• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Girl Heart Food®
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Main Dish Recipes

    Three Bean Chili (Meatless Chili Recipe)

    Published: March 19, 2018 Updated: October 8, 2019 / By: Dawn | Girl Heart Food 41 Comments

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Email
    Jump to Recipe
    Bowl of three bean chili garnished with toppings.

    This meatless three bean chili recipe is rich in flavour from lots of chili powder, cumin and coriander and has a hit of smoky spice from chipotle peppers. It’s super hearty and will warm ya right up on a cold day! Garnish with your favourite toppings!

    Bowl of three bean chili garnished with toppings.

    Hi everyone! How was your weekend? Are you wondering how I’m doing with my meatless March adventure? So, for those of you who aren’t familiar, basically I’d enjoy a whole month of vegetarian-only meals.

    Though, I’m not a vegetarian, I absolutely love vegetarian and vegan eats.

    This past month, I got a huge hankering for some of my faves like wings and chili.

    You know when all is going through your mind is that and you can’t let it go until you have? That was me, LOL. Good thing I love spicy cauliflower wings and I was covered with this yummy vegetarian chili.

    This meatless chili is so hearty, even meat lovers would inhale a huge bowl of it. While it’s no longer meatless March, any day is a good one to chow down on a bowl (if you ask me)!

    Ingredients for Three Bean Chili

    You basically have similar components in a meatless chili as you would for a regular meat-based one, except, of course, there’s no meat.

    There are:

    • Plenty of beans
    • Veggies, like celery, bell pepper and mushrooms
    • Aromatics, like onion and garlic
    • Canned tomatoes and tomato paste
    • Lots of flavourful seasoning
    • Cider vinegar
    • Oil

    Tip: If you want to add a beef-like texture, try using veggie meat crumbles. You can omit one can of beans and replace with some of that (if you like).

    I often use veggie meat crumbles and used it in this vegan sloppy joe recipe (so good).

    Ingredients for a meatless chili recipe.

    Best Beans To Use

    For this three bean chili recipe (or most chili recipes, really) I often use any of the following canned beans:

    • Black beans
    • Kidney beans
    • White kidney beans
    • Romano beans
    • Great Northern beans
    Three varieties of canned beans in a glass bowl.

    Why We Love Beans

    Beans are a staple in our home, both dried and canned. Whenever possible, I buy the no salt added variety of canned beans and, of course, I always rinse them before using.

    Beans are not only pretty inexpensive, but they are tasty and versatile.

    I use them in salads, burgers, soups, dips, and chili on the regular. I can honestly say that I’ve never eaten as many beans as I do now.t

    Spoonful of three bean chili from a bowl.

    Can I Freeze This Chili?

    Yes, you can!

    Similarly to my baked beans, this three bean chili freezes really well.

    After the chili has cooked and cooled, portion as desired (I like to portion smaller quantities so I can just take out what’s needed at any given time; plus, it thaws quickly) and place into vacuum sealer bags (follow the instructions for your vacuum sealer to seal). Once sealed, spread the bags out flat. Place onto a sheet pan and into your freezer. Once frozen, you can remove the sheet pan and stack the frozen packages of chili neatly in your freezer.

    Alternatively, use your favourite sealable freezer-safe bags or freezer-safe containers (leaving some headspace at the top of the container for the liquid to expand as it freezes).

    Freeze the chili for up to four to six months. Don’t forget to label the bag or container with the recipe name and date it was made, so you’ll know for later.

    When ready to enjoy, thaw the chili overnight in the refrigerator.

    To reheat, place chili in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. If you want to loosen or thin it out, add a splash of broth or water. 

    Garnish Ideas

    As you know, I’m all about those garnishes for extra flavour and pops of colour. I enjoy any of these:

    • Cilantro
    • Green onion or diced red or white onion
    • Sliced avocado
    • Sliced hot peppers
    • Diced fresh tomato
    • Squeeze of lime
    Hand squeezing a lime over a bowl of 3 bean chili.

