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.
Hi Kate!
Making this tommorow for the work week! Can you advise what you use in your chili? Sherry or Red Wine vinegar. Or lime juice? I don’t know which will bring the flavors out best.
Thank you so much!
Stacie
You could use any of them and all would be lovely! If you have one on hand, use that.
Hi Kate!
I had all on hand. I ended up using Red Wine Vinegar. It came out fab! Thank you for sharing!
Stacie
I made this for my family tonight and we all loved it! I’ve never put smoked paprika or vinegar in chili before, but they both added a smokiness and brightness that balanced well with each other. We ate ours with shredded cheese, a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and tortilla chips (the chips are amazing with it). Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe that is now part of our family dinner rotation.
You’re welcome! Thank you, Karen. I love your topping choices!
This is the best vegan chilli recipe! Instead of mashing some at the end, I process the carrot and celery and add it with the garlic; a simplified soffritto I guess. Really good. Thank you!
Hooray! Love to hear that. Thanks, Sarah!
I was looking for a GOOD vegetarian chili. So yours sounded good.just made it.added potatoes to it.the part about blending one cup sounds fantastic. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Yes, please do!
I am not a vegetarian, but this chili is delicious! Oh my, it doesn’t need any meat at all. The smoked paprika just tops it off, so don’t use just plain paprika.
I’m happy you think this soup is perfect as is! Thanks for your review, Myra!
Delicious! At first I thought it was going to be too smoky flavored, but it was perfect, even with the 2 tbsp of smoked paprika. I made it with quinoa on the side and my husband LOVED it! Thanks girl!
I like the idea of making quinoa to go with it! Thank you, Tate for sharing!
This is such a good recipe. I didn’t have celery so just used an orange bell pepper instead. I didn’t use stick – just water and even forgot to add lime at the end and it’s still lovely. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing, Jane!
Fantastic, just tried your recipe tonight and everyone loved it vegan and non vegan alike, subbed a large fresh red and green chilli for the chilli powder and added chipolte chilli paste and the lime juice suggested. Best chilli we’ve ever tasted was the verdict. Thank you so much. Next step is to add some grated dark chocolate, will let you know if that’s successful
This is a crowd-pleaser for sure. Thank you for sharing your experience, Paul!
Its my second time making this recipe. I love it! This time I used fire roasted tomatoes and it was awesome!
Thanks for sharing, Sadie!
Thisis the best vegetarian chili ever!
Thank you, Corrine!
This recipe was great! I loved it. Made it about 3weeks ago and I’m definitely doing it again this week!
I’m happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing, Shar.
This recipe is the best chili ever! Vegetarian or not! It comes out amazing every! Single! Time!
Happy to hear that, Tabitha! Thanks so much for your feedback.
I have made this before and it’s such a windy , blustery day here, here I go again! Love the flavour and all the fantastic ingredients. Thanks for sharing.
Cori
It’s great on a cold day! Thank you, Cori for your comment and review.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was DELICIOUS! I’m (kind of) new to vegan cooking and this is definitely going to be a staple for me now. :)
Thank you, Nadia!
It’s cold and windy and this was the PERFECT recipe to make for dinner! I just added some veggie crumbles to the mix and I used some leftover dried, cooked pinto beans I had around. Blending 1 1/2 cups of the soup makes a big difference – thanks for the tip! This was absolutely delicious and I’ll definitely be making this again.
Yes, blending makes all the difference! Thanks for sharing, Dawn and for your review!
Love this recipe!!!! Very tasty and the smell in the house while cooking makes your mouth water. Since I like a little heat in my chili, I like to serve this with red hot and scoop it up on a few no salt tortilla chips….. YUMMY!!!!! Thank you for a “GREAT” recipe!
You’re so welcome! Thanks so much for your comment and review, L.
This is so delicious!!! Even for those skeptical of a veggie chili. I’ve made it twice, one time adding some mushrooms lying around and another time zucchini. Thanks!! Great leftovers, too.
Great leftovers! I like those additions. Thanks for sharing, Cassy!
Just found this recipe. I love the addition of carrots and celery into chili, more veggies! I can attest that this DOES freeze well. Simple and delicious.
Thank you, Maria!
This was sure tasty! I also added baked beans to make a 3 ran chili. Next time I will decrease the cumin.
Thanks for sharing, Sheri!
Seriously awesome Chilli, even for carnivores. It is one of my favorite things to cook and eat for several days! :)_
Thanks for sharing, Adam!
