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.
Author:Caitlin Shoemaker
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
Scale
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.