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This Easy Vegan Chili is a hearty one-pot meal packed with protein and fiber thanks to beans and veggies. Ready in just 40 minutes, it’s perfect for chili evenings, meal prep, or freezing for later. Vegan and Gluten-Free; Oil-Free Option.
There’s nothing quite like a steaming hot, hearty bowl of this fuss-free Vegan Chili to warm you up on a cold evening. This easy recipe takes the work out of the classic, thanks to a simple blend of canned beans, tomatoes, and smoky spices. It’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser for vegans and meat-eaters alike!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reader review:
“This is one of the first recipes I made as a newly converted vegan. It is DELICIOUS!! Even my non-vegan family members LOVED it!”
– Tece
Table of Contents
The Only Vegan Chili Recipe You’ll Ever Need
This Vegan Bean Chili recipe is proof that you can do some pretty cool things with the canned goods in your cupboard. Just like this Black Bean Stew and this White Bean Puttanesca, it’s a one-pot meal that’s as perfect for weeknight dinners as it is for game days. The best part? You probably have most of the ingredients on hand already, and it only takes 40 minutes to put together.
Everything you want in a bowl of chili is here: smoky, rich, and deeply satisfying flavors, a well-seasoned tomato base, and enough veggies, kidney beans, and pinto beans to fill you up. By the time it’s done simmering, you’ll have a high-protein vegan chili that’s so thick and chunky, even meat eaters will be asking for seconds.
Ingredients for Vegan Chili
Not only is this Chili super easy to make, but it’s also full of plant-based protein and fiber to keep you full and satisfied for hours and hours. Plus, you only need 11 healthy ingredients to make it! And I’m betting you already have most of them sitting around in your pantry too.
How to Make Vegan Chili
- Sauté the onion in a large pot until lightly browned. Add the bell pepper, carrot, and celery, and sauté for a few more minutes. Stir in the garlic and spices.
- Add the beans, tomatoes, broth, and water to the pot. Cover with a lid and heat to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.
- Taste the chili and adjust the seasonings as needed. Divide it into bowls and serve warm. Enjoy!
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Finely chop your veggies. This allows them to melt into the chili! I prefer to dice my onions, bell peppers, and carrots to be roughly the same size as the pinto beans.
- Adjust the spice level to your preference. This chili is meant to be as spicy as you want, with most of the heat coming from the ancho chili powder and optional cayenne. To make a milder version, reduce the chili powder to 2 or 3 tablespoons and omit the cayenne. To kick things up a notch, keep the cayenne and consider sautéing a minced jalapeño with the garlic and spices.
Serving Suggestions
We can’t talk about chili without talking about toppings… That’s the best part! Don’t stop at a sprinkle of nutritional yeast or dairy-free shredded cheese. We gotta go big with even more, like sliced green onions, pickled red onions, a dollop of vegan sour cream, diced avocado, and tortilla strips for crunch.
And can you even call it chili without the cornbread on the side? I have to eat every bowl with a soft and buttery slice of this Perfect Vegan Cornbread.
If you’re looking for more meatless chili recipes, you’ll also love this Vegan White Bean Chili with Jackfruit, this 30-Minute Chipotle Black Bean Chili, and this Slow Cooker Bean Quinoa Chili!
How to Store Leftover Chili
After the chili has cooled to room temperature, transfer it to a few single-serving airtight containers. It will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 2 months in the freezer. Thaw the chili overnight in the fridge before reheating.
When it’s time to eat, reheat as much chili as you plan on eating in the microwave or in a pot over low-medium heat, stirring often, until it’s warmed through. The chili will thicken as it cools, so feel free to stir in a splash of broth or water to help thin it out, if needed.
Substitutions and Variations
- Oil-Free Variation: Sauté the chopped veggies in 1/4 cup of water before adding the garlic and spices.
- Make it “Meaty”: You can add a package of vegan ground “beef,” chopped vegan sausage (like in this Hearty Vegan Chorizo Chili), crumbled tempeh, or extra-firm tofu for a bulky, “beefy” chili. Add your “meat” of choice to the pan when you add the garlic and seasonings.
