Vegetarian Chili Recipe (easy to make with lots of veggies)
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I was a vegetarian for 14 years, and during that time, I perfected this vegetarian chili recipe. It’s a one-pot meal that is full of vegetables, made with pantry staple ingredients, and easy to make. I still make it for my family today, and even our non-vegan friends rave about it.
I love sitting down to a big bowl of hearty chili on a cool evening. Although I can no longer call myself a vegetarian, I prefer vegetarian chili to meat-based chili.
When I was 20 years old, I decided to stop eating meat. During those 14 years, I became attached to my meat-free comfort foods. Vegetarian chili is at the top of my list, followed very closely by my coconut lentil curry, one of my most popular recipes. 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. Honestly, measuring the ingredients so I could share the recipe with you felt a little funny.
You need to know one thing: I wasn’t joking about this being an easy 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.
Key ingredients
This vegetarian chili recipe comes together using pantry-staple ingredients – you probably already have most of the ingredients on hand.
- 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!
Tip ⇢ 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 and create a feeling of depth that can sometimes be lacking in vegetarian recipes. Don’t be shy with the salt shaker.
Vegetarian Chili Toppings
While it’s delicious on its own, I love this chili with some toppings. They make it feel extra special. My favorites are:
- Grated cheddar cheese or sour Cream
- Corn chips (bonus if they’re nacho flavored!)
- Sliced green onions
- Diced avocado (amazing!)
- Pickled red onions. This is the recipe that I LOVE!
Serving suggestions
Most of the time time I serve this with a topping or two and call it dinner. But sometimes it’s fun to add a side. My favorite chili sides are garlic bread and zucchini cornbread. And while this is a vegetable loaded chili, a side caesar salad goes nicely!
Store and reheat
Store: Let the chili cool completely, then transfer it to a sealed container, keep it in the fridge, and eat it within one week.
Reheat: I like to reheat this in a pot over medium-low heat, but a microwave also works.
Freeze: This chili freezes very well! Make extras and store some in freezer bags for a quick meal. It will keep for at least 6 months in the freezer.
Vegetarian Chili Recipe (easy to make with lots of veggies)
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 – like kidney and white beans)
- 2 cups frozen corn (you could use fresh but frozen is easy and works great)
- Sea salt (to taste -I 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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My whole family enjoyed this chili, it is surprisingly filling and flavorful without the meat! We added the sour cream and cheese for some richness. Definitely will be making this again soon!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Just made this for dinner. It was delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit!
This was my first attempt at making chili from scratch. After a lively trip to Frank’s Produce in Seattle’s Pike Place Market I had all I needed……and it was amazing. It even drew praise from my teen and pre-teen daughters!
That makes me so happy to hear! Hooray!!
I must have done something wrong. I found it far to “crunchy”. Is it supposed to be like that? I followed the recipe quite carefully but it seems to be under cooked.
No it’s not. You’ll simply want to simmer it a little longer. 🙂
This was our first venture into vegetarian chili and we loved it. When I made it a second time – we had some friends over – I added fresh sliced baby bella mushrooms (8oz). I cooked them with the veggies. It helped at a “meaty” backdrop to the chili.
Great call on the mushrooms!
Can this be frozen?
Absolutely! It freezes very well. 🙂
This recipe is delicious! I made it today and my non vegan boyfriend loved it too! So that’s a win win anytime I can make delicious vegan food
That does sound like a big time win!
What size cans of beans should we be using?
Thanks!
I buy the 15-ounce cans. If yours are a little bigger or smaller the recipe will still work just fine. It’s really flexible!
Can you give us an idea of how much salt is ‘quite a lot’?
It will really depend on whether you are using salted or unsalted tomatoes and beans. I usually go for about a tablespoon but I would suggest starting with a teaspoon as you may not like it as salty as I do.
I’m transitioning to a Vegan lifestyle! THIS WAS AMAZING!!! Easy to follow and perfect for meal prepping!
This sounds amazing! Can I substitute tomato paste for the canned tomatoes? I really hate having chunks of tomato in my food, but I’m wondering about the juices from the cans – would I need to add some water or broth to make up for that? Thank you! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
I would opt for crushed tomatoes or simply blend the canned tomatoes in your blender so they are more like a sauce. 🙂
Love the recipe. I realize that it says the calories per serving size – it doesn’t say what the serving size is though.
Anyone…
Easy, quick and delicious.
So happy you liked it!
I have to take a veg dish or soup to a church dinner for lent. Can this be made ahead of time & kept warm for a few hours?
Absolutely it can! It’s even better if you make it a day ahead then reheat it before your event. Chili’s one of the best make ahead recipes as it gets better after a day or two. 🙂
Quite delicious. First time I made it I backed off on the cumin fearing too much of a good thing, but this time I added (almost) the full 2 tablespoons. You don’t even miss the meat*. I started making this because my daughter doesn’t like eating meat (I’ve been making my “famous chili” with beef and beans for many years), so to make it a meal the whole family would enjoy, I found this recipe and it is fantastic. *Full disclosure: I cooked up some chili seasoned beef for those who just can’t eat chili without it.
I’m so happy you guys liked it! It’s great to have recipes that can easily be adapted to feed different diets. Great call on cooking up the meat separately for the meat eaters!
We couldn’t eat the chilli because it was too spicy! Definitely too much chilli powder in this recipe.
Do opt for the lesser amount of chili powder next time! Or use a less spicy chili powder as different brands vary considerably in their spiciness. If you’re not vegan, sour cream can cool the heat. 🙂
It should be teaspoons not tablespoons of chili right?
Nope! I usually put 2-3 tablespoons of chili powder in my chili. If you like a more mild flavor you can always reduce this amount and add more to taste. 🙂
I made this today and it was awesome. I served it over quinoa. Will make it again.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Love that you served it over quinoa. 🙂