Perfect for meatless Mondays or Lenten Fridays, this vegetarian chili recipe is abundantly flavorful and satisfying without any meat. My recipe is both vegan and vegetarian but is well loved by carnivores too! Recipe includes a how-to video!
My First Meatless Chili Recipe
Just like with my vegetable soup, I used Zach as the standard to decide if this vegetarian chili recipe was a winner. He’s a serious carnivore (and a devoted fan of my original chili recipe), so a meatless recipe doesn’t pass unless he comes back for seconds. He’s requested this chili multiple times!
The flavor is rich and deep, but not like chalky like some chilis that simply overload on the spices (that absolutely drives me crazy and was one of the reasons I thought I didn’t like chili as a kid). We use thoughtful techniques, like blooming the spices, adding the sweet potatoes early in the process, caramelizing the tomato paste, and simmering for at least 30 minutes. The end result is truly unreal 😋
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Filling and flavorful without any meat. It’s a great alternative to my classic chili or turkey chili for those who don’t eat meat. We especially love it during Lent!
- Minimal chopping and prep, since many of the ingredients come from a can or jar.
- Perfect for meal prep (the flavor is even better the next day!) and freezes nicely.
- Great any time of year, though it makes an especially hearty and satisfying meal during the fall and winter months, especially with wholesome ingredients like sweet potatoes and black beans.
Even if you aren’t vegetarian or vegan, give this recipe a try. It’s a great way to switch up your routine and pack in some extra veggies!
Ingredients
Yes, there are quite a lot of ingredients below; however, most are either spices or canned ingredients that require zero prep on your part.
- Veggies. Like onion, sweet potato, bell pepper, fire roasted tomatoes, and fire roasted green chiles. Opt for mild green chiles if you don’t want a spicy chili! And while fire roasted are my preference for both the tomatoes and the chiles (deeper flavor!), if you can’t find them, regular diced tomatoes and chiles will be fine.
- Spices. Including chili powder, ancho chili powder (a key ingredient in my potato soup!), smoked paprika, cumin, onion powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. If you are sensitive to spice, you can always omit the cayenne pepper–none of the others add much heat to the chili.
- Beans. We’ll use three types here for added protein and fiber. I like black beans, kidney beans, and pinto beans, but you can certainly swap in your favorite canned beans (or whatever’s in your pantry). Like in my black bean recipe, I only lightly drain and rinse the beans, meaning we leave behind some of the aquafaba to add flavor and a bit of thickness to the chili.
- Vegetable broth. Use a good quality broth for best results. If you’re not vegetarian, chicken broth (you could also use my homemade chicken stock) or beef broth would be fine here, too.
- Coconut aminos. Coconut aminos are something we use in my kitchen a lot and a bottle of coconut aminos can usually be found near the soy sauce. If you don’t have any on hand and aren’t vegetarian or vegan, you can use Worcestershire sauce instead.
SAM’S TIP: If you want to make a spicy vegetarian chili, simply swap the mild green chiles for hot and use as much cayenne pepper as you like. And while you’re at it, give my arrabiata sauce a try too! 🌶️
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Vegetarian Chili
- Saute the chopped pepper, onion, and potato over medium heat until the peppers and onions are softened. Add the garlic and cook briefly until it’s nice and fragrant.
- Stir in the spices and salt and let toast for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. This will deepen their flavor and enhance the chili. Some vegetarian chilis can fall flat on flavor — not ours!
- Add the tomato paste and stir to incorporate. Let this cook for about a minute, stirring frequently, until deepened in color and caramelized (again, building flavor!).
- Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring the chili to a simmer.
- Simmer over low heat for at least 30 minutes. This will develop the flavor (lots of built in steps for flavor here) and cook the potatoes through; they should be fork tender when done.
- Serve with your favorite toppings or sides–suggestions below!
SAM’S TIP: While you may be tempted to skip the simmering step, don’t! Vegetarian chili falls flat if you skip this step and it’ll end up bland. Simmering is key for creating the rich flavor. Another cause off bland chili? Not enough salt. Add an extra shake if the flavor is anything other than incredible.
Recommended Toppings & Sides
Vegetarian chili is honestly excellent on its own, but you can dress it up with a variety of toppings, unique sides & dippers, or a dessert! Here are a few of my favorites (note most of them aren’t vegetarian or vegan).
- Toppings: while it’s excellent plain, this recipe is also tasty topped with sour cream, tortilla strips, avocado, corn chips, cheese, sliced jalapeno, scallions, cilantro, or a squeeze of fresh lime.
- Bready sides: I love serving this recipe with a side of homemade biscuits, buttermilk cornbread, jalapeno cornbread, garlic cheese drop biscuits, corn muffins, or my new cornbread biscuits (pictured in the photos).
- Veggie sides: if you want to up the veggies even more, try a side of my roasted brussels sprouts, Texas caviar, corn salad, or a big green salad.
- Desserts: cap off your meal with churro cookies, a big ol’ pizookie, Texas sheet cake, or tres leches cake.
If you try this one, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think of it!
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Vegetarian Chili
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons cooking oil I use avocado or olive oil
- 1 (200 g) large onion diced (about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 ½ cups (200 g) diced peeled sweet potato cut into ½” cubes
- 1 (155 g) red bell pepper diced
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder see note
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 Tablespoons (33 g) tomato paste
- 1 ½ Tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 15- oz can black beans lightly rinsed and drained
- 1 15- oz (425 g) can kidney beans lightly rinsed and drained
- 1 15- oz (425 g) can pinto beans lightly rinsed and drained
- 1 14.5- oz (411 g) can fire roasted diced tomatoes undrained
- 2 4- oz cans fire roasted diced chiles mild, undrained
- 1 cup (236 ml) vegetable broth
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.2 Tablespoons cooking oil
- Add onion, sweet potato, and red bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion and pepper are softened (about 5-7 minutes; note the sweet potato will not be softened yet, this is fine).1 (200 g) large onion, 1 ½ cups (200 g) diced peeled sweet potato, 1 (155 g) red bell pepper
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- Add all spices, salt, and pepper and stir until veggies are coated with the spices, stir constantly for 30 seconds.1 Tablespoon chili powder, 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¾ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until deepened in color (about 60 seconds).2 Tablespoons (33 g) tomato paste
- Add coconut aminos and stir.1 ½ Tablespoons coconut aminos
- Add the beans, tomatoes, chiles, and broth and stir until well combined. Bring chili to a simmer then reduce heat and simmer over low heat for at least 30 minutes and until sweet potatoes are fork-tender. Taste-test and add additional salt if needed.1 15- oz can black beans, 1 15- oz (425 g) can kidney beans, 1 15- oz (425 g) can pinto beans, 1 14.5- oz (411 g) can fire roasted diced tomatoes, 2 4- oz cans fire roasted diced chiles, 1 cup (236 ml) vegetable broth
- Serve warm with your favorite toppings (I like ladling mine over cornbread and/or serving topped with corn chips, sour cream, avocado, and shredded cheese!).
Notes
Ancho chili powder
I love this spice for its subtly sweet and smoky flavor. However, if you can’t find it simply replace with an equal amount of regular chili powder.Storing
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This recipe also freezes well, allow it to cool completely, transfer to a container, cover the surface with a piece of wax paper, plastic wrap or parchment (to minimize risk of freezer burn) and cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.Spice note
As written, the chili is fairly mild with a subtle kick (my 3 year old can handle it). For less heat, omit the cayenne pepper and make sure that the chiles you use are labeled “mild”. For more heat, increase the cayenne to taste and use “medium” or “hot” chiles.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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