Vegan Butternut Squash Chili With Beans

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My vegan butternut squash chili with beans is so hearty and comforting, it is a guaranteed belly warmer, packed with protein-rich beans, chunks of butternut squash, spicy chilies, and a host of savory, spicy, sweet spices that add tons of flavor. It’s a filling family favorite that takes 10 minutes to prepare and about an hour to simmer, that you will come back to again and again.

This is one of those recipes that you think will be really complicated because of the long list of ingredients, but once you have everything on your counter, it’s actually pretty easy to make! I originally wanted to make a vegan roasted butternut squash soup, but my husband wanted something more hearty, like a chili, so I improvised and came up with this outrageously delicious butternut squash chili.

It gets most of its flavors from my Instant pot vegetarian chili, but with the addition of warm fall spices and chunks of roasted butternut squash. Whether you are vegan or not, I guarantee you’ll be liking your bowl after tasting this butternut squash chili! It’s pretty freakin’ awesome 🙂

🥘 Ingredients

I make this healthy chili using simple veggies, canned tomatoes, and several spices that you can find in every grocery store.

Butternut Squash: I use a fresh butternut squash and cut it myself for this recipe, but sometimes I buy the packaged cubed squash to save time.

Vegetable Broth: To add flavor and help reduce the thickness, I add vegetable broth.

Frozen Corn: I use canned or frozen corn for simplicity here, but when corn is in season and I have time to char and cut corn cobs, I buy it fresh.

Onion and Garlic: For a true, authentic chili flavor, I use red or white onion and fresh garlic, minced.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Just a touch for sautéing.

Red Bell Pepper: I much prefer using the red ones as they are sweeter, but you can use other colors if you prefer.

Carrots: The combination of carrots and butternut squash adds a wonderful orange color to this chili.

Black Beans: I use 2 cans of black beans for this chili recipe. Other types of beans will work in this recipe too, like cannelloni beans or kidney beans.

Diced Tomatoes and Tomato Paste: I use canned diced tomatoes with added green chilis for this recipe. The tomato paste helps to thicken the chili and also gives the broth a more robust flavor.

Spices: The list is long, but each spice adds its own flavor to this rich, smoky vegan chili. I use chipotle pepper, or chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, salt, garlic powder, paprika, smoked paprika, coriander, cayenne pepper, and brown sugar. For a real kick, spice it up with some hot sauce, chipotle powder, or chili flakes!

🔪 How To Make

Here is how I make this amazing vegan butternut squash chili with beans:

Step 1: First thing I do is peel the squash and carrots and cut them into 1-inch pieces. In a large soup pot, I heat oil over medium-high heat, and sauté the onions, red peppers, butternut squash, carrots, bell peppers, onion, garlic, and tomato paste, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes.

Step 2: Then, I add the broth, diced tomatoes, beans, and corn, stirring in all the spices.

Step 3: Once everything is combined and bubbling, I reduce the heat to a simmer, cooking for at least 1 hour until the squash and carrots are tender. The longer it simmers, the better the flavors will be!

Step 4: The best way to serve this chili is in individual bowls topped with chopped green onions and a sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese.

📖 Variations

If you’re looking to enhance the flavors of this butternut squash chili, I have some tasty variations for you to try!

Add Grains: This easy vegan butternut squash chili would taste great with quinoa or brown rice! I recommend cooking 1/2 cup of your favorite grain, and then adding it (already cooked) in the last 3-4 minutes of cooking to let it combine with the rest of the ingredients.

Mixed Bean Chili: Instead of just black beans, use a variety of beans, such as white beans, Navy Beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, or Great Northern beans. Just make sure to combine 30oz in total. In my experience and preferred taste, a variation of Navy beans, white beans, and black beans works best.

Add Greens: For extra veggies and greens, I sometimes add in a cup of chopped baby spinach or baby kale towards the end of cooking!

🍽 Serving Suggestions

My hearty and filling vegan bean chili is a meal on its own and only needs a few toppings to enhance the flavor and texture, but if you’re having a party for game day, I have some tasty recipes to pair with it.

Toppings: I find pairing this chili with some easy topping recipes, like healthy guacamole or sour cream, adds a touch of creaminess. Or something crispy, such as these baked corn tortilla chips, makes the perfect vessels to scoop up the flavorsome broth and chunks of butternut squash.

Game day: This gluten-free vegan butternut squash chili is one of my most requested one-pot dishes to make on game day, and I always pair it with other spicy dishes like loaded veggie nachos that work as a side dish and can be topped with this chili or these sweet potato tacos with spicy yogurt sauce, which can also be made with squash instead of sweet potato for a 2-in-1 recipe ingredient.

🧊 Storage Directions

Refrigeration: If I have leftover vegetarian butternut squash chili, I let it cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container and chilling it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Freezing: Using the same method, I freeze it for up to 3 months.

Reheating: When I want to reheat my delicious chili, I let it thaw overnight in the fridge or simply reheat it on the stove in a pan, or when I want it fast, I’ll heat it up in the microwave in 1-minute increments until hot.

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