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.
I just made this and really loved the flavour of the spices! My chili had a lot of liquid m and resembled a soup more than a chili though. Not sure if this is because I didn’t blend a portion of it (don’t have a blender) or could it be that my can of chopped tomatoes has a lot of juice in it? I cooked it for an hour but it didn’t reduce much.
Hi Lexi! The blending can impact that and if there was extra liquid. I’m happy you enjoyed it.
I made this chili over the weekend and I absolutely love the flavors! The taste gets better as the chili sits longer so this is a great meal prep option. I added delicata squash and the flavors go so well together. I will definitely make again.
This looks great! I don’t have vegetable broth on hand. Can I use water instead?
Hi! That may work. You may need to adjust spices if it seems like it is lacking. Let me know what you think!
I have been making this chili for over a year now. It’s delicious and reheats well. I often add some different or extra veggies or switch up a can of black beans for kidney, depending on my mood and pantry. It’s always a winner! The recipes on this site have never failed me! Great job Kate!
Thank you, Tiffany! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
I love this recipe! I have been making it for my family for a few months now. Delicious every time!! I even now sometimes add a little ground turkey in it and any old veggies I’m trying to get rid of in the fridge. Love it!!!
That’s great! Thank you for reviewing, Rebecca.
Would I be able to cook the veggies themselves and just add the beans and veggies to a slow cooker so that it simmers for hours?
Hi Mary! I haven’t done this in a slow cooker. You could try it, but I don’t have specifics for you. Sorry!
The recipe was lovely.followed your tip about using a stick blender.so delicious on a wet cold autumn day in the uk.
This is incredible!!! I added 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice and also added a jalapeño at the beginning. Absolutely delicious!!!! I will be making this as my go-to chili now! Thank you!!
I had some left over bits and bob’s in the fridge and didn’t want to go to waste so I thought I’d give this a try. I’m not a huge chilli fan but OMG! This was SO good- I will definitely make it again. Perfect texture, flavour and level of spice. Thank you so much
Had fresh organic red runner beans to use and subbed them in for one portion of the beans and included black and pinto beans. Fabulous chilli recipe, full of veg and just the right flavour profile with the spices and herbs. Great for investment cooking as will freeze. Would recommend and certainly do again. Also did this oil free. Also great for those wanting to watch sodium intake. Great for a plant based whole food diet and I expect it would satisfy carnivores too! Thanks for the great recipe!
Sooo easy. Sooo delicious!
Had been craving chilli and eggs for breakfast (crack a couple of eggs in a pan of chili and bake it with come sprinkled feta, top with chopped avocado and lime crema, soooo good). This veggie chilli did just the trick! It is fulllll of healthy vegetables, protein-packed legumes and, in my opinion, a very good blend of spices. I followed everything to the letter except I added a dash of cinnamon because for some reason I enjoy a bit of cinnamon in my chilli. I’d also recommend tasting for salt before the blender step, I added an extra tsp to my double recipe and that’s more to my taste.
The recipe says it makes 4-6 servings. These are nice, big servings. I doubled the recipe and got 11 servings, each at 2 cups.
This was REALLY good. I didn’t miss the meat at all, which really surprised me. I hate having to blend my soups to thicken them (anything to avoid doing more dishes…ugh), so I left out the vegetable broth. Instead, I added a couple teaspoons of veggie Better than Bouillon and no additional liquid. That gave it that more complex flavor of the broth while maintaining a thick chili consistency. Super recipe. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Gena!
Made this yesterday. Only had pinto beans and added 1/4 of a Kent pumpkin to give it sweetness and chucked in a couple of tablespoons of dehydrated caramelised onions that I made over winter. I really liked the combination of the spices used, which gave it a lovely flavour. My chill is are often heavily cumin flavoured if you know what I mean. Will definitely be making this again. Thank you. Louise.
