Vegetarian Quinoa Chili
Updated March 03, 2020
Vegetarian Chili with Quinoa – a hearty vegan chili even meat lovers will love! Loaded with black beans, red kidney beans, tomatoes, and lots of veggies in addition to protein-rich quinoa, this is the best vegetarian chili recipe!
Vegetarian Quinoa Chili is no Laughing Matter..
Or maybe it is. Caleb loves this Vegetarian Quinoa Chili! No, we didn’t give him a bowl to eat, but he loves the word quinoa. I was holding Caleb when I told Josh we were having Quinoa Chili for dinner and he started laughing. I asked Caleb if he liked Quinoa Chili and he started giggling like crazy. Every time I would say quinoa, he would crack up…so of course, I said it one too many times:) Now that I think of it, quinoa is kind of a funny word. I am glad my Vegetarian Quinoa Chili made Caleb so happy because it certainly made our bellies and taste buds happy. This is the BEST vegetarian chili recipe!
Vegan Chili Meat Lovers will Love
This chili is hearty and very filling. It is vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free, but meat lovers will enjoy it as well. This vegan chili is made with black beans, red kidney beans, tomatoes, and lots of vegetables-onion, carrots, celery, green pepper, red pepper, and zucchini. We threw in a jalapeño, chili powder, and cumin. Don’t ever skip the chili powder and cumin when making chili, they are the key spices in any chili recipe and really add great flavor in this vegan chili.
Protein-Packed Vegetarian Chili
The beans and quinoa team up to make this chili a protein powerhouse! I love the texture the quinoa adds to the chili. You can top the chili with green onions, cheese, sour cream/Greek yogurt, avocado slices, chips, crackers, or serve cornbread on the side. The chili is good, if not better, the second day. We enjoyed leftovers for a few days and loved it every time. And if you can’t eat it all, put the chili in the freezer for a rainy day-it freezes really well.
Best Vegetarian Chili Recipe, Hands Down
This is my new favorite chili recipe. If you are looking for a new chili recipe to try this winter, make a big pot of Vegetarian Quinoa Chili. It will warm you up and fill you up. This vegan chili is also perfect for an easy weeknight dinner or for any game day. It is easy to make and your guests will love it. It is always a hit with everyone, even the meat lovers! They never miss the meat because this healthy chili is so filling and delicious!
If you like this vegetarian chili recipe, you might also like:
- Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
- Sweet Potato Chickpea Chili
- White Chicken Chili
- White Chickpea Chili
- Slow Cooker Vegan Sweet Potato Chili
- One Pot Vegetarian Chili Mac and Cheese
Vegetarian Quinoa Chili
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quinoa rinsed
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper diced
- 1 large carrot peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 medium zucchini chopped
- 2 (15 ounce cans) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 ounce can) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 (15 ounce cans) diced tomatoes
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2-3 tablespoons chili powder depending on your taste (we used 3)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Optional toppings: green onions avocado slices, cheese, sour cream, Greek yogurt, chips, crackers, etc.
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, combine the quinoa and water. Cook over medium heat until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, jalapeño, carrot, celery, peppers, and zucchini. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add the black beans, kidney beans, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Stir in the cooked quinoa. Season with chili powder, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Simmer chili on low for about 30 minutes. Serve warm.
- Note-garnish the chili with green onions, avocado slices, cheese, sour cream/Greek yogurt, chips, crackers, if desired. This chili freezes well.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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How much is one serving?
I have same question.
This has been my go to vegan chili since 2012!
Made this today and followed the recipe. Delicious! Thank you for sharing.
You’re right – you don’t even miss the meat! A little prep is worth it for an amazing veg chili! I leave the quinoa out of the pot and just top off each individual bowl with a spoonful. That way, it doesn’t absorb the extra moisture…. we like a soupy chili 🙂 Thank you!
So glad you love the chili!!
This recipe for Vegetarian Chili was so good – healthy but still yummy! It made a lot for my small family, so we froze what was leftover and it still tasted just as good as it originally did when I first made it!
I am so glad you loved it!
This is delicious! I have made it several times. I add an extra can of kidney beans beans. Thanks for an amazing recipe.
You are welcome! Such a good cozy meal.
I love this chili recipe so much. It’s the only one I ever make
So happy you love the chili. Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely delicious. I made a batch last week and plan to make another batch tomorrow.
Glad you love the chili.
Absolutely loved this recipe. Never made chili before and this turned out great. Eating some right now as we speak, second day leftover goodness 🙂
Enjoy!
I found this to be too tomatoey. 🙁 Going to try throwing some coconut sugar in to see if that helps.
I love all the wholesome ingredients, but at the end found this to be too tomatoey for my tastes. 🙁 I’m going to try throwing some coconut sugar in to see if that helps.
I made this last night, with a few modifications based on what was in the frig. No carrots (sad), and I added chipotle peppers in adobo sauce because I like spice. I also used vegetable stock instead of water for no particular reason other than more flavor. The red quinoa was perfect. I ended up with a tasty chili and a good consistency, not too soupy. I will definitely make this again.
What size are the servings? I hate doing it this way if you are only cooking for one or two it is hard to tell what the serving size is. Better in volume like cups,