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This Easy Vegan Chili Recipe is healthy, hearty, and a perfect cozy meal for chilly days! It’s packed with protein and fiber thanks to beans & veggies.
What’s your go-to cozy rainy day food? For me it’s chili. There’s nothing quite like a steamy, chunky, meaty bowl of chili to satisfy your cravings (and keep you full!). This Easy Vegan Chili is my fuss-free, plant-based twist on the classic chili. Vegans, vegetarians, and even meat-eaters will enjoy it.
This vegan chili is a perfect weeknight or weekend meal! It’d be perfect for game day or entertaining a large crowd, but it’s also easy enough to make for meal prep for a busy week, too.
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…
There are a lot of different ways to make chili, but I decided to stick with the classic flavors for this one. This Vegan Chili is a moderately-spiced, tomato-y stew loaded with chunks of celery, onion, green bell pepper, and carrot. Spices like ancho chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic, and cayenne pepper add some body to the chili, while kidney beans and pinto beans give a hearty and creamy texture. Once everything simmers together and of those yummy flavors combine, you’ll be left with a chunky and thick chili that has a surprisingly meaty texture. No need to add any animal protein here!
HOW TO MAKE VEGETARIAN & VEGAN CHILI
Did I mention that this chili comes together in only 30 minutes? It’s the perfect fuss-free dinner that’s simple, but still delicious.
- Sauté the base veggies (onion, celery, peppers) and spices to create great flavor.
- Stir in the beans, tomatoes, and vegetable broth, then simmer until all the flavors combine.
- Top as desired, then serve and enjoy!
But wait! We can’t talk about Chili without talking about toppings…that’s like, almost the best part.
WAYS TO SERVE CHILI
I love to top my vegan chili with freshly sliced green onions for a little bite, as well as some nutritional yeast for a “cheesy” taste. I also enjoy a large dollop of vegan sour cream (or thinned out vegan cream cheese) on top of a steamy bowl, but that’s not a deal-breaker in my opinion.You can also top your chili with shredded vegan cheese, avocado, cilantro, and/or tortilla chips for more of a Southwestern flavor!
But most importantly, don’t forget the side of Easy Vegan Cornbread. You can also serve this vegan chili over roasted sweet potatoes or rice for an even heartier main!
COOKING TIPS + FAQ:
- How can I make this chili even “meatier”? If you’re looking for an extra hearty meal, you can always toss in a package of imitation ground “beef” or some chopped vegan sausage – see the recipe notes for more info.
- How long does vegan chili last in the fridge? Freshly made chili will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Can I freeze chili? Yes! Store it in an airtight freezer-safe baggie for up to 2 months. You can also pre-portion your chili for easy-to-reheat meals.
- Canned Beans: I like to make my chili with canned beans out of convenience. If you don’t have any digestion issues, try draining your beans but not rinsing them – this makes the chili have an even creamier texture
If you’re looking for more Vegan Chili Recipes, you’ll also love this Butternut Squash & White Bean Chili and this Slow Cooker Bean & Quinoa Chili! And don’t forget to serve it all up with a side of some EasyVegan Cornbread for good measure.
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
PrintEasy Vegan Chili Recipe
This easy Vegan Chili Recipe is healthy, hearty, and a perfect cozy meal for chilly days! It’s packed with protein and fiber thanks to beans & veggies.
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 Servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 green bell peppers, diced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 small carrots, thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons ancho chili powder*
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (Optional)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 15-ounce (425 g) cans red kidney beans, drained
- 2 15-ounce (425 g) cans pinto beans, drained
- 2 28-ounce (793 g) cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup (235 ml) low-sodium vegetable broth (or water)
- Optional Toppings: green onions, nutritional yeast, vegan sour cream, etc.
Instructions
- Base Flavor: Warm a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1/3 cup (80 ml) of water (see notes for oil version) to the pot and add the onion, celery, and green pepper to a large nonstick pot. Cook until all the water evaporates, stirring occasionally. Once the pot is “dry” and the vegetables start to turn golden brown, deglaze the pot with an additional 1/4 cup (60 ml) of water. This process should take around 10 minutes total.
