This easy vegan chilli recipe makes for a quick and hearty meal, with key ingredients coming from the store cupboard in the form of tinned tomatoes and beans. I cook a big batch of this a couple of times a month and use it for lunches throughout the week.
For a hit of rich umami flavour, stir in a dollop of Marmite or other yeast extract. It's also good to add a splash of red wine vinegar or Henderson’s Relish (Sheffield’s vegan equivalent of Worcestershire sauce, but better). If you like coriander, add the chopped stems with a couple of minutes to go.
If you're looking for more vegan chilli recipe ideas, check out this smoky jackfruit chilli and sweet potato & black bean chilli.
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What is chilli?
Originating in Texas, chilli is short for chilli con carne – literally meaning “chilli with meat” in Spanish. In its most basic form, you might describe it as a spicy, tomato-based stew traditionally featuring beans and beef.
Since it's full of veg, protein-packed legumes, and various herbs and spices, chilli makes for an ideal plant-based meal.
While we tend to associate chilli with red kidney beans, it’s great with other beans as well (pinto, borlotti, black, cannellini, adzuki etc.). Better yet – use a mix of these.
Want to learn more about beans and legumes? Check out my Beginner's Guide to Pulses.
How to make easy vegan chilli
To me, a good chilli is all about the herbs and spices involved. My favourites are cumin, smoked paprika, chilli powder, bay leaf, and fresh garlic, as well as fresh coriander stems during cooking and then the leaves to garnish.
You’ll want to include the onions, peppers, tomatoes, and beans, but beyond that you can feel free to throw in anything else that takes your fancy.
After softening the onion in vegetable oil, add the peppers and garlic and cook for another few minutes.
I then stir in the spices to get the ol' flavours going.
Once that's cooked for another couple of minutes, it's a simple case of adding all the other ingredients one by one and letting them come together for 15 minutes.
In an ideal world, you'd cook your chilli for at least an hour to really thicken it and develop the flavours. If you have the time to do so, then by all means you should.
But this is easy vegan chilli, and so my top tip for thickening it is to get out the potato masher and have yourself a wee mash. Not too much - just enough to break down some of the beans and tomatoes near the bottom of the pan.
Variations and tips for easy vegan chilli
There are a million different takes on chilli, and everyone seems to have their own tips and tricks. This recipe is a stripped-back version that you can build on, with lots of additional ingredients to choose from:
- Veg: Include chopped celery and carrot at the start for a more flavourful base. Add mushrooms, courgette, kale, aubergine, sweet potato, or anything else you fancy (or want to use up).
- Make it meatier: If you want a meatier texture, add some plant-based mince. You can buy this frozen, fresh, or in a dried form that's easy to re-hydrate. Another ‘mince’ option is to use finely chopped mushrooms.
- One-pot meal: Thicken with quinoa or bulgur wheat to make it a true one-pot meal.
- Henderson's Relish: Use balsamic vinegar or vegan red wine vinegar as a substitute for this.
- Add more heat: This recipe doesn’t use fresh chillies, but feel free to add some during cooking and at the end.
- Try something new: Other 'secret' chilli ingredients include soy sauce, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, and molasses.
- Gluten-free: If you need to ensure that this recipe is 100% gluten-free, use a vegan stock and yeast extract that are certified or labelled as such.
Serving suggestions for vegan chilli
- Boiled rice
- Tacos or burritos
- Cajun-spiced potato wedges
- Baked potatoes
- Creamy vegan mashed potatoes
- Nachos
- Roasted cauliflower
- Vegan sour cream
- Guacamole with chunky tomatoes
- Lime wedges
- Pico de gallo
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Grated vegan cheese
- Fresh coriander/spring onions
How to store vegan chilli
Refrigerate: Store this chilli in the fridge for up to four days. Simply reheat in the microwave or in a pan with a splash of water to loosen it up.
Freeze: Store this chilli in the freezer in sealed containers or resealable bags for up to six months. Defrost before reheating in the microwave or in a pan with a splash of water.
Hey you – let me know what you think
If you made this recipe and enjoyed it – or did anything differently – I'd love to hear from you down below in the comments 👇
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More vegan recipe ideas
If you liked this recipe, you may also enjoy:
- Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chilli
- Smoky Jackfruit Chilli
- Easy Vegan Jackfruit Tacos
- Lemony Butter Bean Stew
- Vegan Sausage Casserole
- Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese
- Easy Vegan Chana Masala
- Vegan Lentil Dal
You can also check out my full list of vegan mains.
Easy Vegan Chilli
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 yellow pepper, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 3x 400 g tins plum tomatoes
- 1x 400 g tin red kidney beans, drained
- 1x 400 g tin pinto beans, drained
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon Marmite (or other yeast extract if GF)
- 2 tablespoons Henderson's Relish (or half the amount of red wine vinegar, see notes)
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons oregano or mixed herbs
- 200 ml vegan stock
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Small bunch fresh coriander (stems and leaves)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add the onion and stir occasionally for 6-8 minutes (or until soft).
- Next, add the chopped garlic and peppers and cook for another few minutes.
- At this stage, stir in the chilli powder, cumin, and smoked paprika and mix well.
- After a couple of minutes, start adding all the other ingredients to the pan (apart from the coriander). You may want to turn up the heat at first to get things going, but remember to bring it down again. Break the tomatoes apart with a spoon and stir regularly.
- After 15 minutes, stir in chopped coriander stems.
- Now to mash. Using a potato masher, gently mash the stew towards the bottom of the pan. Do this as much or as little as you want – I crush some of the beans and leave most of them whole.
- Cook for another couple of mins before serving (see serving suggestions in notes below). Top with coriander or whatever it is that floats your chilli boat.
Notes
- Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chilli
- Smoky Jackfruit Chilli
- Easy Vegan Jackfruit Tacos
- Lemony Butter Bean Stew
- Vegan Sausage Casserole
- Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese
- Easy Vegan Chana Masala
- Vegan Lentil Dal
Nutrition
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This looks lovely! Easy to follow and great suggestions! I will make it this weekend and let you know how it turned out!
Thanks very much Cathy! Sounds good - definitely let me know!
Lovely balance of flavours and spices!
Glad you enjoyed - thanks for letting me know!
I love this recipe! It's great with kale mixed in 🙂
Thanks very much Vicky! Hope you enjoyed it wherever you are in the world.
Espléndido! Tried a couple of vegan chilli recipes before and this was by far the most flavoursome! Great with mash or rice.
Muchas gracias Cristóbal!
Love this vegan chilli - so easy!
Glad you enjoyed sir!