with you.
There is one thing you need to know: I wasn't joking about this being an easy chili recipe. Even though I have all the ingredients listed in proper measurements, feel free to eyeball and make substitutions. This is one chili that you cannot mess up.
And if you love your crockpot, I've made a Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili Recipe. It's basically this recipe with a few tweaks to make it work in a slow cooker.
Vegetarian chili recipe ingredients
This vegetarian chili recipe comes together using wholesome ingredients and a bunch of staples – you probably already have at least half the ingredients on hand! This is what you need:
- Cooking oil: Any neutral cooking oil will work well – I like using olive oil or avocado oil.
- Aromatics: Onion and garlic add savory depth.
- From the spice rack: Chili powder, ground cumin, oregano, and sea salt bring warming flavor to your vegetarian chili.
- Vegetables: Use some fresh bell peppers, carrots, celery stalks, and frozen corn in your vegetarian chili.
- Canned goodies: Grab two cans of whole tomatoes and two cans of beans – I like kidney and white beans!
- Optional toppings: I love topping it off with a dollop of sour cream, cheddar cheese, cilantro, diced avocados, or green onions – but you can use your favorite toppings.
How to make veggie chili
Talk about an easy, one-pot dinner that’s packed with delicious veggies. I love whipping this up on busy weeknights when I want something comforting with minimal effort. If you can open cans and dump stuff in a pot, you can make this. This is how easy it is:
- Saute: Heat the oil, then add the onion. After about three minutes, add the garlic until it’s fragrant, then add the spices. Your kitchen will smell amazing!
- Add veggies: Once the spices are blooming, toss in the fresh veggies, cooking them until they start to soften. Next, pour in the tomatoes and their juice, bringing the pot to a simmer.
- Add beans: Let it simmer away for around 20 minutes, then add the beans and corn, cooking for a few more minutes until the beans are warmed through.
- Add toppings and serve: Season with salt, then serve it up. Add any toppings you like, then enjoy!
Watch: How to make meatless chili
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Vegetarian chili recipe tips
The one thing you need to know about this (or any) vegetarian chili recipe, is that you want to salt it well. Salt helps bring out the flavor as well as create a feeling of depth that can sometimes be lacking in vegetarian recipes. Don't be shy with the salt shaker.
How to serve meatless chili
Usually, we'll eat it on its own or with a little cheese on top. But once in a while, we'll get fancy and make some cornbread. Our favorite is still these Cheesy Chili Zucchini Cornbread Muffins with Chili Honey Butter. If you haven't tried them yet, I highly recommend you do! We also love this chili with our Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread.
I always make my chili super spicy, but you don't have to. That's the thing about this chili, you really don't ‘have to' do anything. It's essentially just a bunch of veggies, some beans, and some spices. You can add more or less of any the veggies or spices, or leave some out entirely. You can switch up the beans by adding a different kind or a few different kinds of beans. This chili recipe is extremely flexible and can be used as a guide for making many different vegetarian chili recipes.
The only thing I wouldn't leave out of the chili is the corn. But then again, I just love the crunchy sweet bits in each bite. If corn is not your thing (do people who don't like corn exist?) then just leave it out 🙂
Vegetarian Chili Toppings
While it's delicious on its own, we love this chili with some toppings. They make it feel extra special. Our favorites are:
- Grated cheddar cheese
- Sour Cream
- Corn chips (bonus if they're nacho flavored!)
- Sliced green onions
Vegan chili recipe toppings
Don't worry vegans, we've got you covered!
- Diced avocado (amazing!)
- Chopped cilantro
- A sprinkle of nutritional yeast for some healthy cheesy flavor
- Pickled red onions. This is the recipe that I LOVE!
