This Vegetarian Chili Recipe is packed with TONS of fresh veggies! It’s thick, cozy and filling. Freezer friendly and perfect for a big family dinner!
Let’s talk chili! I LOVE chili. It’s so comforting, you can load it up with beans, vegetables and delicious toppings, and it’s healthy! This entire pot of vegetarian chili only has 6 Weight Watchers points (Freestyle program)! It really is the BEST Vegetarian Chili Recipe and I think you all will love it as much as I do 🙂
I have a few different chili recipes on my site (because I love it so much) and this one is probably neck and neck with my Best Vegan Chili Recipe. This recipe is actually vegan as well, but I did top mine with some non-fat greek yogurt. I’m calling this the best vegetarian chili recipe though because it’s loaded with SO many veggies!
What You’ll Need To Make The Best Vegetarian Chili Recipe
- Vegetables – As always, I like to encourage you to use whatever veggies you and your family love. Here is what I used in this chili: onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, zucchini, carrots, corn and cauliflower rice. Sweet potato would be great too, but since I’m on WW I wanted to use all zero point vegetables.
- Beans – I used three cans of beans in this recipe. You could use all the same type of bean or mix it up, like I did. I used a can each of black, pinto and dark kidney beans.
- Tomato and Tomato Paste – I usually use a can of diced tomatoes but I wanted this recipe to have as little WW points as it could, so instead I diced up 3 fresh tomatoes. I did use 4 tablespoons of tomato paste though, because I love how it helps thicken the chili.
- Spices – There are quite a bit of spices used in this vegetarian chili recipe. If you cook a lot, you probably already have them in your cupboard. If not, you can try to find a bulk spice section at a natural foods store so you only have to buy what you need.
- Vegetable Broth – I’ve been using this Better Than Bullion paste for a while and love it! It stays good in the refrigerator for a long time and I just add in a teaspoon for every cup of water.
What Makes This The Best Vegetarian Chili?
- It’s loaded with spices! It may seem like a lot of spices but they are what make this chili recipe so flavorful. My go-to chili spices are: cumin, paprika, smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried herbs.
- I let the chili simmer for a bit to develop the flavor. Chili can take only about 30 minutes to make, but I’ve found that if you let it simmer a little bit longer, the flavor really comes out. You don’t have to let it cook all day, but once you add everything in I like to let it keep cooking for about 30 minutes if I have time.
- It’s nice and thick! I’ve said many times that I don’t really like brothy soups as much as I love thick and creamy soups. Chili is one that always has to be thick! In my Vegan Chili Recipe I add refried beans and tomato paste to help thicken it, but in this recipe I just blend up about 2 cups of the chili and then add it back into the pot. This helps give it such a great texture but also keeps a lot of it nice and chunky.
Chili Topping Ideas!
I feel like picking out your chili toppings is almost just as fun as eating the chili 🙂 Here are a few ideas in case you’re looking for some ways to jazz up your chili:
- Plain non-fat Greek yogurt, sour cream, shredded cheese
- Crackers, fritos, chips, croutons, cornbread
- Avocado, jalapeno, cilantro, green onion, tomato, onion, radishes,
I’d love to know what you think if you give this Vegetarian Chili Recipe a try!
Enjoy more hearty vegetarian soups here:
The BEST Vegetarian Chili Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Vegetarian Chili Recipes is hearty, cozy, heathy and delicious! It’s also packed with tons of vegetables!
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium sized zucchini, diced
- 1 cup small diced carrots
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup corn kernels
- 1 cup cauliflower rice
- 3 medium sized tomatoes, diced (or 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes)
- 3 (15 oz) cans beans, I used black, pinto and kidney, drained and rinsed
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 teaspoons cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon herbs de Provence, or dried Italian herbs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat and all olive oil, onion, bell peppers, zucchini, and carrot. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and let cook, covered until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, corn and cauliflower rice and cook another 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add the tomatoes, beans, tomato paste and spices. Stir together and then add the broth. Stir again, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- Carefully add two cups of the chili to a blender and blend until smooth. Add back to the chili and mix in. Serve, garnish and enjoy!
Notes
The entire pot of chili only has 6 (freestyle) WW points in it. It makes about 6 cups so about 1 point per cup.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
This is a great meal! I did all my chopping and prep and left the 3 steps for my husband to carry out. I came home from work and the kitchen smelled pretty good, but it wasn’t as fragrant as I was hoping for as I came home hungry and anticipating dinner. I made a bowl for myself and mixed some rice in to bulk it up a bit. It was delicious but felt more like minestrone soup than chili. I went to the fridge to get a little cheese to sprinkle on top and saw the little container of the pre-mixed spices still in the fridge! Ugh! So, just know, this recipe is so good, you can totally enjoy it even without the spice list added in. haha. If you go that route – it’s more like minestrone soup, I’d just add some macaroni in there and maybe a little more Italian spice and voila! I added the chili spices into the pot of dinner my husband made and wow! Good stuff for sure! This recipe is very versatile and healthy and inexpensive! Great job putting this one together, it will be in steady rotation in my house for sure.
Thank you!!
I made this chili last night for my husband and I, but left out the cauliflower and zucchini. We’re both not vegans or vegetarians (my husband especially loves to eat meat every day) but let me tell you something, we both agreed that this chili tastes MUCH better than any chili with meat we’ve ever eaten! I’ll be using this meatless recipe from now on when making chili and my husband happily agreed to this!
I’m so glad you both enjoyed it!!
Looking forward to making this! It doesn’t say to drain the beans. Is that correct? Use the liquid as well? This looks delicious!
Yes, do drain the beans, sorry about that! Will fix it!
OMG! I just made this and I absolutely love it! My daughter and I are vegetarians and this is by far the best vegetarian chili that I have made. I am a busy mom of 3 working remotely at a very stressful job. My husband helped me chopped the the vegetables and this chili was comfort food after a long day. I didn’t even take out the 2 cups and put them in the blender to add back and thicken – I just put a little more tomato paste (the no salt added Kind). Thank you for the recipe. It’s a keeoer!
That is so nice to year, Michele!! Food can be such a comfort and I’m so glad this chili made everyone happy! <3
Your title is accurate! Best veggie chili we’ve made. Thank you!
Yah!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
Not my typical meal. We totally enjoyed it.
So glad you enjoyed it!!
Are your sodium numbers correct
Let me double check, sometimes it doesn’t calculate quite right
Yummy. I guess you could always add tofu as well, but I love all of the beans and vegetables!
Definitely!
I am trying this one out tonight!
I hope you enjoyed it!!