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    Home » Entrees

    The Best Vegan Chili

    Published: Apr 11, 2022 Updated: Apr 11, 2022 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Vegan Chili

    The best vegan chili is loaded with beans, veggies and plenty of flavor! It’s hearty, cozy, comforting and insanely delicious. It’s also super easy to make with pantry staples.

    Vegan chili in a black bowl with chopped cilantro, cashew cream and diced avocado.

    This delicious, hearty vegan chili is one of our absolute favorite vegan dinners. It’s so easy to make, with simple pantry ingredients.

    It is absolutely loaded with flavor and takes around an hour to make. Plus, leftovers are divine and it freezes beautifully too. So it’s perfect to make a large pot of this even if you’ll eat it over a few days.

    It also makes the perfect meatless Monday meal because even meat-eaters will not miss the meat one bit in this hearty, satisfying dinner.

    Serve it with cashew cream on top and vegan cornbread on the side and you have a seriously memorable meal.

    Ingredients You’ll Need To Make This Bean Chili:

    Ingredients to make vegan chili.

    Ingredient Notes

    • Black beans and red kidney beans – this is our favorite combination of canned beans for this bean chili, but you are welcome to mix and match or just use any canned beans you have on hand.
    • Chopped tomatoes – canned chopped tomatoes work best for texture rather than crushed tomatoes.
    • Chili powder, oregano, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin – is the perfect spice combination for that smoky, layered, chili flavor.
    • Light brown sugar – simply cuts the acidity from the tomato. Coconut sugar also works great.
    Vegan chili in a black bowl with chopped cilantro, cashew cream and diced avocado.

    How To Make Vegan Chili

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    • Heat a large pot over medium heat, add olive oil and chopped onion and sauté until the onions are softened. About 5 minutes.
    Onions and olive oil added to pot and sautéed.
    • Add sliced celery and carrots and sauté with the onions until the veggies have softened. About 12 minutes.
    Chopped celery and carrot added to pot and sautéed.
    • Add crushed garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper and smoked paprika and cook until the spices are fragrant. About 2 minutes.
    Crushed garlic and spices added to pot and sautéed.
    • Add canned chopped tomato, vegetable stock, tomato paste, kidney beans and black beans and stir in. Bring it to a gentle simmer.
    • Reduce heat and gently simmer, uncovered until the vegetables are cooked and the flavors have blended together. About 30 minutes.
    Canned tomatoes, vegetable stock, tomato paste and beans added to pot and brought to a simmer.
    • Add light brown sugar for flavor balance and stir in. Add sea salt to taste.
    Light brown sugar and salt added to pot and mixed in.
    • Your vegan chili is ready to serve.
    Vegan chili in a pot with a serving spoon.

    How To Serve Vegan Chili

    This is divine served with a dollop of plain cashew cream. It cuts the spiciness perfectly and adds an extra layer of total deliciousness to this meal. It is also great with some vegan sour cream if you want more of a tang. 

    My preference is for the plain cashew cream (as pictured here), I feel that the more plain option works better to alleviate the spiciness of the dish. 

    Some fresh chopped cilantro and diced avocado are also great accompaniments.

    And sides? You just can’t go wrong with vegan cornbread on the side, or make some vegan cornbread muffins instead. Vegan biscuits also pair perfectly.

    Vegan chili in a black bowl with chopped cilantro, cashew cream and diced avocado.

    Storing and Freezing

    Storing: Leftovers keep very well for 4-5 days, covered in the fridge. You can reheat it on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave.

    Freezing: It freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and heat on the stovetop over low heat, or in the microwave.

    Vegan chili with chopped cilantro, cashew cream and diced avocado in a black bowl with a spoon.

    More Comforting Vegan Stews and Soups

    1. Vegan Minestrone Soup
    2. Vegan Black Bean Soup
    3. Vegan Stew
    4. Vegan Gumbo
    5. Vegan Jambalaya
    6. Easy Ratatouille
    Spoonful of vegan chili.

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Vegan chili with cashew cream, chopped cilantro and diced avocado in a black bowl.

    Vegan Chili

    The best vegan chili is loaded with beans, veggies and plenty of flavor! It's hearty, cozy, comforting and insanely delicious. It's also super easy to make with pantry staples.
    5 from 17 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 249kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    For the Chili:

    • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
    • 1 Medium Onion White, Yellow or Brown, Chopped
    • 2 Medium Stalks Celery Sliced
    • 2 Medium Carrots Sliced
    • 2 Cloves Garlic Crushed
    • 2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
    • 1 teaspoon Cumin
    • 1 teaspoon Oregano
    • ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
    • 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
    • 28 ounces Canned Chopped Tomato (800g)
    • 1 cup Vegetable Stock (240ml) or Broth
    • ½ cup Tomato Paste (130g)
    • 15 ounce Can Kidney Beans Drained
    • 15 ounce Can Black Beans Drained
    • 2 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar or Coconut Sugar
    • Sea Salt To taste

    For Serving:

    • Cashew Cream
    • Fresh Chopped Cilantro
    • Avocado
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Heat a large pot over medium heat, add olive oil and chopped onion and sauté until the onions are softened. About 5 minutes.
    • Add sliced celery and carrots and sauté with the onions until the veggies have softened. About 12 minutes.
    • Add crushed garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper and smoked paprika and cook until the spices are fragrant. About 2 minutes.
    • Add canned chopped tomato, vegetable stock, tomato paste, kidney beans and black beans and stir in. Bring it to a gentle simmer.
    • Reduce heat and gently simmer, uncovered until the vegetables are cooked and the flavors have blended together. About 30 minutes.
    • Add light brown sugar for flavor balance and stir in. Add sea salt to taste.
    • Serve with cashew cream, fresh chopped cilantro and diced avocado.

