Nothing beats a big pot of healthy homemade soup for the family! This meatless vegetable chili is loaded with fresh veggies, kidney beans, black beans, and diced tomatoes in a flavorful spicy broth.
This chili feels lighter than traditional versions like our easy instant pot chicken chili, but is just as comforting. Simple to make and leftovers reheat well for lunches.
Meatless Chili Loaded With Vegetables!
- This easy one-pot chili is perfect when you want to skip the meat and make a vegetarian meal.
- It’s budget-friendly as we’re skipping the meat. Canned beans are an affordable option for added protein!
- For maximum health benefits, it’s packed with fresh vegetables to create a wonderfully delicious soup.
- We love to make this recipe for “Meatless Mondays” but leftovers work perfectly for lunches throughout the week.
- Serve with your favorite fresh toppings or a side of warm crusty bread.
- Ground Turkey Quinoa Chili is another healthier take on chili with lighter ingredients.
Ingredients and Variations
BEANS: Black beans and kidney beans add the base. Traditional chili uses just kidney beans but I prefer the variety of additional bean styles. Feel free to substitute for 1 can of chickpeas, white navy beans or lentils.
VEGETABLES: Piled high with vegetables, it’s what makes this soup so delicious. Carrots and celery add a little bit of crispness, while softer vegetables like mushrooms, bell pepper and zucchini add even more flavor. We truly believe the more the merrier when it comes to vegetables!
LIQUID: You’ll need 2 cups of water and a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes with their juices. This will create the broth for the recipe.
SPICES: To add flavor, brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper are mixed together to create a subtle spicy kick. Feel free to add more chili powder or sprinkle hot sauce on a serving for more heat.
How To Make Meatless Vegetable Chili
Have this vegetarian chili ready in no time!
- Saute onions in a large pot then add other ingredients except for beans according to the recipe below.
- Let simmer until carrots and zucchini are crisp-tender.
- In the last few minutes stir in the beans.
- Scoop into bowls, serve with favorite fresh toppings, and enjoy!
Cook Chili In An Instant Pot
You can easily cook this vegetarian chili in an instant pot. Use the same instructions as our instant pot chili chicken. First, saute onions and garlic. Next, add all ingredients except kidney and black beans and cook on “high” for 10 minutes. Stir in beans, close lid and let sit 5 minutes (without cooking) before serving.
Chili Toppings
Fresh toppings taste wonderful with chili. Consider a dollop of sour cream or plain greek yogurt. Add favorites like shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, crushed tortilla chips, and hot sauce.
Make this a full vegetarian meal with plant-based sour cream and cheese.
Recipe Tips
- Chop all vegetables into small uniform bite-size pieces so that they cook faster. The carrots will take the longest to soften, so I like to slice them thin.
- Let the soup simmer on the stove for 15-20 minutes to get maximum flavor.
- Wait until the end of cooking before you add the beans. This will keep them fresh and less mushy. Beans can be added once all veggies have softened, and then simmered for an additional 5 minutes.
- If you like your chili extra spicy, add more chili powder and add red pepper flakes. Sprinkle hot sauce on top just before serving.
- Want to save time? Use frozen veggies instead of fresh ones. No need to thaw them, just add straight to the pot and simmer.
More Meatless Soup Recipes
- Vegetarian Tortilla Soup is incredibly delicious!
- Wild Rice Mushroom Soup is a comforting soup made with brown mushrooms.
- Turmeric Ginger Carrot Soup is a pureed 30 minutes soup with a kick from ginger.
- Creamy Carrot Tomato Soup is creamy and sweet-tasting from carrots.
Did you love this vegetarian chili? Be sure to leave a rating below!
Meatless Vegetable Chili
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil
- 1 red onion - chopped (about 2 cups)
- 3 garlic cloves - minced
- 28 oz canned diced tomatoes, with juice - (2 small cans or 1 large can)
- 2 cups water
- 2 carrots - peeled and chopped
- 2 celery ribs - chopped
- 2 cups chopped mushrooms
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped zucchini
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar - or coconut sugar
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp salt and pepper - ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper
- 1 can kidney beans - drained and rinsed
- 1 can black beans - drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Heat a large pot with a bit of cooking oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook until onion turns translucent, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the diced tomato (with juices), water, carrots, celery, mushrooms, bell pepper, zucchini, corn, brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix everything together. Bring to a boil then reduce to let simmer 20-30 minutes or until carrots and zucchini are tender crisp.
- Stir in the kidney beans and black beans and cook for an additional 1-3 minutes or until warmed through.
- Remove from heat and add to bowls. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
- Chop all vegetables into small uniform bite-size pieces so that they cook faster. The carrots will take longest to soften, so I like to slice them thin.
- Let the soup simmer on the stove for 15-20 minutes to get maximum flavor.
- Wait until the end of cooking before you add the beans. This will keep them fresh and less mushy. Beans can be added once all veggies have softened, and then simmered for an additional 5 minutes.
- If you like your chili extra spicy, add more chili powder and add red pepper flakes. Sprinkle hot sauce on top just before serving.
- Want to save time? Use frozen veggies instead of fresh. No need to thaw them, just add straight to the pot and simmer.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.