This classic recipe is The Best Vegan Chili Ever! It's easy to make, uses basic pantry ingredients, and it's gluten-free. This hearty one-pot vegan chili can be made on the stovetop, in the slow cooker, or Instant Pot.
If you haven't noticed, my most recent recipes have all been sweets (vegan French toast casserole, pumpkin oatmeal cookies, and pumpkin cake just to name a few).
Well, I'm breaking that streak today with the best vegan chili EVER! And that's no exaggeration either!
This chili recipe has been in the works since last year and I'm finally ready to share it with you guys. It's a meatless recipe with a hearty, classic flavor everyone will enjoy.
Ingredients
I kept the base simple by using canned kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, and refried beans. but you can easily swap out the whole beans for any variety you have on hand. You can even replace a can with tofu ground beef for a meatier texture.
To flavor the chili, I added 2 cans of tomatoes (diced and fire-roasted with medium green chilies), chopped onion, green and red bell pepper, and a few simple seasonings o bring it all together (chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and salt).
For the heat, you can dice up a jalapeño (or two) and simmer it in the pot with everything else. I left them out for my daughter and opted for the canned tomatoes with added green chilies. The spicy tomatoes kept this chili mild enough for the whole family to enjoy.
Instructions for Vegan Chili
It only takes 3 easy steps to make the best vegan chili recipe.
Step 1. Chop the onion and bell peppers.
Step 2. Sauté the onion and bell peppers until they begin to soften. They don't need to be fully cooked since they will simmer for quite a bit with the other ingredients.
Step 3. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and mix everything together. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer the chili for at least 30 minutes.
That only leaves one last step...Eating it!
The best ways to enjoy chili?
Enjoy vegan chili topped with diced avocado, chopped cilantro, vegan cheese, sliced jalapeño peppers, and/or vegan sour cream!
Serve with sweet potato biscuits or pumpkin dinner rolls.
Or use this recipe to create homemade vegan chili cheese fries, chili-filled baked potatoes, chili carrot dogs, or chili and rice.
Vegan chili can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
How do you thicken vegan chili?
Chili isn't chili unless it's thick!
So, to thicken this recipe I went with canned refried beans. I tested a few other thickening ingredients with results I didn't find to enhance the flavors.
I had tried flour, quinoa, and tomato paste, but the refried beans kept the taste classic and the ingredients cheap and simple.
Not to mention, using refried beans as a thickener also allows this recipe to remain gluten-free.
Can I freeze vegan chili?
YES!
Allow the chili to completely cool to room temperature. Then, transfer it to a lidded freezer-safe container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat the frozen chili, fully defrost it in the fridge or on the counter. Transfer it to a cooking pot and reheat on the stovetop.
More ways to make vegan chili
This chili recipe can also be made in the slow cooker or Instant Pot.
In the slow cooker
Add all the ingredients to the inner pot and stir everything together. Set to low and cook until the onion and bell peppers are tender, about 3-4 hours.
If the chili is thick add more vegetable broth. Taste and adjust the seasonings accordingly.
Tip: For easier cleanup use a slow cooker liner. And, for more depth in flavor, sauté the onion and bell pepper before adding them to the slow cooker.
In the Instant Pot
This chili can be made in the Instant Pot, but there is no need to pressure cook it since we are using canned beans.
Instead, you'll want to follow the below stovetop instructions while using the Instant Pot's sauté feature.
To cover the Instant Pot while the chili cooks, use the glass lid designed for the IP or a simple sheet of foil across the top will work too.
We'd love to hear from you!
If you enjoyed this vegan recipe, please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card and share your thoughts in the comments below.
Also, if you snap a photo, share it with us! We love to see your creations!! You can find us on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.
See ya there!
Recipe
The Best Vegan Chili
Ingredients
- 1 16-ounce can refried beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 14-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, (with green chilies if possible)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 Tablespoon neutral oil for sautéing
- 1 heaping Tablespoon chili powder blend
- 2 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Himalayan pink salt to taste, (I use 1 and ½ teaspoons for low sodium broth)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeds removed and diced (optional)
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions
- Start by draining and rinsing the canned beans (not the refried beans).
- Now, add the oil, onion, and bell peppers to a large Dutch oven or large pot. Sauté until they begin to soften, about 8 minutes.
- Toss the remaining ingredients into the pot. Give everything a good mix until all the ingredients are well combined and the refried beans are fully dispersed.
- Heat the chili over medium heat until it begins to come to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until the peppers and onions are cooked. Periodically stir the chili to keep it from scorching the bottom of the pot.
- Allow the chili to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
- Serve this hearty vegan chili topped with diced avocado, fresh cilantro, vegan cheese, vegan sour cream, and/or jalapeño slices.
Instant Pot Instructions
- For the Instant Pot, there is no need to pressure cook the chili because we are using canned beans.
- Add the oil, onion, and bell peppers to your inner pot. Using the saute feature, cook the bell peppers and onion until they have softened, about 8-10 minutes.
- Toss the remaining ingredients into the pot and give everything a good stir.
- Continue to simmer the chili using the saute feature for about 20-25 minutes to fully cook the veggies. Periodically stir the chili to keep it from scorching the bottom of the pot.
- Allow the chili to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. Top with diced avocado, fresh cilantro, vegan cheese shreds, jalapeno slices, and/or vegan sour cream.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to the pot of your slow cooker.
- Set to low and cook for 3-4 hours or until the onion and bell pepper have softened.
- Top with diced avocado, fresh cilantro, vegan cheese shreds, jalapeno slices, and/or vegan sour cream.
Notes
- This vegan chili recipe can be made ahead. In fact, it's even better the next day, since it has a chance to rest fully bringing the flavors together. Reheat it on the stovetop.
Nutrition
**Nutritional info is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients I used and for convenience and as a courtesy only.**
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Lesley
Great recipe! I use salsa instead of the fire roasted tomatoes, and skip the broth so the chili is super-thick and scoopable with chips (almost like a dip). We top it with guac and everyone loves it, it's in our weekly dinner rotation. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Marlena Luna
Oh yum, that sounds amazing! Thick, scoopable chili with chips is comfort food perfection! I’m so glad it’s become part of your weekly rotation, and the guac on top sounds like the ultimate finishing touch. Thanks so much for sharing your yummy twist!
Cindy
This chili is way too spicy! If I ever make it again I would cut the chili powder and cumin at least in half. I doubled the amounts of tomatoes and added vegan cheese and oatmeal milk to calm it down
Marlena Luna
I’m sorry to hear it was too spicy for you. I use the chili powder blend linked in the recipe card. It has a very mild heat. Perhaps your chili powder wasn't a blend so it was spicier. In that case, using less would definitely cut down the heat.
Alison
Marlena, This looks delicious! I’ve had this recipe saved for so long! I’ve been meaning to make it for so long LOL. I’ve was intrigued that you used refried beans, such an unusual but brilliant addition. I have this in my slow cooker as I type. I made a few slight changes, I only added a can of black beans and omitted the others. I added two stalks of celery and and am going to add a cup of organic frozen corn toward the end. I was wondering, I see that you say that serves 6 to 8. If it were to be six servings what would those servings be? In terms of cups? Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try it!
Marlena Luna
Yay, I'm so glad you got around to making it! I have not measured the recipe but my guess would be about 10-13 cups total. So, 6 servings will be about 1 and 1/2 cups to 2 cups per serving.