The Best Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili EVER!
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure.This is the BEST Instant Pot vegetarian chili ever! It’s incredibly rich and hearty, super smoky and slightly spicy. Made with three types of beans, packed with veggies, it’s family-friendly, ready in 30 minutes, and will satisfy both meat-eaters and vegetarians alike!
This Instant Pot vegetarian chili recipe is a family favorite in our house. It’s easy to make, requires simple ingredients, and thanks to the Instant Pot pressure cooker, you end up with that cooked-all-day flavor (like if you made it in a slow cooker) in just about 30 minutes!
I’ve made this recipe for a crowd or for our family (and saved the leftovers for another day), and it turns out great every time!
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One of the best parts about this Instant Pot vegetable chili is its smokiness, which comes from two secret ingredients: unsweetened cocoa powder and smoked paprika.
It has the deep flavor of traditional meat chilis but it’s much healthier, gluten-free, and vegetarian-friendly, and can easily be made vegan too!
👩🏽🍳 Why You’ll Love This Meatless Chili
- Tons Of Flavor: The combination of rich, warm spices gives this easy vegan chili recipe a “cooked-all-day” flavor that is hearty and satisfying. It really is the best vegetarian chili ever!
- Fiber And Plant Protein: Thanks to the beans, this chili packs a ton of protein and fiber into each bowl. Each serving has 9g protein and 10g fiber.
- Healthy: This Instant Pot veggie chili recipe is packed with vitamins and nutrients! Beans are a heart-healthy food that are a great source of iron, B vitamins, protein, and fiber. Bell peppers are rich in vitamins C, A, potassium, folate, and iron.
- Low Calorie: This healthy Instant Pot chili with canned beans is super filling and satisfying, but each serving has only 300 calories. That means you can go back for seconds completely guilt-free!
- Family Friendly: Everyone in the family – kids included – will love this one-pot meal. And it’s super easy to make, which means it’s a great recipe for busy weeknight dinners or for meatless Monday!
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🥘 Ingredients
While the ingredient list is a little bit long, all of these ingredients are easy to find, and there’s minimal prep time to prepare them for the Instant Pot. Here’s what you need to make veggie chili in the Instant Pot:
- Olive Oil: Use this oil to sauté – you can also use any other neutral-flavored oil.
- Bell Peppers: Red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and yellow bell pepper give this easy Instant Pot vegetarian chili a bright pop of color. For a time-saver, use a thawed frozen blend. Onions add a
- Red Onion & Fresh Garlic Cloves: Dice the onion in uniform sizes for even cooking. For garlic, fresh is always best, but you can use jarred, minced garlic if necessary.
- Vegetable Broth: You can easily find this in the grocery store, typically near the other broths.
- Canned Beans: Red kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans help to make this Instant Pot meatless chili hearty and meaty – without any meat!
- Frozen Corn: Frozen corn cuts prep time, but feel free to use fresh if you prefer.
- Crushed Tomatoes: San Marzano are typically the best variety of tomatoes to use, but you can use any that you prefer or have on hand.
- Spices: I used a combination of chili powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, unsweetened cocoa powder, garlic powder, crushed red peppers, soy sauce, salt, smoked paprika, and regular paprika to give this healthy vegetarian chili a balance of smoky, earthy, spicy flavors.
- Optional Toppings: Shredded cheddar cheese, green onions, diced tomatoes, plain Greek yogurt (or low fat sour cream), tortilla chips.
🍲 Ingredient Substitutions
- Beans: Replace some or all of the beans with different beans or any kind of legumes that you prefer. White beans, red lentils, green lentils, or even chickpeas also work well. You can even make this Instant Pot vegetarian chili with dried beans if you like, you’ll just have to soak them overnight and increase the cook time.
- Veggies: Use your own blend of vegetables in this meatless chili recipe. Sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and greens would all taste great. Think of it as a “clean out your fridge” recipe. If you increase the amount of veggies, just make sure to increase the quantity of spices accordingly so that it’s not bland.
- Sauce: Replace some or all of the soy sauce with vegan Worcestershire.
