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.
Note: in North America, chili powder is a blend of dried relatively peppers (ancho), oregano, cumin, and salt. Outside North America, it’s probably just cauenne pepper. Two very different effects to be expected. To get close to a North American chili, scale back the hot pepper & add cumin & oregano.
Looking for a tomato rich chili recipe and looking forward to making this.
Amazing , it’s a weekly dish in my house , easily the best chilli veggie or non chilli that I’ve tasted !
Very good recipe, I jazzed it up with Impossible “meat” and I couldn’t tell it was not regular meat chili. Excellent on cold winter’s night.
Okay, this chili is frickin delicious! I’m so glad I tried it and I’ll def be making again. I didn’t have lime juice and used lemon instead, but it still tasted great.
Very, very good!
DANG that’s a great chili recipe!
We served it up in bowls with some corn chips, guacamole and sour cream and it was AMAZING!
So easy to make too!
Thanks all the way from Melbourne Australia!
Hi there, writing from France. I’m going to do your chilli recipe but I’m confused by pinto beans and black beans………….do you mean kidney beans for black beans…..and I’ve no idea what pinto beans are – what can I use instead. Thank you
Hi! Pinto beans are another type of beans. You can use kidney beans if you can’t find pinto.
It’s easily the best chili recipe I’ve tried
Made this as a person who only eats meat chili and everyone, myself included, LOVED it! My mom made regular chili on the same day and ended up eating mine.
As someone who doesn’t eat vegetables or beans this is so good I’ve made it a few times now. Thank you Kate!!
Hi Kate, I tried this recipe today and it was so delicious! This is definitely not the last time I’m cooking this! I especially loved the idea of adding the vinegar ( I ended up adding two more tbsp or so). By the way I used dryed pinto beans and pinto beans only, I also replaced half a cup of the broth with half a cup of the cooking liquid from the beans and it nicely enhanced the bean flavor in the whole dish. If anyone was wondering 2 and 1/4 cups dryed overnight soaked pintos yilded 4 and 1/2 cups of cooked pintos, which was said in some comment to be roughly the amount contained in 3 cans.
That’s great! Thank you for sharing, Petr.
Just made this veggie chili for the first time as my husband is trying to stay away from meat and still get protein. He loved it . I liked it just have to get used to no meat. I used kidney beans instead of Pinto beans will make it again for sure
Love this recipe! Amazing depth of flavor for a vegetarian dish that comes together really quickly. My only complaint is that mine came out a really unappetizing shade of brown, whereas the picture is really more of a regular reddish chili color. I wonder what went wrong? I used San Marzano tomatoes …
I’m a meat eater but am considering giving it up so I made this in one crockpot while I made my normal ground turkey recipe in the other fir my hubbie. I was incredibly happy with how this turned out! It tasted just like I would want my chilli to taste and the texture was great too. Thanks!
How long did you cook this in the crock pot for, and was it on high or low?
On low for 7-8 hours. Good luck!
I’ve used this recipe as a base for my Veggie Chili for years! It’s so simple, and I can use whatever veggies I have in my fridge and any beans or cans of tomatoes I have on hand. Never the same and 5 stars every time! Thank you!
Wonderful to hear, Stacey! Thank you for your review.
This was amazing! I hate cooking, but this was so easy to follow with minimal ingredients/instructions that I felt pretty confident. I was so inspired that I added a few extra ingredients. Yummy!!!
Thank you!
Hi Kate, and thank you for this absolutely delicious recipe. I now have living with me and my carnivore husband, our university student (vegetarian and lactose intolerant) and his girlfriend (gluten and sugar intolerant). This recipe is so versatile. I make it in stages and set aside a portion for the gluten-free gal, then continue on with recipe for the vegetarian, and then finally add to whatever is left the ground turkey for the carnivores. I love all of your recipes, keep up the great work!!
SO good! I usually put cheese and sour cream on chili, but this is so good I don’t want to put anything on that will hide the delicious flavors! Even my carnivorous loving husband loves it! Thank you for sharing! (Although I did sub beef broth for the water and omitted cilantro because I don’t like it.)
This chili was delicious! I thought the flavors were perfect and it was so filling! Love this recipe!
Fabulous. Really enjoyed this. Full of flavour and body and easy to make. Will definitely be using it as one of my ‘go to’ veggie meals in the future.
We are currently in the third wave oin England, my neighbours work for our National Health Service I am am cooking one meal a week for them as they all have been on the wards for many hours. Their daughter is a vegetarian and this is a brilliant recipe alongside my chilli con carne.I actually prefer it….and I will be making it again, it is an easy to follow tasty recipe, I added a chopped courgette at the end and this gave it colour. Thank you
Omg best chili ever!!! Paired it with a locally made focaccia, so good. Definitely saving this one!
Kate
This recipe appeals to me. I like chili but I find that after eating it I start having heartburn. Wondering if you know what I can add to reduce this. I will definitely try this/
I’ve made this recipe no less than 5 times in the past few weeks (note to self:use the tripled recipe next time!) it is so yummy and delicious you forget there’s no meat. I am toying with going plant-based and was exploring some meatless options. I use all Penzey’s spices, using their Medium Hot chili powder (chef’s kiss). So it’s just the right amount of heat for me, and it’s chock full of veggies. I usually add other veggies I have on hand, extra peppers, zucchini squash, and it’s great. Definitely a game changer for vegetarian/vegan meals.
