3 Bean Vegan Chili

Scrumptious vegan chili recipe made for the stove, Instant Pot, or slow cooker. 3 beans, everyday veggies, tomatoes, and classic chili seasonings make this plant-based vegetarian chili rich with flavor and tons of texture. Truly, one of my favorite vegan recipes!

You guys know I’m not a diet-restricted vegan or vegetarian, but I love to conquer carnivore-approved, plant-based recipes. This tried and tested chili recipe is so deeply flavored, delicious, and filling, it'll have people not believing it’s vegan or vegetarian chili. We love when that happens!

3 Bean Vegan Chili Ingredients

• olive oil
• onion
• celery
• carrots
• canned beans (black, red kidney, and cannellini beans)
• corn
• canned diced tomatoes
• vegetable broth
• tomato paste
• chili powder
• cumin
• salt and pepper

How to flavor vegan / vegetarian chili

This plant-based chili has a classic, deep, flavor from all of the vegetables, tomatoes, chili powder, and cumin, so it's utterly delicious exactly as it is...I promise. But, if you want to mix things up a little and play with some other interesting flavors, try any of these ideas alone or in combination with each other...

• use beer instead of vegetable broth, or add a few splashes of wine
• add 1 Tbsp of very finely ground coffee along with the cooking liquids
• add 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder along with cooking liquids
• add a cup of mushrooms or bell peppers when sautéing the veggies
• swap a teaspoon of chili powder for chipotle powder to get a deeper smokey flavor

What are the best beans for vegan chili or vegetarian chili?

Canned beans make this recipe SO easy because they're pre-cooked, so you can get dinner on the table in under an hour. You can use dried beans, but you'll want to cook them before adding them to this recipe, otherwise the produce will get overcooked during the process.

Also, you can use any beans for a vegan or vegetarian chili recipe. For this recipe, I love the colors, flavor, and texture combination of black beans, cannellini beans, and red kidney beans. I also love to use reduced-sodium, canned beans and control the amount of added salt in this recipe.

Instant Pot Vegan Chili

1. Sauté veggies in olive oil using the Instant Pot 'saute' setting.
2. Add remaining ingredients (beans, tomatoes, etc).
3. Secure lid and pressure cook on HIGH for 2 minutes followed by 10 min natural pressure release.
4. Turn pressure release valve to "Venting" position to release any remaining steam.
5. Open the lid, serve, and devour!

Vegan chili slow cooker instructions

1. Place 10” skillet on medium-high flame and add olive oil.
2. Sauté fresh veggies and garlic until tender.
3. Transfer veggies over to a 4 quart slow cooker.
4. Add remaining ingredients, stir to combine, cover with the lid, and set the crockpot on HIGH 2 hours or LOW 4-8 hours.

How to make Vegan Chili on the stove

1. Place 4 quart soup pot on medium-high flame and add olive oil.
2. Sauté veggies and garlic until tender.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients; bring to boil for a few minutes.
4. Reduce heat to LOW and simmer for an hour, stirring as needed.

Vegan / Vegetarian Chili Storage and Reheat

Store chili in an airtight container up to 5 days in the refrigerator and up to 90 days in the freezer.

To thaw, transfer frozen chili from freezer to refrigerator 48 hours before reheating and serving.

Reheat chili via microwave in a heat-safe container, or on the stove. Add a little water or vegetable broth to the chili if it’s too thick.

Vegan / Vegetarian chili toppings

There's nothing like some cilantro, fresh or pickled jalapeno, and fresh lime squeezed over a hearty bowl of vegan chili. If you're not vegan, drizzle on some sour cream and shredded cheddar or cotija cheese. The chili topping possibilities are endless, but those are some of my favs!

Is vegetarian chili vegan?

If you want to make vegetarian chili vegan, it must have no animal products. A vegan chili, however, is most certainly vegetarian because, by default, it has no animal products.

Recommended Tools

• chef knife and cutting board or mat
• can opener
• 3.5-quart soup pot or 6-quart Instant Pot or 10” skillet + 3-quart Crockpot

Vegetarian chili and soup recipes

• Easy Minestrone Soup Recipe
• Meatless Lentil Chili
• Vegan Tortilla Soup
• Thai Coconut Soup