This 3 bean chilli is packed with veggies, absolutely loaded with flavour and so easy to make. It’s also 100% meat eater approved!
Yep, and that’s coming from me! The guy runs a blog with the word bacon in it 🤣 But for real though this chilli is super hearty and you certainly won’t miss the meat. Follow me…
The BEST Veggie Chilli Recipe
As I was developing this recipe I was conscious of a few things:
- Flavour – a chilli, be it vegetarian or not, is the perfect opportunity to pack in flavour. The difference between a good chilli and a great chilli is huge, and a lot of that comes down to flavour. In this recipe we’re using large quantities of spices to bring out the best in the veggies.
- Consistency – a lot of chilli recipes are served watery, almost verging on a soup. Vegetable chillis tend to fall victim to this the most. This chilli has a nice thick, rich sauce.
- Hearty – feat not, this recipe is hearty as hell. 3 cans of beans and a sweet potato? You know we love carbs around here!
How to make Veggie Chilli
This is actually a really simple recipe and is conveniently all made in one pot. Just a few things to mention:
Frying most of the veg
We’re going to fry a lot of the veg, not only to cook out the moisture, but also so they can pick up a bit of colour. Caramelizing the veg will add more flavour to the chilli.
Tomato Passata
This is a key ingredient. Tomato passata is essentially pureed strained tomatoes, and has a nice thick texture. Instead of crushed or chopped tomatoes, which have a much more watery texture, tomato passata helps create a thick, rich sauce.
Simmering the sauce
Simmering the sauce is crucial for a few different reasons:
- Gives time for the flavours to marry together.
- Reduces and thickens the sauce.
- Allows the sweet potato and beans to cook through.
Process shots: fry peppers, onion, carrot and celery (photo 1), fry garlic (photo 2), add passata and veg stock (photo 3), add beans and seasoning (photo 4), mix then simmer (photo 5), stir through coriander/cilantro (photo 6).
Serving Veggie Chilli
The chilli is great by itself, but every chilli deserves a few toppings! Here’s my faves:
- Cheddar
- Sour Cream
- Tortilla Chips
- Avocado
- Jalapeños
- Coriander/Cilantro
- Lime Wedges
Process shots: add cheese (photo 1), add sour cream (photo 2), add avocado (photo 3), add jalapeños and coriander/cilantro (photo 4).
Veggie Chilli FAQ
What kind of beans to use?
Most kind of canned beans will work. Here I’ve used kidney beans, black beans and borlotti beans. Haricot, butterbean and pinto all work well too.
Can I add meat?
If you’re after chilli recipes with meat check out my Beef Chilli Con Carne, Chili Mac and Slow Cooker Turkey Chili!
How long does vegetable chilli last in the fridge?
Tightly stored in the fridge this will last 3-4days. Reheat on the stove or microwave.
Can you freeze vegetable chilli?
Yep! Just thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this veggie chilli shall we?!
How to make Vegetable Chilli (Full Recipe & Video)
The ULTIMATE Veggie Chilli
Equipment
- Large Pot & Wooden Spoon
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Colander or Sieve (for beans)
- Jug (for stock)
- Ladle (to serve)
Ingredients
Chilli
- 2 1/2 cups / 625ml Vegetable Stock
- 2 cups / 500g Tomato Passata (Pureed Strained Tomatoes in US)
- 3x 14oz/400g cans of Beans, drained (see notes)
- 1 small Sweet Potato, peeled & diced into very small bite sized pieces (weight around 9oz-10oz/250-300g unpeeled)
- 2 Peppers, finely diced (one red one green)
- 1 medium/large Onion, finely diced
- 1 medium/large Carrot, finely diced
- 2 ribs of Celery, finely diced
- 3-4 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
- 2 tbsp EACH: Paprika, Cumin, Chilli Powder, or to spice preference (see notes)
- 1/2 tsp EACH: Salt, Sugar, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper, or to taste
- 2 tbsp finely diced Coriander/Cilantro (can omit if you don't like it)
- Olive Oil, as needed
Ideas to serve
- Cheddar (highly recommend)
- Sour Cream (highly recommend)
- Tortilla Chips
- Avocado
- Jalapeños
- Coriander/Cilantro
- Lime Wedges
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium-high heat add a drizzle of olive oil along with the onion, carrot, celery and peppers. Fry until they begin to soften and take on colour, then lower heat to medium and fry the garlic for another minute or so.
- Pour in passata and vegetable stock, then add in sweet potato, beans, chilli powder, paprika, cumin, salt, sugar and pepper. Give it a good stir then simmer until the sauce thickens and the sweet potato is cooked right through, around 30-40mins depending on the size of your sweet potato chunks. If the sauce reduces too much before the sweet potato cooks, just add more stock or water. If you go overboard with the stock just gently simmer to your desired thickness.
- Stir through coriander/cilantro then taste test for seasoning and adjust with chilli powder, salt and sugar if needed. Serve up with your favourite toppings. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
Looking for more ways to pack in your veggies? Check these out:
If you loved this Veggie Chilli Recipe then be sure to pin it for later! Already made them or got a question? Give me a shout in the comments below and pick up your free ecookbook along the way!
Please note that in the uk 1 tblsp actually
means a tablespoon which is an excessive amount of chilli powder
in American recipes a tblsp means a teaspoon (tsp) so not a great result inedible..
However the 2nd attempt was perfect great consistency a delicious recipe
Fabulous recipe I omitted the sugar and added a tiny (fingernail size) piece of dark chocolate. It turned out really well. However, it was fiery hot in taste. I used Waitrose own brand chilli powders – a mix of hot and mild. I don’t know if Waitrose own brand chilli powder is hotter than other brands, as it’s the first time I’ve used them… just a word of warning if anyone reading this uses their spices. I calmed it down with home made guacamole (omitted the fresh chilli to keep the guacamole less spicy) and dolloped 5some almond cream cheese on top. I also spooned out a ladle of the chilli and liquidised it as on this occasion I wanted to serve it on top of jacket potatoes and use leftovers in a quesadilla, so I needed a thicker consistency. No one missed the meat in the chilli… Will adjust spices for the recipe and will make again. Thank you Chris!
Thanks so much for the review, Nina! I’m not too familiar with Waitrose chilli powder, but it’s always great to start off with less and work up. Great to hear it went down well either way 🙂 C.
so so nice, you don’t miss the meat at all!
Thanks for the review, Maggie! 🙂 C.
So good!!
Thanks, Jeremy!