This homemade vegetarian chili is thick, satisfying and deliciously spiced. It’s loaded with veggies, beans and a special ingredient that makes it “meaty.” My absolute favorite!
I’ve tried many veg chili recipes over the years. Some are heavy on the beans. Others are more about the vegetables. This one, made mostly from finely chopped vegetables and tomatoes, has a thick and satisfying base with just enough beans, and the perfect amount of heat. It wins the best vegetarian chili award, as far as I’m concerned. I live in a house of meat lovers and they (miraculously) look forward to veggie chili night. Hopefully the carnivores in your house will love it too.
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How To Make This Vegetarian Chili
Once you’ve chopped the vegetables and have all the ingredients in the pot, the chili will be ready in 25 minutes.
- Chop the carrots, onions, mushroom, celery, green peppers and garlic. drain the canned beans, measure out the spices, have the other ingredients at the ready: canned tomatoes, tomato juice, lemon juice, wine, Worcestershire sauce, tabasco, canned beans and canned chilies.
- In a large heavy Dutch oven sauté the vegetable and spices in oil for a few minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
- Done!
You might be surprised to hear that this chili cooks for just 25 minutes but that’s all it need for great texture and flavor, and to get maximum nutritional benefits from all those fresh vegetables.
The BEST time saving tip for making this veggie chili
Use your food processor to chop the veggies!
There are LOTS of chopped vegetables in this dish: mushrooms, onions, carrots, celery, green peppers and garlic. They create a wonderful texture for the chili. I used to do all the chopping by hand but I’ve discovered that the food processor does a great job in a fraction of the time. If you want to give it a try, here’s what to do:
- Set up your food processor with the chopping blade, also called the S-blade.
- Cut the vegetables into chunks so they fit nicely into the bowl of your food processor.
- Pulse the veggies until they are uniformly chopped (but not pulverized)
- For best results, chop each type of vegetable separately
My secret for making the BEST chili
Whether you’re making this vegetarian chili or any chili, this little tip will take your chili to higher heights of delicious.
- Use a mix of chili powders to add a wonderful depth of flavor to any chili.
- If a recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of chili powder, use three different types, one tablespoon of each.
- In this vegetarian chili recipe I like to use a mix of New Mexican chili powder, chipotle and ancho.
I ALWAYS make a double batch of vegetarian chili and freeze half. I highly recommend doing this. For very little extra effort, you’ll get another dinner or two cooked and ready. (See recipe notes for freezing instructions.)
Those times when you want something healthy and satisfying for dinner but you don’t feel like cooking, just pull out a container of veg chili from the freezer and heat it up. Sprinkle on some cheese and chopped scallions and you’ve got a fantastic meal.
This vegetarian Chili recipe comes from one of my most falling-apart old cookbooks called The Frog Commissary Cookbook. By the way, the secret ingredient that adds a meaty texture to this dish is a cup of bulgar wheat. If you want to keep it gluten-free substitute an equal amount of raw quinoa.
Two other delicious chili recipes to try
Here’s the recipe for My Favorite Vegetarian Chili. If you cook this I hope you’ll come back to leave a star rating and a review. I’d love to know what you think.
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PrintMy Favorite Vegetarian Chili
An all around excellent vegetarian chili, with great flavor and texture and just the right amount of heat.
Adapted from a recipe in The Frog Commissary Cookbook
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 22 mins
- Total Time: 52 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Soup, lunch, dinner
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup olive oil
For The Chopped Veggies
- 3 cups chopped yellow onions (1 1/2 – 2 large)
- 3 cups chopped mushrooms (15–16 ounces)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots (4–5 medium)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper (1 large)
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
For The Spices
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons chili powder (mix different types for added depth of flavor)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Other ingredients
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 1–3 cups tomato juice (Start with 1. Add more at the end to thin, if necessary)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup bulgar wheat (substitute 1 cup quinoa for gluten free)
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce* Note for strict vegetarians: some brands of Worcestershire sauce contain anchovies. If you omit the Worcestershire sauce, the chili will still be delicious.
- 1/2 teaspoon tabasco sauce
- 2 15-ounce cans undrained red kidney beans
- 3 tablespoons canned chopped green chiles
Suggested Garnishes
- yogurt or sour cream
- chopped scallions
- grated cheddar cheese
- chopped cilantro
- cubed avocado
Instructions
- Have all of the ingredients ready: chopped veggies in one bowl, spices measured out in a small bowl, cans opened.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot or dutch oven. Add the chopped veggies: onions, mushrooms, carrots, green pepper, celery and garlic, and the spices: cumin, red pepper flakes, basil, oregano, chili powder, salt and pepper Sauté, stirring, for 4-6 minutes, just to soften the veggies a bit and toast the spices a bit. Add the rest of the ingredients, using only 1 cup of the tomato juice to start. Bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, uncovered. Add additional tomato juice if you want to thin the chili. Season to taste with salt and fresh pepper. Serve with assorted toppings.