- Tomatoes: Try using canned fire-roasted tomatoes for extra flavor.
- Toppings: Load this Instant Pot black bean chili up with any of your favorite toppings!
🔪 How To Make Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili
Here’s how to make this easy vegetarian recipe. For more detailed instructions and nutrition facts, see the recipe card below.
Sauté: Turn your instant pot to the sauté function, and add your olive oil, bell peppers, onion, and garlic. Sauté lightly for 2-3 minutes.
Pressure Cook: Add everything else into the pot (beans through paprika in the list above) and stir to combine. Close your Instant Pot and pressure cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
Release Pressure: Once the pressure cooking is done, let it natural release for 5 minutes, then quick release the rest of the pressure. Give it a good stir to combine.
Serve Chili: Serve this Instant Pot veg chili warm with any toppings you like! We suggest a little bit (or a lot!) of cheese, low-fat sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, diced tomatoes, green onions, or tortilla chips.
💭 Expert Tips
- Use Spinach: For additional greens, add one 5 oz box of chopped baby spinach into this pressure cooker bean chili while adding all of the other ingredients into the Instant Pot.
- Adjust Spices To Taste: Everyone has a different level of spiciness that they like in their chili, so make sure to taste and adjust — add more or less crushed red pepper, more or less salt, as needed!
- Cook On The Stove: If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can make this chili on the stovetop. See our notes in the FAQs below on how to do this!
- Adjust For Your Instant Pot Model: If you have a newer Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker, keep in mind that it tends to display the “burn” warning much more quickly than the older versions. If you have this model, you’ll add the vegetable broth and all the spices immediately after step 1 and stir to combine. Then you’ll add the rest of the ingredients (beans, tomatoes, etc.) and avoid stirring until after cooking.
- Make It Kid Friendly: This IP chili with canned beans is super kid friendly! If you’re making this for kids, I recommend creating a toppings bar so your kids can pick out what to top their bowls with, and cut the veggies smaller so it’s easier for kids to chew. For super picky eaters, you can even puree the bell peppers/veggies with the tomatoes so they don’t see it, and reduce the spices as needed!
📖 Variations And Toppings For Veggie Chili
There are plenty of ways to customize or dress up this easy chili!
- Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice: Add bright flavor with a touch of citrus. If you don’t have lime, lemon will work, too.
- Creamy Toppings: Try sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (use cashew cream or vegan sour cream for a vegan substitute!). The tanginess and cool flavors complement the heat in this Instant Pot vegan chili recipe.
- Fresh Toppings: Try sliced green onions, fresh cilantro, diced tomatoes, pico de gallo, or salsa – all of these will add bright color and great flavor.
- Cheese: Shredded cheese, a Mexican cheese blend, cojita cheese, or even vegan shredded cheese will all work well! Who doesn’t love melty cheese on their chili?
- Crunchy Toppings: We love crushed tortilla chips, crackers, or even pepitas (pumpkin seeds) as toppings for this recipe!
- Brown Rice Or Quinoa: Either of these is more of a mix-in than a topping, but it still tastes great. And this is one of my kids’ favorite chili add-ins!
- Spicy Toppings: To increase the level of spice or add depth, try dicing up a chipotle pepper, jalapeño pepper, poblano peppers, or adding adobo sauce to this Instant Pot veggie chili recipe.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
This meatless Instant Pot chili is so hearty it stands on its own, but if you’re looking to round out the meal even further, here are some side dishes that go with chili:
- A Fresh Garden Salad: We love it with this tomato avocado cucumber salad, but it also tastes great with this Mexican fruit salad on top of some leafy greens!
- Cornbread: This healthy cornbread pairs perfectly with chili. But you could also serve it with these biscuits without baking powder or these low calorie biscuits!
- Grains: A side of rice or quinoa pairs well with this recipe, but you can take it to the next level by serving this vegetarian chili in the Instant Pot with vegan Mexican rice instead!
- Quesadillas: When cut into strips, these can be great for dipping too! We love it with these veggie quesadillas or vegan quesadillas.
