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.
Made this last night…SO delicious! Great flavor. The only thing I changed was adding in some masa harina towards the end as a thickening agent. My husband devoured 2 bowls! Thanks for making our transition to vegetarian so easy with great recipes!!
This looks wonderful!! Do you know if this can be made in a crock pot??
just made this, its simmering right now – taste test – delish!!! it has a very warm flavour, perfect for a fall day. And I will be taking it for lunches.
Wonderful recipe thank you. I Didn’t have a capsicum, so I added a chipped zucchini. I’m going try growing some again. The fresh cilantro I have growing and the Lime which Iam garnishing with and thick Greek yogurt. Delisiousness
Kate…let me start by sayin’ I’m the daughter of a cattle rancher in Texas. Meat was served 3 meals a day for 30 years. My mom is an excellent cook and we love good food. But I’ve been trying to eat a little cleaner these days and branch out to plant protein instead of my usual animal protein. And I am soooo impressed with this recipe! I actually prefer this to my usual beef chili. I made your black bean and sweet potato enchiladas too the other night and that was a great recipe as well! Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes with us. I will be tryin’ more of ‘em. God bless!
Wonderful, Brooke! Thank you for sharing.
Excellent! Absolutely delicious!
This is my favourite ever chilli. Beautiful, delicious, tasty, amazing Making for 6th time right now
The best chili ever! Was able to show my meat loving family how good vegetarian food can be, they loved it.
I don’t understand what I did wrong, but mine turned into vegetable and bean soup ♀️
I love soup so I can’t complain
Hi Heather! I’m not sure the issue as it does have a lot of vegetables and beans. :) Did you blend some? How much liquid did you put in?
I absolutely love this recipe. The first time I made it, I gave some to my dad, who is a fabulous cook and a world-renowned food critic (!), and he loved it. I believe its the smoked paprika. What a great flavor! PS: Both times I added a half pound of 90% lean beef to the recipe for flavor and to appease the carnivores. It is delicious!
Delicious!!! I discovered this when looking for recipes with beans (hubby is diabetic and beans are great for controlling sugar). We absolutely loved it and now I make it at least once every two weeks. It’s such a lovely ‘go-to’ recipe to have on hand for lunches or in the freezer and (bonus) it’s diabetic friendly too. We live in Durban, South Africa where the chillies are HOTTER even than the weather, so the first time I made it I had to adjust the flavour. I’m now used to the heat and only tone it down when sharing with others. Thanks, Kate :)
This was so delicious! When my husband loved it, I knew it was a winner. Thanks for a great recipe!
You’re welcome, Lori!
Tonight, i had family here that was evacuated from fires, family that had power turned off. Some were keto diet, some vegetarians and some not. I literally tripled this recipe and everyone loved it, going back for thirds. We gathered for a wonderful meal and were grateful
Wow this was good! I wanted to make it thicker and I didn’t have a blender so I also bought a can of lentils and mashed them up using a potato masher. Thickened perfectly.
I’d never heard of you or this website before today, I was looking for a vegetarian chili recipe to try and found this one. And my god. It’s blowing my mind how good this chili is. Seriously. The flavors. How is this possible.
Welcome, Peter! I’m happy you came across this recipe. It’s a great one to start from.
Can this be made in a Instant Pot?
I believe readers have and liked it. Although, I haven’t tried it.
This was fantastic! I made it for my book club. I did make a few adjustments. I added 2 serrano peppers, a habanero pepper, 2 roasted sweet potatoes (cut into small chunks), and a little ancho chili pepper. I also used 2 cans of chili beans and a can of black beans (instead of the beans used here). I used red wine vinegar at the end. I forgot to add the bay leaf but I will next time!
Sounds like you made a different recipe then. You changed the flavor profile completely.
Everyone needs to stop making all these adjustments and then posting self serving comments about their own creations.
Make it as is, then comment.
I think everyone should show their creativity, trying to staunch that is very rude @MENOTYOU
I so very glad people are able to adjust the recipes to their taste. I read through them to get ideas. I agree with Daria Rose, very rude @MENOTYOU
Finally a sensible comment! 100% agree! Only post comments if you’ve followed the recipe rather than saying “excellent recipe and then list more than 50% of changes”. Folks want feedback on the ORIGINAL recipe…not your version. Daria and Suzanne need to start your own recipe blog and go crazy being advise creative as you want….not rude at all.
Finally a sensible comment! 100% agree! Only post comments ignore you’ve followed the recipe rather than saying “excellent recipe and then list more than 50% of changes”. Folks want feedback on the ORIGINAL recipe… it your version.
About to serve the chili. I didn’t have any ce!ery so I added corn, a dash of Worcestershire, a little pinch of Chipotle powder, and red wine vinegar. Serving with nacho chips, sour cream, shredded cheese, diced avocado, and homemade mango sa!sa.
Dear Kate,
I am a huge fan of your recipes. This is simmering on the hob!! I’ve had a little taste and it is delicious. I have also made your hummus, guacamole, sweet potato and black bean enchiladas and many others. We, too, are trying to cut down on meat and your recipes are certainly making it easier. Thank you so much.