Hello! I am new to this site and I am so very happy I found it! What a diverse collection of recipes you have here, I absolutely love that! My family and I are going vegetarian. After 2 children and not really knowing what’s in the meat we buy, all the recalls down to the crumby way it makes us feel – we are searching for a new way to eat! So thank you so very much for these. I would love to make this, however, I do not have any lime juice on hand- only lemon. I know the 2 are different but would it make much of a difference to sub? Thank you so much for all these recipes, I will be here forever!
Welcome to the blog, Britni! I’m glad you are enjoying the selection and this recipe is a favorite for sure. Do you have any sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar by chance?
Made this tonight. Yummy. I’m thinking leftovers will be even better after the flavors have more time to meld.
I agree! I love this soup even better the next day.
Excellent vegetarian chili recipe! Flavors were fantastic. Easy to prepare. A squeeze of lime at the end definitely enhances the flavors even more!
Yes, I agree! The addition of the lime(or other options) really brings it all together. Thanks for your review!
The best vegan chilli I’ve ever made and tasted! I tweeked it a bit to suit my Caribbean taste buds. So I added small cubes of squash, Zuchini, mushrooms, coriander spice, Jamaican all purpose seasoning, pasta sauce, ketchup and scots bonnet pepper instead of chilli flakes. So many people have asked me for this recipe and I’ve shared your page.
I’m glad it provided inspiration and you were able to make it suit your taste buds! Thanks, Kizzy.
So delicious! Made as directed but added zucchini and doubled the garlic. Topped with avocado and sharp cheddar. Boyfriend isn’t vegetarian but still was stoked on this chili!
I love garlic! Thanks for sharing, Nicki. I appreciate the feedback and review.
After making this the original way, I altered it for something really different. I dropped one can of black beans, replaced the pinto beans for chick peas, replaced the celery and carrots for lots of cauliflower florets and halved Brussels sprouts. It’s not really a chili anymore, but a really good, healthy stew. Tastes fabulous!
I like the creativity! Thanks for sharing, Wally!
I made this chili for my daughter and son-in-law who are vegetarians… But after tasting it to adjust any seasoning, I ended up scoping out a couple cups for myself to take home! I loved it!!! I decided to add shredded chicken to it (for all my non-vegetarian friends!),and will serve it at my cookie exchange party this weekend. Great recipe. Lauren G.
I’m glad you loved it, Lauren! Thanks for sharing.
My meat loving husband has declared this his favourite chili recipe. Delicious and substantial.
That’s wonderful! I love it. Thanks for sharing, Nancy.
So great!! I love all of your recipes!
Thank you, Elizabeth!
This was great! You rock, thank you so much for sharing your talent with the world :) I’ve made your red curry, your black bean soup…everything comes out delicious! Thank you, thank you!
You’re so sweet, Sarah! Thanks for letting me know you love this one and the other recipes too!
I am so excited to try this chili! I am in love with so many of your recipes!
I’m making it for a party and need to feed approx 15-18 people. Any tips on doubling/tripling it, or is it pretty straight forward? I’m concerned about the bean ratio… maybe turning too beany?
Thank you in advance!
Amanda
This recipe doubles just fine! If you are doing more than that, I would recommend batches or different pots so everything cooks well and you get the flavor enhancements as you work through the steps. Hope this helps!
Hi Kate,
I just made this recipe and it was tasty! Thanks for sharing. I’d like to add that it did take me around 2.5 hours to cook the chili until it was the consistency that I liked.
Jessica
I’m glad you liked it, Jessica!
I love this recipe, it’s my go to veggie chili recipe! Yum! I was wondering if you had the measurements for a larger recipe, on some recipe sites you can enter number of portions desired and the measurements/quantities change. Are you planning on adding this or can you let me know for about 20 people what it would come out to? Thanks!
Hi! This recipe doubles well. If you make more than that, I would recommend more than one pot. This recipe serves 4-6 so if you made 3-4 batches of it should work. I don’t have plans for that type of plug-in right now, but I will take note. Good luck!
This chili is amazing! It will be replacing my old standard veggie chilli. It is so light yet filling at the same time. My husband and kids loved it! I substituted crushed tomatoes for diced since my daughter is super picky about tomatoes. She even loved it. I served with frito scoops. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
I love it! Thanks for sharing, Staci.
I love this recipe it is so simple and tastes amazing. Takes me 5 minutes to prep, I only use one knife, one pot, one spoon and measuring spoons so there’s nothing to clean up. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Robert.