🙌 Dietary Adaptations
Vegan Instant Pot Chili Recipe: The pressure cooker vegetarian chili is already dairy-free, but if you’re concerned about the toppings, try using a plant-based cheese or vegan sour cream alternative.
Low-Carb Option: To reduce the carbs, eliminate some or all of the beans, replacing them with a hearty amount of low carb bulky veggies like riced broccoli or cauliflower florets.
🫙 Storage Directions
It’s easy to store this simple chili so that you can eat it throughout the week! And it tastes even better the next day when all of the flavors have a chance to meld together for longer!
- Refrigerator: Leftover chili will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Make sure to store any toppings separately.
- Freezer: Let this spicy vegetarian chili cool completely, then transfer it into an airtight freezer-safe container. You can freeze this recipe for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Let your Instant Pot plant based chili thaw in the fridge and then defrost in the microwave using the defrost setting, or heat gently on the stovetop.
- Make Ahead Tips: Chop all of your veggies in advance and store them in the fridge in an airtight container. Wash your beans and store them in a separate container in the fridge. You can do this up to 2 days in advance – then just add everything to the pot and cook as directed when you’re ready to make it!
❓Recipe FAQs
CAN YOU MAKE THIS Easy VEGETARIAN CHILI ON THE STOVETOP?
Absolutely! Here are the stovetop instructions for this recipe:
1. Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bell peppers and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Add all of the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer on low for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally. The longer you cook it, the thicker your chili will be. Serve hot!
What can I replace meat with in chili?
There are so many plant based substitutions for meat in chili! Here are some of our favorites:
* Legumes: Beans, chickpeas and lentils are all great options – they’re packed with protein and have a meaty texture.
* Tofu: Crumble your tofu to get that ground meat feel and make tofu chili in the Instant Pot.
* Tempeh: A chewier, slightly more tangy version of tofu – this will add great protein and texture to your this bean chili in the Instant Pot.
* Mushrooms Or Eggplant: When sauteed or roasted, these release their water and end up with a chewier, hearty mouthfeel, similar to meat.
* Beyond Meat: A great option that’s packed with protein, has minimal processed ingredients, is vegan friendly and tasty too!
* Bulgur Or Quinoa: Combine grains and beans for a super satisfying chili!
IS INSTANT POT WORTH IT FOR VEGETARIANS?
Instant Pot is an amazing tool for vegetarians. There are tons of dishes vegetarians can make in an Instant Pot, from soups to curries to pasta dishes and more! It also happens to be perfect for cooking vegetarian proteins, and for tasks like rehydrating dry beans.
Is vegetarian chili healthy?
Yes! Vegetarian chili is packed full of nutrients from a variety of vegetables. Plus, it’s a heart-healthy meal packed full of plant-based protein and fiber.
Our vegetarian Instant Pot chili is also really good for you. It’s low in calories, high in protein, and high in fiber so it’s guaranteed to keep you full and satisfied for a long time. It also happens to be rich in vitamins and minerals from the veggies and beans, high in antioxidants thanks to the onions and peppers, and low in unhealthy fats!
🍛 More Easy Instant Pot Recipes!
- Instant Pot Tomato Soup with Cumin
- Instant Pot Risotto
- Instant Pot Vegan Posole
- Instant Pot Chili Mac
- Instant Pot Applesauce
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📋 Recipe Card
🎥 Watch How to Make It
The Best Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili
This is the BEST Instant Pot vegetarian chili ever! It’s incredibly rich and hearty, super smoky and slightly spicy. Made with three types of beans, packed with veggies, it's family-friendly, ready in 30 minutes, and will satisfy both meat-eaters and vegetarians alike!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 300kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper diced
- 1 red onion diced
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 15 oz kidney beans, drained and rinsed 1 can
- 15 oz black beans, drained and rinsed 1 can
- 15 oz pinto beans, drained and rinsed 1 can
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes 1 large can
- 1 tbsp chili powder use a heaping tbsp or add more to taste
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper more or less to taste
- a couple splashes of soy sauce
- 1-2 tsp salt more or less to taste
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp regular paprika
Instructions
- Turn your instant pot to the Saute function, and add your olive oil, bell peppers, onion, and garlic. Saute lightly for 2-3 minutes.
