This easy vegan chili is like a warm hug in a bowl. It's cozy, flavorful without being too spicy, has a stew-like texture, and is filling without the need for any meat! This is a simple three bean chili recipe that it healthy, filled with veggies and legumes like pinto, kidney, and cannellini beans, and even non-vegans love it. Top with your favorite chili toppings like regular or vegan sour cream, vegan cheese, avocado, and tortilla chips for a filling plant-based meal that the whole family will love! Even the meat-eaters!
Why this recipe works
Cozy warm chili can be a perfect family-friendly plant-based dish! If you like my other soup recipes, you must give this one a try! Instead of meat, a combination of peppers and three types of beans will make this healthy chili super satisfying. We use a perfect blend of spices, to flavor the chili. This easy vegan chili recipe is so easy, there is no doubt that it will become a regular dish in your home.
Vegan Chili Recipe Ingredients
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Avocado Oil: For sautéing the veggies.
- Diced Yellow Onion & Minced Garlic: Adds delicious savory flavor.
- Bell Pepper: This recipe uses and red bell pepper and also either a green, yellow, or orange bell pepper for extra vegetable goodness.
- Beans: For a major boost of plant-based protein and fiber, this recipe uses cannellini beans, pinto beans and kidney beans.
- Vegetable broth & tomato sauce: Makes the chili perfectly thick. Feel free to add more or less broth, depending on the thickness that you prefer.
- Spices: Cumin, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and salt create the perfect blend of flavors.
How To Make Easy Vegan Chili
Sauté veggies: Heat a large pot with olive oil to medium high. Add the garlic, and onions. Cook for about 5 minutes. Then, add peppers and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add beans and spices: Add the pinto, cannellini, and kidney beans and mix. Add the cumin, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, black pepper, and salt and mix.
Add broth and tomato sauce: Pour the vegetable broth and tomato sauce into the pot and bring the pot to a boil.
Simmer chili: Once the pot comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes (or longer). The longer you cook it, the more time the flavors have to merge.
Serve: To serve the easy vegan chili, remove from heat and let it stand, covered until ready to serve. Once it's cooled down, serve a bowl of the chili topped with any of your favorite vegan chili toppings such as: vegan sour cream, vegan cheese, avocado, or tortilla chips.
How Long To Cook Vegan Chili
I recommend cooking for at least 20 minutes, but the longer the better. I've cooked this for an hour and the flavors merge together very well. And, the best part about chili is how easily you can reheat it. I actually find that vegan chili tastes even better the next day!
What To Serve With Vegan Chili
Serve this vegan chili with any of your favorite toppings such as regular or vegan sour cream, regular or vegan cheese, avocado, cilantro, tortilla chips, etc. Also, my cheesy vegan cornbread recipe pairs perfectly with this chili recipe.
Storage Instructions
As I mentioned earlier, chili is even better the next day. Sort of like pasta! It gives the seasonings and spices a chance to really develop! Once the vegan chili has cooled, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days or separate into smaller containers and freeze for up to 30 days. Microwave to reheat the vegan chili.
Frequently Asked Questions
This easy vegan chili recipe will do the work for you! It is super flavorful without being too spicy thanks to the blend of spices, peppers, and beans.
Can I make vegan chili without beans?
Beans are a quintessential part of plant-based chili as the beans are used to replace the meat in a traditional chili. But, for a recipe with less beans, try this vegan pumpkin chili.
Vegan chili is still chili even without the meat. The reason is that we use the blend in place of the meat. This chili recipe also includes peppers, which is another staple of any chili.
If you enjoyed this recipe, be sure to check out some other cozy vegan soups and sides you may love!
- Butternut Squash Sweet Potato Soup
- Vegan Pumpkin Chili
- Vegan Maple Butter Cornbread
- Easy Vegan Tomato Basil Soup with Crispy Chickpeas
- Spiced Roasted Butternut Squash
- Autumn Roasted Veggies
Easy Three Bean Vegan Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ cup diced yellow onion
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ cup diced red bell pepper
- ½ cup diced green, yellow, or orange bell pepper
- 1 15 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 15 ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 15 ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained or black beans
- ½ cup canned tomato sauce
- 2 cup low sodium vegetable broth or water
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat a large pot with olive oil to medium high. Then, add the garlic, and onions. Cook for about 5 minutes. Then, add peppers and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Then, add beans and seasonings. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Finally, pour in tomato sauce and vegetable broth. Bring the entire pot to a low boil, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and allow it to continue to cook until you're ready to serve. The longer you let the vegan chili cook, the more the flavors will merge together.
- To serve, remove the chili from the heat and leave it covered until you're ready to serve. Allow the chili to cool and then serve each bowl of chili topped with any of your favorite vegan chili toppings such as: vegan sour cream, vegan cheese, avocado, or tortilla chips.
- This vegan chili makes for great leftovers! See instructions above for storing your chili.
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Notes
Nutrition
The recipes on Peanut Butter and Jilly can easily be adapted to fit a vegan lifestyle, a gluten-free lifestyle, or both depending on the ingredients you use. Please review the ingredients lists carefully and refer to our recommendations in the Notes of the recipe card to make this recipe compatible with your needs. Nutrition information provided is an estimate, and will vary based on specific brands of ingredients used and cooking methods.
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