Name: Loaded Vegetarian Chili at Home
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 medium onion (chopped); 1 medium green pepper (chopped into small pieces); 4 cloves garlic (pressed (or finely minced)); 3 cups vegetable broth; 15 ounce tomato sauce; 15 ounce diced tomatoes; 15 ounce kidney beans (drained and rinsed); 15 ounce great northern beans (drained and rinsed); 15 ounce black beans (drained and rinsed); 1 tablespoon baking cocoa; ½ teaspoon black pepper; ½ teaspoon chili powder; ½ teaspoon oregano; ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 cup frozen corn

And if you’re looking for more hearty vegetarian soup recipes, check out my Vegetarian French Onion Soup as well as my Vegan Lentil Soup and my Crockpot Potato Soup!

This time of year, ALL I want is a large pot of this unfussy vegan chili! It will warm up your soul as the chilly days roll in. This method is rich, packed with flavor, satisfying, healthy and straightforward to put together. A regular here my tempeh chili for the extra protein but this familiar vegetarian chili has my heart!

One of my go-to parts of this method is that it works well in a dutch oven, as well as a crock pot (I have a whole recipe for slow cooker vegetarian chili!). I usually make this vegetarian chili on the stovetop, but I recently discovered HOW GOOD it is in the crockpot too. Seriously, one of the DEPENDABLE vegan chili recipes I’ve ever made!

Chili made with beans and tomatoes in a pot.

Why you’ll love this method

So savory. Loaded with veggies, bold spices, 3 types of beans, and a touch of cocoa; this hearty chili is irresistible. You’ll certainly want to add it to your regular menu rotation!
Healthy. This dish is made with good-for-you, filling ingredients. Each serving is only 228 calories and it has almost 11 grams of plant-based protein.
Speedy & unfussy. This method is simple to prep, it’s all made in one pot, and it goes from pantry to table in around 30 minutes.

Ingredients needed

We call this loaded because you simply dump everything in the pot that sounds good. We’ve got 3 different kinds of beans, corn, and even cocoa powder. Here’s everything you’ll need:

Onion, green pepper & garlic. This trio of veggies adds savory savory flavor to the chili.
Vegetable broth & tomato sauce. The base of the chili. Use more or less veggie broth, depending on how thick you like chili.
Diced tomatoes. For an extra flavor boost try using fire-roasted tomatoes.
Beans. The recipe calls for kidney beans, great northern beans and black beans. However, feel free to use any beans you’d like. Pinto beans or chili beans would also work great.
Cocoa. My secret ingredient that makes the flavor truly pop! If you’re not so sure about the cocoa powder, try adding half of it in first. You could also only leave it out all together, BUT I highly recommend that you at least give it a try.
Spices. Black pepper, chili powder, oregano, and cayenne pepper create the dependable blend of flavors. Add a bit of salt as needed, too.
Corn. Corn adds a bit of crunch and sweetness. You can use fresh, frozen, or canned corn for this dish. Not everyone is a fan of corn in their chili so feel free to leave it out!

How for this Vegetarian Chili

One of the go-to things about chilis like this is that it’s minimal effort. Sauté some veggies in a big pot and then dump in the remaining ingredients to simply cook for a bit, and this ends up being quite a few meals. Here’s the simple process:

first step in making veggie chili: saute the onions and bell peppers in a large pot

STEP 1: In a large pot, saute the onion, bell pepper and garlic until softened.

second step in making veggie chili: adding in the beans, spices, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes + broth

STEP 2: Add in the remaining ingredients minus the corn and simmer for 30 minutes.

third step in making veggie chili: once it's cooked, add in the corn kernels

STEP 3: Right before taking off of the heat to serve, stir in the corn and let it heat for a few additional minutes.

Stirring beans, tomatoes and broth in a large pot.

STEP 4: Season to taste with salt and pepper and ENJOY!

Tips for success

This is seriously the dependable vegan chili recipe and it comes together with quite little effort, but here are few tips to consider.

Cook time. The longer the chili cooks, the more flavor it will have. So, if you’ve got the time, let it quite gently simmer on the stove for an hour or even up to 2 hours. If you cook it for several hours, you may need to add in only a bit more broth or water.
Versatility. This dish is especially versatile and you can easily customize it to fit your taste and ingredients you may have available. Feel free to add different spices or different amounts of the spices and do the same with any of the other ingredients.
Toppings. Serve this meal with plenty of topping choices such as avocado, guacamole, cotjia cheese, cheddar cheese, cilantro, green onion, red onion, jalapeño slices, sour cream, Greek yogurt, Pico de Gallo, crushed tortilla chips, and/or crumbled cornbread.

add all vegan chili ingredients to a slow cooker

How to make it in a Crockpot

This chili is also especially straightforward to make in a slow cooker! You can see my Crockpot Chili recipe here!

To adapt the recipe, simply dump ALL of the ingredients in your slow cooker and cook it on low for 5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours. THAT’s it!

If you would like, you can sauté the onion and pepper in some oil for about 5 minutes, add in the garlic, and sauté for a couple more minutes. Dump that in the crockpot with the rest of the ingredients. I like it both ways!

Frequently asked questions

Storage recommendations

This 3-bean chili is reliable for meal prep or as a make ahead meal, and reheats particularly well. In fact, I think it’s even tastier the next day!

Leftovers. Like other chili recipes, this can be stored in an airtight container and kept in your fridge for up to about 4 to 5 days.
Freezing. It freezes truly well, too! Once it’s completely cooled, place it in freezer-safe containers or resealable gallon-sized freezer bags. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. To thaw, transfer the chili to the fridge and store overnight. When ready to serve, reheat it on medium heat on the stovetop.