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.
Wonderful ..!!!!!!!
I make this tonight and it is so delicious… i will try your other recipes as well. keep posting, i have my own favorite chili recipe.
I LOVE this recipe and have made it so many times! I have made it in the crockpot by sauteeing the vegetables as the recipes states and then putting everything in the crockpot on low for 6-8 hours. It was amazing! Can you suggest how long I might pressure cook it to make it in the Instantpot?
I wouldn’t know without trying it, sorry! I believe others have tried it and have made notes in the comments. I would suggestion searching the comments to see what others suggest.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I was skeptical that it would be too plain….but not at all! I won the chili cook-off at work with this recipe…in Montana! I made no changes or substitutions. I used lime juice instead of sherry. Thanks again!! This is now my go-to chili!
I’m happy you loved it and it won the chili cook-off! I appreciate your review.
Made this yesterday and was sooo delicious! Added a Tbsp or two of maple syrup. Also made in a Dutch oven and topped with this cornbread recipe and made a casserole out of it (subbed the oil for applesauce). https://www.food.com/recipe/vegan-cornbread-115929
Followed the recipe except used kidney beans instead of pinto. Added a can of corn and an extra pepper. Delicious!!!!!
Best chilli I have ever made. Doubled the quantities so I could freeze some but other than that made exactly to the recipe. Thank you.
This is my new favorite chili recipe!
I’m happy to hear that, Amanda!
Can this be made ahead and frozen? It looks wonderful.
Yes! This soup freezes well.
Amazing recipe. This is the first time I’ve used celery in my chilli recipe and also the first time I’ve attempted blending part of the end result. I used a mixture of different beans and cooked three times as much so I can batch freeze for a later day. I only used half the amount of chilli and it still had a reasonable kick to it. Would highly recommend
I just went back through the older comments to see how long I’ve been making this chili. Turns out it’s been 6 months. During that time. I’ve made this once a week, usually a double batch. We haven’t gotten tired of it at all – amazing combination of delicious and wholesome.
I’ve made 2 changes to goose the heat just a little. I generally add two chopped Serano chilies and either cook them with the peppers, carrots, celery and onions or with the garlic.
Kate references chili powder being much hotter outside of the US. McCormick now has regular chili powder and Mexican chili powder in their standard supermarket display rack. The Mexician chili is much hotter. I’ve been replacing 25% of the regular chili powder with the hot stuff.
Great either way. I highly recommend this recipe! Thanks again to Kate.
Thanks for your comment, Don!
Really enjoyed the feast that ensued from this excellent recipe. I couldn’t agree more with your comment about adding sherry vinegar. Did a taste test before and after and it made all the difference.
I had to add another Tbsp of chili and some more garlic as I wanted more kick.
I wanted to use my slow cooker to keep it warm and serve it, so I dumped all the beans and ‘stuff’ in there, put it on high, while I sautéed the veggies. I transferred the veggies into the slow cooker with the beans and ‘stuff’. Kept it on high for about an hour then turned it down to low until serving. Took your suggestion and used my Bamix to zap it a few times along with a bit of flour to thicken it (slow cooker effect maybe) and it was loved by all.
Thank you
I’m glad you could taste the difference and liked it! I appreciate your review, Gary.
Does this freeze well?
Yes! This one freezes well.
I return to this recipe every fall and remark over and over how insanely tasty it is. OMG so good.
Thank you, Joanna!
Actually the best chili I have ever had. Brought it to a work potluck – huge hit. I added veggie ground round to trick the carnivores in the crowd to much success. Thanks for this amazing recipe!
That’s great! Thanks for sharing, Corey.
Ive made this recipe so many times! I personally like to use a whole stalk of celery (in a double batch) and I simmer it for 2-3 hours to thicken it up and let the flavors blend. I love it the first Day, but its even better after its sat.
I especially love this recipe in Autumn and Winter.
Although I enjoyed the taste, I found the carrots a bit mushy (perhaps I cooked them too long in attempting to thicken). Also it was NOT chili. It is more of a bean soup. I definitely like the blending; it helps a lot with the consistency. I am giving it 3 stars only because it is not my version of chili. Spices are very good. Too bad for me as I really enjoyed your Lentil soup recipe.
Thank you for your feedback, Ed. I’m sorry you didn’t love this one.