    Notes

    1. Storing: Leftovers keep very well for 4-5 days, covered in the fridge. You can reheat it on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave.
    2. Freezing: It freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and heat on the stovetop over low heat, or in the microwave.
    3. Nutritional information is for chili only and excludes toppings. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 1034mg | Potassium: 1049mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 4977IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 5mg
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sam says

      October 20, 2022 at 5:57 pm

      Tried this recipe for the first time today without sugar and celery but added mushrooms and peppers instead. It was absolutely delicious, probably the best chilli I’ve ever eaten and I made it myself! I didn’t try the cashew cream but served the chilli with boiled white rice. I will start making this in batches and save remainders in the fridge or freezer. Thank you for the recipe!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 21, 2022 at 8:18 am

        Thanks so much for the amazing review Sam!

        Reply
    2. Megan says

      September 26, 2022 at 3:05 pm

      Great recipe! I’ve made several of your recipes and I’ve loved all of them. This chili was phenomenal and far surpassed other recipes I’ve tried. We had a bit of leftover gardein grounds in the fridge and threw that in too. Definitely looking forward to making this again! Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        September 27, 2022 at 9:47 am

        Thank you so much Megan! Really appreciate the awesome review.

        Reply
    3. Greta says

      August 11, 2022 at 10:35 pm

      Excellent recipe…will make again cuz everyone liked it…used white kidney and pinto beans and added veggie crumbles n a bit of ancho chili powder for extra oomph…very substantial meal…nut allergy all around so didn’t try the cashew cream…this recipe will be on repeat with football season starting, thank you kindly Alison…5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 12, 2022 at 10:17 am

        So happy to hear that Greta, thanks so much for the great review.

        Reply
    4. Glenys Bellaney says

      June 05, 2022 at 9:23 am

      Made this recipe today for our daughter and son in law as they are vegan, I must say it was absolutely delicious and so easy to make. Will definitely be making this again. Thank you 😋5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 06, 2022 at 12:32 pm

        Wonderful! Thanks so much Glenys!

        Reply
    5. Lisa says

      May 06, 2022 at 12:14 pm

      I don’t know why it has taken so long to write a review as I have made this many, many times! It’s such a delicious, simple recipe. I didn’t add carrot and celery until tonight and this made it even tastier. Thank you!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 06, 2022 at 12:31 pm

        Thanks so much Lisa! xoxo

        Reply
    6. Carol Bradstreet says

      April 12, 2022 at 9:36 pm

      Easy to make, and very tasty. I’ll make this again.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 13, 2022 at 9:27 am

        Thanks so much Carol!

        Reply
    7. Tothie says

      April 12, 2022 at 5:41 am

      This recipe was easy and delicious! I subbed garbanzo beans for the kidney beans. I didn’t have enough cashews on hand to make the cream but quartering a whole ripe avocado for each serving gave it some creaminess. Yum – I will make this one again.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 12, 2022 at 10:26 am

        Awesome Tothie! Thanks so much for the amazing review!

        Reply
    8. Debbie says

      June 05, 2021 at 9:29 am

      I tried this recipe, it was absolutely delicious. The cashew cream gave it extra delicious flavour. Thank you, Debbie5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 05, 2021 at 10:06 am

        So glad you enjoyed it Debbie! Thank you!

        Reply
    9. Paula Glogowski says

      March 10, 2020 at 10:58 am

      This chili was amazing with a wonderful mix of flavors. I used white kidney beans instead of black beans. I made a double recipe so we could get lunches out of it too. This was so delicious. Thank you for such great recipes.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        March 10, 2020 at 12:46 pm

        So happy to hear that! Thanks so much for sharing Paula!

        Reply
    10. Ana says

      December 07, 2019 at 8:16 pm

      Delicious and simple recipe!!! Great foundation to add to. Thanks so much. I cut back on the brown sugar by about 1/2 and added a tad more chili powder and a can of pinto beans and it came out excellent!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 08, 2019 at 11:04 am

        So glad you enjoyed it Ana! Thanks for the awesome review. 🙂

        Reply
    11. Hussain says

      March 23, 2019 at 6:59 pm

      Tried this recipe today, tasted amazing and so easy to make.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        March 23, 2019 at 7:09 pm

        So glad to hear it was good! Thanks so much for posting! 🙂

        Reply
    12. Jackie says

      February 19, 2019 at 1:49 pm

      This is so good! I love how easy it is and it’s extremely tasty and filling. Thanks for the recipe. Definitely a keeper.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 19, 2019 at 1:57 pm

        Thanks Jackie, we love it too. It’s so hearty! Thanks for the awesome review. 🙂

        Reply
    13. Anna Andrews says

      April 14, 2018 at 6:21 am

      With winter coming on, this is an ideal warming, hearty winter meal5 stars

      Reply

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