This hearty and easy chili sin carne will be your new favorite weeknight dinner! Only healthy budget-friendly ingredients are needed for this flavorful and high-protein 30-minute meal.
If you like batch-cooking and deep flavor, you need to try this ultimate chili sin carne! It’s incredibly filling, full of veggies, fiber and plant-based protein.
Made from cheap staple foods such as beans, canned tomatoes and pantry spices, it’s incredibly accessible, savory and crowd-pleasing.
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This vegan chili sin carne is the perfect comfort food gone healthy, great for meal prep, and ready in only 30 minutes!
It’ll be sure to keep everyone coming back for seconds and it’s undetectably plant-based. If you love meaty vegan recipes, try our easy bean burritos, Mexican bowls, and chickpea meatloaf, too!
What is chili sin carne?
Chili sin carne means chili without meat and uses plant-based protein like beans, cooked quinoa, mock meats or TVP instead of meat. You can flavor it the same way as traditional chili con carne and get a very similar result that’s vegan-friendly and rich in fiber!
Why you’ll love it
- True win with any non-vegans
- Budget-friendly & so easy to make
- Savory, comforting & hearty
- Protein-rich and fiber-rich
- Features hidden veggies
- Perfect for meal prep & easy to customize
There are so many reasons for making this hearty chili sin carne one of your must-have weekly meals!
Since it’s made mostly from pantry staples plus a handful of veggies from your fridge or freezer, there’s pretty much no instance in which you couldn’t make it.
Ingredients needed
- Zucchini – subtle texture that’ll soak up all of the delicious spicy flavors
- Carrot – giving the chili a nice bite and additional color
- Bell pepper – high in vitamin C and adding some Mexican flavor
- Kidney beans – recommended but can be swapped for black beans
- Chickpeas – more plant-based protein, color, texture and yumminess
- Corn – not sure if it’s a classic chili ingredient but blends in beautifully
- Diced tomatoes – almost any canned tomato product can be used to bind everything together nicely
This one-pot chili sin carne doesn’t require many kitchen tools, either! A can opener, chopping board, knife, measuring equipment and a large pot is everything you need.
How to make vegan chili sin carne
- Sauté onion and garlic in a large pot over medium heat in a splash of vegetable broth or olive oil.
- Add the chopped veggies and sauté for 5 more minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients: vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, corn, kidney beans, chickpeas, soy sauce, paprika, cumin and chili powder.
- Stir well to combine, then let your chili simmer for 15 minutes.
- Once it has thickened, remove it from the stove.
- Adjust to taste preferences by adding more chili or salt, then serve warm!
Find the exact amounts for each ingredient and adjustment tips below.
Serving & storage
Enjoy this chili sin carn on its own or serve with delicious toppings and sides, such as:
- Brown or white rice
- Bulgur, quinoa or buckwheat
- Cornbread
- Baked potatoes
- Bread rolls
- Tortilla chips
- Avocado
- Vegan sour cream
- Coriander leaves
- Vegan cheese shreds
Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for longer storage.
Tips & replacements
Here are some great ideas to modify this recipe to your needs!
- Veggies: feel free to omit any veggies or replace them with mushrooms, sweet potatoes, winter squash or celery. You can leave out the veggies entirely, too!
- Beans: black beans, pinto beans and white beans can be used instead of kidney beans and chickpeas. We also like to make this recipe with red lentils, textured vegetable protein, crushed walnuts or crumbled tofu!
- Spices: try adding some cocoa powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and a spritz of maple syrup!
Make this recipe gluten-free by using tamari instead of soy sauce.
Be sure to chop the veggies really finely so that they are well hidden amongst all those beans!
Adjust the chili powder to your preferred level of hotness.
More healthy recipes
Try these family-friendly dinner ideas next!
- Stuffed Bell Peppers
- The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Creamy Mushroom Risotto
- One-Pot Pasta Marinara
- Cauliflower Buffalo Tacos
Let us know how you like our chili in the comments below and don’t forget to rate it! You can also Pin it for later.
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 medium onions chopped
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth divided (360 ml)
- 1 bell pepper finely chopped (150 g)
- 1 medium carrot finely chopped
- 1 small zucchini finely chopped
- 1 15- oz can diced tomatoes 420 ml
- 6 tbsp tomato paste 100g
- 1 cup corn kernels 160 g
- 2 cups cooked kidney beans 360 g, drained
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas 160 g, drained
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- Salt to taste
Toppings (optional)
- Vegan sour cream
- Avocado
- Cilantro
Instructions
- Heat up a large non-stick pot over medium-high heat. Dry sauté the garlic and onion until slightly soft. Use a splash of olive oil if wanted to make the chili richer!
- Add half a cup of the vegetable broth, the bell pepper, carrot, and zucchini. Sauté for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Now, add all remaining ingredients (the rest of the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, corn, kidney beans, chickpeas, soy sauce, paprika, cumin, and cayenne). Stir well, then let the mixture simmer, uncovered, for another 15 minutes until it has thickened.
- Add more cayenne and salt to taste, then serve warm on its own or with rice, tortillas, baked potatoes, or cornbread. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use any veggies you like in place of the zucchini, carrot, and bell peppers. The overall amount can be increased or decreased to your preference – just adjust the liquid accordingly.
- The kidney beans and chickpeas can be swapped for any other beans like black beans or white beans.
- If you’re looking for a more “meaty” experience and extra chewiness, you can add some textured vegetable protein to the bean chili.
