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 for your wonderful recipe. It helps me eat more vegetables and plant protein.
I followed pretty much everything except did let it cook for 3 hours before serving and didn’t puree any and it turned out to be the best chili I ever made! The smoked paprika gave it a wonderful note and richness. I served it with toppings for extra specialness but it stands alone just fine.This is such a warm and filling meal-so satisfying in so many ways.
This is a great recipe! I only had a small amount of kidney beans on hand, so I used those and added leftover diced sweet potato and red lentils for bulk. I think zucchini could be a good addition as well. It’s a hearty dish!
I make this every two weeks or so, and always keep a stash in the freezer. It’s great over a baked potato with guacamole. I also like adding chipotle chilli into the spice mix. Honestly love it so much, my favourite vegan recipe by a mile and so easy and cheap to make.
Great to hear, Michelle!
Oops, forgot to rate it! 5 stars!
Thank you, Michelle!
Wow, absolutely delicious! Like others, I also subbed one can of kidney beans for one of the cans of black beans (personal preference). I was worried it might be too spicy for me as I forgot to reduce the amount of chili powder to start, but fortunately it turned out “just right”. Thanks for another great recipe!
This chili was awesome!! Thank you!
Perfect chili. I’ve tried many recipes and finally found a keeper with this one. Used a bit less spice due to sensitive palates in my family, but we all love it. Mashed it with a bean mashed after cooled and it was a great consistency.
Hi Kate. Can you use fresh tomatoes in this recipe? I’m living in Bali, and tinned tomatoes are extortionate, whereas fresh are cheap.
This was a great combination of ingredients. You were right about blending the 1 1/2 cups being key. It made a big difference. As one of the commenters suggested, I put a can of tomato sauce in with some Vegetarian paste instead of broth. This was delicious and will now be our go to chili recipe. My husband had two big bowls and was raving about it. Thank you!!!
Great chili recipe. This is the 2nd time I’ve made it. No changes. I love that it freezes well as I am the only vegan in a house of 2. I’ve served this in a bowl with toppings and cashew cream as well as on a salad of greens and as a baked sweet potato topping. Love the versatility. This will definitely be a regular vegan meal around here. Thank you so much for sharing your creativity and website.
Did anyone find it to taste like bolognese saus? The celery and carrots, together with the oregano I think?
That’s interesting! If you don’t love the oregano, you can leave it out.
This is absolutely delicious and helped get me through college. Affordable to make, and pleased all my friends and roommate who were vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, kept kosher, and had a million food allergies. Thank you!
Really happy with this recipe, made exactly as you said with the addition of butternut squash and some mushrooms and it was delicious.
Thanks for sharing!
Definitely the best chili I have ever had. Loved all the veggies in this, and seasoning was perfect (I skimped a very little on some o the chili and regretted doing so afterward). Glad I tried this. On to the sweet potato chili next! We made ours vegan of course and added avocado and tortilla chips.
I made this chili for a weekend camping trip and it was such a big hit!!! It was delicious! Thanks for the recipe. It’s nippy this weekend so I’m making it again
HI, fairly inexperienced cook here. I made the chili but it’s rather liquidy. I’m not serving it for several hours. Is there anything I can do to thicken it up.
Thanks,
Danielle
Did you blend any of it? How did it end up?
This really is The Best Vegetarian Chili, Kate! Thank you very much for sharing the recipe! I made a double batch tonight so I could freeze some. It’s quick and easy…my two favorite words in cooking! I doubled everything except the chili powder and cumin. For those I used 1 1/2 the quantity you suggested as not everyone in my family likes it spicier. It was the perfect blend. We topped it with a little shredded cheese. Absolutely delicious, very filling and economical. Thanks for mentioning Muir Glen! I had never noticed that brand but found it and decided to try it. I just realized that I left the Cilantro sitting on the counter! Oops! and, I forgot to add the vinegar. I’ll have to add those in when we have leftovers. :)
You’re very welcome, Nina! I’m glad you were able to make this soup work for the varying spice tastes. :)
Have you ever tried this in a slow cooker?
I haven’t, but I know others have with luck!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I loved it and my 11 year old son won’t stop bugging me to make it again! This will definitely be a double batch, make sure I have stocked in the freezer type of recipe!!