Love this. Even my meat loving husband loves it. Trying it tonight with the smoked paprika for the first time, (had to use up my regular paprika first). Thank you for all your yummy recipes!
I made this recipe recently and really enjoyed it very much. I used dried beans rather than canned beans (black, pinto and kidney) and cooked them in vegetable broth for added flavor. The dish was incredibly satisfying and super flavorful. Using cilantro, avocado and lime as garnish sent it over the top. Adding this one to the regular rotation. Thanks again, Kate, for a fantastic culinary experience.
Can this recipe be simmered for longer to thicken rather than blending a portion?
Blending is really what will help the texture of this and meld the flavors.
Tried your recipe tonight and it was absolutely delicious!! We didn’t miss the meat. In fact, the beans and tomatoes made the chili very hearty. Oh the aroma permeated my kitchen and living room… I used one can of dark kidney beans, pinto beans and black beans. Also, I added more cumin because I really like the flavor. I also used lime juice since I have a tree, but next time I’ll try the Sherry Vinegar to explore a different flavor. Otherwise, this recipe is a keeper.
This is great as-is! I followed the recipe exactly (before pureeing some of it), but then realized that I needed more chili- I added a can of white beans, a can of rotel, about a cup more veggie broth, and a squash and a zucchini. I then used a blender to puree a can of pinto beans with some water and added that. All of these extra steps helped make enough chili to serve at our school chili supper! Thanks for a great recipe!
This was fabulous!!!
I love this recipe! It is my go to basic vegetarian chili and so easy to adapt to many different tastes. My family likes spicy food so sometimes I up it with a can of chili tomatoes or a can of chili ready pinto beans. For a different flavor or consistency I will add kidney beans, garbanzo beans, or a tribean mix. I also can adapt it to my non vegetarian friends with chicken or beef broth. I like to add some better than bouillon vegetable base as well.
Thank you so much for your recipe! I made a few alterations as it was an end of week, use up the last of my food meal. And I popped it int he slow coploker on low for 3 hours to finish it off. Substituted carrots with sweet potato and used cumin seeds instead of powder. Tasted devine, adore the idea to bled some and stir it back in, will definitely be making this more often!
We don’t like celery in my home–if used will we be able to tell in the final product? Will celery’s taste and texture be recognizable? If we skip it, is there another veggie we should replace it with?
Hi Luisa, celery provides great flavor. However, if you don’t like it you won’t notice it. You can add more carrots, if you like!
This is the best chilli!!!!!
Loved by everyone, young & old
I’m glad you loved it! Thanks for your review, Celine.
I’m cooking this for the 2nd time right now and I just had to say this is one of the best things I have ever made!
Thanks for the recipe! I placed second in a nontraditional chili contest, but I almost won (I think some of the voters couldn’t handle the heat – true chili lovers LOVED it!). I guess if I enter again I may have to cut back a little more on the spice (I used 3/4 of what was recommended). Also I used some fire-roasted tomatoes which added some nice flavor, as well as a reconstituted dried chipotle pepper. If you are pescatarian, adding a little bit of fish sauce really deepens the flavor as well. I LOVE THIS RECIPE!
Thank you for sharing, Patricia!
This was definitely THE best chilli I’ve ever tasted (and my husband – a meat-eater) was bowled over by it! It is rich and tasty whilst being so healthy. I loved the suggestion of blitzing some of the chilli and stirring it back in. Thank you so much- I’ve been looking for a really flavourful vegetarian chilli for a long long time!
This was really good!
Fantastic recipe. Used fresh chilli seared in oil before adding veggies. Works ok
By far my favorite chili in the universe. The flavors, texture, everything about this is incredible. I enjoy it pretty often. Thank you from a fellow Kansas Citian. :)
Kate,
I just made your homemade vegetarian chili and it was absolutely AMAZING! I truly believe the smoked paprika adds so much flavor. My husband is a meat eater and he couldn’t believe how good the chili tasted. This will definitely be my go to.