- Optional Flavor Boosters: If your chili feels like it’s missing anything, try stirring in a splash of soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, fresh lime juice, apple cider vinegar, or even a teaspoon of cocoa powder at the very end to wake up the flavors.
Recipe FAQs
To turn this into a crockpot vegan chili, sauté your veggies and spices in a pan on the stovetop to develop flavor, then toss everything into the slow cooker. Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or High for 3 to 4 hours.
It takes a little more time and patience, but dried beans are great in chili. Soak the beans overnight and simmer them in fresh water until tender the next day. Add them to the chili once they’re cooked through (step 3).
If you don’t love beans in chili, I’d recommend swapping them for 1 to 1.5 cups of dry lentils instead. Just be sure to increase the vegetable broth by about 2 cups and simmer until the lentils are tender.
Try mashing some of the beans in the pot to release their natural starches and thicken the base. You can also simmer the chili uncovered for an extra 10 minutes to let some of the liquid evaporate.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Easy Vegan Chili with Beans and Diced Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil see notes for oil-free version, if desired
- 1 small yellow onion 1/4” dice
- 1 large or 2 small green bell peppers 1/4” dice
- 3 ribs celery small dice
- 3 small carrots small dice
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 tablespoons ancho chili powder* (reduce to 3 if you are sensitive to heat)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 15- ounce cans red kidney beans, drained
- 2 15- ounce cans pinto beans, drained
- 1 14- ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 14- ounce can diced tomatoes (or sub more crushed tomatoes)
- 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth (or water)
- 1 cup water
- Optional Toppings: green onions dairy-free cheese or sour cream, etc.
Instructions
- Base Flavor: Warm the oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until the edges are beginning to brown. Add the bell pepper, carrot, and celery and sauté for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Aromatics: Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne (if using), and salt. Mix well and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until the spices are just beginning to stick to the bottom of the pot. medium high saute onion 3 to 5 min.
- Simmer: Add the beans, crushed and diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, and water to the pot. Mix well, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot as needed. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, uncover and reduce the heat to medium, maintaining a simmer. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the chili begins to splatter you can reduce the heat slightly, or cover it with a splatter screen.
- Serve: Sample the chili and add any additional salt, if needed. Serve warm, and top as desired. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days and reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave. You can also store this vegan chili in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Recipe Notes
- Chili Powder: Your chili powder should be pure ancho chili powder for better flavor, not a “blend” of various spices and salt. I find that some brands are spicier than others, so you may want to sample a small bit of yours and reduce the amount to 2-3 tablespoons if you are sensitive to heat.
- Beans: You can swap out the pinto beans or kidney beans for black beans, if you’d like. Or check out my Chipotle Black Bean Chili!
- Oil-Free: Sauté the onion, celery, and green pepper in 1/4 cup of water for 3 to 5 minutes, then add the garlic and species and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes. Proceed with the recipe as written from step 3 onward.
I will be making this, soon, I love chili and live in Wisconsin – great meal for Winter!
I like this recipe as it is and all I need is a green bell pepper, though I may try it w/o
the beans but add some of my Gardein ground “burger”: bits, or soaked TVP, or just
have all in the recipe with the bits or TVP. All the options can only be delicious!
Caitlin, thank you so much for your recipes. I’m glad I discovered From My Bowl, you
are creative and are completely savvy with food. All you make is deeply appreciated.
Cheers, Carol
So happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipes, it means so much!
Making this for Super Bowl Sunday!
Such a good recipe!! Smells incredible!!
Aw thank you!
if i wanted to make this in a slow cooker could i add everything in at once? anything i should change up first? thank you!! 🙂
Yes you could! 🙂
This recipe was delicious! Although it did take a lot longer to cook on the stove than directed (maybe my stove is just weird, who knows). I ended up adding some vegan beef crumbles I had leftover from another recipe and they tasted amazing in this. Can’t wait to make it again!
Glad you liked it! Some stoves do run hotter than others, especially if it’s gas vs electric. Thanks so much!