Good recipe, very filling. I used pinto beans, black beans, and chick peas. Loved all the vegetables in this! I wish there was a little more spicy, but like the flavor from the balsamic. I put it over brown rice. Thanks for the recipe! Hoping to try your butternut squash and black bean chili next.
Thank you for sharing, Julia!
How can I add tofu to your chili?
You could always add it to the top per serving, if you like.
This recipe was a big hit, I added potatoes and mushrooms to it as well as substituting some of the beans for kidney beans and chickpeas. I made a large batch for a party, some or the people who came are vegan and they were very grateful. Usually when they come over they have to bring their own food but this time they where able to take leftovers home. And everyone else loved it. 100% would recommend.
This recipe is by far the best I’ve ever made and I normally don’t leave reviews like this but it was fantastic. I’ve added meatless ground beef and potatoes. I also added dairy free sour cream and cheese that I’ve purchase at Whole Foods since I’m a vegan!! Do NOT leave out the avocados, they make the dish soo much better and creamy as well with every bite.
I’m glad you loved it, Samantha!
My boyfriend and I are trying to cut back on our meat consumption and chili is one of my absolute favorite comfort foods. We made this last week and it was absolutely delicious! Flavors were incredible and I didn’t miss the beef at all. We look forward to trying lots of your recipes!
Hi, I have just recently found your website and love it. Thank you. I am going to make the Best Vegetarian Chile today, and am looking forward to it. Just a note, when you click the tab to double or triple the recipe, I don’t think that the number of large or small cans of tomatoes required translate properly. Maybe you can take a look.
Thanks, Katie
Hi Katie, welcome! I’m happy you are enjoying my blog. Thanks for the feedback and I will take a look to see what may be going on!
I too have a question about the canned tomatoes, your recipe says 2 large cans or 2 small cans. I apologize if I’m just being thick. Thanks for the recipe!
This was fabulous! My only problem was my peppers, carrots and celery didn’t get soft enough before my onions started getting too done. Easy fix for next time, and there will definitely be a next time.
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Lisa!
Hi
New to your site. Bought the book and can’t wait to try so many of the recipes. I do have one question… many of your recipes contain cilantro. I can’t stand cilantro. Sorry. Is there something I can substitute?
Many Thanks
Steve
Hi Stephen! Yes, lots of my recipes do have cilantro. It depends on the recipe. Sometimes if you want to leave it out you can, since you don’t like it you won’t miss it. Or, you can substitute parsley in some cases.
Thanks Kate! Good to know and thanks
Cooked this tonight and it was good! Only one tin of black beans, and subbed with one red kidney.
No chilli powder so used chilli flakes – 1 1/2 tsp tasted good, not burn your mouth hot.
Thank you for sharing, Nick!
This was SO GOOD. We followed the recipe exactly and it turned out great! A good vegan recipe that everyone will like:)
I have a good friend who is a vegetarian so I decided to make this recipe. It is now my favorite chili recipe. It is absolutely delicious! The only thing I did different was add .a 4 oz can of green chilies, just because I had it in my cupboard.
Kate…
Our northern California weather suddenly turned rainy and cold yesterday, so it was the perfect night for chili. My only change to your recipe was the addition of 1 cup of frozen corn. The chili was nicely spicy and absolutely delicious. Thanks for making me a star at dinner!
Belly skritches to Cookie.
xo,
elle
Huge hit! Made this for our Sunday family dinner. The family consists of vegans and meat eaters, adults and children, 9 in all, and everyone loved it! I added 2 jalapeños and 1|3rd of a cup of red lentils. Everything else was exactly as the recipe called for (made the 2x size). The cooking aromas were wonderful. The chili was delicious. Next time I will send a picture. Thank you!
This is spot on as a replacement for meat-based chilli, without any of the soya/Quorn fake meat nonsense….
The biggest surprise for me is that my Wife, who’s quite fussy (a fact she’ll vehemently contest) and who doesn’t much like beans and pulses, went back for a second helping *and* scored the dish ten out of ten!
My very small variation to the recipe was to add a splash of red wine at step 1, and a sprinkling of Korean chilli flakes that I rather like.
I think the top tip from this recipe is to blend 1-2cups of the mixture towards the end – I wouldn’t have thought to do that and it really did make the overall texture perfect.
