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.
Im making this tonight! I plan to add some tomato paste and brown it all over my sauteed veggies before adding some liquid (wine) and the veggie broth. Im also adding some gardein meatless grinds and baby portabellas and serving over ditalini noodles with some greek yogurt and aged white cheddar. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Tessa! Hope your variation turns out as good as it sounds.
I love this recipe! Sometimes I mix up the beans a little, substituting in borlotti or whatever I have on hand! Also great to chuck a few leftovers in – mushrooms, corn, fresh dill. Always turns out great :)
Yes! Variety is the spice of life. Happy that this is a reliable recipe for you, Peta!
Another winner from Cookie & Kate! You make being a vegetarian easy, wholesome and delicious. Now how do I tell my husband that I’ll be making the chili from now on?
So happy I make a whole foods lifestyle that much easier for you, Carley! Good luck breaking the news to your husband ;) Once he tastes it, I’m sure he’ll understand!
Very good. I like spice so I added a couple of diced jalapeño peppers. Also added corn, extra garlic, a little curry powder and substituted one of the cans of diced tomatoes with crushed and one of the cans of black beans with kidney beans. Sour cream garnish. I would make it again for sure.
Your version sounds excellent, Rikke.
Delicious flavor, but I highly recommend starting with maybe a third of that amount of chili powder. Potency varies, and as I found out tonight, that was right at my spice tolerance (and I love spicy food).
Yes, some chili powders are less spicy than others, for sure!
It truly was the best chili I ever had. And so easy to make!
YES! Thanks so much!
Your vegetarian chili was amazingly delicious! I was so proud of myself after serving it. I did just as you said and measured out about 1 1/2 cups after it was done and mashed it down really well with a potato masher then added it back in. It was just so flavorful with the perfect blend of spices. We couldn’t stop eating it. After our dinner was over I saw the bottle of red wine vinegar on my counter and realized I forgot to add it! Wonder how different it would make the taste. I would almost be afraid to add it next time as I wouldn’t want to change a thing. Thanks so much.
You’re welcome, Annie! If you feel like it doesn’t need the vinegar, I think you’re just fine leaving it out.
So easy and so yummy! I added a pinch of cayenne to give it a little kick too ;)
YUM sounds spicy & delicious!
This soup is amazing! Wonder if any one knows nutritional facts (for the my fitness app).
I made the chilli for a cold winter’s evening dinner, for my daughter and myself. I sleep over with her and my grandson one night each week and we take it in turns to cook. I have used many of your recipes, always very successful and highly delicious. I follow the recipe exactly on the first time of trying out, maybe a tweak or two here and there! This chilli was divine, I can’t imagine changing anything about it – we both ate so much that it was difficult to move afterwards. A five star recipe, best ever chilli. Thank you for on-going inspiration.
This is such a sweet comment, Vee! I’m so happy you love this recipe. It’s one of my favorites, too.
Delicious! My entire family loved it. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Emily!
Hi Kate.. i really really LOVE your recipesand they are 100 % my style. I see you also try to implement as many veggies in a dish as possible! Which is still not very often done by other foodie! I am having a foodblog too.. just starting though. Looking forward to your first cookbook.
Thanks, Yvette! I’m glad you like the blog. Happy to have you here.
Just made the Vegetarian Chili. The best chili ever! After only one batch, I can already tell this a keeper and one I’ll make again and again. Thanks for a greast recipe!
You’re welcome, Jean!
Love your food blog! I’ve tried (and failed) to make a really delicious veggie chili…until I found this recipe.
Some notes: I used 1 can each of kidney, pinto, and black beans for variety. My food processor went kinda nuts and finely chopped the onions/red pepper/carrot/celery mix, but I actually found that I preferred this. Idk if it enabled the flavors of the veggies to come out more, but it totally worked and didn’t throw off the consistency bc of the puree step at the end anyway.
Wondering how to turn up the heat on this w/o messing up the flavors of the spice mixture. In the end, this isn’t too big of a deal bc the flavor is so rich and complex.
This will be another “go to” recipe, esp in the winter. A side of cornbread or tortilla chips and sliced avocado…YUM!
It sounds like this worked out well, Barbara! I’d say to throw in some red pepper flakes at the end or dice up a jalapeño pepper for a lot more heat. That shouldn’t do anything noticeable to the flavors.
