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    Gastronotherapy » Recipes » Favorites

    Thick and Hearty Vegetarian Chili

    Modified: Sep 7, 2024 · Published: Oct 25, 2021 · by MaryAnne · 6 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This thick and hearty vegetarian chili is smoky, slightly spicy, and so satisfying. Packed with vegetables, two types of beans, and warm spices, this easy chili recipe is the perfect healthy comfort food. With just 10 minutes of prep time, you can place it on the stove and pick up that book you've been neglecting while your dinner simmers away.

    Two bowls of easy vegetarian chili surrounded by cilantro, avocado, and limes.

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    It's not quite cold enough to turn on the heat in October, so I find myself eating soups and stews for dinner, like southwest black bean soup and roasted butternut squash carrot ginger soup, while curled up under a blanket.

    And, of course, it's not autumn without a big pot of hearty vegetarian chili on the stove. I love chili (don't miss my white bean chili), and this recipe has all of the necessary components: slightly spicy, smoky, earthy, hearty, and thick.

    Fire-roasted diced tomatoes and green chiles are used here to give this veggie chili an extra layer of depth and charred smokiness. I use two types of beans - kidney and pinto - to make the flavor more complex, and lots of warm spices are included for robust flavor. Lime juice is added at the end for bright acidity and to bring everything together.

    Jump to:
    • ⭐️ Why This Chili Is The Best
    • 🌶 Ingredient Notes
    • 📝 Variations & Substitutions
    • 🔪 How To Make Hearty Vegetarian Chili
    • 🧀 The Best Chili Toppings
    • 👩🏼‍🍳 Expert Tips
    • 💬 Frequently Asked Questions
    • 🥣 More Soup Recipes
    • Vegetarian Chili Recipe

    ⭐️ Why This Chili Is The Best

    • Smoky, slightly spicy, earthy, hearty, and thick
    • Healthy. Packed with vegetables and two types of beans, this easy chili recipe is high in protein, full of fiber, naturally gluten-free, and without any additional toppings, it's also dairy-free.
    • Easy. Prep time is just 10 minutes so you can tend to more important things while your chili simmers.
    • Use leftovers as a topping for nachos
    • Freezer-friendly. This soup can be stored in the freezer for a busy weeknight when you are short on time and need something quick, delicious, and nutritious.

    🌶 Ingredient Notes

    chili ingredients arranged on a table.
    • Fire-roasted diced tomatoes - Gives our chili an extra layer of flavor and charred smokiness.
    • Fire-roasted green chiles - I find that the spice level is negligible since they're roasted, and instead, it's more about the complex flavor. You can always substitute store-bought for homemade roasted green chiles!
    • Garlic: I recommend using fresh garlic for optimal flavor.
    • Chili spice blend: Chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, and dried oregano give our veggie chili warm, herby, and smoky flavor.
    • Plant-based protein: Canned red kidney beans and pinto beans are an excellent protein source. They're high in fiber, full of nutrients, and they're also much more affordable than most meat options.
    • Low-sodium vegetable broth: I like to use low-sodium broth to control the amount of sodium in my dishes.
    • Lime: Fresh lime juice is added at the end to add brightness and acidity.

    📝 Variations & Substitutions

    • Onion. You can substitute a red onion or 3-4 shallots for the yellow onion.
    • Beans. Use your favorite beans for this chili. I love kidney and pinto beans in my chili, but you can easily substitute black beans, white beans, etc. with excellent results.
    • Vegan/dairy-free: Without any of the garnishes, this is a dairy-free chili recipe. In addition to avocado and tortilla chips, you could choose a plant-based cheese or sour cream for your toppings.
    • Spicier. This chili recipe has the slightest pop of heat. However, if you want to make it spicier, add more chili powder, hot sauce, or even cayenne pepper, and season to taste.
    • Water. If you are low or out of vegetable broth, you can use water to thin out your chili.
    Bowl of vegetarian chili with spoon, avocado, cheese, cilantro, and lime.

    🔪 How To Make Hearty Vegetarian Chili

    *See recipe card below for printable instructions.

    In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, and chiles, and stir to combine. Cook until onion is tender and translucent, about 7-8 minutes.

    Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, and salt, and cook for an additional minute, stirring frequently.

    Pour in diced tomatoes, both beans, and vegetable broth, and give it a good stir. Simmer chili (reducing heat to medium-low or low if necessary) for around 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

    pouring vegetable broth into large pot with vegetables and beans.

    Remove from heat and finish chili with fresh lime juice, chopped cilantro, and whatever your favorite chili toppings are.

    large pot of vegetarian chili with ladle and chopped cilantro in background.

    🧀 The Best Chili Toppings

    This chili recipe, without any garnishes, is dairy-free. However, there are so many tasty toppings, and many include dairy, so choose your favorites to mix and match:

    • Sliced avocado
    • Grated cheddar cheese
    • Tortilla chips
    • Sour cream
    • Cilantro
    • Homemade croutons
    Squeezing lime over bowl of meatless chili.