- Add everything else into the pot (beans through paprika in the list above) and stir to combine. Close your instant pot and pressure cook on high for 4 minutes
- Once the pressure cooking is done, let it natural release for 5 minutes, then quick release the rest of the pressure.
- Serve warm with any toppings you like! 1 Tbsp cheese, low fat sour cream or plain greek yogurt, diced tomatoes, green onions, or tortilla chips.
Notes
Top Tips for Making Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili
- You can add any veggies you like into this chili. Think of it as a “clean out your fridge” recipe. If you increase the quantity of veggies, just make sure to increase the quantity of spices accordingly so that it’s not bland.
- For additional greens, add one 5oz box of chopped baby spinach into this recipe at the same time you add all of the ingredients into the instant pot!
- When you’re making this for kids, adjust the spices accordingly.
- If you don’t have an instant pot, you can make this chili on the stovetop.
- If you have a newer Instant Pot, keep in mind that they tend to display the “Burn” warning much more quickly than the older versions. If you have this model, You’d add the vegetable broth and all the spices immediately after step 1 and stir to combine. Then you’d add the rest of the ingredients (beans, tomatoes, etc) and do not stir until after cooking.
To Make on the Stovetop:
- Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bell peppers and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add all of the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer on low for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally. The longer you cook it, the thicker your chili will be.
- Serve hot!
Nutrition
Serving: 2ladles | Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 61.8g | Protein: 18.1g | Fat: 1.7g | Sodium: 800mg | Fiber: 20.2g | Sugar: 4.3g
So, I must say that I did try this chilli with a couple of modifications of my own. I skipped out on the chocolate, (I’m very open minded, but not fond of mole!), and when I sauteed the veggies, I sauteed them in just a bit of cooking wine.
I also added a bit more liquid to mine, and thickened it up with masa harina! If you have never tried this before, you must, it adds a whole new flavour to the chilli and this amazing consistency. I’d say that my modifications were mild enough to say that this is the best chilli I’ve ever eaten! (And to have been a once-meat-eater gone vegetarian/vegan hybrid, you know that’s an epic compliment!!) I do not exaggerate when I say that I don’t ever want to eat chilli another way again.
Oh my gosh thank you so much Amanda!! I’m sooo happy you enjoyed this recipe – and the additions / modifications you made sound fantastic! I’ve never tried masa harina before so I’m super excited to try that out soon. Thanks again! 🙂
Definitely try it, you will love it!
I forgot to mention, I added almost a table spoon of Asian chilli paste too! And ate it over rice.
Thanks for the inspiration Amanda! Asian chili paste – absolutely brilliant! Eating it with rice is actually really great – especially if you use brown rice – because then you’ll end up with a complete protein (beans + rice = complete protein 🙂 ). Love it!
What a wonderful recipe, I tried it today and it came out perfect. Added a small yellow squash and zucchini, diced, for added texture. It’s all in those spices, delicious!
Awesome!! Love the addition of adding squash/zucchini – so glad you liked this recipe Will!
This looks lovely, will definitely be trying it!:)
Do you have a rough idea of the fat content in a serving for 1 person? And also how do you think turkey mince would fit into this?
I’d say this recipe is super low in fat – maybe just 2-3 grams of fat per serving (max) – but that doesn’t count the cornbread or any toppings you might add to the chili. I think turkey would totally work in this chili – just add it in along with the beans and cook it through! Enjoy!
anjali – made this last night – YUM!!!
Yay!! So glad you liked it Ruchi! Hope you’re doing well!
It’s TRUE! The best vegetarian chili ever! First time I made it I won first place in a chili cook-off!
Congrats Cathy!!! I’m so honored that this recipe won 🙂 Thanks so much!
It is 1:30 am, I have this chili simmering away in a crock pot right now, and it is taking all of my will-power to keep from sneaking into the kitchen and scooping myself out a bowl! The only change I made to your recipe is substituting the canned beans with Rancho Gordo’s “Good Mother Stallard” “Purple Runner” and “Goats Eye” heirloom beans.