I think this is the first non-meat dish to have been accepted into our family recipe book.
Thanks for sharing, Jonathan!
I love this recipe and have made it a few times although I have made a couple of changes. I make it with way less broth. It’s too soupy for us when using the amount in the recipe so I use half or less and it’s more the consistency we look for in chili. I also add more salt to really enhance all the flavors and it makes a big difference in taste! Thanks for the recipe!
I haven’t made this in awhile, but today was a chilly, rainy day – so I wanted something that felt like fall. I was in the mood for a more plant-based dinner, and this was perfect – just as good as I remembered it. We did loaded baked potatoes tonight, which was a family pleaser.
Definitely using the leftovers for chili dogs later in the week when I get sick of chili…
Made this tonight and it was so good! Although I did do a few things differently.
I added: yellow zucchini, mushrooms, potato (to use up what I had on hand), some dijon mustard, some lime juice, some tomato paste to thicken, and yves Mexican ground round (plant based ground beef, which really gave it that authentic chili texture).
I also had a chili seasoning pack that I used, and instead of plain diced tomatoes, I used Rotel.
I really liked this recipe! That was a great idea to blend a portion of it. Great flavor and texture. The cilantro and vinegar added a great bite! Thanks, for sharing!
I’m not a cook, just a recipe reader, and this was high flavor, perfect texture, absolutely the best chili I’ve ever eaten. Will make again and again
My favourite veggie chilli! I also add one yam to it:)
I’ve made this recipe 3 times over the past year and it always comes out perfect.
So delicious!
I’ve made this recipe 3 times over the past year and it always comes out perfect.
So delicious!
Come back to this recipe often, thanks C+K!
Wonderful!
I’m making this for dinner this week! Any way to make it in the crockpot?
I haven’t, but I know other readers have. I suggest checking out the other comments to see what readers suggest. I still highly recommend sauteing your veggies for best flavor.
First time I’ve made veg chilli, trying to get away from meat. Was surprised how lovely it was, used kidney beans and halved the recipe as there is only two of us. Will definitely be making it on a regular basis. Thankyou
So happy that I tried this recipe as I’ve been meaning to for some time. Now that it’s officially fall, today seemed right. I used dried beans and cooked them in vegetable broth to enhance flavor. Added a chopped zucchini after the tomatoes and broth went in. Also added a cup of frozen sweet corn (although I aded after the dish stopped cooking). For whatever reason, it required four cups of broth rather than two. No big deal. I opted for fresh lime juice over vinegar and tripled the cilantro (I love cilantro). Additionally, I used avocado, extra cilantro (there’s so much in one bunch, why waste it?) and sour cream as garnishes. I also decided to thinly slice radishes and pop them in there. The entire dish is amazing and I will be making it on the reg from now on. Thanks for sharing, Kate.
Thank you for sharing, Joshua!
I have just discovered your blog and all your delicious recipes. I have decided to try to give up meat so was searching the internet for inspirational recipes when I came across your blog. Your Vegetarian Chilli and Penang Curry with Crispy Tofu were out of this world. The recipes have so much flavour, and you don’t miss the meat. I have just ordered 3 copies of your Love Real Food cookbook and can’t wait to try all your recipes. Shame I live in Australia as it takes a little longer to receive them. Thank you Kate.
PS: I too have a rescue dog who is my companion, my best friend and such a huge part of my life.
I’m glad you found the blog! Thanks for sharing what recipes you love so far. I have new ones coming to the blog I hope you try!
This is my absolute favourite veggie chilli recipe! I add some sweet potato and leeks to it too just for something a little extra. The idea to blend a portion of the chilli is also genius. Thank you for sharing such a delicious recipe! Love your website :)
Could not find any nutrition info for Homemade Vegetarian Chili
Hi Joyce! I apologize for the frustrations as we are working to resolve an issue. I do appreciate your understanding and patience.
This was great! I did double the chili powder because that’s how I like my chili, but otherwise it was made as written.
Soooooo good! Such an easy recipe! I did everything as written except I substituted 1.5 cup sweet corn for one of the black bean cans. I used a hand mixer at the end to get a thicker texture. Thanks Katie for another great recipe :) will make again and again!