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 be 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 that 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 for you 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 hearty soup recipes in my cookbook.
Homemade Vegetarian Chili
- Author:
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Chili
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
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.
- 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 blend, 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!
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Jan
I have been trying to cook less meat and more veggies. This was fabulous! Don’t get me wrong, I still love my meaty Silver Palate chili recipe, but this recipe just might have put that in 2nd place. Flavors are wonderful and love the addition of vinegar. Thank you for a great recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Jan!
Browntrees1
Wow! This recipe was A1!! Adding the spices before the diced tomatoes & allowing the spices to toast a bit & release oils is what brings out the flavors of the spices.
I doubled the recipe & modified it a bit to fit my tatse. For dietary purposes I subbed the carrots with mushrooms & omitted the vinegar. I also used 2 cans of Organic Dark Red Kidney beans & 1 can of Black Beans (rinsed). Lastly, I used tomato sauce with 2 heaping tsp of Vegetable base in place of the veggie broth. The flavors were fantastic…and the kitchen smelled absolutely divine!! This recipe is defintely a keeper!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing your variation!
Lisa Mills
The only thing I substituted was a can of red kidney beans for one of the cans of black beans (personal choice). Otherwise I followed your recipe to the letter. I served it with tostito chips, sour cream, and shredded sharp cheddar cheese. This is by far the best veggie chili I have ever had! Definitely a keeper! Thanks for sharing. :-))
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Lisa!
Cindy
I’ve made several vegetarian chilis and this is, by far, the best. My son-in-law, who will not eat leftovers, ate this chili for two days afterward!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you love this one, Cindy!
Pammy Ashenden
I’ve made this tecipe twice now. For our family including two young, fairly picky kids and they LOVE it! Served with a jacket potato and vegan sour cream and cheese, absolutely delightful.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m so glad you loved it, Pammy! :)
Kathleen R Yothers
I made the Homemade Vegetarian Chili. Very good. My only complaint is how long it took to chop up all the ingredients.
I have a favorite chili recipe which uses ground beef and was looking for a vegetarian recipe. Nice alternative.
★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Kathleen!
Janice Freeman
Thank you for the recipe, my daughter is absolutely in love with this. It’s nice to find new recipes since my daughter turned vegetarian. I will be checking out different ones as well. Thanks again
Janice
★★★★★
Hayley
The other Chili on your website, with sweet potatoes, was previously my favourite vegan Chili. This is my new favourite! I made it almost exactly as written but I used 1 can of kidney beans instead of 2 cans black. I love all the chopped veggies and extra beans. My favourite way to eat this is with a side of cornbread – I’d love to see a healthier and/or refined sugar free cornbread recipe from you sometime! Love this one Kate :)
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you found a new favorite! They are both great ones.
Scott Sullivan
Delicious! I usually add lots of veg to to my beef chilli anyway (carrots, celery, beans, sweet corn etc.) and have been looking for a decent vegi chilli recipe for a while that doesn’t use a meat substitute. Didn’t follow the recipe to the letter though – used 1 tin of kidney beans and 2 tins of mixed beans (as I already had them in the cupboard) and also added a sweet potato and some sweet corn. I’m an avid carnivore and was sceptical I would enjoy this as much as a beef chilli – but I was pleasantly surprised. Kids loved it too. Will definately be cooking it again – although I may fry off the sweet potato in the spices first next time (as per the link to the other recipe). Blending up a portion was also a great tip and really improved the texture. Recipe goes a long way too – loads of leftovers for freezing!
Kate
This one is a hit for the entire family, Scott! This one freezes well, which I love!
Mark
I made this and it came out great! I imagine there would be a tiny more flavor with vege broth but I had no issue with just water. threw in some corn just to fill it out some more.
★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Mark!
Alex Greig
Such a great recipe. I make it then serve it as nachos, then the next night with brown rice and then finally in quesadillas. My meat-lover husband likes it and my baby girl adores it.
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful, Alex! Thanks for your review.
Maria
Thanks for sharing, it is been a pleasure to use your recipes, and it is delicious!!!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Maria. I appreciate your review.
Jenna
Loved it! Made it exactly as written (except I grabbed crushed tomatoes). Thanks!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Jenna!
Jessica
Best chili I’ve ever made! I’m so excited. I used kidney beans, lentils and quinoa instead of the two can of black beans (just because I didn’t have the right ingredients). I also added a little bit of brown sugar and some mustard greens. This is so yummy! Thank you for sharing!!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Jessica!
Molly
Amazing! I can’t stop serving this recipe. Thanks so very much.
★★★★★
Kate
I love to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to review, Molly.
