Hearty, filling and chock-full of beans, peppers and spices, this Texas 3-Bean Vegan Chili is a crowd pleaser. It's easy to make and not greasy, in fact, it's oil-free! Freezer-friendly, this plant-based, vegetarian chili is great for batch cooking and meal prep.
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🧄 Ingredients
To make this vegetarian chili recipe, you'll need the following ingredients:
- onions
- bell peppers (red, yellow or orange - not green)
- fresh garlic
- black beans
- kidney beans
- white beans
- fire roasted diced tomatoes (or just diced tomatoes)
- tomato sauce
- red lentils (this thickens the chili without the need of flour)
- bulgur #2 cracked wheat (this gives it a hearty, almost meaty texture)
- butler's soy curls (also lends to the meaty texture)
- and spices (keep scrolling for that list below)
Texas chili spice mix
Spices are what take this dish from a stew to a chili. You'll need the following spices for this plant-based chili recipe:
- chili powder
- cayenne
- ground cumin
- granulated garlic
- onion powder
- dried Mexican oregano
- sea salt
- black pepper
- optional substitutions or additions to the chili powder: smoked paprika, New Mexico chile powder
Feel free to adjust the spices according to your tastes. I've experimented with this spice mix a lot, since we eat chili pretty regularly.
Some like adding a small amount of ground cinnamon to their chili, but we don't care for that. You might like it!
Also, adding vegan, no-beef bouillon would be a great addition, if you have it. Reduce the salt if you add the bouillon.
Also, for a super easy option with the spices, use a box of Carroll Shelby's chili mix. That's what I used for this chili recipe for years before curating my own chili spice mix.
🔪 Instructions
I usually make this chili in a 6-quart dutch oven or stockpot on the stovetop.
Make chili in Instant Pot
You can make it in the Instant Pot pressure cooker. Be sure you're using at least a 6-quart Instant Pot, because anything smaller and the recipe will not fit.
Saute the onions, garlic and bell pepper for 3-5 minutes, until the onions are softened. Then, add all the remaining ingredients, stir well, cover, move vent to "Sealing". Cook on Manual Pressure for 15 minutes. Allow to naturally release for 10 minutes and then quick release the steam by turning the vent with a long utensil.
Be careful of the hot steam! Do not place your hands near the vent while it is releasing pressure.
You can make it in the Instant Pot pressure cooker. Be sure you're using at least a 6-quart Instant Pot, because anything smaller and the recipe will not fit.
Saute the onions, garlic and bell pepper for 3-5 minutes, until the onions are softened. Then, add all the remaining ingredients, stir well, cover, move vent to "Sealing". Cook on Manual Pressure for 15 minutes. Allow to naturally release for 10 minutes and then quick release the steam by turning the vent with a long utensil.
Be careful of the hot steam! Do not place your hands near the vent while it is releasing pressure.
Make chili in slow cooker / crock pot
But, you can also make it in a large slow cooker or crock pot.
To cook in a slow cooker, sauté your onions, garlic and bell peppers on the stove. Then, add all the ingredients except the corn and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Add the frozen corn in at the end.
While this hearty vegan chili can be done in 30 minutes, the longer you let it simmer the better it gets. So, if you're in a rush and need dinner done quick, it's a good option.
But, if you have a little more time, the flavors will be better if it's allowed to simmer on low longer.
💭 Tips
Batch cooking
In order to have healthy meals on hand when life gets too busy, I usually batch cook a large pot of this chili and then freeze a few portions.
That way, we always have a healthy, hearty meal when we need one. I pull a container out the night before and it's mostly thawed by the next day.
This chili freezes so well, so it's excellent for batch cooking, meal prepping or freezer meals.
Party prep
When I make this for parties, I like to do steps 1 & 2 of my recipe on the stove, then throw everything into a slow cooker.
You can cook it in the slow cooker for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. That way, it'll stay piping hot throughout the party while people go back for seconds (or thirds or fourths).
Lay out a chili bar with all the favorite toppings and let people make their own bowls. Give options for saltine crackers, tortilla chips and corn chips and they can make their vegan frito pie, even.
👨👩👦👦 Serving suggestions
Chili is so much better with toppings!
Here are some delicious topping ideas for this vegan, oil-free chili recipe:
- minced onion
- minced fresh cilantro
- pico de gallo
- chopped or sliced avocado
- fresh lime wedges
- vegan sour cream
- saltine or oyster crackers
- homemade fat free tortilla chips (my favorite)
- corn chips for a Vegan Frito pie (hello Super Bowl parties!)
- cornbread muffins
This is always a crowd-pleaser and one of my most requested recipes, so I hope you enjoy it!
💜 More recipes you'll love
If you love this plant-based Texas chili recipe, then check out my other Southern recipes!
