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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Have you ever made this earlier in the day and put into a slow cooker once ready just to keep warm till ready to serve?
I haven’t but I’ve done that with other chili recipes and it’s worked well. I suspect it would work well with this recipe, too. 🙂
Meatless chili recipes please.
Ok! We’ve got quite a few around here and you can find our vegetarian chilis and curry recipes here. I’ll have to dream up a few more!
Thank you for this fantastic recipe and clear instructions! Today I’ve made it and it’s really delicious. Can’t wait to make it again =)
You are very welcome!
This recipe is AMAZING! So simple to make, and you can pretty much throw in what you’ve got on hand , doesn’t have to be exactly the same everytime – which is every moms PERFECT recipe, right?! I didn’t have any bell peppers on hand so I cut up extra celery and carrots. I used 1/4 beef stock and put the beans in simmering pot for about an hour to help thicken it up more. Served with a little cheese , sour cream and crumbled cornbread (it’s been cold and rainy) everyone was SO happy. Thank you for sharing with us, definitly being made again… And again! ✌❤
Love when a recipe makes everyone at the table happy! Hooray!
I didn’t miss meat or meat substitute one bit – great recipe. Thanks for sharing!
I’m thrilled that you love this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let us know!
Reading the reviews, I had a feeling this chili would be really good; but oh my gosh, this truly is THE BEST vegetarian chili I have ever had. So much flavor, I can’t believe it. Thank you for this recipe! I can’t wait to make it again!
That is fantastic! Thank you for coming back to let us know!
Could you make this in a crock pot?
I haven’t tried it but I suspect it would work well!
I really loved this recipe! I was a little confused about when the stock was supposed to be used, so I added in some veggie stock right after the carrots/peppers and it worked out great. Loved the complex and deep yummy flavors. Thanks for sharing! Will definitely be making again 🙂
So happy it was a hit!
Do you think this would freeze ok?
This chili freezes very well!
My husband and I loved this recipe. This is about the third veggie chili recipe I’ve tried and we’re so excited that we finally found a winner! Usually the chili doesnt have enough flavor but this had just the right amount, I only used about 3/4 tsp chili flakes, which was perfect amount of spice for us! I cant wait for leftovers tomorrow! Thanks so much for sharing!
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that!
I didn’t have time to cook this on the stovetop, and instead dumped all the ingredients into the slow cooker before I left for work. Well, six hours later my house smells like heaven and the chili is perfect! I love that it’s vegetarian and uses simple basic ingredients I have on hand already. This recipe blew my expectations – who knew beans and veggies taste so good?!
Thank you for this recipe. Definitely a new family favorite!
I’m so happy it was a hit!
If you are not using 1/4 cup prawn stock, should you substitute another type of stock so as to have the appropriate amount of liquid?
Nope! It’s fine to simply omit it. 🙂
Kristen, I went to the kitchen as soon as I finished reading your recipe, I really didn’t expect that I could make it. Love you very much
You are very welcome!!
Does this store well in the fridge? If so, what would be the best way to reheat it?
It does! It also freezes well, too. I heat it on a pot on the stove. If you have a microwave I’m sure that would work just as well. 🙂
Kristen, this looks amazing! Thank you, I will try this right away)
Thank you!
Kristen, it’s really awesome! This will quickly become a favorite in our house!
I’m so happy to hear it’s a hit!
I’ve tried so many different vegetarian chili recipes most found to be good but all lacking heartiness in flavor. Thank you for this delicious hearty vegetarian chili recipe! I read 1 of the reviews suggesting mushrooms so I also added Baby Bella’s and added 1 jalapeño for extra heat. This will be my go to recipe from now on. Went great over a scoop of brown rice.
I’m so happy to hear the recipe was a hit!