Vegan Quinoa Chili is loaded with plant-based protein and fiber, easy to make in one pot, and uses simple pantry ingredients. Perfect for meatless Monday or any night when you want a healthy, vegetarian dinner option.
I love that this chili recipe is a full meal on its own - especially when you pile on the toppings (see my favorites below!). But if you're looking to round out the meal, you can't go wrong serving with no knead cheese bread (you can omit the cheese if you are trying to keep the whole meal vegan).
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⭐Why I Love It:
- Easy One-Pot Meal - The whole recipe is made all in one pot. The quinoa cooks right in the chili!
- Pantry Ingredients - You only need simple ingredients that you may have all on hand!
- Plant-Based and Filling - Thanks to the quinoa and beans, this chili will fill you up!
🥘Ingredients
I love that this vegan chili recipe uses all pantry staples! It's a great recipe to have in your back pocket when you don't want to run to the store.
- Onion and Garlic
- Spices: Chili Powder, Cumin, Paprika, Cayenne Pepper, Salt and Pepper
- Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes - If you only have regular diced tomatoes, that is fine.
- Diced Green Chiles - you can also use these in this easy black bean salsa with corn.
- Canned Beans - Black Beans and Kidney Beans (light or dark). Make sure to rinse and drain the canned beans before using. This helps rinse off the excess sodium.
- Canned Tomato Sauce - also used in this recipe for Instant Pot Curry Lentils.
- Quinoa - Make sure to either rinse the quinoa or buy 'pre-rinsed' (my preference).
- Water
- Lime Juice and Fresh Cilantro - To add at the end for brightness!
🥑Chili Topping Ideas:
One of the best parts about a cozy bowl of chili is the toppings! Here are some of my favorites:
- Diced Avocado
- Extra Lime Wedges for Spritzing
- Fresh Chopped Cilantro
- Shredded Cheese
- Crunchy Tortilla Strips
- Dollop of Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt
📖Variations
- Slow Cooker Quinoa Chili - You can sauté the onion and garlic first, or just add all ingredients (except for lime juice and cilantro) to a crockpot, stir to combine. Cook on low for about 4 hours (or high for 2 hours) until quinoa is cooked.
- Spicy - If you prefer your chili to have more of a kick, you can add more cayenne pepper or finely diced jalapeños (with or without seeds). If you use jalapeños, I recommend sautéing them with the onion and garlic first.
🔪Step by Step instructions
Photo 1 - In a large pot, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft. Add the garlic, spices, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté until fragrant then add other ingredients (except lime juice and cilantro).
Photo 2 - Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until quinoa is cooked - about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper, if needed.Stir in lime juice and top with fresh cilantro. Serve immediately.
🍽Leftovers and Storage
- Storage - Leftover chili can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Be aware that it will soak up the liquid more as it sits.
- Freeze - For longer storage, you can freeze the quinoa chili in freezer bags for up to 3 months. I recommend at least partially defrosting in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheating - The quinoa continues to absorb the liquid as it sits so the leftover chili will be quite thick. If you prefer a thinner chili, just add some water or broth when reheating to thin it out.
💭Recipe Tips
- Add the spices when you add the garlic to sauté - Adding the spices before you add any liquid allows the spices to 'bloom' and deepen in flavor.
- Serve Immediately or Add Liquid to Leftovers - This vegan quinoa chili is best served immediately after cooking. As it sits, the quinoa will continue to soak up the liquid and become very thick. Have leftovers? That's okay! It still tastes great when it's thicker or you can add a little water or broth to loosen it up.
- Scrape Any Bits Off the Bottom - When you add the liquid ingredients, make sure to scrape any bit of onion, garlic, and spices off the bottom. This is where the flavor is!
👩🍳Recipe FAQs
Many packaged quinoa is sold pre-rinsed, but if yours isn't then it is best to rinse it before using. Rinsing helps remove the saponins which can give quinoa a slight bitter taste.
🍲Related Soup Recipes...
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PrintRecipe
Vegan Quinoa Chili
Vegan Quinoa Chili is loaded with plant-based protein and fiber, easy to make in one pot, and uses simple pantry ingredients.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Main Dish, Meatless Monday
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper
- 2 14.5 ounce cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 4.5 ounce can diced green chiles
- 1 15 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 1 lime
- 3-4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Cook Aromatics: In a large pot, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft (4-5 minutes). Add the garlic, spices, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add Chili Ingredients: Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chiles, beans, water, and quinoa. Stir together, scraping any bits off the bottom.
- Simmer: Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until quinoa is cooked - about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper, if needed.
- Finish Chili: Stir in lime juice and top with fresh cilantro. Serve immediately.
Notes
This vegan quinoa chili is best served immediately after cooking. As it sits, the quinoa will continue to soak up the liquid and become very thick. Have leftovers? That's okay! It still tastes great when it's thicker or you can add a little water or broth to loosen it up.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅙ of recipe
- Calories: 411
- Sugar: 12.3 g
- Sodium: 1103.5 mg
- Fat: 6.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 71.5 g
- Fiber: 20.2 g
- Protein: 16.6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Katie says
Loved how filling this was and I had most of the ingredients already!
Maja Nyholm says
Awesome recipe, all the non vegans love it and it s great the next day as well. Great in Tacos, Thankyou I have been making this chili for years! I am so grateful to you for sharing the recipe! This last time I subbed in 1 lb of grass fed ground beef for the quinoa (sacrilege, I know) and it was just as good as ever. Thanks again!!
Kathleen says
I’m so glad you like it! Thank you so much for your comment!