- Corn chips (but skip the nacho flavored ones)
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Easy Vegetarian Chili Recipe (vegan chili!)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 large onion (diced)
- 4 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 1-3 tablespoons chili powder (more will be spicier)
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ¼ – 2 teaspoons chili flakes (the more chili flakes the spicier it will be)
- 2 medium bell peppers (diced)
- 2 medium carrots (diced)
- 3 medium celery stalks (diced)
- 2 28-ounce cans of whole tomatoes and their juice (use your hands to roughly crush the tomatoes)
- 2 15-ounce cans of beans (drained and rinsed (we like kidney and white beans))
- 2 cups frozen corn (you could use fresh but frozen is easy and works great)
- Sea salt (to taste (we like about 2 teaspoons))
- Optional toppings: sour cream, cheddar cheese, cilantro, diced avocados, or green onion
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and chili flakes and stir.2 tablespoons cooking oil, 1 large onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1-3 tablespoons chili powder, 2 tablespoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, ¼ – 2 teaspoons chili flakes
- Add the peppers, carrots, and celery and cook for about 5 minutes, or until they just start to soften. Add the tomatoes and their juice and bring to a simmer. Once the chili begins to simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low. You want the chili to be at a low simmer with the lid off.2 medium bell peppers, 2 medium carrots, 3 medium celery stalks, 2 28-ounce cans of whole tomatoes and their juice
- Continue to cook the chili, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Add beans and corn and let the chili return to a simmer. Cook for 5 more minutes or until the corn and beans have heated through. Season generously with sea salt.2 15-ounce cans of beans, 2 cups frozen corn, Sea salt
- Serve on its own or topped with one (or all!) of the delicious toppings. Enjoy!Optional toppings: sour cream, cheddar cheese, cilantro, diced avocados, or green onion
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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For more inspiration, check out all of our chili recipes!
Excellent recipe
Thanks, Robert!
I loved this recipe. I changed it a bit by adding black beans and chickpeas for our protein. I did not add as much chili powder as asked for. Also used my preserved tomatoes which are very flavourful. It was a delicious meal with fresh crusty ciabatta bread. Saved to my Pinterest recipes👍
In England a tablespoon is really huge. So 3 tablespoons of chilli would literally blow your head off!
Do you mean 3 teaspoons? (This is also hot)
Would love guidance with converting to English metrics
Thanks!
1 tablespoon = 15 grams. 🙂
This was really good. We’re new to the V lifestyles so this was a blessing and jam packed with goodness that I didn’t miss the meat at all! I put a bit too much chili powder so it was spicy for my husband but he still powered through lol cuz it was good. I was afraid after tasting before adding the beans and corn because it was only heat nano flavor but in the end it all came together. I would like to know if there’s a way to minimize the spice without losing the flavor after you have made the pot. And this is a large pot of chili!!! Great for several days or to freeze.
Just use less of the spice.
I love this easy vegetarian chili recipe! It is the best and most flavorful chili I have ever eaten. I think everyone should make it at least once in their lives.
such a great recipe! I often omit or change things up because my pantry isn’t the best stocked but no matter how bad I try to “sabotage” it, this chili always comes out amazing. I can’t wait to have it again tonight!
Delicious-I just sautéed veggies in water- no oil. I added 1/2 cup quinoa with another cup of water when cooking and 2 T brown sugar to round it off.
Great dinner when snowed in 😋
I made this recipe and, as I like more heat, I used 2 tbsp. Of the chili powder and replaced the 28 oz. Cans of whole tomatoes with 1 28 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes and 1 28oz can of fire roasted salsa.
It has become one of our favorites. Loved the flavors
Flavor was great! It was a bit too thick for me so I had to add about a cup of water and cut the recipe in half for just me and my boyfriend =] Over all delicious! Thanks for sharing!
This chili was so delicious on this frigid winter evening. Beautifully seasoned and spiced, but still, out of habit more than need, I did throw in some fennel seeds and two chipotles for smokiness. This is the very first recipe I have ever come across where you have had the consideration to reprint the ingredients and measurements for each step of the recipe, saving all that unnecessary scrolling. I am most grateful.
love this recipe going to make it for my friend this weekend
always love this recipe have it each week going to make for my friend soon