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My easy vegan bean chili is a hearty, flavorful one-pot meal made with a variety of beans, vegetables, and warming spices. It’s packed with plant-based protein and fiber, perfect for meal prep, and easy to customize with whatever vegetables and beans you have on hand.
I love making a big batch of this chili because it gives me a delicious base for several different meals throughout the week. Serve it over rice or quinoa, use it to build burrito bowls, spoon it over baked potatoes or sweet potatoes, or tuck it into tortillas for cheesy, quesadilla-style meals. It also freezes beautifully, making it perfect for busy weeknights when you want something comforting without starting from scratch.
You can easily switch up the beans, add your favorite vegetables, or adjust the heat to suit your taste. For more inspiration, browse my vegan dinner recipes, or try my sweet potato and black bean burgers or comforting white bean soup. And if you’re in the mood for a more traditional chili made with ground beef, try my homemade chili recipe!
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Watch how to make vegan chili
Ingredients
- Beans: I love using black beans, kidney beans, and cannellini beans. They are the key element for this recipe, providing plant-based protein, fiber, and essential nutrients. You could also use pinto beans or navy beans.
- Vegetables: You need carrots, bell peppers (mixed colors), celery, jalapeño pepper, onions, and garlic. These veggies will bring depth, some sweetness, and freshness to the chili. And, of course, the jalapeno is for a hint of spice to the vegetarian chili. You could also add zucchini, yellow squash, corn, sweet potatoes, or others.
- Tomatoes: You will need both crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. You can also use whole canned tomatoes and crush them by hand. I often use homemade tomato paste, but storebought works just as well.
- Vegetable broth: Use homemade vegetable stock or store-bought broth to add depth and umami flavor and to bring the chili to the right consistency.
- Spices: I use a flavorful mix of chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, bay leaf, and salt (to taste).
- Olive oil: To sauté the vegetables.
- Toppings (Optional): Add your favorite chili toppings! I like to use tortilla chips, diced red onion, chopped avocado, cilantro, lime wedges, and (vegan) sour cream or cheese.
See the printable recipe card below for the full ingredient quantities.
How to make the best vegan chili
First, prepare all the ingredients. Drain and rinse the beans. Then, dice the vegetables into small pieces. Grate or mince the garlic. Dice the jalapeno and, depending on how spicy you like it, remove some of the seeds.
Sauté Vegetables and Aromatics: Add the olive oil to a large heavy-bottomed pot or a Dutch oven and heat on medium. Then mix in the chopped vegetables and salt. Cook until the vegetables soften (about 5-10 minutes). Stir occasionally.
Next, add the tomato paste and the spices. Stir well to combine and cook for a minute, allowing the spices to become fragrant.
Combine and Simmer: Next, add the crushed tomatoes, the vegetable broth, and bay leaf. Then add the beans and stir the chili to combine.
Now let the vegan chili simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If needed, lower the heat so it remains simmering (not boiling). During this time, the flavors will develop, and the liquid will reduce, making the vegetarian chili thicker.
Blend for Texture: Once you are happy with the consistency of the chili, remove it from the heat. Make sure to remove the bay leaf.
For the best texture, I recommend blending a portion of the chili. Transfer 1.5-2 cups of the chili to a blender or a bowl and use an immersion blender). Then, blend until smooth. Alternatively, mash or blend briefly in the pot.
Next, transfer the blended chili back to the pot and stir to combine. Taste and adjust any of the seasonings if needed.
Serve with your choice of toppings: The vegan chili is now ready to serve. Top with some cilantro and drizzle some lime juice. You can also add your favorite toppings, like avocado and tortilla chips.
Recipe notes
- For a Smoother Texture: Blend part of the chili until smooth, then stir it back into the pot. Alternatively, use an immersion blender directly in the pot.
- Tastes Better the Next Day: Chili often tastes even better after a day in the fridge as the flavors have time to meld together.
- Slow Simmering is Key: Slow-cooking your chili over low heat enhances the flavors and improves the texture.
- Add Vegan Ground Meat: Vegan ground meat, like soy mince, tofu ground beef, or any other vegan mince, can be cooked in a separate pan, breaking it up with a spoon until it starts to brown. Then add it to the chili with the beans.
- Adjust the heat: For a milder chili, reduce or omit the jalapeno. For extra heat, add more jalapeno or some cayenne pepper. You could also drizzle some chili oil to spice up your vegan chili.
