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.
Thank you!
I am trying to eat less meat and this is the first vegetarian chili recipe that I am trying out! It’s still simmering as I type this :)
I was wondering at what point do you add the 2. cups pf broth or water? I do not see any mention to of at what point the 2 cups of water are added in the instructions after the ingredient list.
Thanks, and sorry for the trouble,
Lore V
Hi! It’s in step 3. :) I hope you love it!
I’m a big guy and this is a great recipe. For real Texas chili – add 1/2 cup of raw quinoa (trust me, it’s enough) and increase wine vinegar to one cup. Great stuff!
Omg yes…. that was amazing with the two suggested modifications !!!!! This is the best chili recipe ever !!!!
Glad you like! If you like that… add a jalepeno and bunch of chipotle flavored tobasco sauce – great stuff. And I have no idea how to cook…
This is my go to vegetarian chili recipe, it lets the vegetables shine in their delicious glory while being hearty and comforting. I usually tweak the recipe slightly based on what’s in my spice rack, but it’s excellent as written. I love serving mine up with some corn bread
1 cup of vinegar???
I’d put in more, but my family doesn’t like it… Can make it without vinegar and individually add tabasco to taste. Particularly good with chipotle tobasco
thank for for this suggestion – it was great with these additions
This was an absolutely delicious recipe! I normally have trouble making a chili that is both flavourful and not too spicy – this was perfect! I adjusted the spice level by adding in 1/2 tbsp. of chili powder instead of 2 tbsp. It was perfect! I also ommitted the cilantro, as I don’t like it. I topped with cheese and made C+K’s pumpkin corn bread muffins. What a perfect dinner!
I found this recipe last year and it’s now my favorite chili. I have been trying to eat more plant based meals and this recipe is both delicious and healthy. Thanks so much!
Hello from Kenya, this recipe has been a winner with me and I have ended making up many times and freezing leftovers for some delicious packed lunches at work! I enjoy your sweet potato Black bean burgers and the easy way to make rissoto. Have already lined up more recipes to try from your blog! I was ordering is there a way to put measurements for half portion. The same way like x2 but put x0.5?
Hi Hetal! It should work everything cut by half. This one freezes well, too!
Incredible and creamy. I will definitely be making this multiple times this winter.
Yet another 5 star rating from me for one of Kate’s recipes :)
When I was preparing this today, I was worried I was taking too many shortcuts. I used water instead of broth, lime juice instead of vinegar, and I skipped the blender step and just used a potato masher for a minute instead. This still turned out excellent! It has such a great flavor and somehow tastes kind of meaty. I considered adding plant based meat crumbles in it but it doesn’t need it! Thank you again!
If you’re in a hurry and don’t want to blend, try adding a can of pumpkin! :)
This was insanely good. As a new vegetarian I’ve been trying to find recipes full of flavour and goodness. Will be making this over and over.
This is my favourite Bean chili recipe when I go meat free for a few days. I’ve made this recipe so many times but have never done a review. I’m currently tucking into one I had frozen 2 months ago and it’s still just as good :) always pair this with wholegrain rice. Thanks so much for sharing :)
I made this today… This recipe is sooo good… 4.9 stars in my book!
easy, quick. I did add another tbsp of chili powder at the end.
Thanks for this!
My bf and I have pretty different tastes and finding recipes we both enjoy can be a task (i’m mostly veggie and he’s my polar opposite), but with him on a health kick, I thought a veggie chili would be great on a cold night like tonight.
It was so good he’s already asking me to make it next week!
I did make a couple additions.. I added zucchini with the beans and other veg, and half of a soy chorizo link halfway through the 30min simmer. I also added one of those small cans of tomato paste (cuz that’s how my grandma taught me), but I probably only needed half the can..
Thank you
I loved it, and will definitely be making it again
Hi, kate
I have all of the ingredients to make this chili besides the bay leaf in my pantry. Can I still make it without the bay leaf?
Hi! The bayleaf helps with the overall flavor. I highly recommend it, but you can omit. You may need to adjust seasoning.
