This vegetarian chili is packed with nutritious and tasty ingredients! It is spicy, flavorful, and super simple to make in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for a quick and delicious weeknight dinner.
If you’re looking for delicious and healthy recipes that are easy to make, be sure to add this vegetarian chili to your list! The great thing is that you can keep most of the ingredients in your pantry to whip up this hearty veggie chili whenever you want.
Vegetarian Chili Ingredients
To make this vegetarian chili, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Canned beans: I recommend using a combination of two different types of beans. I love to use kidney beans and black beans. But other types of beans such as pinto beans work great, too!
- Canned corn: Another ingredient I recommend using is corn. I used canned corn, but frozen corn works, too.
- Bell pepper: A combination of green and red bell pepper tastes really great in this vegetarian chili! If you prefer other types of bell pepper, feel free to use them.
- Aromatics: You’ll need yellow onion, garlic, and jalapeño pepper to make this veggie chili taste delicious. So be sure to add them!
- Spices: As for spices, you’ll need chili powder (the Mexican-style seasoning mix, not ground chili peppers), paprika powder, ground cumin, curry powder, and cayenne pepper.
- Tomato paste: Another important ingredient to make the broth taste delicious is tomato paste. I highly recommend using it.
- Liquids: You’ll need tomato passata and vegetable broth for the chili base.
- Toppings: There are many different toppings that you could use for garnishing your chili. I love and recommend avocado, sour cream, fresh cilantro, and tortilla chips.
How to make vegetarian chili
Making this vegetarian is super simple! It’s probably one of the easiest recipes you’ll find. Here are the steps you need to follow:
- Sauté the aromatics: First, preheat some olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Then sauté the onion, garlic, and jalapeño pepper.
- Toast the seasonings: Next, add the tomato paste and seasonings. Sauté for around 30 seconds.
- Combine and simmer: Now add the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine, cover the pot, bring the chili to a boil, then let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- Garnish and serve: Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Tips & Notes
Here are a few quick notes to make sure that your vegetarian chili turns out perfectly!
- Make sure the spices don’t burn when you toast them. Don’t sauté the spices and tomato pasta for too long and be sure to use medium heat. Otherwise, they may burn and taste unpleasant.
- Let the chili simmer to develop a deeper flavor. The cook time can be reduced in this recipe as most ingredients are already cooked through or don’t require a lot of time to cook. But I’d recommend sticking to around 15 minutes as the chili tastes a lot better this way.
- Adjust the consistency as needed. If the chili is too thin for your taste, let the chili simmer without the lid so the liquid can cook off. If it’s too thick, add more tomato passata or vegetable broth.
Variations
This veggie chili can be varied in different ways to switch things up. Here are a few ideas you may want to check out.
- Vegetables: You can certainly add other or more vegetables to this chili if you want. Other vegetables that would taste great are carrots, sweet potatoes, and green peas. Feel free to add any other vegetable you like (and let me know in the comments if you have any recommendations! 😊)
- Seasonings: This chili is moderately spicy. If you are unsure about the heat, use less chili powder and cayenne pepper. You can always add more later. And if you want to change the flavor of the chili, you could also try adding ground coriander and oregano.
- Toppings: What I love most about chili recipes is the fun toppings you can add! As mentioned, I love avocado, sour cream, cilantro, and tortilla chips. But sometimes I’ll also add shredded cheddar cheese and jalapeños (fresh or pickled). You could also use cotija cheese or red onions. Feel free to be creative and use the toppings you love most!
How to serve vegetarian chili
Chili tastes best when served alongside delicious side dishes. Here are some of my favorites to turn this vegetarian chili into a delicious and satisfying meal.
- Carbs: I recommend serving this chili with some rice or bread to make it more filling. They are delicious sides that go really well with this dish!
- Salad: You could also make a quick salad with fresh vegetables and a lemon vinaigrette. It’s really up to you!
- Appetizers: If you love appetizers, you could make some guacamole and pico de gallo to serve alongside the vegetarian chili. I absolutely love these two dips when they are served with chili and tortilla chips!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it is! It is packed with nutritious ingredients that are great to include in your everyday diet. Plus, it tastes really delicious!
Sure! Frozen vegetables work just as nicely in this recipe. You could also use different types of vegetables or use a frozen vegetable mix to make things even quicker. If you use a lot of frozen vegetables, you may have to reduce the amount of liquid a tiny bit. But other than that, the recipe works the same.
You can store leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator or freezer. It stays good for 3-5 days in the refrigerator and up to 4 months in the freezer.
More delicious and simple vegetarian recipes
If you want to try more vegetarian dishes, I highly recommend trying the following recipes.
Vegetarian Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 jalapeño pepper finely diced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- ½ tablespoon paprika powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 ½ cup tomato passata
- 1 ½ cup vegetable broth
- 1 15-ounce can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can frozen corn drained and rinsed
- ½ red bell pepper cut into dices
- ½ green bell pepper cut into dices
- toppings of your choice like avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips, fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat some olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Then sauté the onion, garlic, and jalapeño pepper for 1-2 minutes.2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 yellow onion, 3 garlic cloves, 1 jalapeño pepper
- Next, add the tomato paste and seasonings. Stir and sauté for 30 seconds.3 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 tablespoons chili powder, ½ tablespoon paprika powder, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon curry powder, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, salt and pepper
- Add the tomato passata, vegetable broth, and vegetables. Stir, cover the pot, bring the chili to a boil, reduce it to a simmer, and let everything cook for 15 minutes.1 ½ cup tomato passata, 1 ½ cup vegetable broth, 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, 1 15-ounce can black beans, 1 15-ounce can frozen corn, ½ red bell pepper, ½ green bell pepper
- Add your favorite toppings, serve, and enjoy!toppings of your choice
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