Thank you, Sarah!
This is truly the best chili I’ve ever had, meat or no meat! I’m not much of a cook at all, and I thoroughly impressed my husband with dinner by following this recipe!
such a good recipe!! smells incredible!!
Great recipe, although I didn’t see the chilli note until it was too late – I used half what the recipe states and it blew my head off! (So for anyone cooking in the UK beware if you’re a spice wuss like me)
Oh no! I’m happy you were still able to enjoy it, Ale.
Hi Ale and everyone,
Thoroughly rate this recipe but as Ale says if your in the UK be a bit cautious with the chilli powder. I can handle hot food and have done for many years and found that 2 tbsp was too much. Will be using 1 tbsp next time. Apart from that a very tasty chilli.
Thanks Kate
I’m an exhausted grad student with a minuscule grocery budget. Since my housemate pointed out that my dinner the other night contained two different kinds of potatoes, I’ve been looking for a large batch of something warm and healthy and yummy. I just made this Chili — followed the directions exactly — and it is an absolute triumph! I love cooking but don’t have loads of time, and this came together quickly (how delicious it smelled as it simmered away on the job). This is the best meal I’ve had in a long time. Perfect for fall. Thank you so much. I’m freezing the rest in small batches to bring along with me to campus. x
I made this tonight for a group chili night. I made it pretty much as is except for adding some soy based chorizo. It was really delicious! I came home with very little so I think everyone else enjoyed it too.
The last two steps are so unexpected, and yet they completely make this dish. I had used a mini Cuisinart chopper to chop my veggies, so instead of dragging out the blender, I just put 1.5 cups of what looked like a veggie stew into the mini chopper and hit the Grind button. Then, I added it back into the pan and WHAM it looked like chili! I used Red Wine Vinegar to finish it, and I could not believe what a difference that made. In those two steps this went from a really underwhelming, kind of stew thing into a seriously good chili; and I am not a vegetarian. Now, I am not a Texan either, so I do like beans in my chili, but I didn’t expect to like a chili this much that has beans and no meat.
This recipe is perfect! Thank you so much for sharing! The only thing I changed was using fresh tomatoes instead of caned. My husband who eats a lot of meat loved it, but he also asked if I can make meat version of this recipe. Is there a way of turning this recipe into meat chili somehow without messing it up? I’m scared to experiment.
This recipe blew me away! And quite a few other people. I made it for my wife’s chili cook-off and it won 1st place beating out NINE meat chilis. Insane! I added a few jalapeños and ground Beyond meat to give it just enough of an edge! Thank you so much!
Every Halloween we host a hotdog and chili dinner in our yard for all the trick or treaters. We have a large Indian population, who always asks if there is a vegetarian option. Last year, I made your vegetarian chili and they were so happy! This year, they came back because they were thinking about it for a year! So delicious!! I make my husband regular chili and this one just for me to enjoy.
There’s some nice touches here, like blending a little first, and the drop of sherry vinegar but two tablespoons of chili powder is insane, and I love spicy. I’m not sure what you mean by saying that you “hear that chili powder purchased outside of the U.S. can be very hot.” All chili power is just ground chili peppers; variation is only based on what kind of chili pepper you might use. There’s not one type for other countries, and one type for America.
Hi Aaron, thank you for your comment. You can adjust the chili powder to your liking. It’s matter of the input. Some chilis can be more potent/stronger based on region grown, as to why the powder can be spicer other places. The process of making the powder could play a role.
I kindly disagree Aaron. When I lived in the UK, I had to use chili powder much more sparingly due to its potency. When I made North American recipes I had to cut back on amounts. Likewise when I moved back to Canada, when using UK recipes, I have to increase the amount of chili powder. Everyone has a personal preference on spice level as well. For newer cooks it’s definitely wise to advise that certain spices may need to be adjusted to your tolerance level! Can’t wait to try this recipe today for a potluck.
Kate,
I made this tonight for dinner. AMAZING! After making the chili as written, I split it in half and added browned hot Italian sausage for the meatlovers in the family and added chopped zucchini to the original. So good. So pretty.
This is the first recipe of yours that I have made, and, certainly, not the last. I already have a few more picked out for next week.
Thank you for the deliciousness.
Hi what if I don’t own a blinder!?
You can skip that step, although I highly recommend it!
Another amazing staple you bring to my kitchen! I don’t miss the ground beef in the traditional recipe at all, this is delicious! The blending of this is everything too – I used my immersion blender. I’ve also just bought your cookbook, and I can’t wait to get back into the kitchen. Thank you Cookie, and Kate!
I modified and used a Guinness instead of vegetable broth/water for more a football game tailgate flavor =)
I made this yesterday and it was delicious. I made the overnight oats as well and then I ordered your book.
This is amazing! Love this recipe and have made it often. One small typo for x2 recipe:
– 1 large can (28 ounces) or 2 small cans (15 ounces each) diced tomatoes**, with their juices
– when you click to double the recipe it says 2 large cans (56 ounces) or 2 small cans (should be 4!)
