This Spicy Vegetarian Chili is thick, satisfying and super filling! Serve it with your favorite toppings for an easy and healthy meatless meal. (gluten free, vegetarian, vegan)
The search for a satisfying, full-flavored, thick and spicy vegetarian chili even the biggest meat-eater will love is officially over! This recipe is my take on the classic meatless chili with some added heat from serrano peppers and a healthy dose of hot sauce. It features a variety of veggies and two types of beans that quickly fill you up and leave you feeling all warm and cozy.
Serve this with a side of jalapeno cornbread and you’ve got ultimate comfort in a bowl. If this sounds like something you want to make all fall and winter long, here’s what you’ll need.
To make this vegetarian chili recipe super filling and hearty, you’ll need 2 cans of fire-roasted tomatoes, 1 can of dark red kidney beans and 1 can of black beans. Simmering these ingredients together with onions, peppers, carrots, celery and an amazing blend of spices will help thicken up the chili beautifully and satisfy even the biggest meat-eater in your life.
How to make vegetarian chili
- Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 20 minutes, until onions begin to caramelize. Stir occasionally.
- Add bell pepper, carrots, celery, serrano chiles and garlic. Raise heat to medium-high and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt and black pepper. Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute.
- Add hot sauce, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth and beans. Stir together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, uncovered. The longer it simmers, the thicker it will get.
- Mix in fresh lime juice before serving, taste and season with more salt if necessary.
Chili is one of those foods that gets better the next day, which makes it perfect for meal prepping. I like using glass containers like these to portion out servings to eat throughout the week, but don’t forget to pack all your favorite chili toppings! Here are some of the best things to mix into your bowl.
What to serve with spicy chili
- jalapeno cornbread
- your favorite hot sauce (I’ve been loving Yellowbird sauces lately!)
- tortilla chips or corn chips
- shredded cheese
- sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- fresh cilantro or chives
- soup crackers or saltines
More vegetarian recipes you’ll love
- Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers
- Easy Black Bean Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
- Smoky Chipotle Tomato Bisque
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 2 serrano chile, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 15-ounce cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 15-ounce can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons your favorite spicy hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
optional toppings
- shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, hot sauce
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to caramelize.
- Add bell pepper, carrots, celery, serrano chile and garlic. Raise heat to medium-high and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt and black pepper. Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute.
- Add broth, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans, and hot sauce. Stir together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, uncovered, until the thickness of the chili is to your liking. The longer it simmers, the thicker it gets.
- Remove from heat, mix in fresh lime juice and taste. Season with more salt if necessary.
- Serve in bowls topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro and more hot sauce if desired.
Isabel’s Tips:
Nutrition Information
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I always get rave reviews for this chili. The broth becomes so dark and rich and packed with flavor!
I made the for our Friendsgiving this past Saturday…everyone loved it (including me) – even people who normally scoff at vegetarian dishes! I highly recommend!
I made this chili tonight and it was a HIT! I made it with no salt added and low-sodium beans so that I can gift some to my Grammy who is on a low sodium diet. Delicious! Thank you!
Dead tasty chili, have made several times. I find the onions take longer than suggested and helps if you add a little brown sugar. Usually I add spice to recipes but this really doesn’t need it!
Enjoyed this one a lot!
Note: if you cook the onions on Medium heat for twenty minutes like it says, you will have charcoal
She’s a Spicy veggie chili! I love it paired with honey cornbread. Beautiful dish. Thank you so much.
An ideal recipe for me- I cook for one, I’m on a budget, and I’m lazy. A couple hours and I have lunches for several days! I did use some fresh cayenne peppers I got from a friend’s garden instead of the serranos, but that’s the only ingredient I’ve changed.
A delicious, hearty vegetarian chili! I made my own chili powder blend by grinding some dried chiles (ancho, guajillo and New Mexico). I served the chili with grated sharp cheddar and sour cream (mixed with lime juice and salt) on top and some jalapeño cornbread muffins on the side. It was the perfect pairing for a PNW chilly fall evening. Thank you Isabel! It’s a recipe that I’ll be saving and sharing with familia.
This is awesome chili! I added Morningstar hot & spicy sausage patties cut up and used zucchini instead of carrots and it is superb. I am on a low glycemic diet and this made my lunch for the week much easier and tastier! Thanks for posting this.
Love Love The vegetable chili 🌶 I made this for me and my son it was so delicious
Just double checking that this does indeed take 3tbsp chili powder and not 3 tsp.
****depends on the chilli powder****
Yes, it’s 3 tablespoons.
I absolutely LOVED this recipe! I added some Beyond Beef, and it won the school’s chili cook off!!!
Thank you!!
LOVE IT! I also tried it with quinoa and just kidney beans. Plus I cooked it in my instant pot.
This sounds delish! What spice measurements would you use for a heat level of mild to medium? Thanks!
Hi Roxy! If you want to make this recipe more spicy you can add more serrano peppers!
I doubled this recipe for a chili cook-off yesterday in central Texas where vegetarians are made fun of. (I used Louisiana, Tabasco, and Sriracha for the hot sauce.) I got so many compliments-several from die-hard meat eaters who seemed pretty shocked at how good this chili is! And it is fantastic. Thank you, Isabel.
That’s amazing, JD! What a compliment 🙂 I’m so glad you liked it!
Love this recipe! Simple and easy to follow 🙂 .
I modified it ever so slightly and it was absolutely delicious!
I added a can of garbanzo beans and of corn, some cayenne pepper for an extra kick and trader joe’s Beef-less ground beef (I know Whole Foods sells a good meatless alternative as well). I added and extra scoop of chili powder, and I may have accidentally used 2 tablespoons of cumin but it came out perfect! Thank you for sharing!
Just double checking that this does indeed take 3tbsp chili powder and not 3 tsp.
Yes, 3 tablespoons.
This recipe looks amazing! I will cook this later on today, inspiring…
thanks for sharing😉
Thanks, Christine! Happy New Year!