This is my go-to chili recipe! I use fire-roasted tomatoes instead of plain ones and trade one of the cans of beans for a package of vegan ground beef, just for fun :-) The smoked paprika really kicks it up a notch.
Great, Lisa! Thank you for your review.
Exceptional! I was skeptical that a vegetarian chili could be good at all. This was out of this world with a surprising depth of flavor and hearty texture. Did not have weird chili breath afterwards :) I made it with your honey cornbread. Couldn’t be more thrilled, thank you Kate!
Your recipe for homemade chilli is so good I will make it once week
This was delicious! So quick and easy to make. The entire household loved it. Thank you for this!
You’re welcome, Stacy! Thank you for your review.
Made this chili tonight for the first time for my wife’s “cleanse”. It turned out really well. Used just a bit more of the vinegar. Combined it with some vegan gluten-free Krusteaz corn muffins and it was wonderful. Thank you for the recipe.
Added beyond meat and a sneaky pinch (or two) of cinnamon for a holiday take. Delish. Love the addition to blend part of the chili.
I didn’t read your comment to put less chilli powder in, if outside US, until I’d finished. It’s hot. But it’s a good combination and I’ll try again with less chilli. In the meantime, I may have to have a glass of wine or two, to cool me down.
Snug in our house, hunkered down waiting for an incoming rainstorm and the chili is ready to be served. With the combo of veggies and seasonings, it is a delicious bowl of comfort. Thank you for an awesome recipe.
Sounds perfect! Thank you for sharing, L.
Delicious recipe! Thanks
Do you simmer with covered pot?
Thanks!
Uncovered, Josh. :)
I make this all the time. I love it’s rich flavor and perfect consistency. Vegetable forward without being a hammer about it. Feeds everyone for a week!
I’ve made this chili several times now and it’s to DIE for. I never do the blending part and it tastes AMAZING. I love adding shredded cheese and sour cream. I won’t use another recipe for chili again. Thank you!!
Can I cook this in slow cooker instead? I have a chili recipe I usually make in a Crock-Pot. But that receipe uses meat wanted to try a vegetarian chili instead.
Is celery a must?? Sorry I’ve never tasted a chili but heard alot.and found ur recipe I love it..I have all ingredients except celery…and got my groceries today *yikes*
Pls help :-)
Hi! It does help with the flavor, but you can omit if you don’t have it. May want to add more onion or carrot instead.
Hi Anne, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love this recipe. That is quite surprising! Are you sure all your ingredients and spices weren’t outdated? Sometimes I find if spices are past their time, they lack flavor.
Yes, I cook enough that I go through the ingredients and spices used in this recipe frequently enough for them not to be outdated.
This chili is delicious!!! And really easy to make. I used 1T chili powder & a dash of cumin. I love the taste the smoked paprika adds. Thank you!!!
Absolutely fabulous!!!
This chili is awesome. Thank you for sharing recipe
What makes this have such a high sodium count.
Hi Linda, please see more on my nutrition disclaimer. You can reduce by omitting salt and using low sodium or no salt added canned ingredients.
I’m cooking Homemade Vegetarian Chili as I write. I always add a can of chopped mushrooms to meatless recipes to give them a chewy texture. I always serve my chili over rice and top it with a dollop of sour cream and grated Cheddar Cheese. For this reason I’m not thickening it by taking some out and blending it, so it will moisten the rice It appears to be a little thinner than my recipe with meat. Can’t wait for supper.
Just made this and it is indeed amazing! Blending part of the chili is essential and I will probably do this in other chili recipes in the future.
Just made this and it is outstanding! Would you say the average serving for THIS recipe is about 1 cup? Trying to determine WWPoints.
Hi! I would say roughly 1.5-2 cups is a serving. Hope that helps!
I’ve made this several times, last time I added chili’s. Alone or spiced up it’s absolutely delicious and so easy. Love your recipes , my oldest daughter is vegan and your recipes are things that everyone loves and she can eat.
This was so good! I couldn’t stop eating it. I didn’t have celery or black beans – used kidney beans to substitute (just one can). Topped with avocado and some saltines, it was the perfect comfort food and easy enough to make on a weeknight.
I love that! Thank you for sharing, Em.
So delicious! I wanted to make chili and had no ground beef. So many great reviews for your vegetarian chili. I used black beans, hot chili beans and mild chili beans, tomatoes with green chilies and chili ready tomatoes and vegetable broth, not water. I added canned mushrooms and a hint of cayenne and red pepper flakes, no celery. Next time, I’ll double the recipe. Amazingly delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Used Trader Joe’s organic brand of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes. Used great white northern beans in place of the pinto beans. Squeezed half a lime with the 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar at the end. And immersion blender for most of it, but still chuncky. Delicious and easy! Thanks for the recipe!
I’ve made this recipe more than a few times. I used water and found this recipe to be incredibly flavorful – I love that you can taste the veggies. It doesn’t have the heavy/greasy taste that some chilis can have. I would use stock only if I had some in the fridge that needed to be used.
Last time, I had some ground turkey (1/2 lb) that needed to be used, so I added it when I cooked the onions and it was super yummy.
Taking the extra step of blending a portion of the chili makes the texture perfect. I’ve garnished with avocado, jack/cheddar, cilantro, and tortilla chips – whatever I had left over. Even without the cilantro it is packed with flavor from cooking the onions, carrots, peppers and garlic before adding the beans and tomatoes.