- Spices: Reduce to medium heat and add the garlic, and carrots to the pot along with the chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and optional cayenne pepper. Sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes, adding a small splash of water if things start to stick.
- Simmer: Finally, add the kidney beans, pinto beans, crushed tomatoes, and the vegetable broth to the pot. Bring everything to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to create a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lid from the pot and cook uncovered for 5 to 7 additional minutes, until the carrots are tender and the chili reaches your desired thickness. Stir this mixture occasionally, to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.
- Serve: Serve warm, and top as desired. Leftovers can be store 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 one month.
Notes
- Chili Powder: Your chili powder should be pure ancho chili powder for better flavor, not a “blend” of various spices and salt. If you use a spice blend with salt, reduce the salt to 1/2 teaspoon, adding more as necessary.
- 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 Version: Sauté the onion, celery, and green pepper in 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring only occasionally so they stick to the bottom of the pan. Deglaze with the 1/4 cup of water as instructed in step one, scraping the bottom of the pan as necessary. Continue with the recipe as written.
- Make it Meaty: sauté the vegan “ground” or chopped sausage along with the garlic and spices in step 2.
Keywords: Vegan chili, easy vegan chili, vegetarian chili recipe, healthy vegetarian chili, gluten free chili
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Stellar recipe! Added a sweet potato and it was fire! 🔥
Thanks for all your great content Caitlin!
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You’re so welcome, Jen!
This chili is the best! I only added some small bits of cut mushrooms for a meaty texture. Will be making this again!
That sounds delicious, Judy!
I made the vegan chilly.Slight adjustments especially the chilly powder
In Australia we are not used to so much chilly.
But yum,yum over boiled potatoes steamed veg.
It’s a meal prep f
Glad you find it yummy, Mary!
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing vegan chili recipe! I can’t wait to give it a try. It looks so flavorful and hearty, perfect for a cozy rainy day meal. I love that it’s easy to make and only requires a few simple ingredients. I also appreciate that you included some tips and suggestions for how to customize the recipe and serve it with different toppings. This is definitely a recipe that I’ll be coming back to again and again. Thank you again for sharing!
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Thank you for your lovely comment Rodney, my pleasure!
This chilli is amazing. But how many calories are in this dish?
I have not provided nutrition info for this recipe, but feel free to plug the ingredients into any online nutrition calculator 🙂
You should add “oil free vegan chili” to your keywords. That is a MAJOR bonus for WFPB folks.
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Thanks for the recommendation, Steve!
Love this recipe! I make it regularly in the fall/winter! Sometimes I use can diced tomatoes instead of crushed for a chunkier chili but the recipe is great both ways 😊 we like to serve it over french fries – the perfect filling meal!
Glad you like it, Elizabeth!
Love this delicious Easy Vegan Chili Recipe, super excited to try these with us, will love to try this one.
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Awesome!
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This Easy Vegan Chili Recipe seems super delicious , super excited to try this unique recipe. Thanks for sharing this one , always excited to try this one.
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We’re excited you’re trying it, Rose! Let us know how it went!
Super excited to try this Easy Vegan Chili Recipe, this one seems amazing and unique, super excited to try this one , thanks for sharing with us.
★★★★★
Love this Easy Vegan Chili Recipe, never tried this before . Super excited to try this unique recipe. Thanks for sharing this one with us .
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You’re welcome, Rafael!
What’s the calories for one serving a cup? I love this I turned vegan this is mainly what I eat now:)
One serving of this chili could contain 300-450 calories per serving, if the recipe makes 6-8 servings. Keep in mind that this is just an estimate and the actual calorie count may vary. To get a more accurate calorie count, I would recommend consulting a calorie tracking website or app.
Love this Easy Vegan Chili Recipe, this one seems super delicious and unique. Will love to try this delicious one , thanks for sharing this recipe with us . Super excited to try this one .
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