LOVE! Made this for dinner tonight and it was AWESOME! Smoked paprika was a great addition, kudos! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
Great! I hope you do, Cassandra.
Loved this. Really great. Thank you.
:)
Made this again and loved it and wanted to say thank you! My boyfriend and I have made this twice now and think it’s our favorite vegeterain chili recipe so far. Last night we subbed in zucchini and yellow squash for celery. So good! We both had 2 bowls!
Holy mother of chili. Soooo good. I replaced one can of black beans with faux “ground beef” and used way more garlic and jalapeños and chili powder to fit my addiction for spice. Turned out great.
Ha! That made me laugh. So happy the chili gods smiled down on you with this one, Melissa. :)
Made this last week and it was delicious. Even meat eating husband said it was the best chilli he’d had. Will be a regular in our house now. Thanks so much.
Yes! I’ve heard this one can magically convert meat-eaters for a meal. :) Thanks, Kathryn!
Delish! Thanks!
You’re welcome!
I love this chili so much! I’m not a vegetarian, but this chili is so good I make it all of the time.
Yes! This one satisfies even the most committed of carnivores.
Would this freeze well?
I don’t see why not, Rachel! You may lose some texture with re-heating, but that shouldn’t affect flavor at all.
Awesome recipe! There is so much flavor and texture in it, I forget there’s no meat. My boyfriend and friends love it as well! I’ve actually made this every Sunday for the past month, that way I have left overs for my work week. Thanks for sharing this great recipe :)
Yes, this is a great make-ahead lunch for the week. I’m so glad you like it so much, Alexa!
I made this and my husband and I loved it! Thank you for the recipe.
Awesome! Thanks, Cheryl.
Absolutely loved this! I followed the recipe very closely. The only things I changed were kidney beans instead of pinto beans, only one can of black beans and instead I added a can of sweetcorn! It makes a huge amount so I’ve enjoyed many meals with rice or wraps. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Your version sounds great, Katrina!
Would this recipe work if I eliminated the tomatoes? My wife won’t eat chunks of tomatoes. She loves chili, but it’s almost impossible to find a chili recipe that doesn’t have tomato chunks in it!
I don’t think it would work if you omitted the tomatoes altogether… would your wife eat tomato puree? Unfortunately, you’d be missing out on the flavor and the thickness if you decided to omit them altogether, I think!
I would like to make this in the slow cooker. How would I do that? Would I put it in after simmering it?
Hi, Diana– I’m not sure! I haven’t tried that myself. I’d recommend going through some of the comments here, as many helpful readers post tips like slow-cooker times and adjustments.
The smoked paprika makes the dish. This is a terrific recipe. I made it for an open house on New Year’s Day and I wish I’d made a double recipe – it went very quickly!
Wonderful! So happy this was a crowd-pleaser, Nancy.
i changed the recipe a little bit to my own desired taste. i personally added extra bell peppers and red onions. The can of tomatoes i used already had green peppers and onions already mixed in. I absolutely loved this recipe and would totally make it again
MI plan on making this recipe for a large party. The recipe says it serves 4-6. Can anyone tell me how big a serving this recipe is based on. Is a serving approx. 8 ounces?
Hi Susan, it probably yields about six 8-ounce servings. You might want to double the recipe to be safe; leftovers are great!
Anyone have the calorie count on this??
Hi, Jillian–Unfortunately, I don’t have nutritional info available for my recipes just yet. I’m looking for a solution, and will update about it once I find one. Thanks!
Superb! I’d been wanting to make a chili & yours looked the best from my research. One of the best things I’ve ever cooked! & so quick & easy to make. Thanks.
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you.
I made this in a crock pot (high for 4 hours), threw in veggie sausage about 3 hours in, and then blended a cup of chili to thicken it. Absolutely delicious. Thank you!
Just made this a second time. Best chili I’ve ever made! Thanks for the recipe.
Part blending is a stroke of genius – delicious recipe thank you!
Yes, it makes such a difference! So glad you enjoyed it.
Trying a double batch in a slow cooker! Found this link that helps you convert stove top recipes to crock pot ones: http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2014/06/stovetopoven-crockpot-conversion-chart.html
I’ll report back on how it turns out!
Thanks so much for the tip, Savanna! That link will prove useful. I hope it goes well!
