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.
Wow full of flavor ! I cooked my kidney beans 60 minutes first, I used plablano pepper and 1 jalapeño , whole tomatoes that I crushed . I cooked it for 45 minutes there was a lot of sauce next time I will add 1 more carrot and 1 more celery because there is a lot of sauce and i like my chili chunky with a lot of vegetables . I used the immersion blender straight in the pot just enoug to leave it chunky . The spices are just the right amount it’s exceptionally divine . It’s the only chili that I am going to cook from now on , no need to look any further.
Thank you …….it’s really addictive !!
Thank you for sharing your approach, Brigitte! I’m glad you loved it.
Wondering why there is no nutritional information – calories, fiber, protein etc. It seems some of your recipes have it and some do not.
Hi JoAnn! I’m sorry you were having issues. It should all be working now.
Yummmmm! I used rotel for the diced tomatoes to make it spicy and we used all of The recommended toppings and it was delish!
Thanks for sharing your version, Cinde!
Had a vegan friend over for dinner and had no idea what to make. This was an amazing dish that I’ll make again and again and my guest asked for it also! This made for a great dinner!
I’m glad this was just the thing!
Great recipe !
Even better when I added two lbs of ground Bison…..
Thanks for sharing, Paco!
Hahahah
Kate I believe that US chili powder is actually a blend of chili and other spices such as cumin, onion, garlic, salt whereas in UK and Europe chili powder is straight dried/powdered chili so it is much hotter. A normal amount of chili powder would be 1/2-1 teaspoon.
Hi Kathy, yes! That is true US varies as to why I provided a note. Thanks for sharing your recommendation!
I wanted to try making it in a crock pot/slow cooker,, but didn’t have time to sift through all the comments to see how others did it. I followed the first part of the recipe as written (sauteed vegetables and then aromatics), and then I put everything into a crock pot. From there I pretty much followed the recipe except that I cut the broth in half, adding only one cup. I cooked it on low for six hours and then used an immersion wand to blend about half of the mixture. I did not add the second 1/4 tsp of salt because canned beans are salty and so was the shredded cheese that I topped my bowl with. Very nice. I might try adding corn after the blending the next time, and as others have noted, the recipe lends itself nicely to other substitutions/additions. Not sure what it is about chili powder, but whenever I eat chili, I crave it again for days afterwards. Anyway, I think that the true value of crock pots must be for meat, which I don’t eat, but it was nice to walk away from the crock pot and not have to worry about stirring or sticking, so I would do that again.
Thanks for sharing, Kim!
Nutritional information available on this?
Hi Raven! Make sure you allow pop-ups in your browser settings. That should take care of it!
I added a few more beans and a couple of additional spices (Adobo & Allspice.) Thick and rich and delicious! Perfect without blending or mashing. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
You’re welcome, Sheri!
Chili is one of my favorite dishes! I never grew up consuming it often–my mother did have this wonderful beet soup served with rice and chicken and she eventually developed this delicious vegetable lentil soup when we started making healthier choices collectively. I began consuming chili more often once I became plant-based due to consisting mostly of beans! This chili looks marvelous and I’d love to try it someday!
I followed the recipe as written and it was delicious! Perfect spices. served with cornbread on a cold winter night
I only used 1 tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt due to some dietary issues but otherwise I followed the recipe as written and it was delicious! Perfect spices. served with cornbread on a cold winter night
Sounds perfect for a cold night! Thank you for sharing, Susan.
Thank you for sharing this recipe…
This is my absolute favourite dish. It’s also so easy to make. I have a question, though. Can you freeze it?
This one should freeze well, Helena! I believe others have had good luck.
This recipe is delicious! I had been planning to make the vegetarian chili that I normally make, but found myself without enough time to roast my sweet potatoes. I just googled a vegetarian chili recipe and I landed on yours. Hearty, the right about of spice, and the extra splash of vinegar at the end really did make a difference! Plus, it was quick and I have leftovers. Yum!
Love it! My husband even liked it. The flavors blended so well together. You are my favorite blogger. A your recipes are delicious. Thanks from someone with RA who is vegan, GF for health.
