Name: 3-Bean Vegetarian Texas Chili
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 yellow onions (diced); 3 bell peppers (red, yellow, orange or green, diced); 10 cloves garlic (minced); 15 ounces fire-roasted diced tomatoes (canned, with juice); 15 ounces tomato sauce (canned); 15 ounces black beans (canned, drained and rinsed); 15 ounces red kidney beans (canned, drained and rinsed); 15 ounces white cannellini beans (canned, drained and rinsed); 1/4 cup bulgur cracked wheat (#2 medium); 1/4 cup red lentils (rinsed); 1/4 cup soy curls (butler's brand, diced dry or broken into smaller pieces); 5 cups water (use only 4 cups if making in Instant Pot); 12 ounces sweet corn kernels (frozen or canned, drained); 2 tablespoons chili powder; 1.5 teaspoons granulated garlic; 1.5 teaspoons onion powder; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano; 1 teaspoon sea salt; 0.5 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground); pinch cayenne (to make it spicier, add more, to taste); 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional, but recommended); minced onion; minced cilantro; avocado; fresh lime wedges; vegan sour cream (store-bought or homemade); cornbread; saltines or oyster crackers; tortilla chips (store-bought or homemade)

Hearty, filling and chock-full of black, kidney and white beans, along with peppers and spices, this vegetarian Texas chili is a crowd pleaser. Make it in your Instant Pot, slow cooker or on the stove. It's easy to make and not greasy, in fact, it's oil-free! Freezer-friendly, this plant-based, vegan chili is great for batch cooking and meal prep.

Want to save this post?

Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, I'll send you quick & simple plant-based recipes every week!

This hearty chili is whole food plant based no oil (wfpb), vegan, vegetarian and meatless.

🎙 What people say about this recipe

"Recipe really good. Perfect combo of beans, not too much tomato sauce. I put in a 4 star review yesterday but changing it to 5 stars today. This chili gets EVEN BETTER the next day!!"
- Amy

🧄 Very useful ingredient notes

Beans - black beans, kidney beans and white cannellini beans make a nice trio of contrasting flavors and colors in this chili
Red lentils - thickens the chili without the need of flour
Bulgur #2 cracked wheat - gives the chili a hearty, meaty texture
Butler's soy curls - adds meaty texture and protein, but can be hard to source. Soy curls are pressed and dried whole soy beans that can be used for a variety of delicious plant-based meals. For the best deal, buy soy curls in bulk directly from Butler Foods or buy on Amazon.
Tomato sauce - use canned tomato sauce, which is a thick, smooth tomato puree. Use canned tomato sauce that is not sweetened (no ketchup), but rather like a tomato passata.

Texas chili spice mix

The type and quantity of spices used here 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 - TexMex chili powder is usually a combination of smoked spicy and mild chiles (ancho, guajillo, chipotle, cayenne) with other spices (cumin, garlic, oregano, paprika and sometimes allspice and clove). It is used to make chili, chili con carne, enchilada sauce and many other dishes. There are lots of different blends and brands to choose from. It is not as spicy as straight chile powder, which is one variety of chile, dried and ground up.
cayenne pepper powder - hot, spicy ground pepper at about 40,000 heat units on the Scoville scale
ground cumin - earthy, warm and hearty spice of ground cumin seeds, which is essential to TexMex cooking. It is sometimes referred to as just "pepper" and is added generously.
granulated garlic - dried and ground garlic
onion powder - dried and ground onion
dried Mexican oregano - Mexican oregano has a bright and pungent citrus and anise flavor that pairs extremely well with TexMex recipes.
black pepper - use freshly ground black pepper for best flavor

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.

📋 Substitutions and variations

Here are some suitable substitutions for the ingredients in this vegan three bean chili recipe:

Beans - instead of the black, kidney and white beans, you can substitute other cooked beans such as: chickpeas, pinto beans, navy beans, red beans or lentils.
Red lentils - instead of red lentils to thicken the chili, you can use make a slurry of 2 tablespoons flour or cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup cool water to help thicken the chili.
Bulgur cracked wheat - instead of bulgur, you can use more soy curls for that meaty texture or a can of cooked brown lentils
Soy curls - use extra cracked wheat instead of soy curls
Fire roasted tomatoes - use diced tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chilies, diced tomatoes with chili seasoning (watch for no oil) or fresh diced tomatoes (roma, cherry, beefsteak, etc.)
Vegan no-beef bouillon - add to chili, if you can find it, to enhance the meatiness and savory flavor of the broth. Try better than bouillon, edward and sons or orrington farms vegan bouillon.
Smoked paprika or New Mexico chile powder - optional additions to try in the spice mix to add depth of flavor and smokiness
Spice mix - 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.
Soy-free - make this soy free by replacing the soy curls with extra bulgur wheat or omit them.
Gluten-free - make this gluten-free by using extra soy curls instead of the bulgur wheat

Want to switch it up? Try one of these chili variation ideas:

Extra spicy - increase the amount of cayenne pepper to make this extra spicy. Or, use a pepper that is spicier, like ghost peppers, habanero, scotchbonnet or carolina reaper.
No Bean Chili - if you want to omit the beans altogether for a vegan no bean chili, you can substitute the beans with 8 ounces of soy curls soaked in vegan no-beef broth.
Vegan white chili - make a vegan white chili instead using white beans, soy curls and green chiles.

My lazy vegan chili recipe was inspired by this one and is a recipe I make when I'm super short on time and/or energy.

🔪 Instructions

I usually make this chili in a 6-quart dutch oven or stockpot on the stovetop.

Process step 1 - saute onions and garlic

Step 1: Steam sauté the onions and garlic for a few minutes. Add a little water if they start to stick.

Step 2: Then add bell peppers and cook for a few more minutes, stirring a few times.

Process step 3 - add beans, lentils, soy curls and cracked wheat

Step 3: Once the bell peppers have softened slightly, add the tomatoes, beans, soy curls, lentils and cracked wheat.

Step 4: Then, add the water and spices. Stir everything together. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently so it doesn't burn on the bottom.

Process step 5 simmer until hot and flavors are combined

Step 5: Then, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, the lentils have cooked through and the flavors have married together.

Step 6: Taste and adjust seasonings, as needed. Add corn and allow to heat through. 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.

How to make chili in Instant Pot

You can make it in the Instant Pot pressure cooker instead. Be sure you're using at least a 6-quart Instant Pot, because anything smaller and the recipe will not fit.

Sauté 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.

How to make chili in slow cooker

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.

🥡 Make ahead and storage tips

This bean chili can be made ahead of time and stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator or freezer. It will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Batch cooking

In order to have 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.

Don't forget the fixin's, y'all

Chili is so much better with fixin's (aka toppings)!

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

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.

This is always a crowd-pleaser and one of my most requested recipes, so I hope you enjoy it!

Love this recipe?

Please rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a comment below, so I know which recipes you like the best. This helps me know what to make more of!

📖 Recipe

Comments

4.80 from 5 votes (3 ratings without comment)

🎙 What people say about this recipe