Ultimate Vegetarian Chili (2024)

Looking for your next meatless dinner? This vegetarian chili is loved by vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike for its layers of warming spices, good-for-you vegetables, hearty beans, and whirls of comfort with every bite.

What Makes This Vegetarian Chili So Darn Good

Don’t let the word vegetarian fool you, because this vegetarian chili recipe holds its own with the classics like my beef chili, white chicken chili, and turkey chili. Here’s why you’ll love it:

• It’s just as flavorful as other chilis. Many of you have said that with the combination of diced veggies, assorted beans, and smoky, rich broth, you don’t even realize there’s no meat involved. Amazing! That’s the beauty of vegetarian recipes done right!
• It’s healthy and fiber forward. This is the kind of meal I love to eat when I’m craving comfort food, but with a bit of reassurance that I’m eating a healthy meal brimming with protein, vitamins, and fiber. In other words, it’ll fill you up without weighing you down.
• It’s a great budget-friendly meal. Given that most of the ingredients are pantry-staples, it automatically makes this a one-pot money saving meal. And who doesn’t love that?

Vegetarian Chili Ingredients

• All the veggies: To beef up this chili, you’ll need an assortment of onion, carrots, and celery (a mirepoix mix) plus bell peppers. I’m using green and red bell peppers, but you can use any color.
• Beans galore: As with most chili recipes, a combination of black beans, kidney beans, and pinto beans is a must. But if you’re not a fan of one of these types of beans, swap it for another can of beans you love.
• An array of spices: A blend of chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, paprika, and kosher salt gives this chili a super rich flavoring.
• Tomato-y things: Tomato paste, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, and diced green chilies amp up the smokey, roasted flavors while adding texture to the broth.
• Vegetable broth: Just two cups are needed for this (though you can always add more if you’d like), and I’ll usually grab a low-sodium broth.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below

How To Make Vegetarian Chili

• Cook the veggies. In a large pot with olive oil, saute the diced onion, bell peppers, carrot, and celery for 4 to 5 minutes, until the veggies are slightly softened.
• Add the seasonings. Stir the minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, kosher salt, and tomato paste with the veggies for an additional minute, until fragrant.
• Add in the rest and simmer. Add the black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, diced tomatoes, diced green chilies, vegetable broth, and bay leaf. Stir it up, bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Let it simmer for 30 minutes uncovered while stirring occasionally.
• Serve or store away. Remove the bay leaf, ladle the chili into bowls, and add your favorite toppings (I’ve included some ideas below). And if you have leftovers, I’ve got storage options below as well.

Common Questions

Serving Suggestions

• Top it with the good stuff. You can never go wrong with toppings on chili! I love to add chopped herbs (like cilantro or parsley), diced avocados, sliced green onions, chives, fresh lime juice, or even seeds like pepitas.
• Add a healthy carb boost. Ladle a serving over rice, cauliflower rice, broccoli rice, or quinoa.
• Serve for a party. I love to serve these in small bowls for Super Bowl, or any other party where communal food is involved. Plus, you can make it a day in advance and reheat it on the stovetop just in time for any festivity.

More Vegetarian Dinners

• Cabbage Soup: A reader favorite for a light and healthy soup.
• Falafel with Tahini Sauce: The perfect Mediterranean vegetarian dish.
• Best Lentil Soup: The best Mediterranean lentil soup to prep for the week.
• Vegetable Soup: It’s a lot more flavorful than you think!

This big pot of vegetarian chili will surely satisfy all your comfort food cravings. If you make it, I’d love to hear what you think in a comment below!

Recipe originally posted January 2022, but updated to include new information for your benefit!