Easy Vegetarian Chili Recipe (vegan chili!)
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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.
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.
Enter this Easy Vegetarian Chili Recipe ā¦
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.
Check out our video for how to make vegetarian chili:
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See how crazy easy it is to make vegan chili?
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.
I absolutely LOVE sitting down to a bowl of this chili because it's not only delicious, it's so healthy for you, too. There are so many veggies in here that you have to feel good eating it.
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 āhave 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 š
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 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
- Ā¼ ā 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 sautĆ© for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sautĆ© 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, Ā¼ ā 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
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ĀNutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
For more inspiration, check out all of our chili recipes!
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! āā¤
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 š
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. š
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. š
Kristen, this looks amazing! Thank you, I will try this right away)
Thank you!
Kristen, itās really awesome! This will quickly become a favorite in our house!
I’m so happy to hear it’s a hit!
Iāve 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 Bellaās and added 1 jalapeƱo 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!
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!!