- Adjust hotness through the amount of chili, and feel free to experiment with smoked paprika or a hint of cocoa powder.
Your recipe for the Simple Vegan Chili Sin Carne recipe has “1/2 cayenne” – is that a half-teaspoon or what?
Thanks.
Yes, we meant 1/2 tsp. Thanks for the tip and sorry for the confusion – I just went ahead and corrected it. Hope you like the recipe and of course you can tweak the amount of cayenne depending on how spicy you like it (we like it hot & spicy!). :)
It is a really cold day here in Spain and this chili sounds so amazing! love the touch of paprika
and cayenne
Thanks so much for the feedback – hope this really hit the spot for you :)
Warm wishes from Thailand x
this was so yum!
Happy to know, thanks for your feedback!
Really nice recipe, easy to follow and low calories :) Tastes awesome too! Thank you :)
Hey Tamara, thanks for your nice feedback – we’re happy you liked it :)
Thanks, it sounds wonderful. Can you tell me if it’s good to add some “protéines de soja texturé” (soy beans textured proteines ?) (sorry, I’m French and writing from Paris).
Hey Viviane, merci beaucoup! Yes, you can use textured soy protein – this will give a wonderful meaty texture :) Enjoy and let us know how you liked it!
Bisous to France from Germany :)
Hello, I want to know if you have a cookbook that I can buy ??
Thanks so much for your appreciation, Sofi! Yes, we have some cookbooks you can buy – find them here: http://nutriciously.com/products/
Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions :)
Great, simple recipe. My first vegan meal. Amazing.
So good! Love all the ideas for ways to serve this. Easy to follow directions
thanks so much for the lovely feedback :) what did you serve it with?
Love this recipe! Its so comforting and yum. We put guacamole on top too, which was awesome!
Hey Kathy,
thanks for the feedback and sorry about the experience! I know this can be so annoying. We just check with our phones (Apple & Android) and everything was fine on our end – what exactly happened when you tried to access it?
Hi guys! The photos are speaking themself; you’re cozier just looking at them. This recipe is ideal for warming inside when getting colder outside. For the recipe, do you use fresh, canned or frozen corn? Thanks so much!
thanks for the feedback :) I always use canned corn but frozen will also work when you add it soon enough so it becomes nice and warm!
We all loved it! 3.5 and 1.5 year Olds too! Thank you!
Hi! I tried this recipe and it turned out amazing! I was looking at lots of different recipes and came across this one which looked the nicest!
Thank you
Love this dish! My partner and I have added it into our recipe rotation. It’s so full of goodness and the flavours really come through especially the day after it’s been cooked.
In the nutrition information for this recipe, the saturated fat is listed as 11g, which is half the recommended daily value. What ingredient(s) contribute that much fat? I’m baffled — or maybe just ignorant.
Hi Kathe,
sorry the nutrition information isn’t super easy to read! It says “total fat: 11g; saturated fat: 2g; trans fat: 0” This seems to be more accurate, right? The saturated fat is probably from the avocado mostly.
Hope this helps!
Best wishes
I LOVE this chili. When i made it the first time, it was too spicy for me, but after the 3 or 4th bowl, i began to LOVE it!!!! I use fresh corn off the cob when available, the tiny can of tomato paste, and whole cans of each bean to make it easier and not waste the remainder of the cans. I dice up most of the veggies, but like to keep the carrots in like nickel sized slices to have some larger texture in there. I make it all using my dutch oven and it smells amazing while cooking!!! I get quite a few servings and since i’m the only one in my family that eats it, i freeze half. I use the first batch for lunch for 2 or 3 days, and then a week or so later, defrost the rest and finish that week for lunch. i love that i have a filling and healthy lunch quick and easy! Thanks so much for this great recipe. I’ll be looking around your site to see if there are any other make ahead healthy dishes i can use for lunch!!!
Can you recommend cooking instructions for an instapot, please? Also, when do you suggest adding the TVP? Thanks! Love this recipe.
Hi Sarah, add the TVP along with the beans to the pot. It’ll have time to soften and soak up all flavors! Cook it in an Instant Pot by sautéing the veggies first (in the IP), then adding the rest of the ingredients and cooking for around 8 minutes. It’s been a while since I made this chili in an IP, so I hope I remember the time correctly.
I had this for the first time last night and WOW this recipe is SO DELICOUS!!! It will be added to our frequent rotation!!!!! My coworker tried some too and she loved it and asked for the recipe.
wow, this sounds fantastic, Jess! Thanks so much for sharing, really happy you all liked our chili :)
Made this recipe for some Mexican workers here in Florida and they came for more. They know I am vegan for some plus 20 years and thought this chili would boring . They rated it excellent
Indeed the best vegan chili! It’s really delicious. I used Fava beans instead of Kidney beans and Cousa Squash instead of the Zucchini. Next time i’m making this I’ll add not as much chili and paprika tho, it was definitely too hot for my personal taste.
Where can I find this recipe on Pinterest? I’d like to save it!
Hi Tabea, here it is: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/548735535853278652/ :) Glad you like it!
i’m confused in ingredients list it says chili powder in recipe it says cayenne? i am a recipe follower not an improviser.
I noticed it said 73 grams of fiber, is that correct?
Hi Lori, unfortunately, I cannot check which ingredients the program uses to calculate the nutrition right now! It does seem like way too much ;) Better double-check!