I LOVE this recipe, and am glad I doubled it with some bean ratio variations, as well as adding the puree of half of a roasted butternut squash as well as the puree of the chili. I used a nice balsamic at the end rather than lime and think it made all the difference.Think I might squirt some lime on with garnish later. So Yummmmy!!!!! and my cells are so very happy. Thanks! …. and ps … I Never, literally Never, have been inspired to add a review and comment of a recipe before.
I’m so glad you commented! Thanks, Shakti!
Could this be made in a slow cooker?
Hi Jessica! I haven’t made it in a slow cooker, but I believe others have with luck! You can see what others did by searching the comments. Don’t miss the sauté step, though!
Could I make this in my instant pot or crock pot?
I believe others have will success! Search the comments to get reader recommendations.
I’ve made this several times now, and it is delicious. My 14-year-old daughter has been vegetarian for about 18 months so I’ve sought out vegetarian recipes for us, and this is a winter winner. I go heavy on the vegetable base–a large onion, two red bell peppers, maybe three medium carrots–and up the spices just a bit as well. The last time I started with dried beans rather than canned, and I think that was my best version. We’ve topped it only with sour cream and grated cheddar thus far, but I look forward to trying sliced avocado and other garnishes. Thanks for such an excellent recipe.
You’re welcome, Brian! Thanks so much for your review.
I have tried many vegetarian chili recipes, looking for the perfect one. This recipe is hands down my favorite. It’s the recipe my meat-eating husband also requests! I’ve made it for in my in laws and other friends. Everyone always loves it! Using the immersion blender at the end is perfect – it gives it exactly the right consistency. Thank you so much for sharing!!
Great to hear, Victoria!
2nd time with this recipe. I put it in a dehydrator afterwards and use it backpacking. Excellent results.
Great recipe ! Going to try this out today :)
However I have all ingredients in hand but vegetable broth. Could I maybe substitute readymade vegetable soup instead?
This Chili was amazing!!! Made it tonight and added diced butternut squash. Loved how when you blended it a bit it really does give that awesome texture. It was a hit! My kids added some grated cheddar and I love how it was all veggies and fibre. Definitely would make again. I do have extra….could it be frozen??
Just picked up a copy of your book and love all the fresh colourful ingredients. I’m really enjoying “loving real food”! Thank you Cookie and Kate :)
I’m glad you love it! This soup freezes nicely from other reader feedback. Thanks for the review, Katrina!
As I am not a fan of spices, I reduced the quantity and still found it too spicy for my liking, soooo- since I usually add organic cocoa to my own chilli I added it to this one as well. It changed the flavour to my liking. I made it for my vegetarian friends and I suspect they would have have enjoyed the original flavour. Nice choice of ingredients and easy to make
Thanks for sharing! Yes, please adjust to your own tastes.
Thanks so much for your awesome vegan chili recipe! I doctored it up with a few dallops of jamaican jerk sauce, 100% pumpkin puree, turmeric, few dashes of garlic wine vinegar, low salt soy sauce and juice of lime m fresh cilantro for a VERY LARGE POT’O CHILI! My non-vegan brother accepted me dropping some off tonite for his wife n daughter. I asked him to just try a bite on a tortilla chip. He absolutely LOVED the flavor and DID NOT miss the meat! It was all your ingredients plus a few tricks of magic from Jesus and my grandmother in Heaven! Thanks for your awesomness Kate.
You’re welcome!! Thanks for sharing your variation! I’m glad your brother was also accepting.:)
I made the vegetarian chili for my son and his vegan girlfriend. It was so good, even my big meat eating husband thought it was great!! Very easy to make and delicious!!
That’s great, Meg! Thanks so much for sharing.
Just made your vegetarian chili for dinner. Added beyond meat crumbles and I can’t tell you how delicious it was. This recipe is a keeper. My husband, daughter and her husband as well as myself thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact we can’t stop raving about it.
Thanks again.
Wonderful, Lori! Thanks for your review. :)
I have a permanent bookmark on my safari with this recipe! It turns out fantastic every single time! Just today I tried adding steamed quinoa and a little bit of the cooking liquid towards the end and it was delicious! Thanks ever so much!
I love it! It’s a great one to have bookmarked. :)
Hi fellow veggie fiends.
With regards to the chilli dish, I cook off some sliced mushrooms, very slowly in a frying pan with a little butter/vegetable oil, until the moisture has been cooked out, and the result is a ‘meaty’ textured mushroom with a great umami taste, which I then add to the cooking chilli. Give it a try?
I would add maybe in step 3? I would need to try to try it. Let me know what you think!
This recipe was a big hit with our family! We are interested in eating better all year, and this was a great start!
Wonderful, Guy! Thanks for sharing.