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Please rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ down below. ⬇️ And, if you make it, please tag me @veryveganish on Instagram in your posted photos! I would love to see your creations. 😄
📖 Recipe
Texas 3-Bean Vegan Chili
Hearty and thick vegan, vegetarian, plant-based 3-bean chili that's also surprisingly oil-free. A real crowd-pleaser and great for batch cooking or meal prep!
Ingredients
Chili
- 2 sweet yellow onions, diced
- 3 sweet bell peppers, diced
- 10 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 - 15 oz can of diced fire-roasted tomato with juice
- 1 - 15 oz can of tomato sauce (or 2 smaller cans)
- 1 - 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 - 15 oz can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 - 15 oz can of white cannellini kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup cracked wheat (#2 medium bulgur)
- ¼ cup red lentils, rinsed
- ¼ cup butler's soy curls, diced dry
- 5 cups water (use only 4 cups if making in Instant Pot)
- 12 ounces frozen corn kernels
Spices
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- pinch of cayenne (more, to taste)
- Optional: add 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Optional Fixin’s
- Minced onion
- Minced cilantro
- Avocado
- Fresh lime wedges
- Vegan sour cream
- Cornbread
- Saltines or oyster crackers
- Homemade fat free tortilla chips
Instructions
STOVETOP INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat stockpot on medium high heat and add onions. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add garlic and bell pepper and cook another 3-4 minutes.
- Add diced tomato, tomato sauce, all the beans, lentils, bulgur, soy curls, the water and stir. Then, add all the spices and stir.
- Cook for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes, being careful to scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent burning. Then, taste and add salt, as needed or more cayenne. If it is too thick, add a little more water. If it is too runny, continue simmering to thicken.
- Simmer as long as you like to further incorporate the flavors.
- Serve piping hot with your favorite fixin’s!
INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS
- You can make it in the Instant Pot pressure cooker. Be sure you're using at least a 6-quart Instant Pot, because anything smaller and the recipe will not fit.
- Saute the onions, garlic and bell pepper for 3-5 minutes, until the onions are softened.
- Then, add all the remaining ingredients, stir well, cover, move vent to "Sealing".
- Cook on Manual Pressure for 15 minutes.
- When it beeps that it's done, allow to naturally release for 10 minutes and then quick release the steam by turning the vent with a long utensil. Be careful of the hot steam! Do not place your hands near the vent while it is releasing pressure.
- Stir, taste and adjust seasoning, as needed.
SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS
- To cook in a slow cooker, sauté your onions, garlic and bell peppers on the stove.
- Then, add all the ingredients except the corn and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Add the frozen corn in the last 30 minutes to heat.
- Stir, taste and adjust seasoning, as needed.
Notes
SUBSTITUTIONS:
- bulgur, cracked wheat: sub more red lentils or soy curls
- red lentils: the red lentils help thicken this chili. So, if you're not going to use them, then I would recommend adding a cornstarch or flour slurry to the chili to help thicken it.
- soy curls: substitute more bulgur cracked wheat if you don't have the soy curls
- Mexican oregano: substitute with Italian oregano
- smoked paprika can be added in addition or be substituted for part of the chili powder
- ALL THE SPICES: You can substitute all the spices for a box of Carroll Shelby Chili Mix.
- Beans: use whatever pre-cooked beans you like. Some varieties that work really well in this recipe are: black, pinto, kidney, cannellini, white beans, brown lentils, chickpeas
For parties, I recommend keeping the chili on low or keep warm setting in a slow cooker so it stays hot while people grab seconds (and thirds and fourths).
🥦 To make this compliant with the McDougall Maximum Weight Loss Plan or for 50/50 Plates:
- Don't use the Butler's soy curls. Instead, double the red lentils.
- Serve it with a non-starchy vegetable side, soup or salad.
- Use low fat toppings like raw onion and cilantro or pico de gallo.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 546Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 824mgCarbohydrates: 96gFiber: 25gSugar: 16gProtein: 31g
Nutritional calculations are done using online tools, such as recipe widget Create. Even though we have tried to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates.
Brenda says
I’m not being a hater but I need to clarify something. You can’t call chili with any kind of beans in it TEXAS chili. Authentic TEXAS chili couldn’t dare have a bean in it.
Abi Cowell says
Hi Brenda, thanks so much for visiting my site and commenting. This is a plant-based, vegan blog, so the recipes here are going to be my take on lots of different kinds of meals of varying origins and there will be many substitutions. Traditionally, Texas chili would have pounds of meat and we choose not to eat that way anymore, so I've chosen to substitute beans for the meat. Another substitute, which may be more of a meat substitute in texture would be bulgur cracked wheat. I've added that to chili successfully and it's delicious. You may prefer that type of vegan chili instead of a bean chili. I hope that is helpful to you!
- Abi