Vegan Chili

A rich and flavorful Vegan Chili with black beans and lentils.  This Vegan Chili Recipe has only a few ingredients and can be made in a single pot making it an Easy Vegan Chili.  The red lentils lend a faint meaty texture to the combination which will surely satiate your chili cravings.  Truly the Best Vegan Chili!

Why We Love This Recipe

• Easy to Make.  This Vegan Chili, packed with black beans and lentils, is so simple and yet the flavors suggest hours laboring over a hot stove.  Everything in this Black Bean Chili Recipe goes into a single pot. It takes less than a half hour to cook this meal which makes it an Easy Vegan Chili! Once you’ve finished dicing up your onions and garlic, you can set aside your culinary cap, kick back and relax; all that’s left: opening up several cans of beans and tomatoes. Clean-up time involves hosing down one pot and discarding a few cans. Bring your appetite because you won’t work one up making this.  And that my friends is why I’m claiming this to be (humbly I might add) the Best Vegan Chili!
• Great taste, great texture. What you have here is a big bowl of comfort. Upon first bite, the texture and taste suggest an old family recipe or something you’ve had at a legendary chili house hidden away in some little-known city.  The lentils in this dish are the stand-in for that meaty texture which some plant-based recipes are lacking. 
• Very healthy. This recipe, loaded with black beans and lentils, provides not only a clean protein source but one that’s high in fiber.
  • Black beans are beneficial for blood sugar regulation, eye health, heart health, weight control, and are loaded with antioxidants (1).
  • Lentils provide the same quality of protein as meat but are healthier for your heart.  They are also high in fiber which helps your digestive system.  Finally, they are loaded with potassium, folate, and iron (2).

Vegan Chili Recipe

• Black beans
• Red lentils
• Tomato sauce
• Diced tomatoes
• Vegetable broth
• Onion
• Garlic
• Green chilies
• Chipotles in adobo
• Cumin
• Chili powder
• Salt
• Pepper
• Sugar
• Lime

How To Make Vegan Chili

1. Sauté onions. Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Cook the diced onion, add garlic, spices and sugar. Cook over low heat.
2. Add beans and lentils. Stir in black beans, lentils, adobo, green chilies and diced tomatoes.
3. Vegetable broth. Pour in vegetable broth and tomato sauce, cover and cook over medium-high heat.
4. Simmer. Reduce heat and simmer over medium-low heat until lentils are tender.  Stir frequently.
5. Add lime. Squeeze in juice, salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve. Ladle into bowls and garnished with vegan cheese, vegan sour cream, cilantro and Fritos or tortilla chips.

Variations

• Pinto beans instead of black beans
• Red onion instead of yellow
• Adobo seasoning instead of chipotles in adobo sauce

Tips

• Don’t add more than 2 cups of vegetable broth; too much broth will make this dish rather soupy which negates our goal of creating that thicker heartier chili texture.
• Stir frequently after you add the lentils into your pot as they have a tendency to sink to the bottom of the pot and stick.
• Depending on your preference, you may want to add more sugar than the suggested amount since this dish has a considerable amount of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes which have a tendency to be  tangy and acidic.  The sugar mellows out the brighter tomato flavor. Or, you may want to omit adding the lime if you’re not a fan of sour flavors.
• This dish can be served without vegan cheese or vegan sour cream and stands well on its own.  So, if you aren’t in love with vegan cheese or you haven’t found one you like yet, not to worry.

If you enjoyed this Vegan Chili recipe, here are some more recipes you’ll love!

Lentil Recipes

• Lentil Tacos
• Mushroom Lentil Burgers
• Vegan Red Lentil Soup

More Vegan Soups and Stews

• Cabbage Soup
• Ribollita Soup
• Potato Leek Soup
• Vegan Tortilla Soup
• Moroccan Harira Soup
• White Bean Tomato Soup
• Shipwreck Stew
• 4 Ingredient Potato Soup
• Pozole Verde
• White Bean Chili

Continue to Content

Yield: 8 servings

VEGAN CHILI

Print

A rich and flavorful Vegan Chili with black beans and lentils.  This Vegan Chili Recipe has only a few ingredients and can be made in a single pot making it an Easy Vegan Chili.  The red lentils lend a faint meaty texture to the combination which will surely satiate your chili cravings.  Truly the Best Vegan Chili!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Yellow onion, diced
• 5 Garlic cloves, minced
• 3 Teaspoons chili powder
• 3 Teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 Teaspoon sugar
• 1 (14.5 oz.) Can diced tomatoes
• 1 (4 oz.) Can diced green chilies
• 1 Teaspoon diced chipotles in adobo
• 3 (15 oz.) Cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 Cup uncooked red lentils
• 2 (15 oz.) Cans tomato sauce
• 2 Cups of vegetable broth
• Juice of one lime
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. 
   Add the onion along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook 4 to 5 minutes.  Stir frequently.
2. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, sugar, and cook an additional minute while stirring frequently.
3. Add in the diced tomatoes, chipotles, green chilies, black beans, and lentils.
4. Pour in your tomato sauce and vegetable broth.
5. Cover your pot, turn the heat to medium-high, and bring to a high simmer.
6. Reduce heat and simmer over medium-low for 5 to 7 minutes or until lentils are tender, stirring frequently.
7. Stir in the lime juice and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
8. Garnish with sour cream, vegan cheese, fresh chopped cilantro, and Fritos.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 151Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 63mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 6gSugar: 2gProtein: 9g