I’d never made a chili without tomato paste or tomato sauce but I thought I’d give this one a try. I definitely missed the tomato base. It was just okay for me.
Hi Kelli, sorry to hear that! I have always thought the two cans of diced tomatoes were plenty.
Looking forward to trying this.
Wow oh wow Kathryn! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe. It went down a treat in our household. The flavours are incredible although next time I should probably measure the amount of chilli I add instead of freehand!!!
Been using your chilli recipe for years now – I’ll never try another. Thought it was about time I shared that! Thank you :)
Delicious! Will make again!
This was a very easy & tasty chili! I reduced the spices to 1tsp each as I have a 3yr old who finds things too spicy, and it was still very flavorful. I added in some quinoa as another commenter suggested but don’t make the mistake I did, as 3/4c was too much and it was too dense! I am going to add more broth, veggies, beans today and then blend some of the chili as recommended. I also forgot the vinegar so will add that too ;) Despite my mess ups it was enjoyed by all of us, so I can imagine it would be even better as written. Thanks for another delicious recipe Kate! This will be my go to.
This was as good as the other comments say, one I’ll be making again for sure. Didn’t miss the meat at all.
Suggestions: For non-US readers – I added 1 tbsp cayenne for heat and felt that this was okay, though it’d definitely take more. The peppers remained crunchy – if you prefer them soft, you could roast them, skin-on, before chucking them in. I also added mushrooms which was a nice addition. I put in a tbsp cocoa powder, just for the colour really, as I like chilli to be brown.
This is a fantastic recipe. Simple ingredients and technique yet it really tastes great. It’s a hearty bowl of chili
Thank you!
Our go to vegan chili, soooo good!
Made this recipe as written and also a 2nd batch with browned ground beef. Froze a few containers for my daughter to take back to school. My family enjoyed both versions. Thank you.
You’re welcome, An!
I make this ALL THE TIME in the winter. Thank you so much! This is delicious! I’m vegan, but my family isn’t and they all love it!
Wonderful, Campbell! Thank you for your review.
I’ve made this delicious recipe several times now and it is perfect! Thank you so much for the great recipe!
You’re welcome, Ana! Thank you for your review.
Thank you for this recipe! First, I am a total carnivore but because I am trying to cut back on meat and calories I searched out vegetarian chili recipes. This one hit all the notes and will be in regular rotation for wintry, week nights. The only addition I made was to add chili peppers in adobo because I wanted more heat and smoky flavor. If I don’t have that I will add fresh chopped and semi-seeded jalapeño. I definitely like using fresh lime at the end to bring out the acidity. This recipe is a keeper!
This was lush! No black beans in cupboard so used a can of kidney beans and a can of baked beans. Substituted sherry for sherry vinegar, but result was excellent. My fussy kids loved it – thank you for a moan-free dinner time.
Chili is simmering on the stove as I’m typing this. Have made it many times, it’s my and my non-vegetarian husband’s favorite out of all the vegetarian chili recipes I’ve tried out so far, and there’s been quite a few since I’m a big fan of veggie chilies.
What do you think about cocoa in chili? I find it makes it taste even more hearty and savory. I usually just add a little to my bowl and stir it in, since husband thinks adding cocoa to chili should be illegal. :)
Delicious recipe and happy I found it, but it’s so frustrating to have to convert everything to metric ♂️ Would be nice to have an option to display recipes in metric for all of us not in the US and Canada.
Canada uses the metric system too!
I’ve made several veg chillis over the years and always found them somewhat lacking. This one is absolutely fantastic. Sumptuous, rich and deep. Delicious! The idea about blending some to thicken the sauce is pure genius. This will definitely become a family classic we’ll go back to time and time again. Huge thanks from the UK!
Easy, delicious, and adaptable, my favorite kind of recipe! Threw in fine chickpeas on day 2 to stretch the leftovers and, honestly? Might just add them from the start next time! My family is slow to adopt my veg options, but this was an absolute winner
I love it! Thank you for sharing.
This is the best chili I’ve ever made. My husband and I agreed it’s far better than any chili with meat we’ve had. I will make this again and again- no changes needed it’s perfect!