You, being from California, could most likely find them at your local farmers market. It may take a few additional hours of prep time (waiting for the beans to soak) but it is WELL worth it. Once you try Fresh heirloom beans, you’ll never want to eat canned (or the super old dried bean variety that is sitting on the supermarket shelf) again! Cooking them is a cinch, I just sauteed up some onion, garlic, and celery, then tossed the beans-and their soaking water- into the crock-pot for about 3 hours, or until they are nearly soft, then added all the rest of the ingredients. Perfect! Thanks for sharing your recipe, I can’t wait for lunch.
No seriously, I can’t. Going to tip-toe into the kitchen…
Hahaha! This was the greatest description ever – thanks for sharing it with me Kathryn 🙂 I feel like this chili would make the perfect midnight snack too. Love the idea of trying the fresh heirloom beans – I’ve never cooked with them before but you’ve inspired me to give it a shot! Thanks for the tip!
I’m giving up meat for Lent and I made this chili as a hearty way to kick of my Ash Wednesday & 40 days without meat. It was delicious!! I am a huge carnivore and after the first couple of bites I didn’t notice the absence of meat. Thank you for sharing this, I know I will be making it a couple more times before Easter lol
Oh that’s so great! I’m so happy to hear that 🙂 Thanks Dominique!!
This title does NOT lie! This really is the best vegetarian chili EVER!Trust me, I have tried dozens (literally) of recipes. They always turn out bland, don’t have enough of “this” or “that”. Seems like I always had to use a ridiculous (and unhealthy) amount of salt and seasoning just to make it palatable. Not this recipe! It is so delicious. I barely added any salt to it. I made it just as the recipe states, and it turned out perfectly. So grateful to finally find a keeper for veggie chili. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and finally ending my search for the perfect veggie chili.
Hooorayyy!! I’m so, so glad this recipe ended your search for the perfect veggie chili 🙂 Thank you so much for letting me know!!
Making this tonight, I just tasted it, and it is fantastic!! I will garnish it with cilantro and avocado! Thanks for the recipe!!
Those are absolutely the perfect garnishes Lisa!! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
I make this chili every week now – it’s a staple. Absolutely the best veg chile recipe I’ve found.
Oh wow!! That is so awesome – love that this is a staple in your home! 🙂
This was awesome made it tonight! I added Chinese broccoli as it was on sale and figured we can always use more greens! Will be making this again!
Oooh I love the idea of adding Chinese broccoli!! You can basically add any veggies to this chili so feel free to pack them in next time 🙂 So glad you liked this recipe!
Just came across this recipe and am trying it for the first time – smells so good! Thanks for posting!
Oh yay!! I’m so glad – thanks for letting me know Hannah!
Anjali
Thank you so, so very much for this awesome recipe! Finally, I have a awesome chili recipe for myself, a definite keeper. I hosted a dinner party this past Saturday, I prepared meat chili for the meat eaters and veggie chili for me. I made yummy corn bread too. Can you believe the meat eaters where eating MY chili.
Thank you again for sharing and modifying this recipe.
Cheers,
Stacie
Hi Stacie! Thank you so much for letting me know – that’s such great news! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe 🙂 Love that the meat eaters were enjoying your chili too!
Can you please tell me how many people this recipe will serve?
Thanks!
I’d say this makes about 6 very healthy servings (each serving being about 2 heaping ladles of the chili). Hope that helps!
Just how many people know the secret of adding unsweetened cocoa powder to chili? I made it exactly as you said, but I added a bit more of the cocoa, as I normally would when making a veggie or meat version of chili.(Most people say, “Yuck…chocolate in chili?”) Your recipe is a winner…Very,very good.
Thank you so much Bee!! I’m totally with you on the cocoa powder – it really just gives the chili that something extra and a great smoky flavor. So happy you liked this recipe!
This looks wonderful! I didn’t see anywhere what the amount of servings is…any estimate? I’m wanting to make this for a group tonight. 🙂
Thanks Lorin! I’d say this makes 8 very healthy servings, and 10 servings if you want smaller portions. Hope that helps! Let me know how everyone likes it!