This delicious Vegetarian Chili is truly the best! It’s packed with hearty vegetables, is full of flavor, and comes together quickly. This is one of those vegetarian recipes that will please both meat lovers and plant-based eaters!
Veggies: the base of a good veggie chili is of course the vegetables. This recipe uses a combination of onion, red bell pepper, sweet potatoes, and green chilies in addition to beans. If you like, you can easily swap the sweet potatoes for butternut squash!
Beans: we’re using a combination of both kidney beans and black beans for the ultimate hearty chili. I like to use low-sodium beans and drain and rinse them before adding them to the pot.
Tomatoes: delicious crushed tomatoes help to create a rich base for the chili.
Broth: this recipe use veggie broth but you are welcome to use low-sodium chicken broth or beef broth if you prefer.
Herbs and Spices: a blend of flavorful spices like chili powder, cumin, paprika, and more help to give the chili all of its flavor.
How to Make
Step One: Start by heating a large pot over medium-high heat. I love to use my dutch oven but any large pot with a lid will work. Once the pot is hot, add a tablespoon of olive or avocado oil.
Step Two: Next, add the diced onion, minced garlic, diced bell pepper, and diced sweet potato to the pot and sauté for 4-5 minutes or until the onion begins to become translucent.
Step Three: After the veggies have sautéed, add the chili spice blend to the pot, stir, and sauté for another minute until the spices become fragrant.
Step Four: Now, add the black beans, kidney beans, crushed tomatoes, green chiles, vegetable broth, and the dried bay leaf to the pot. Stir until everything is well combined.
Step Five: Bring the chili to a boil and then lower the heat and reduce to a simmer. Cover the chili and let it simmer for around thirty minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender when pricked with a fork.
Step Six: After the chili has simmered and the sweet potatoes are tender, give the chili a taste and adjust the amount of seasoning as needed. Spoon the chili into bowls, serve with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!
Can I Make This Chili in the Slow Cooker?
Yes! To make this chili in the slow cooker:
First, sauté the diced onion and garlic in olive oil until the onion starts to become translucent.
Next, transfer the diced onion and garlic mixture to the base of the slow cooker. Then, add all of the remaining ingredients.
Lastly, cook the chili on high for 3-4 hours or until the sweet potatoes are tender. Give it a taste, adjust the seasoning, and then serve.
Optional Veggies to Add
One of the things I love about this recipe is how versatile it is! This chili is the perfect blank canvas for adding all of your favorite seasonal vegetables and you can really make it your own.
The possibilities are endless, but here are a few of my favorite options:
I hope you give this Hearty Vegetable Chili a try! It’s packed with veggies and deliciously comforting.
If you do give this recipe a try, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you know and love.
1 medium to large sweet potato, diced (roughly 2 – 2 1/2 cups)
1 – 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 – 15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
28 oz crushed tomatoes
2 – 4 oz cans green chiles
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 dried bay leaf
Chili Spice Blend
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
Method
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a tablespoon of olive or avocado oil.
Add in the diced onion, minced garlic, diced bell pepper, and diced sweet potato to the pot and sauté for 4-5 minutes until the onion begins to become translucent.
Add the spice blend to the pot and sauté for another minute until the spices become fragrant.
Add the black beans, kidney beans, crushed tomatoes, green chiles, vegetable broth, and dried bay leaf to the pot. Stir until everything is well combined.
Bring the chili to a bowl and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and let the chili simmer for 30-35 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender.
After the chili has simmered, give it a taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Spoon into bowls, serve with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!
Keywords: vegetarian chili, vegetarian chili slow cooker, how to make vegetarian chili, how to make vegetarian chili in a slow cooker, what goes with vegetarian chili, best easy vegetarian chili recipe
Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by:THE MINDFUL HAPA
Best vegetarian chili I’ve made! Very hearty and lots of flavor, I increased the kick with a touch more cayenne. Served it with avocado and cilantro. Will definitely make this chili again!
This chili is delicious! I love how hearty it is, and that spice mix is so flavorful! I will definitely come back to this recipe when I want a veggie based chili.
When I say my husband asked iff we could have this again a few days after we devoured it, im not kidding! one of my new favorite veggie chilis, especially since you can sneak a lot of veggies in!
This chili is amazing!! Easy recipe that comes together quickly and makes enough to keep extras in the freezer! I added trader joe’s roasted corn and it is incredible. I will definitely be making this again.
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Best vegetarian chili I’ve made! Very hearty and lots of flavor, I increased the kick with a touch more cayenne. Served it with avocado and cilantro. Will definitely make this chili again!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you loved it, Kelly! Thanks for sharing!
This was so delicious! Love the flavors and the squash! I was able to do this in the crock pot so it’s a dinner WIN
★★★★★
I’m so glad you loved this one, Kaydence! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
This chili is so flavorful! I ended up using squash instead of sweet potatoes and it was perfect! Will definitely make this again!
★★★★★
This chili is delicious! I love how hearty it is, and that spice mix is so flavorful! I will definitely come back to this recipe when I want a veggie based chili.
★★★★★
so happy you loved it, Coby!
When I say my husband asked iff we could have this again a few days after we devoured it, im not kidding! one of my new favorite veggie chilis, especially since you can sneak a lot of veggies in!
★★★★★
This chili is amazing!! Easy recipe that comes together quickly and makes enough to keep extras in the freezer! I added trader joe’s roasted corn and it is incredible. I will definitely be making this again.
★★★★★