This recipe was so easy to prepare and was absolutely delicious! It was perfect for this cold, cold day. I love that it is vegan but is still as flavorful as a meat chili. The step of blending 1 1/2 cups of it to give it a chili like texture worked wonderfully. I’ll be making this again. Thank you for sharing this with us.
You’re welcome, Elia! Great for a cold day.
My first attempt at chilli my kids love it and so do !
That’s wonderful, Shayna.
The best thing abut this is it tastes better every day. I only cook for myself so I got a yield of about 6 servings. Amazing when first cooked but every time I eat it after was better than before. Like day 5 was absolutely next level. I’m a vegan so I did it step by step just added some nooch on at the end. Will make again, and again, and again. One of those meals you can freeze a few dishes of and when you have no food in just grab this, stick it in a jacket potato. Heaven haha.
Thanks for sharing, Jonny!
I made this tonight and it was excellent.
Thanks for sharing, Janice!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have made it twice already. My husband eats meat and likes it too! I didn’t have chili powder at the time to make this recipe, and it’s still delicious.
Thanks for your review, Shana!
Love this recipe. I like to add more veggies including corn and/or zucchini and whatever else may be in the frig. Adding more than one color of bell pepper looks nice too. For extra protein for my vegan family members I break up tofu into small pieces and sauté with the onion.
A comment about chili powder. In some countries, India for instance, chili powder usually means ground hot chilis. In the US it usually means a spice blend including chili peppers, oregano and cumin.
Thanks for sharing, Mary!
This is one of the, if not the best Chilli I have ever had, Vegetarian or otherwise.
Thank you so much for sharing this AMaazzzing recipe its awesome.
I made it exactly as you instructed and it is just brilliant, my wife and I both really enjoyed it and commented; Who needs meat.
Thanks again and rest assured I will definitely be making this again.
Love to hear that, Steve! You’re welcome. I’m really glad this was a hit for you and your wife.
Will definitely make again thank you
Great, Jessica!
I love this recipe. Made it for my meat loving family and they all thought it was terrific.
So simple but so good.
Great to hear, Lisa!
This was excellent, thank you! Our dog Shadow liked to watch!
I’m glad you liked it, Tb!
Made this tonight in the Instant Pot for our Super Bowl dinner…
Used 1.5 cups total dried black and pinto beans, presoaked
Increased broth an extra 3/4 cup
Added a diced jalapeño and 6 oz. soy crumbles
Followed directions to sauté veggies, then cooked everything on high pressure 9 mins, natural release. Blended a bit with immersion blender, adjusted to our tastes with red wine vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar and chipotle seasoning.
Delicious!
I have made this chili so many times now but decided to make it today for my Super Bowl party and everyone loved it. I use lime for the acidity and it hits the spot!
I was looking for a new vegetarian chili recipe, I was tired of my old one and needed to update it. I came across your recipe and was drawn to how simple it looked to make, tried it and I am glad I did! I used it to take to a friend, made a batch for my family and will use it for our upcoming staff meeting this month. It was easy to make and most flavorful. I made exactly as written and used red wine vinegar at the end. Yum! Thank you, I look forward to checking out the rest of your blog and will recommend to friends in the future!
I’m glad you did too, Sarah! Thanks for your feedback on how much you loved it.
Can you freeze the leftovers? I know some of your other soup recipes mention freezing, but it doesn’t say here.
Hi Maeve! I haven’t tried freezing this one, but it should freeze fine. I believe others have had good luck with freezing it.
Absolutely love this chilli. Although I am not vegetarian I much prefer this to the one I made with mince steak
.
I change it slightly, I use more onion, add a tea spoon of coriander powder, a tablespoon of tomato puree and fresh chillis and garlic.
The blending bit adds a real nice texture to it. Absolutely love it. I make a large batch of this at least once a week.
Thank You
Hi Kate
this comes all the way from Ireland where I cooked your vegetarian chill for a Buddhist retreat – people were scraping their bowls and EVERYONE wants the recipe. I’m not vegetarian but I do like to have a lot of meat-free days. If every vegetarian recipe was as good as this one, it could change my mind, Thanks so much for posting it on line – I’m now your biggest fan ( and Cookie’s of course)
I love it! Thanks for your review, Bernie.