I’ve already made this chili 4 times this season and I likely will again. It is hands down the best vegetarian chili I’ve ever had. I’m not a huge fan of chili, mainly because it is one flavor over and over again. It’s the exact opposite for this chili. The flavors are unbelievable and dynamic and it’s belly-warming and…I’m obsessed. I’ve made it for family members and I’ve chosen to make it the night before because it somehow reheats even better than the initial cook. I LOVE this recipe.
I’m glad you love it, Sara! Thank you for your review.
I think this is by far the best CHILLI I have ever had.. I think its the smokey paprika that makes it so good but the whole thing in general is amazing. I love it and my non-vegetarian hubby loves it too… Thank you. Also, just realising now as this is my second time using this recipe that you have a ‘scaling’ option.. What a great idea!
I’m glad you love it, Suzanne! I appreciate your review.
This is my go-to chili recipe. Today I had to use up veggies in my frig so I put in zucchini and maitake mushrooms. I also put in a long green pepper because I didn’t have any red peppers on hand. its delicious!
This is the best chili recipe (meaty or meatless) I’ve ever tried. Blending some of it at the end makes this dish incredible. I added extra smoked paprika, garlic, cumin, and I added a bit of garlic powder too. I went with fresh lime juice as my acid, for reference. My husband was apprehensive about a meatless chili, but we loved it so much that we made it twice in one weekend!
Of all the vegetarian chili recipes I have tried over the years, this is truly the very best!!!!! I topped mine with cut onions, extra sharp cheddar cheese and a spoonful of sour cream.
Can you cook this on low in the slow cooker for 6-8 hours?
Hi Tiffany, I haven’t tried it, but I believe others have. I still recommend the first few steps of cooking your vegetables to get it just right.
SO incredibly good! I made this for a dinner to accommodate one vegetarian guest. It was so delicious, even the meat lovers in the group were satisfied and asked for seconds. The amount of chili in the recipe is good if you have people who don’t like spicy food, but I doubled the amount of chili powder for my batch, and added a couple of tablespoons of red chili flakes. It was super tasty around a fire pit in the back yard.
So delicious!! Blending the 1 1/2 cups of cooked chili at the end and adding it back in is genius! The texture was perfect. Definitely will be in my regular dinner rotation this fall and winter. Thank you!
Thanks for such a delicious recipe! I followed it as written and added lime juice at the end. Loved it! Even my carnivore hubby liked it.
Excellent chili recipe! I think it is the smoked paprika that makes the difference. I also used a can of fire-roasted tomatoes by accident. The chili was a big hit for dinner and leftovers last week. I am making more tonight. Thanks!
I made this for a football Sunday get together and it was a total hit with everyone which included meat eaters, vegetarians and vegans! The tip to zip a portion of the chili in the Vitamix was really clever. I see this chili being made regularly in my family for many years to come. Thanks!
Thank you! This one is a great one for this season. Thank you for taking the time to review, Patty!
The emulsifying at the end made such a big difference. My vegan son asked me 3 times if I added meat. My husband thought I must have put in some sort of crumbles. Great recipe. I just ordered your cookbook.
Yes, I think it does too! I love that it was such a hit. I appreciate your review, Melissa!
Used this recipe as a guide with what I already had in the kitchen.
Sauteed (white) onions and garlic, added cumin, smoked pap, chili powder and cinnamon!(?)
Added crushed tomatoes, veg stock, 2 cans of black beans and 1 garbanzo + carrot + sweet potato.
So simple, so delicious, wowed my boyfriend knowing I missed half the ingredients haha.
Kate, I just found you in a vegetarian chili search and made this awesome chili!! Your recipe, directions, and spice measurements were spot on. I doubled the batch, cut back on paprika and chili powder as recommended and dinner was a hit!! Leftovers will be served Halloween night. Thank you! Eager to try another recipe.
Can I throw this all in a slow cooker as well? If yes, how long will I cook it?
Hi! I like this best stovetop. I highly recommend still cooking your vegetables as the recipe states to get maximum flavor. I do know several have made it in the crockpot and enjoyed it. I would suggest looking at their suggestions for cooking time.