    Tips for Making This Recipe

    • Canned romano, black bean and white kidney beans were used in this recipe. Use whatever you have on hand (suggestions above). And if you only have one type of bean, that’s okay too!
    • Don’t have fresh mushrooms on hand, only canned? No worries! Drain those and use an equivalent quantity of canned mushrooms.
    • Like things more or less spicy? Just adjust the cayenne and chipotle peppers to taste.
    • If you want to use dried beans and pre-cook them, this is a recipe for cooking white beans.
    Two hands holding a bowl of three bean chili.

    More Yummy Meatless Recipes

    • Black Bean Burger
    • Lentil Burger
    • Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

    If you make this three bean chili recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!

    Bowl of three bean chili garnished with toppings.

    Three Bean Chili (Meatless Chili Recipe)

    Dawn | Girl Heart Food
    This meatless three bean chili recipe is rich in flavour from lots of chili powder, cumin and coriander and has a hit of smoky spice from chipotle peppers. It's super hearty and will warm ya right up on a cold day! Garnish with your favourite toppings!
    5 from 12 votes
    Print Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 40 mins
    Total Time 1 hr
    Course Main Course
    Servings 6 servings
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced
    • 3 cups sliced baby bella (cremini) or white button mushrooms
    • 2 ribs celery, sliced about ¼-inch thick
    • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
    • 2 bell peppers, cut into bite-sized pieces (medium dice)
    • 3 tablespoons chili powder
    • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
    • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
    • ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, tomatoes roughly mashed with a potato masher to break up before using
    • 2 to 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped (or 1 to 2 teaspoons of chipotle powder or smoked paprika)
    • 1 (19-ounce) can no salt added black beans, rinsed and drained
    • 1 (19-ounce) can no salt added romano beans, rinsed and drained
    • 1 (19-ounce) can no salt added white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
    • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

    Garnish Ideas (optional)

    • Sliced jalapeno
    • Chopped cilantro
    • Sliced green onion
    • Sliced avocado
    • Crushed tortilla chips

    Instructions

    • Heat olive oil in a large enameled cast-iron Dutch oven over medium heat.
    • Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened slightly, about 3 to 4 minutes,
    • Add garlic, stir, and cook 1 minute. 
    • Add mushrooms and celery, stirring often, until celery has softened and mushrooms have lost some of their moisture, about 5 minutes.
    • Add tomato paste and stir to combine. Cook 1 minute.
    • Add bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Stir to combine.  
    • Add cans of tomatoes and chipotle peppers. Stir to combine. Bring to simmer, cover and cook 15 minutes or until vegetables are almost tender.
    • Add beans, stirring to combine, and cook an additional 10 minutes, covered.
    • Stir in apple cider vinegar. Serve and garnish to taste (if desired) with any of the garnish ideas or your favourite chili toppings. Enjoy!

    Notes

    Like things more or less spicy? Just adjust the cayenne and chipotle peppers to taste.

    A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

    Keyword meatless chili

    Tried this recipe?

    If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!

    « Homemade Granola (Crunchy Clusters)
    Easy Cornbread With Cheese »

    © Girl Heart Food Inc. All photographs and content are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED.

    Primary Sidebar

    Profile picture of Dawn from Girl Heart Food.

    Hi, I'm Dawn! Welcome to Girl Heart Food, a food blog that's all about easy comfort food recipes (especially cheesy recipes) that'll satisfy your taste buds and make your belly happy. Have a look around and find something that'll inspire you to get into the kitchen and whip up something delicious to enjoy today!

    More about Girl Heart Food →

    Currently Trending

    • Cheesy Ground Beef Quesadillas
    • Old-Fashioned Cabbage Rolls (Inspired by Nan)
    • Buttermilk Fried Crispy Chicken Burger
    • Pan Fried Smelt Recipe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up for emails & updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work With Girl Heart Food

    Copyright © 2022 Girl Heart Food Inc.

    Girl Heart Food® is a Registered Trademark.

    Use of this site constitutes acceptance of its Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.