The Best One Pot Vegan Chili

Flavorful, comforting, and requiring just one pot, this vegan chili makes the perfect comfort food. Plus, it’s easy to make and meal prep – so you can enjoy it throughout the week!

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This easy one-pot vegan version of chili makes great leftovers and the perfect weeknight meal for those cold winter days! Plus, the best part? With just a single pot, it’s an easy way to feed a large crowd a delicious, healthy meal.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE

One Pot – Just one pot is all you need to make this easy recipe.

Easy to Meal Prep – Chili is one of the easiest (and tastiest) meal preps. Since, it creates large batch, you can enjoy the leftovers for days. Plus, the flavors meld together as the week goes on, so it gets even tastier the next day.

Easily Customizable – This recipe is super customizable – feel free to add or substitute any of your favorite vegetables or tweak the recipe based on your pantry staples.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (WITH SUBSTITUTIONS)

To make this vegan homemade chili you will need the following ingredients:

Yellow Onion & Fresh Garlic – Builds the base of our chili.

Pinto & Red Kidney Beans – I love using pinto beans and kidney beans in my chili, but you can also use black beans or other beans you have on hand.

Red Bell Pepper – Red or green bell peppers are great in this vegan chili.

Crushed Tomatoes – Crushed tomatoes with their juices gives the chili a nice saucy texture.

Brown Sugar – Adds a very light hint of sweetness. You can also sub maple syrup.

Tomato Paste – Adds a nice tangy flavor and helps thicken the chili.

Vegetable Broth – You can use vegetable broth or water to thin out the chili.

Lime Juice – Adds a delicious, but subtle zing to the chili.

Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Ground Cumin, Oregano, Cayenne, Salt & Black Pepper – Standard chili spices, but feel free to adjust (or add/omit) based on personal preference.

Optional Toppings – Vegan shredded cheese, green onions, vegan sour cream, cilantro, avocado, vegan beef, and/or tortilla chips.

HOW TO MAKE ONE POT VEGAN CHILI

Making this vegan chili is super easy, you just need to follow a few steps. For the full recipe and instructions see the recipe card.

Step One: Start by chopping the onion and red pepper and mincing the garlic. Then, drizzle a generous amount of olive oil to a large pot or large dutch oven on medium heat. Add in onion, red pepper, and garlic. Sauté for 5-10 minutes or until the onions and peppers have caramelized.

Step Two: Add in the seasonings and stir everything together with a wooden spoon, then add in the tomato paste and brown sugar and stir continuously for 2-3 minutes.

Step Three: Rinse and drain the beans and add them to the pot along with the crushed tomatoes. Add in a cup of vegetable broth (if you want a thinner chili you can add more). Let simmer for 30 minutes, or until thickened.

Step Four: Add in the lime juice and increase any seasonings to reach your desired flavor.

Step Five (optional but recommended!): Using an immersion blender, lightly blend a bit of the chili to create a chunky, thicker texture. Or, transfer a cup or two of the chili to a blender and then pour back in.

Step Six: If adding vegan beef, add the beef to the chili and mix in until heated up.

Step Seven: Add your favorite toppings and enjoy this one-pot meal!

STORAGE & REHEATING

Storing chili is easy! Place any leftover chili in an airtight container for 4-5 days in the fridge. Remove individual portions and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

To freeze, place in a freezer friendly container for 2-3 months. When ready to serve, let thaw at room temperature and then heat up as you would normally.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What are the best chili toppings?

My favorite chili toppings are green onions, vegan shredded cheese, and vegan sour cream! Tortilla chips, fresh cilantro and avocado also taste great with chili.

What’s the best vegan beef to add in chili?

If you want to add vegan beef to this chili recipe, I highly recommend Trader Joe’s “meatless” beef crumbles. Not only does it taste great, but they also are pre-cooked so you just add at the end and mix in. Meat eaters will definitely be convinced it’s the real deal.

While vegan beef brings this chili to a whole new level, it’s also great as a meatless chili with just vegetables and beans – which are a great source of plant-based protein!

How do I make my chili spicier?

Want to make your chili spicier? You can adjust the spice level by adjusting how much cayenne pepper you add. For a spicier chili add more, for a mild chili feel free to omit or use red pepper flakes.

How do I thicken chili?

To thicken chili, I highly recommend blending a bit of the chili with an immersion blender (or transferring a cup or two to a blender) and then adding back in. It gives a hearty texture to the chili that’s delicious. If you want thick chili, but don’t want to blend, start out with less vegetable broth and slowly add more until you reach your desired consistency.

The longer you let the chili simmer, the more it will thicken as well.

How do I thin out chili?

To thin out the chili, add more vegetable broth or a little water until you reach your desired consistency.

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If you decide to try these out, let me know! I love seeing your recreations tagged on Instagram @nourishedwithnatalie.