Supergood
Hi! Do you think it would be possible to forego blending the cup and a half of chili, and just simmer it longer instead? I have plenty of time for this to simmer the day I’ll be making it, and don’t love blending hot soups! I could also make it in a slow cooker if you think that would work!?
This is AMAZING! So much flavor and the texture of the blended broth among all the vegetables was just right. I garnished it with cilantro and avocados.
I won the chili cook off at my work with this recipe and mine was the only one that was vegan! I’d say this is a great recipe!
Congrats, Angie! I love to hear that.
Delicious!!
Thank you, Susan!
absolutely love this recipe – it’s so hearty, warming, and delicious.
Thank you, Asako!
So good!!!!
Thank you, Sharon!
Delicious!! Can’t stop eating it, But why don’t your recipes tell us the measurements of the serving size instead of 4 small or 6 large servings ? My daughter loves your recipes but is diabetic with a insulin pump that has to be regulated with amount of insulins according to amount of daily carbs. Are your measurements size for small 1/2 cup and large1 cup ?. I feel bad when she has to pass some meals because unsure of carbs in your portion size and unable calibrate insulin pump and her glucose readings may be already running in upper levels
Hi Eva! I try to do my best, but there are a lot of variables that come into play with serving size. That is why I provide an estimate. For most recipes, it is roughly 1-1.5 cups for soup. I hope this helps some! Thanks for your review and question.
I made this & it came out delicious! My family couldn’t believe that it was so good without meat! Thanks
You’re welcome! Thanks or sharing, Batel.
Such amazing flavors and my family didn’t miss the meat at all. Delicious! A new family favorite.
Love to hear that, Brittany! Thanks for the review.
Made this for our community potluck, which includes a few vegetarians, and it was a big hit. People couldn’t believe it was meatless, and I had several requests for the recipe. Every bit was scraped out of the crock pot I brought it in. This one’s a keeper. Thanks!
You’re welcome! A great one for potlucks, that is for sure!
Your chili inspires rave reviews every time I make it for family, work lunches, or parties. I’ve never had enough left to freeze! I’ve used my immersion blender to thicken but now find it quicker just to add a can of Ro-Tel fire roasted tomatoes and a can of tomato paste. I experiment with different varieties of beans. Lovely, hearty texture and flavor every time. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Rita! Thank you for coming back to review.
about how many calories is each serving?
Hi Alyssa! The nutritional information is below the notes section of the recipe.
I would love to try this recipe but I react to legumes (peas, beans, lentils etc) so could you suggest an alternative to the beans in this recipe please.
I’m sorry to hear that, Linda! Beans are such a big and important ingredient in this chili recipe. I would recommend trying a different soup recipe or you can see how it is without beans with more vegetables of your liking.
Thanks for the reply Kate, will have a go with more veg and see how it turns out. Did cook your Quinoa veg soup two days ago and am now taking it to work for my lunch – very simple to make and very tasty.
I’ve been looking for a good vegetarian chili for a long time. This one was so flavorful, didn’t miss the meat at all. I loved the smoked paprika. I prepped and chopped everything yesterday, so tonight I was able to put it all together quickly. I halved the beans because that’s all I had and it was perfect for the 2 of us. Thank you.
I’m glad you didn’t miss the meat! Thanks, Maria.
I made this last night for my family and the pot was empty and the kids were still asking for more! I’ll make a double batch next time!
Love that, Holly! Thanks for your review.
I only used 2 and a half teaspoons of chili powder. Two tablespoons seemed heavy for my tastes. Even with this the chili was pretty spicy. I also felt lazy, so I used a can of chopped green chilies, and fire roasted tomatoes with roasted red peppers in it, in place of the red pepper. They made my prep quicker and added a nice chili freshness and sweetness. We loved this chili and will make it over again….
Thank you for taking the time to share, Rick!
I have made this recipe three times since it was recommended to me last month, and I am going to make it again today. Guests have loved it. It’s delicious!
Thanks, Mary!