I’ve been making chili for decades & like to try different recipes, tonight I tried yours. My husband & I enjoyed it, we liked the amount of heat & that it was spicy….a nice assortment. I am retired(RN) & trying new things….eating a few vegetarian meals a week is part of it. Thanks for your recipe!
I made this chili and it seems a bit top liquidy. I keep things simple and dont want to have to mash it and make more bowls dirty. So next time I will use less water
Hi Eiam, I’m sorry you didn’t love this one as is. I appreciate your feedback.
This recipe is absolutely delicious!!! My 15 year old , who is an extremely picky eater loved this chili. He doesn’t eat meat and isn’t fond of veggies, so finding this recipe was a win win !! We will be making this yummy dish for years to come .. thank you !!
What can I use to substitute the red pepper?
Thanks!
Sherry
Hi Sherry, you can omit the red pepper flakes if you like.
This is a five star recipe…did not add salt so I increased the amount of the other spices by 1/4 tsp.
The family ate it, loved it, and said I could make it again
Definitely going to check out your other recipes
Delicious ! I’ve never been disappointed in one of your recipes. I doubled it, and I decresed the smoked paprika a little bit. I did use vegetable broth–Otherwise made it as written. Super !
This has become my go to chili recipe as I’ve made it numerous times since I came across it. It is simple, yet flavorful. Perfect meal for a cold night….or any night!
INSANELY GOOD !!!!!!!!! Can I give this 10 stars??????????? Blended a lot of the diced tomatoes and half of beans in a blender, makes the chili even more magical !!!!!!!
I’ve made veg chili may times but not with this recipe……our whole family devoured it!! Omitted celery, used extra garlic, topped with cilantro, tortillas chips with a little guacamole on them.
I love it! Thank you for your excitement for this recipe and trying it, Alana.
So good and really easy to make too! Blending half the stew is so ingenious!
Excellent recipe!
It is healthy, hearty, and satisfying.
My carnivore husband also gave it a thumbs-up!
Thanks for the potato masher suggestion, it worked great.
I have been a vegetarian for most of my life, and I’ve never really found a chili that I loved. Until now! In the past month, I’ve made this twice. It’s actually my pregnancy craving dinner. It’s perfect as leftovers and is sooo warming. It’s also very healthy but doesn’t feel like eating a healthy dish. It’s simply amazing. The only things I changed were using a yellow onion, instead of red, and no bell pepper.
I’m happy you find it warming! I love that description because that is just what chili should be this time of year. Thank you, Jessica!
My 10yo daughter is an aspiring cook and loves your recipes! We are vegan and this is the first place she looks when she wants to try something new – the first dinner she ever made for the family was your mac & cheese and it was a hit!! I’m thankful she has found a reliable source for recipes she (and all of us!) will love :)
Love this recipe. I love the red wine vinegar addition. I also add a jalapeño pepper. Instead of two cans of black beans, I do one can of black beans and one of red kidney and one can of pinto beans. I serve it over rice.
Sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing, Barbra.
A question: I would prefer to cook dry beans in place of canned. Can you tell me the amount of drained beans by the cup for this recipe?
Thanks
Hi Bruce! One can is roughly 1.5 cups cooked. I hope that helps!
This is my favourite chili recipe- in fact, since I found this recipe a year or so ago, I always have some on hand in the freezer. I make a huge batch, then freeze single serving sizes, and yum- ready in 3 minutes! I use chicken broth instead of veg broth and skip the cilantro. Thank you for the great recipe!
I love that! Thank you for letting me know this one is a go-to for you, Katie.
Usually I like this website and tried a few recipes from it. Footnote is worth reading- I live outside of states and my chilly came out intolerably spicy. Also it was not very filling overall
I love this chili. It makes a big pot and for leftovers I’ve used it on a
grilled impossible burger. It’s delicious.
The best vegetarian chili I’ve ever had hands down! Here in DC, we are about to be slammed with snow.
I can’t think of a meal I would want to be snowed in with any more than this.
Thank you for sharing!
I’m happy you loved it, Christine!