- This chili freezes well. See notes below.
Notes
Top Tips:
- Save time by using your food processor to chop the vegetables.
- Add a wonderful depth of flavor to the chili by using 2 or 3 different types of chili powder.
- Freeze chili in an airtight container. It will last for at least 4 months in the freezer. Defrost before reheating or transfer frozen chili to a large heavy pot with a lid. Add 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer over low heat, until defrosted and heated through.
Keywords: vegetarian chili recipe, best vegetarian chili
Originally published January 2014. Updated October 2018 with added nutritional information and some tweaks to the written post.
Awesome vegetarian chili. I used quinoa which came out great. Thanks!
Hey Christopher, I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Great flavor! It’s easy to adjust ingredients if you want (we did corn and extra beans in place of mushrooms). My husband was a bit skeptical but he really enjoyed it! Never would have thought to add lemon juice or wine!
Thank you for your recipe!
★★★★★
Hi Ashley, corn and beans sound like tasty substitutions. I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed!
This was by far my favorite vegan chili I’ve made yet! I don’t know why I never thought to put my chili veggies in the food processor…. love the texture. I actually think it makes it seem more “meat-like.” The bulgar kind of gives that ground beef texture. I never would’ve thought to put mushrooms in chili and loved it. I didn’t have tomato juice so I used V8, the whole 3 cups. This makes a ton of chili! Thanks!
★★★★★
Hi Tracey, I’m so glad you loved the chili! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment.
Just wanted to say that this chili is awesome. I swapped out the olive oil for sechuan pepper oil… And one of the pepper powders I used was jalapeño… Holy cow it gets warm. I also threw in one pound of pork. Great recipe!
★★★★★
This is one of those recipes that tastes so good it’s hard to believe how healthy it is. I made it and put half in the freezer only to defrost it the next day and eat the rest… then I made it again. 5 stars!
★★★★★
I’m not the greatest cook, so I do have a question. Green peppers & celery are not veggies I can include. Given the amounts, would leaving them out and not subbing something else alter the consistency too much in your opinion?
I would up the amounts of carrots, mushrooms and onions to compensate. That should work well.
Would this recipe be considered vegan?
★★★★★
Yes. It’s vegan as long as you omit the Worcestershire sauce which contains anchovies. It’ll still be delicious!
Would this recipe be considered vegan, as well?
★★★★★
Wow this is good! Easy to make, I used quinoa and it provided the body of a thick chili just right. I guess you can tweak it, but go with the recipe first- it’s outstanding!
Ok this is the dumbest question ever. This chili is delicious however I had to cook it longer and really high temps to get the quinoa to cook. Was I supposed to cook the quinoa before adding?
Not a dumb question at all! If you’re not accustomed to cooking with quinoa, you probably don’t know that it cooks in 10-12 minutes, so if you put it with everything else and simmer the whole pot for 20 minutes, you should be good to go!
Hi recipe looks delicious. I was thinking to make it in slow cooker. Do you think it’s a good idea ?
Hi Anna. I don’t think I would recommend the slow cooker for this recipe. Once you get all the ingredients together the chili only cooks for 20 minutes or so. You don’t want to overcook all the lovely fresh vegetables. I would save the slow cooker for something that need to cook for a long time to tenderize.
Dear Lisa,
I don’t know if my other comment made it through cyberspace. Just to let you know that I am a great fan of you and your recipes. I made the ratatouille last night and it was greatly appreciated by my men. I made it with couscous on the side. Next time, I will make it with seared salmon. Happy cooking! Enjoy your time-out in London.
Sincerely,
Birgitt
★★★★★
Thanks Birgitt! ps – I replied to your other comment which did make it through cyberspace 🙂
Do you think Buckwheat would sub for Bulgar? It’s gluten free as it is actually a seed and not wheat.
I’ve never tried using buckwheat in this recipe. I love buckwheat and I bet the texture would be great in the chili, but buckwheat has a distinctive flavor and I’m not sure if the flavor would be overpowering. I’ve used quinoa in place of bulgar, which works really well. I’d be curious about the buckwheat. If you try it, I’d love to know what you think.
I love the flavor of this chili. My friends always ask me to make it and they have no idea it’s vegetarian.
★★★★★
Delicious! Perfectly seasoned. A couple points. I’m surprised that no one mentioned how very much this makes. It was nearly overflowing my 6.75qt dutch oven with just 5.5oz of V8 (which I used in lieu of tomato juice since I had it on hand)!
I subbed a cup of pearled barley in lieu of the bulgar wheat and that worked fine. The veggies were too crunchy for our taste, so after the 20 minutes uncovered we added another 30 minutes covered (stirring every few minutes) to soften everything up. In the future I would saute all the vegetables for 10-15 minutes or so before adding everything else.