    👩🏼‍🍳 Expert Tips

    • How to store: Keep your leftover chili (covered) in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
    • How to freeze: After completely cooled, transfer to a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight.
    • How to reheat: Place on your stovetop over medium-low heat, or in the microwave until heated thoroughly.
    • Serve chili accompanied with sourdough cornbread, maple biscuits, or sourdough discard focaccia.

    💬 Frequently Asked Questions

    What is vegetarian chili made of?

    The best vegetarian chili consists of fresh vegetables, canned beans, warm spices, aromatics, fresh herbs, and vegetable broth.

    What goes well with vegetarian chili?

    It's delicious paired with a fluffy biscuit, sweet cornbread, or chewy roll.

    How can I thicken my vegetarian chili?

    Use more vegetables and less broth to create a thick and hearty vegetarian chili.

    🥣 More Soup Recipes

    • bowl of white veggie chili garnished with fresh cilantro, avocado, and sliced jalapenos.
      Vegetarian White Bean Chili
    • bowl of chickpea soup with a spoon and piece of bread.
      Italian Garbanzo Bean Soup
    • bowl of black eyed pea soup with a spoon and plate of bread.
      Vegan Black-Eyed Pea Soup
    • bowl of vegetarian black bean soup garnished with cilantro and avocado.
      Southwest Black Bean Soup

    Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook.

    Subscribe to my email newsletter to get a FREE e-book of 15 Healthy Weeknight Recipes, and get new recipes delivered to your inbox every week!

    Two bowls of easy vegetarian chili surrounded by cilantro, avocado, and limes.

    Vegetarian Chili Recipe

    Author: MaryAnne
    This thick and hearty vegetarian chili is smoky, slightly spicy, and so satisfying. Packed with vegetables, two types of beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, and warm spices, this easy chili recipe is the perfect healthy comfort food.
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 40 minutes mins
    Total Time 50 minutes mins
    Course Soup
    Cuisine American, Tex-Mex
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 114 kcal

    Equipment

    • Large Dutch oven or sauce pan

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
    • 1 red bell pepper, diced
    • 1 (7 ounce can) fire-roasted green chiles
    • 4 garlic cloves, minced
    • 2 Tablespoons chili powder
    • 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 (28 ounce can) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
    • 1 (15 ounce can) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
    • 1 (15 ounce can) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
    • 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
    • ½ lime, juiced
    • ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped (for garnish)
    • Garnishes: sliced avocado, grated cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream, etc.

    Instructions
     

    • In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, and chiles, and stir to combine. Cook until onion is tender and translucent, about 7-8 minutes.
    • Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, and salt, and cook for an additional minute, stirring frequently.
    • Pour in diced tomatoes, both beans, and vegetable broth, and give it a good stir. Simmer chili (reducing heat to medium-low or low if necessary) for around 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    • Remove from heat and finish chili with fresh lime juice, chopped cilantro, and whatever your favorite chili toppings are.

    Notes

    • How to store: Keep your leftover chili (covered) in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
    • How to freeze: After completely cooled, transfer chili to a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight.
    • How to reheat: Place chili on your stovetop over medium-low heat, or in the microwave, until heated thoroughly.
     
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 114kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 364mgPotassium: 244mgFiber: 4gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 2395IUVitamin C: 42mgCalcium: 51mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jill

      December 18, 2021 at 9:38 am

      5 stars
      Such a flavorful chili, and I love the fire-roasted green chiles! Just the right amount of spiciness. I substituted black beans for the pinto beans, and my girlfriend and I ate it for 3 days straight.

      Reply
      • Gastronotherapy

        December 18, 2021 at 2:21 pm

        Wow, so glad you and your girlfriend loved this, Jill! Eating it for 3 days straight really says something, lol! One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it's so versatile, and any type of bean will work for the most part! Thanks for stopping by my blog!

        Reply
    2. Amber K.

      January 06, 2022 at 5:42 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! The store was out of green chilies and cilantro and my husband needs meat to consider it a meal, so we made a few minor adjustments. We added chicken breast baked with oregano infused balsamic vinegar and jalapeño slices and finished it off with fresh squeezed lime. Yum 😋 Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
      • Gastronotherapy

        January 06, 2022 at 5:59 pm

        Hi, Amber! So glad you made it work for you! Thanks for leaving a review! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Barb

      April 28, 2023 at 10:44 am

      5 stars
      Prepared this morning and am going to use slow cooker to let it simmer until dinner. Love the smell wafting through my apartment! Great for a snowy April day!

      Reply
      • MaryAnne

        April 28, 2023 at 5:19 pm

        I hope you enjoy it! 😍

        Reply
    5 from 6 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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    Hi! I’m MaryAnne, the writer, recipe developer, and photographer behind Gastronotherapy, where I bring vibrant, delicious, and thoughtfully crafted mainly vegetarian and vegan (flexitarian) recipes to life. While my focus leans toward wholesome, nourishing dishes, my love for dessert ensures that indulgence always has a place at the table!

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