Can you make this in the crock pot?
Unfortunately I haven’t tested that, sorry!
This recipe is deeeeelish. I had some leftover vegan beef crumbles from a different recipe and decided to throw those in too. So good!! And so easy. Thanks, Caitlin. 🙂
Sounds awesome! Thanks!
So I really enjoyed this. I was worried I wouldn’t, since I’ve never sauteed veggies in water, but I absolutely do because 1) it worked and 2) it is quite flavorful with the spices. I originally halved the recipe and tonight I’m making the full recipe for my friends! Since theres no oil in the recipe and only as nutritious ingredients, it is super healthy and who doesn’t need something super healthy and delicious in their lives????? A good personal choice one may make to get just a lil more nutrients in with this recipe would definitely be throwing in your favorite greens when you get yourself a bowl. I personally have a hard time eating salad, even though I am vegan, so throwing some spinach helped me get greens in a little more. I wouldn’t add it directly in the recipe, unless you’re eating it all at once, but yes good way for greens.
Happy to hear you enjoyed it and found a way to make it your own!
YUM! Working to eat a more plant based diet and this was GREAT as a Fall supper.
Thank you! Glad you’re enjoying the plant based life.
I’m also a vegan and I love healthy food rich in protein. Your recipe sounds so delicious and I can’t wait to try it. How many calories are there?
Thanks so much! We don’t actually calculate any of the calories for the recipes; but there are some calculators available online that could help give you a rough idea!
Love this recipe! For anyone who wants the calories, I followed the recipe exactly only I used 10 stalks of celery and 4 medium length organic carrots.
152 calories per cup of chili
1330 per pot
Each pot is about 8 3/4 cups.
Glad you liked it!
I’ve made vegan chili so many times and never thought to put celery in it. Never put carrots in it either for that matter!
But I have to say that I tried it recently (based on this recipe) and thought they were awesome additions.
Thank you.
Glad you gave it a shot! Thanks!
This is better then a chilli with meat! Ive recently been trying to switch to a vegan diet . I didn’t think a vegan diet could be so delicious!!!
Always love to hear stuff like this, thank you!
This was delicious but it was SO liquid-y. More like a chili soup! Maybe it’s because I rinsed the beans before I read not to. I just won’t add the extra water next time 🙂
I am a beginner cook but this recipe was easy to make, and tastes so delicious ????
I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I got black beans for this recipe instead of red kidney beans. It that alright?
Yes, that is fine!
It says in the recipe black beans, however, the picture shows kidney beans. I’m assuming kidney beans to use?
Looks delicious, can’t wait to try it!
Whoops! Yes, it should be kidney 🙂 I’ll fix that right now!
So good but SO spicy. I added the cayenne so that’s likely the culprit
Depending on your spice tolerance, cayenne can be a bit upfront with the spice!
Made this tonight…it was another winner FMB!! Comments from the gallery of devourers- “This is award winning!” “This is the best vegetarian (vegan) chilli I’ve ever had.” “You got the spices right.”
I was craving something hot & homemade. This recipe was super easy and turned out great. I added a squeeze of lemon at the end after reading Payal’s comment. I think it paid off for sure.
Thanks for sharing Christina! Glad to hear it was a hit 🙂
I just made this and it’s really good. I used tomatoes, no canned ones, and it’s delicious!! Thank you!!!! I also added a little bit of more cayenne pepper and other spicy spices, because I like it really spicy.
I halved the recipe and made a vegetarian version of it, I’d say go a little ham on salt for this recipe. It was warm and I made mine thick because I like it thick. Also I’d suggest putting some lemon juice in the end for more acidity in the dish.
The recipe was very good and I’m a beginner at cooking and it was very easy to follow and delicious in taste. 10/10 would make again
Thanks for the review, Payal! And definitely feel free to add salt to taste 🙂
Should we really be adding 1/4 CUP of chili powder? That just seems like a lot for a spice.
Yes – it makes a LOT of Chili! You can start with less and add more to taste, if you’d like