This is a great recipe….i didn’t do the blender thing though…im sure that would be good but i don’t have a blender. But without the blender thing it was excellent. I was able to make 4 to 5 large meals out of it….with chopped avocado on the side and more cilantro. I think its really healthy. Also, Im not a vegetarian so I browned 1 lb of ground beef, drained the fat and threw it in the chili mixture when I added the liquids (tomatoes and broth). I keep making this over and over again…..its great for me…..a bachelor.
I’m glad you enjoy it, Dean!
Can’t find any nutritional information. Looking for calories per serving
Hi– Unfortunately, I don’t have nutritional info available for my recipes just yet. I’m looking for a solution, and will update about it once I find one. Thanks!
I’ve made vegetarian chili for years, and this is truly the best I’ve ever made or eaten! The blending step really makes for a thicker, richer base, yet beyond this the flavors are SO GOOD. Thanks very much for this great recipe, which will become a winter staple in our house.
You’re welcome, Katharine! I love hearing that.
This was delicious my husband said it’s one of his favorite dishes now! Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome, Mary Beth!
I made this exactly as posted. I usually find chili recipes to be either too hot, or lacking in flavor, but this one was a perfect blend of flavor and heat. Thank you so much for a fantastically tasty chili! Chili for dinner and then used the rest as burritos the following day. Yum!
What a great re-purposing! Chili burritos sound delicious.
What is the yield for this recipe?
NM. Answered my own question
Hi, Justin– This should make 4-6 hearty bowls, depending on how much you’d like.
Hi,
I’m always looking for new vegetarian chili recipes and I came across this one while shopping.
I have to say, it came out great (I tweaked it a bit to my liking)!
My comment is that the prep time on the recipe is definitely NOT ten minutes! It took me five to assemble all of the ingredients, and another half hour to get them ready: chop onion, chop celery, chop carrot, chop cilantro…you see what I mean. I would say that prep time was 35-40 minutes. Also, there is extra time necessary to blend ingredients at the end. Total time to have this ready is well over an hour. I gave it four stars because prep time is misleading, otherwise it would have been five.
Laurie, thank you for your feedback. I’ve just added more prep time to the recipe. I’m not sure what I was thinking when I typed in 10 minutes in the first place! When I worked with recipe testers for my cookbook and asked them to record their prep times, they varied significantly from person to person, so it’s just always hard to say.
DELICIOUS!
I listened to other reviewers that it may be a little too spicy and just added 1 tbsp of chilli – it was perfect. Just the right amount of nose-blowing heat. I could definitely see spice-lovers adding more. I’m a medium spice lover… hope this helps others.
I ended up letting it simmer on super low for about an hour before doing the blending trick and it was great. Can’t WAIT for leftovers. Big tick of approval from 2 meat eaters in the family.
Kate: did you mean to say “go easy on the paprika if you’re sensitive to spice” – or did you mean the chilli? My smoked paprika isn’t spicy at all. :)
Thanks, Asako! And yes, I meant to say paprika– the flavor can be a bit overwhelming for some people, and I like to put a fair amount in my recipes!
I’m making this again tonight (double batch, for the freezer) and already SO excited (it’s 9am).
Just confirming… this freezes very well.
Great!
OMG, This chili is so good!!! My husband came home and said that it smelled like regular chili, with the meat. We have been trying to quit eating meat, this recipe is just so helpful, we didn’t miss eating meat at all tonight. Thank you!!!
I’m so glad this helped you cut back on meat, Tais! Thanks for commenting.
Absolutely amazing, best chilli I have ever made! I keep walking by the pot and eating it, there won’t be any left for dinner!
Ha! I have the same problem with almost every recipe. I’m always sneaking snacks. I’m so glad it’s so tempting!
This was really good! I really like the texture that comes from blending the 1.5 cups and reintroducing it to the chili. I will say that I think it could use a bit more spice. I’m not someone who believes all chili should be blazing hot, but a little cayenne or a couple of minced jalapenos would do wonders. That said, I can’t imagine a better, standard-flavored veggie chili recipe than this one to use as a base and tweak until you find the right heat. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks, Alex! Feel free to adjust the heat and spice to your tastes.
This chili is very flavorful and hearty. Blending some of the beans gives the chili a more satisfying texture.
So glad you enjoy it, GD. Thanks!
This is an amazing recipe. I added 8 ounces of chipotle salsa and 12 ounces of fake veggie meat and a poblano pepper for extra kick.
That sounds delicious, Darryl. Thanks!