Thank you,
La Vita
Hi we have made this recipe over and over again it is our go to Chilli recipe. The Chilli powder content caught us out the first time as I think Chilli powder in the US is not the same as in the UK. We have adjusted the content to meet our required hotness and have recommended it to numerous of our friends and family. I even recommended it to a chap I met in the supermarket the other day
This weekend we are having a party with 17 guests and this is what we will be having – so thank you for this great recipe simple but impressive every time… cheers Nancy (happy vegan)…
my knees hurt and someone (Emilie) suggested a anti inflammatory diet. I thought, “this is gonna be awful food!” but, upon reading your recipes—-they sound wonderful! Not just “you should eat this kind of food”, but actual recipes that do not look too hard. I will make a list for the grocery! thank you. Betsy Coss
Yours has been my go-to blog for the last few months. I made your pear and cranberry crisp for my birthday a few days ago instead of having a birthday cake! Everything I’ve made of yours has been great!
This recipe is super versatile. I wanted to use only the veggies I had from my ugly vegetables box and not buy anything new, so I used zucchini instead of bell pepper, radishes instead of carrots, garbanzo beans instead of black beans, and one can of tomato sauce in place of one of the cans of chopped tomatoes, and it turned out great! It’s maybe a little on the spicy side for me, which no one else has mentioned so maybe I made a mistake cuz I’m pretty comfortable with spice. But it was delicious, thank you
I love to hear that! Thanks for sharing how you used what you had on hand, Allie.
Question: Kate, with your love of quinoa and this delicious chili, have you ever considered adding quinoa to this recipe? I’ve made quinoa chili before.. but I’m not an expert in the kitchen enough to know how to cook it in or when to add it in. Thanks to your other recipes, I’m a quinoa fiend and simply can’t get enough! Especially in these delicious soups! Any suggestions??
Hi Ashely! I like this one as is. But, if you add quinoa, you would want to increase the liquid if cooking in the chili. Or, you could the quinoa separately and add in. You would want to adjust the liquid to your taste.
Trying to cut down on our beef intake, but hubby has been requesting chili since the weathers gotten cooler. Love this chili. I think I like it better than my ground beef one. Makes plenty. We ate 1/2 and froze 1/2.
This is so good! I made a couple changes to fit what I had on hand. I only had one small can of diced tomatoes, so I used a couple tbsp of tomato paste instead of a second can. I didn’t take a portion of the chilli and blend it to thicken the pot – it was plenty thick enough. Otherwise, I followed your directions, and will definitely make this again. Yum!
Everybody loved it! Even my meat-eater boyfriend. It’s so comforting in the winter time and great for lunch boxes. We put some sour cream and corn chips on top. I’m making a double batch next time!
Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy! Best chili ever! I forgot the vinegar. I’m DF but soooo wanted to add sour cream. I added a teaspoon of vegan mayo. A definite bookmark recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy! Best chili ever! I forgot the vinegar. I’m DF but soooo wanted to add sour cream. I added a teaspoon of vegan mayo. It was of the charts delicious. A definite bookmark recipe. Thank you for sharing.
I’m glad you think so, Jenn! Thanks for sharing.
The best no meat chili recipe in the world. I also used smoked chili powder.
Amazing flavor. My husband didn’t even notice there was no meat and he said it was delicious. He also almost devoured the whole pot. I’m like, where’s your portion control??Lol..
I just used this recipe to make some dried vegetarian chili as a gift for a friend of mine – I hope she loves it, sure smells wonderful. I’ll let you know how it goes!!! :-)
Made a rendition of this soup last night. I forgot to add the bell pepper. I did add white sweet potatoes and I tell you it was delicious! Thank you for this awesome recipe. I brought it to work for lunch and am trying very hard not to eat it for breakfast!
OMG! This recipe is AMAZING! I followed it EXACT and it came out very tasty and surprisingly filling. My teenage son and I enjoyed this chili topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, and avocado. Thank You! I will definitely be trying more of your recipes.
Can you adapt this recipe to a crock pot to save some room on the stove? How would you do that? Thanks
Hi Pam, sorry I haven’t done it in the crock pot. You still want to saute the vegetables to get all the flavor, so I’m not sure how much time this will save you.
The nutrition info says it serves 6 but how much is a serving? 1 cup?
Hi Kasey! Roughly 1.5 cups. I hope this helps!
This looks amazing but I can’t eat tomatoes…I was told to substitute mangoes. What do you think? Any other suggestions for substiutions for tomatoes. Thanks!
I’m not sure. Mangos sound very interesting. I would just increase your other vegetable to try adding sweet potato here.
I have made this about ten times and everyone loves it. It turns out really well