Will definitely make again with a larger pot and more sautéing.
★★★★★
Holy moly! I’m new to the vegetarian world and found this recipe online! Hands down my new favorite# I used 2 packs of different chili powders, an extra can of tomoto paste, I ran out of tomatoes juice and used tomoato sauce in its place. It was simply amazing! What surprised me the most is that the kids and my very picky hubby asked for more of the chili and the vegetarian cornbread to go with it! This vegetarian journey may not be that bad afterall! Lol! Thanks so much for an amazing recipe that I will keep for years to come!
★★★★★
Yay! I’m so glad this chili is helping make your transition to vegetarian eating a happy one!
I just made this tonight for the umpteenth time, love it! Any ideas on the calories? i am tracking everything
Great recipe! I swapped out a sweet potatoe for carrots and quinoa for the wheat and it was delicious. Next time I won’t chop the vegies quite so small in the food processor …then it will be even more “meaty” like. Loved it. Thanks!!
Gorgeous healthy chili, Lisa! So many great flavors and veggies incorporated. Would love a hearty bowl after snow- man building. No snow yet in NH, but it’s coming….
★★★★★
Just a thought… my husband recently became a vegetarian. This recipe calls for Worchester Sauce. Note that most brands (including the big name Lea & Perrins) includes anchovies. There are vegetarian brands. I am gong to try this recipe tonight, just minus the Worchester Sauce! It looks delicious.
Thanks Kim. I really appreciate the comment. I think I’ll edit my recipe and make sure vegetarians know to either look for anchovy-free Worcestershire sauce or leave it out of the chili.
I am not a big fan of kidney beans. Could I substitute white beans like cannellini ?
Hi Margie, yes, you absolutely can use white beans. The chili will look a little different with white beans but I bet it will be delicious!
I’ve been searching for a good vegan chili recipe for over a year now, so I will definitely be trying this one. Thanks for sharing!
This is the best veggie chili I have ever tried. A lot of busy work to prep, but well worth it!!
I also have the Frog Commissary Cookbook and like yours, mine is also dog-eared and very well loved. I haven’t used that vegetarian chili, but I’m betting it’s a winner (all the recipes are) and your version looks incredible.
Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies, just a little heads up for strict vegetarians planning to follow this recipe.
Thanks for pointing that out Laura! For those who are vegetarians, I think you can omit the Worcestershire sauce and the chili will still be great!
I love the ingredients in this recipe- BUT- I am gluten free so the bulgar does not work for me. Have you ever used quinoa instead? Or rice? Any ideas for how to make this a gluten free recipe?
Hi Cindy, the bulgar adds a thick “meatiness” to the chili – it absorbs some of the liquid and puffs up as it cooks. I haven’t tried any substitutions but I bet quinoa or rice would serve the same purpose and work really well! I’d love to know what you end up using and how it turns out! ~ Lisa
Hi Lisa!
Im looking forward to trying this recipe out next week! Thank you so much for sharing. I do have a quick question. How do you think this recipe would come out if it was slow cooked? Would I need to alter anything?
Hi Ashley!
I think the chili recipe would work in the slow cooker without changing anything. You’d just have to calculate how many hours to set your slow cooker for, since the chili would be cooking at a low temperature over a long period of time. But since this chili only cooks for a total of 20 minutes, I’m not sure it’s worth doing it in the slow cooker. If you’re out all day and want to come back to a pot of chili, it Might be better to chop all the veggies in the morning and put them in a big plastic bag in the fridge. Measure out all the spices and put those in a plastic bag. Get all the wet ingredients (cans) opened and poured into one big plastic container in the fridge. Then, 1/2 hour before dinner, dump everything into a pot, bring it to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes!
Great Chili Lisa…. Had it for dinner two days in a row, texture and taste both great. It will now become one of my staple recipies. Thanks for thinking of us vegetarians.
I’m glad you enjoyed it Mary! Thanks for commenting 🙂
It’s funny I didn’t have woWorcestershire sauce or wine but I had red wine vinegar which seem to work fine I loved it I made some corn bread and it was a wonderful rainy day meal. Oh and I substituted the bulgar for morning star crumbles (also vegetarian) lol and black beans for the kidney beans but I used everything else!
Any substitute suggestions for the worcestershire? Most brands have anchovy in them. 🙁 Excited about trying this recipe otherwise!! 🙂
Hi Liz. Try mixing a teaspoon of cider vinegar with a teaspoon of soy sauce. That should work well as a substitute. Enjoy!!
Lisa. I made this over the weekend and it was fantastic. Have been looking for a great veggie chili and I found it. We all loved it. Thanks for sharing. Deb
I made this this weekend…………….Amazing. hearty, healthy and tasty. Perfect for the new years diet and warming on a cold winters day!
Am going to make this this weekend. Thanks Lisa! Looks SO good!