Great chili! Replaced the celery with a green pepper.
Thanks for your review, Jessie!
I made this its getting cold here in eastern Oregon. Served it with corn bread to 2 adults and two 10-12 year olds boys bottomless stomachs. It was all gone. Glad I had ice cream for desert. Great recipe spiced it up a bit. That’s how we roll.
My best
Randy B
That’s amazing, Randy! Thank you for your review.
When I was making this I thought it looked a little average, but then got to the blending stage and oh my goodness- it was fantastic. I had it with nachos and it was better than a meat one. As another commenter suggested I added some masa flour to thicken it up. Solid recipe, will definitely make again
I made this recipe a few weeks ago for a casual get together at our home and I followed the recipe pretty closely.
My daughter and her boyfriend are vegetarian and I sometimes struggle with what to prepare when they are joining us for a meal. This Chili was wonderful and even the non-vegetarians liked it.
THE BEST VEGGIE CHILI. I made this for me and my 7 year old (I did half the spicy stuff like you recommended and then doused her bowl in sour cream ). So happy I know about you and your recipes!
I’m happy you found the blog too and that you both loved this one!
i found your site about a year ago and no word of a lie this dish has been in our fridge every week (sometimes twice a week) ever since! It is a staple in our home and our kids have it with brown rice, on toasted pita bread, nachos, tacos & veggie bowls just to name a few! Thank you for formulating such superb recipes that are so tasty! 10/10!!
I love to hear that, Grace! Thanks for sharing.
I made this chili yesterday for a school event and it came out really well. I’ve never been much of a chili enthusiast; but, now I love it!
The only chili I had made in the past was from a pre-mixed packet of spices. This recipe was liberating bc it taught me what really goes into the complex flavor of a good chili. I also pureed a small amount as recommended. So glad I did.
Note: about the smoked paprika— I bought it, opened it and it smelled so much like hot dogs I OPTED FOR REGULAR PAPRIKA. Chili seemed strong enough I didn’t want to add that extra element. But I could see how some people might like that.
I also used a little less chili powder, just scant tablespoonfuls, and it was plenty.
It came out really well!!!
Another little note is that the prep time was much longer than the estimated time on the recipe. Took almost an hour and a half to get everything in the pot: washed, chopped, sautéed, spices measured, cans opened and beans rinsed etc. I did double the recipe though!
Thank you Cookie and Kate!!!
I made this chili and it was so good!! It was hearty, healthy and delicious! I made it exactly as the recipe except I only used a sprinkle of smoked paprika. My 9 yr old and 6 yr old also loved it and that’s saying a lot!
Thank you for this recipe. Will definitely make it again!
Just made this recipe, and all I can say is YUM! This chili turned out perfect! I omitted the cilantro because they were out of it at my grocery store, but otherwise I followed the recipe exactly as written. The flavor and texture were great, and I love that it’s made with easy-to-find ingredients. This will be my new go-to basic chili recipe for sure!
Just made the chili. It’s really good. I followed it pretty much just adjusted the spices to my tasting. I will definitely made it again.
I just made this for dinner and it was DELISH! We like a little spice so added a touch of cayenne and freshly ground black pepper. Blending a portion at the end was KEY and made it so much thicker. YUM!
My daughter has given up meat so I’ve had to change the way I cook. It was difficult for me to imagine vegan chili to be good but hot damn this is really, really tasty!
I 98% followed the recipe to the letter. The only differences were that I needed to use up a can of kidney beans so that replaced the pinto beans, and I used a yellow onion because that’s what I had. Everything else was exactly as written.
I love the smokiness of this chili! It’s so satisfying that I couldn’t wait to have some more for breakfast. As satisfying as it is, is not heavy and has a fresh taste, probably because it doesn’t cook for hours. The beans and vegetables retained their shape and chew.
Will definitely make this chili again!
I’m happy you loved it and so did your family, Jennifer! I appreciate the review.
Made this chili 2 weeks in a row, it’s SO delicious! Every bite I took, I kept saying out loud how amazing it was! LOL The first time, I made it as written but had to skip the celery as I didn’t have any. The second time, I changed the beans and used what I had. Both were amazing. The spice mixture is spot on. Oh yeah, I did add tofu as I LOVE tofu in chili. It’s my new go to recipe. Thanks for the yummy recipe!
I can’t believe I was able to cook this. It’s so yummy! My fav recipe now.
Happy to hear that, Carlos!
Aw thank you for replying. I’m re-connecting with cooking again after severe depression, so thank you!
Thank you ! Delish. And so on point: even better day 2 !! I didn’t have pintos, fresh cilantro or red pepper and still came out fab ( I’m not a spicy girl so I used 1 tbs chili powder and it was still plennnnty warm! Added tortilla strips on top. Yum Chili crush :)
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Jolinda.
Made this in the UK for my children who DO NOT EAT VEG… I blended the whole thing so it was like a sauce, mixed woth rice… They loved it. Thanks so much x
Enjoyed by the whole family! Thanks for the great recipe!