Ever try a vegan chili recipe? It’s delicious! This meatless three bean chili 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!
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, it is meatless Monday so the perfect excuse to chow down on a bowl!
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 ground ‘beef’. You can omit one can of beans and replace with some veggie ground ‘beef’, if you like.
I often use veggie ground ‘beef’ and used it in this vegan sloppy joe recipe (so good).
Best Beans for Chili
For this vegan chili recipe (or any chili recipe, really) I often opt for any of the following:
- Black beans
- Kidney beans
- White kidney beans
- Romano beans
- Great Northern beans
Why We Love Beans
Beans are a staple in our home, both dried and canned. Whenever possible, I buy the unsalted (or 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 ’em 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.
How Long Does It Last
Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge and enjoy within 3 to 4 days.
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Can I Freeze Chili?
Yes, you can!
Similarly to my baked beans, this three bean chili freeze really well.
After the chili has 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 Options
As you know, I’m all about those garnishes for extra flavour and pops of colour. I enjoy any of these:
- Cilantro
- Greek yogurt (A favourite of mine. It adds creaminess to the chili and cools it down a touch. I often use it in lieu of sour cream). If you use yogurt, this will be a vegetarian chili recipe, not vegan. Still totally delicious!
- Green onion or diced red or white onion
- Sliced avocado
- Sliced hot peppers
- Diced fresh tomato
- Squeeze of lime
More Recipe Tips
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 OK too!
Like mentioned above, if you like, you could omit one can of beans and replace with a veggie ground ‘beef’. You can find this in your supermarket, usually right along where you would find tofu and the like.
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, my friend Karrie from Tasty Ever After has a recipe for cooking white beans.
More Yummy Meatless Recipes
Hope you love this meatless chili recipe as much as we do!
If you make this three bean chili recipe, be sure to leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed!
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Three Bean Chili Recipe (meatless chili recipe)
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 stalks 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 cayenne pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 (28 ounce) cans of whole peeled tomatoes , tomatoes roughly mashed with a potato masher to break up before using
- 2 to 3 chipotles in adobo sauce , chopped (or 1 to 2 teaspoons of chipotle powder or smoked paprika)
- 19 ounce can of unsalted (or no salt added) black beans . rinsed and drained (about 2 cups)
- 19 ounce can of unsalted (or no salt added) romano beans , rinsed and drained (about 2 cups)
- 19 ounce can unsalted (or no salt added) white kidney beans , rinsed and drained (about 2 cups)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Garnish Ideas (optional)
- Sliced jalapeno
- Chopped cilantro
- Sliced green onion
- Sliced avocado
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a 5 to 6 quart Dutch oven or large pot 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 powder, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Add cans of tomatoes and chipotle. 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, 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.
Nutrition (ESTIMATE ONLY)
Nutrition estimate (if provided) is based on 1 Serving.
Nutrition information (if provided) is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are guidelines only.