Carol Tennant
I made this yesterday for dinner my son and daughter-in-law who don’t eat meat. I’ve always eaten my chili with beef in it. When I was making it, it smelled delicious. I think the spices were an excellent mix for this chili. I didn’t have any cilantro, so didn’t use it. But I’ll pick some up to use with the leftovers. Anyway, it was delicious. And they do go great with tortilla chips, avocado and a bit of shredded cheese. That was all the adds I had and used them. I would definitely make this again and use the suggestion on a baked potato or even fries.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Carol!
Robert
I don’t know if I got an unusually large celery stalk or not but all we could taste in this chili was celery. Any other flavor was overpowered by the taste of celery. Disappointing.
★
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love it. You can always adjust this to your tastes next time. Thanks for your feedback!
Bayleigh Schade
Looks and tastes amazing!!! Finally something our whole family can eat:)
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your review, Bayleigh!
Nikki
Can I make this in a crock pot? Or is a regular pot on the stove better?
Kate
I prefer stove top, but I believe others have made it in a crock pot with success. I recommend sauteing everything as directed still. It helps with the overall flavor.
Mandy B
I haven’t been motivated to comment on online recipes before but this was just amazing. Thank you for sharing. We made half the quantity as it was for two. I think that whizzing a quantity before adding back to the pot totally enhances the texture and makes the dish. Spices were spot on thanks again!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m so happy you did, Mandy! Thanks for sharing you loved this recipe.
Karen
How are tortilla chips vegan?
Kate
This recipe doesn’t require tortilla chips. However, most tortilla chips are just corn with a combination of oil, salt, etc.
Sharon Walters
What a sweet-looking girl and puppy dog. My son and his wife are Christian Orthodox as we are and the church is always fasting. My daughter-in-law has gone through some troubled waters with breast cancer and along with fasting and medical procedures I was looking for a vegetarian chili for them for supper tomorrow. This recipe is just the ticket and I thank you for it may God bless you
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Sharon, I’m sorry to hear about your family troubles. I hope this soup can provide some comfort!
Alison Dennis
This is a very adaptable recipe to which you can add even more vegetables, and ground beef or small cubes of tofu. For a double batch I add 1 sweet potatoe cubed, chopped kale leaves of a whole bunch, 1 zucchini, 1 pkg mushrooms. Even with all these additions, the spices still add some heat. I also like to make one can of beans the refried type to thicken the chile. Yes it’s a lot of work to get all the vegetables ready so l try to chop some the night before I’m going to make the chile. Great recipe – a standard now at my place. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your review, Alison!
Marcia
This really is the best, thank you
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Marcia!
Linda Rocco
First time I made was July 2,2019 it was a hit. I personally picked this recipe because i liked the choice of vegetables . And the the taste with the mixed spices was amazing! It was a hit and all loved it. Thank you for sharing
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! Thanks for letting me know what you thought, Linda!
Christina
This was a hit at a barbecue recently! Even my picky meat-loving boyfriend liked it (though I refrained from adding the carrots and celery). Delicious. Definitely a keeper!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great! Thanks for sharing, Christina.
Meera
I’ve commented here before because I love this recipe, but I wanted to add that I made it again, this time in an Instant Pot. For anyone interested, I sautéed in the Instant Pot on low for steps 1-3. After adding the tomatoes, beans and broth, I sealed and cooked it at high pressure for 8 minutes, then did a quick release after 10 minutes. I followed the remaining steps as written!! Awesome recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m so happy you love it! Thanks for sharing about your Instant Pot experience!
David
This is a terrific recipe. My vegetarian daughter always makes it home for chili night :)
★★★★★
Kate
That sounds fun! Thank you for sharing, David.
michelle
This is really delicious, I don’t miss the meat whatsoever. It is easily adaptable depending on what you have in; I’ve used tinned mixed beans, kidney beans, sweetcorn and even bulked it out further with lentils and chickpeas. I make a big pan and it’s a quick and easy lunch or dinner with whichever carbs and toppings you choose. It also freezes beautifully x
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your review, Michelle!
Michelle
I’m in Australia and our ground chilli is HOT so I used half the amount in the recipe per your note and it was perfect. I also added a touch of Worcestershire sauce to deepen the smoky, umami flavour (even though now the recipe is no longer vegetarian technically). Will be serving this over jacket potatoes topped with a bit of cheese for a warming winter dinner. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Michelle!
Sophie
This chilli was so so tasty…it definitely packs a punch but i like it spicy so great for me,but you’re definitely right about the chilli powder,i live in the UK and bought it from my local market and it’s so hot! The blending a small amount of it was a great tip,it gave it a lovely thickness..i was also feeling a bit decadent so added a couple of squares of 85% dark chocolate and a teaspoon of honey halfway through the cooking…will definitely make again! Really enjoying trying out your recipes Kate!
★★★★★