- Freezing and Reheating: Store leftover chili in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. For longer storage, freeze in individual-sized portions in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat on the stove or in the microwave until thoroughly warmed.
Serving ideas
This vegan chili is delicious on its own, especially with toppings like sliced avocado, tortilla chips, chopped onion, vegan cheddar cheese, vegan sour cream, and fresh lime wedges. I also love making a big batch and turning it into different meals throughout the week! It’s such an easy way to meal prep without eating the same thing every day.
Serve it over stovetop rice or quinoa, make delicious veggie burrito bowls, spoon it over a baked potato or baked sweet potatoes, or use it to make cheesy chili quesadillas.
They’re all so delicious, and having the chili ready to go makes putting together a quick, satisfying meal so much easier. You can even use any leftovers as a topping for homemade nachos!
More vegan recipes you’ll love
If you try this vegan chili recipe, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
The Best Vegan Chili
Equipment
- Hand-held immersion blender or a blender
Ingredients
- 30 ounces black beans 2 x 15 oz cans, drained and rinsed (or 3 cups)
- 15 ounces kidney beans 1 x 15 oz can, drained and rinsed (or 1.5 cups)
- 15 ounces cannellini beans 1 x 15 oz can, drained and rinsed (or 1.5 cups)
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes 2 x 14 oz cans (or 3 cups)
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 carrots medium (1 cup diced)
- 2 bell peppers medium (2 cups chopped)
- 2 stalks celery (1 cup chopped)
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- 2 onions medium (1.5 cups diced)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the beans. Dice the carrots, bell peppers, celery, and onion. Mince the garlic. Dice the jalapeno and remove some of the seeds (if wanted).
- In a large heavy-bottomed pot or a Dutch oven, add the olive oil and heat on medium. Stir in the diced onion, carrots, bell peppers, celery, garlic, and jalapeno. Add the salt.
- Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften.
- Add the tomato paste, chili powder, oregano, cumin, and smoked paprika. Stir well to combine and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour the crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth. Add the bay leaf. Stir in the black beans, cannellini beans, and kidney beans.
- Simmer the vegan chili for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat if necessary to keep it simmering.
- Remove the chili from the heat and remove the bay leaf.
- Transfer 1.5-2 cups of the chili to a blender or a bowl and use an immersion blender). Blend until smooth. Transfer back to the pot and stir to combine.
- Taste and adjust any of the seasonings to your liking. Serve the vegan chili with lime wedges, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
It certainly is “THE BEST ” chilli .
Thank you so much for your comment, Marie-Claire! I am glad you enjoyed it, and happy cooking!
My first try cooking vegan chili con carne and this recipe is so YUM! All the stars!
Glad you liked it, Hiba. Thank you for your comment!
This is a very tasty recipe and nice and low points if you are dieting on WW. 2 points by my calculation.
I’m not vegan so used beef stock cube and I used back beans instead of kidney beans.
Thanks for your comment, Sarah.
I just made it with extra kidney beans and chickpeas also added eggplant looking good take great 🙂
Glad you liked it 🙂
I’m enjoying the oxymoron of a vegan chilli con carne. I think this is a vegan chilli sin carne.
I guess it would be chili sin carne indeed 🙂
While the recipe is fairly easy and generally nice, it is also quite bland since the only real spice that’s added is 1tbsp paprika and 1 tsp salt and that’s it. So to really get that chili flavor (or just any flavor), we added chili flakes, cumin, Chipotle, way more salt, pepper, a d cinnamon. Let it cook together for at least an hour for the flavors to really get nice.
Also I really wish step 7 was added in much earlier and included a side note that the author prefers to add them later, rather than the other way around.
I’m just adding that I’m not vegan, but I am trying to incorporate more vegan/veggie meals in my diet, and this was a nice recipe that I will probably make more
Thank you for your feedback, Heidi – much appreciated. You are welcome to add more salt and spices as you please.
How many grams is in that one bowl serving?
Hi Rica,
For a generous serving as a main, it would be about 450 g or 2 cups. You can make the serving size smaller (1-1.5 cups), especially if want to serve it with rice or other sides. I hope this helps.
Is tofu crumbled on to use as the soy mince?
Hi Alessandra,
This recipe calls for soy mince or veggie mince but you could substitute it with firm tofu, pressed and then crumbled.