Vegetarian Chili
Posted Jan 03, 2022, Updated Feb 21, 2025
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This vegetarian chili recipe is easy to make in 30 minutes on the stovetop. It’s loaded with veggies and perfectly seasoned with a homemade spice mixture. It’s a healthy, hearty and cozy meal.
Chili is one of our favorite cold weather meals. We love beef chili, chicken chili, crock pot chili, turkey chili, etc. So I decided to create the best vegetarian chili for my fellow veggie lovers!
This vegetarian chili recipe is the epitome of healthy comfort food. It’s absolutely loaded with vegetables and perfectly seasoned with a homemade spice mixture.
It’s easy to make in 30 minutes which means it’s a healthy, quick and easy weeknight meal. Delicious served with homemade cornbread, cheese biscuits, or pretzel bread!
Vegetarian Chili: Ingredients and Substitutions
Note: you can replace any vegetable with an equal amount of another vegetable if there’s a veggie you don’t prefer listed in this recipe.
- Olive oil. Avocado oil or canola oil are good substitutes for olive oil.
- Onion. Use red, yellow, or a sweet white onion.
- Minced garlic. Garlic powder can be used in place of minced garlic, just add it with the spice blend.
- Sweet potato. You can substitute your favorite potato here, but I prefer sweet potatoes (yams).
- Bell peppers. any color variety of bell pepper works well in this recipe. If you like to add some heat, use spicier peppers.
- Shredded zucchini. I like to shred it so that it’s undetectable to my kids. You can dice it if you prefer.
- Corn. Fresh and frozen corn both work well in this turkey chili.
- Spice mixture. I have written this recipe with the spice ratios and combination that we enjoy the most. If you change it I cannot guarantee the results. The one thing I will say is that you can add more chili powder, or some cayenne powder to increase the heat if you wish (we like mild chili). re chili powder, or some cayenne powder to increase the heat. This is a mild chili as written. Or, use a packet of seasoning for ease, or make this homemade chili seasoning recipe and use 4 Tablespoons.
- Fire roasted tomatoes.You can substitute regular canned, diced tomatoes.
- Black Beans. I use one can of black beans because my husband does not prefer beans, so I don’t like to make our chili too “beany.” However you can add another can (2 cans total) if you love beans. You can also use any type of beans you like. My other favorites are kidney beans, great northern (white) beans, and garbanzo beans (chickpeas).
- Tomato sauce. I always have canned tomato sauce on hand (to make homemade pizza sauce). But you can substitute homemade tomato sauce as well.
How to Make Vegetarian Chili
This veggie chili recipe comes together in 30 minutes flat. It is important to follow the order the vegetables are cooked in (sweet potatoes first, etc). to ensure they are all properly cooked.
Begin my making the spice mixture by combining all the spices listed in a small bowl. Set this mixture aside to use later.
Next, cook the sweet potato, water, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, onion and minced garlic in a large pot, covered over medium heat. Be sure to stir occasionally until the sweet potatoes are soft (about 10-15 minutes).
Note: If you chop the vegetables into very small pieces, they will cook faster. Larger, more coarsely chopped vegetables will take longer to cook.
Once the sweet potatoes are soft, add the bell peppers, carrots, corn, shredded zucchini and the remaining 1 TBS olive oil to the sweet potatoes in the pot, cover and cook until carrots are soft (about 10 minutes).
Then, add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, chilies, spice mixture and beans and stir until evenly distributed.
Cook over medium heat with the lid slightly ajar for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, reduce heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until ready to serve, stirring occasionally.
To Prepare in Advance
Sometimes I make this veggie chili right after lunch and let it sit on the stove, covered all afternoon. Then I warm it up and simmer when we’re ready to eat dinner.
Serve
Serve with your favorite chili fixings! Our favorites include:
- Green onions
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Cornbread (or cornbread croutons, cornbread muffins or this healthy skillet cornbread)
- Pretzel bread (try it and thank me later)
- Cheese biscuits or classic biscuits
- No knead bread
How to Store Vegetarian Chili
Store leftover veggie chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
Freeze
You can freeze this vegetarian chili in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Reheat by thawing it in the refrigerator overnight and warming it on the stovetop.
Vegetarian Chili Recipe FAQs
My top three choices for chili are black beans, northern (white) beans, and kidney beans.
Absolutely. Freeze it in an airtight container for up to two months.
Yes, all the beans should be drained and rinsed before using in this turkey chili recipe.
This recipe is loaded with veggies and beans making it a healthy meal full of protein, fiber and nutrients.
If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!
Vegetarian Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil divided
- ½ cup onion finely diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup sweet potato finely diced
- ½ cup water
- 2 bell peppers diced
- ½ cup carrots finely diced
- ½ cup corn fresh or frozen & thawed
- 1 cup zucchini shredded
- 14 ounces fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 15 ounces can tomato sauce
- 4 ounces diced green chilies
- 14 ounces can black beans drained and rinsed
Spice mixture:
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 2 Tablespoons paprika
- 1 ½ Tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
Instructions
- Mix cumin, coriander, paprika, chili powder, sugar, sea salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Add sweet potato, water, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, onion and minced garlic to a large pot, cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sweet potatoes are soft (about 10-15 minutes)
- Add bell peppers, carrots, corn, shredded zucchini and the remaining 1 TBS olive oil to the sweet potatoes in the pot, cover and cook until carrots are soft (about 10 minutes).
- Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chilies, spice mixture and beans and stir until evenly distributed.
- Cook over medium heat with the lid slightly ajar for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, reduce heat to a simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until ready to serve, stirring occasionally.
- Serve with your favorite chili fixings! Our favorites include sour cream, green onions, cheddar cheese, and crushed tortilla chips!
Video
Notes
- Olive oil. Avocado oil or canola oil are good substitutes for olive oil.
- Onion. Use red, yellow, or a sweet white onion.
- Minced garlic. Garlic powder can be used in place of minced garlic, just add it with the spice blend.
- Sweet potato. You can substitute your favorite potato here, but I prefer sweet potatoes (yams).
- Bell peppers. any color variety of bell pepper works well in this recipe. If you like to add some heat, use spicier peppers.
- Shredded zucchini. I like to shred it so that it’s undetectable to my kids. You can dice it if you prefer.
- Corn. Fresh and frozen corn both work well in this turkey chili.
- Spice mixture. You can add more chili powder, or some cayenne powder to increase the heat if you wish (we like mild chili). Use a packet of seasoning for ease, or make this homemade chili seasoning recipe and use 4 Tablespoons.
- Fire roasted tomatoes.You can substitute regular canned, diced tomatoes.
- Black Beans. I use one can of black beans because my husband does not prefer beans, so I don’t like to make our chili too “beany.” However you can add another can (2 cans total) if you love beans. You can also use any type of beans you like. My other favorites are kidney beans, great northern (white) beans, and garbanzo beans (chickpeas).
- Green onions
- sour cream
- shredded cheddar cheese
- crushed tortilla chips
- cornbread (or cornbread croutons, cornbread muffins or this healthy skillet cornbread)
- pretzel bread (try it and thank me later)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Can you explain what you mean, Sue?
This hit the spot! I followed every direction and measurement except I used regular tomatoes instead of fire roasted. This chili hit the spot!!!
Thank you Abby!!
Loved how it tastes and how healthy it is. Thanks!
We have a freezing temperature in Austin. Made this recipe today.It was sooo delicious. I plugged in crockpot for 4 hours added Quinoa also, came out so good
Thank you !
Super delicious and easy to prepare!! Thank you!!
Delicious! My family loved it and it was so easy to make! It was also very healthy !
Such a great recipe, thank you for sharing.