This is now my go-to chili recipe. Great flavor! Love the textures, and you really can’t tell that it is meatless!
This was really tasty. I did have to adjust the seasonings a bit to my taste – but that’s normal for most chili recipes. The tips to blend a bit of the soup and add an acid (I added vinegar to the pot and a squeeze of lime to my individual bowl) at the end made it better than other veggie chili recipes that I’ve tried. Thank you!
I already reviewed this recipe after my first time making it but i just wanted to come back to say – I’m making this now for my second time and I have literally been eating the last batch for a week and a half now and am not sick of it! I froze it in portions and I’ve been eating it many different ways. It’s so filling and healthy and delicious. Definitely my go-to veggie chilli recipe now.
I am not vegetarian, I just try to keep my meat intake low and I enjoy vegetarian meals very much. I may someday try to add ground beef to this version.
Hi Kate, this looks delicious. I am making it tonight but only have one can of the black beans instead of two. I was thinking of making up the difference with red lentils. Would you suggest cooking them first and then just adding them when I add the other beans? Thanks.
Hi! If you use red lentils I would cook them first. Be mindful since they aren’t quite as dense and don’t hold their shape as well as other lentils. Let me know what you think!
Awesome recipe. Made it as directed but did not blend it at the end and still came out with a great chili texture. The mix with black beans and pinto beans was nice and the smoked paprika added a slight smoky flavor. Will make this all winter.
If from the UK try 2 teaspoons chilli powder rather than 2tbsp!!
Yes, that is why I added a note since the spice level can vary by location.
Delicious chili. I made this last night. I did not blend any of it because I was afraid it would taste like baby food. Even with all whole beans this chili is wonderful- very flavorful and satisfying. Thank you for another winner!
How much is 1 serve? I cup?
Great recipe – its my go to!
Thanks
Hi! A serving is roughly 1.5-2 cups.
simply delightfully filling, tasty and hearty. thank you!
will be making it again and again
Wonderful to hear! Thank you for your review.
I have made your chili several times, I freeze it in quart bags so I can give them to my daughters and grand daughters! They all love it with some homemade cornbread
Hi Kate,
Can you freeze this recipe?
Rakhi
Hi! This one does freeze well. I hope you love it.
I’ve made this today for me and my daughter who is vegan. Absolutely delicious, will definitely be keeping this recipe!
This recipe was fab tastes delicious. I roasted a butternut squash with salt and cracked black pepper and chilli flakes, chopped it up and added right at the end Didn’t need to blitz just reduced.
I was looking for a vegetarian chilli recipe as I have just been diagnosed with IBD …….my husband loved it to thank you
Firstly, thank you so so so much for creating and sharing this recipe! I tried this tonight and it was just amazing only problem I can’t stop eating! You’re supremely talented Kate! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you, Maya!
This is my new go to chili recipe! I’m not a vegetarian, but I actually like this better than a meat based chili.
Hooray! I’m happy to hear you loved it, Elizabeth.
This was delicious! Thank you for the great recipe
This has been my go-to chili recipe for a while now, and is perfect whenever I have friends over (I have several who are vegetarian and non-dairy). Also love making a huge batch and freezing half for later. And really easy to modify! I’ve made it with corn, different kinds of beans, different spice levels, etc. Looking forward to making it again soon!
Wow this was absolutely delicious! My husband ate 3 bowls and said it was the best chili he’d ever eaten! I accidentally added 2 cans of Rotel instead of the regular diced tomato and we loved the spicy kick! My 3 year old and 6 year old gobbled it all up as well!
I love that, Paige! Thank you for your review.
Awesome recipe! I omitted peppers, but added summer squash, zucchini, & mushrooms. Used diced tomatoes w/green chili’s & it’s the best chili I’ve ever had :)
Thanks for the recipe. Don’t have Instagram to post this, but you’re welcome to. Thanks! Tammy H.
Just wondering if this chili is freezable?Made a big pot :)
Thanks
Yes! This one freezes well.
This came out really good. I added some corn.
Thank you for your review, Michael!