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Vegetarian Recipes

Easy Vegetarian Chili

https://www.loveandlemons.com/vegetarian-chili-recipe/

Meet the best vegetarian chili recipe I’ve tasted! Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and fire-roasted tomatoes give it a delicious smoky kick.

Once the temperature starts dropping, I start craving comfort food. Lasagna, Mac and Cheese, Eggplant Parmesan, you name it. But while I love love love all of those things, some nights I want to get my comfort food fix with as little work as possible. That’s where this easy vegetarian chili recipe comes in.

Like any good veggie chili, it’s hearty, warming, smoky, and spicy. Made with a short list of pantry ingredients, it packs in a hefty amount of veggies, but it’s so yummy that even a meat lover will fall for it (just ask Jack!). To make it, you only need to do a few minutes of hands-on prep. Then, let it simmer away on its own – you can check back in 30 minutes later to dish up a delicious vegetarian chili dinner.

Easy and satisfying, this is a great recipe for busy weeknights, game day, or any time you’re craving something cozy. Enjoy!


Vegetarian chili recipe ingredients


Vegetarian Chili Recipe Ingredients

My vegetarian chili recipe is filled with the chili essentials: onion, garlic, red bell pepper, pinto and kidney beans, lime, olive oil, salt, and black pepper. For a colorful twist, I add in corn kernels. Fresh or frozen corn works equally well, adding pops of yellow and a little crunch.

Then, instead of stirring in regular diced tomatoes, I add fire roasted diced tomatoes. A pantry staple in my kitchen, fire roasted tomatoes are my first pick anytime I use diced tomatoes in a recipe. They have the same concentrated tomato flavor, but they also add an irresistible smokiness to whatever you’re making, which is really delicious in this chili recipe.

Finally, in lieu of chili powder, I use canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. They’re super smoky, spicy, and savory, which makes for one darn good bowl of veggie chili. If you’ve never used them before, you can find them in the Mexican section of most grocery stores. Use any leftovers in my favorite chipotle sauce, BBQ sandwiches, or vegan nachos!

Once you prep your ingredients, making this recipe is easy! Just sauté the onion, garlic, and peppers, stir in the remaining ingredients, and simmer until the chili thickens to your desired consistency. Finish it off with a big squeeze of lime, and dig in!

Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days (they get more flavorful with time!), or freeze them for even longer.

Vegetarian Chili Serving Suggestions

My favorite part of making vegetarian chili is loading it up with toppings! I especially love this recipe with a dollop of Greek yogurt to cool the heat from the smoky chipotles. I like to finish it with pickled onions, sliced chiles, and cilantro. Feel free to get creative with your toppings – shredded cheese, sour cream, pickled jalapeños, avocado, guacamole, or charred corn kernels would all be great.

Enjoy a bowl of this chili on its own, or pair it with tortilla chips, cornbread, or a baked sweet potato for a heartier meal. Or, for a fun game day snack, top it onto sweet potato wedges to make sweet potato chili fries!

Easy Vegetarian Chili Recipe Variations

I love this recipe as written, but if you’re particular about your chili, change it up to suit your preferences! Here are a few easy variations:

  • Use your favorite beans. I’ve been known to make this recipe with everything ranging from black beans to chickpeas, and it always comes out great. Use your favorite beans (or whatever you have in your pantry) instead of the pinto and/or kidney beans.
  • Add extra veggies. Do you love a veggie-heavy chili? Add a stalk of celery or carrots to the pot along with the onion.
  • Spice to your level. Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce can vary in spice level, so if you’re sensitive to spice, start with less than the recipe calls for. You can always add more!

How do you like your vegetarian chili? Let me know in the comments!

Easy Vegetarian Chili

Author: Jeanine Donofrio

Recipe type: Soup

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 (14-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 1 (14-ounce) can red beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (14-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup water or broth
  • 3 chipotle peppers from canned chipotles in adobo, diced, plus 3 tablespoons sauce*
  • 1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice, plus wedges for serving
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Avocado or Guacamole
  • Greek yogurt or sour cream
  • Jalapeño or serrano peppers, diced or sliced
  • Cilantro
  • Pickled Onions
  1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, a few pinches of salt and pepper, and stir. Cook until the onion is translucent, 5 minutes, then add the garlic and red pepper. Stir and cook until soft, 5 to 8 minutes, turning the heat down as needed.
  2. Add the tomatoes, beans, water, chipotles, adobo sauce, corn, salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chili has thickened.
  3. Stir in the lime juice and season to taste. Serve with desired toppings.

*Chipotle peppers vary in spice level. If you’re sensitive to spice, start with less. If you love spice, add more to taste. If your chili is too spicy, add more lime juice and a bit of olive oil to tone it down.

3.4.3177

 

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Cheesy Vegetarian

Creamy Vegan Corn Chowder (with Coconut Milk)

I am well and truly into soup mode, with all this cold weather we’ve been having – and corn chowder has got to be one of the most hearty, most comforting soups there is. This thick and creamy soup is packed with fresh veggies, and the addition of coconut milk makes it extra tasty (and vegan too!).

A piece of buttered toast being dipped into vegan corn chowder.

The flavours in this soup are just delicious – the slight heat from the chilli and the touch of sweetness from the creamy coconut milk are such a wonderful combination. I might even try it with sweet potatoes next!

This vegan corn chowder is already super filling due to the potatoes and corn, but I do love a bit of buttered toast dipped in… it’s autumn in a bowl.

⭐ What is Chowder?

Chowder is a thick kind of soup, usually made with milk or cream – but this vegan corn chowder uses coconut milk instead, which makes it even tastier.

It’s generally left chunky (unlike a smooth blended soup), which makes it feel much more hearty and filling than a thinner soup. I did partially blend my coconut corn chowder, because it helps to break down the potatoes and corn, making the soup extra thick and creamy – though I didn’t make it totally smooth.

(you can if you want to, though! I’m not the chowder police.)

Overhead shot of vegan corn chowder with buttered toast.

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🥗 Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

Ingredients for vegan corn chowder laid out with text overlay.
  • sweetcorn – I used frozen corn, but you could use canned or fresh corn instead, if you prefer.
  • unsweetened coconut milk – use the canned stuff, as it’s thicker and creamier than the kind that’s designed for drinking. I used light coconut milk, but regular would also be great (and would make an even creamier soup).
  • onion
  • celery
  • carrot
  • potatoes – you could even try using sweet potatoes (or a bit of both kinds) instead, if you want an extra hint of sweetness in your soup.
  • vegetable stock – I used a crumbled stock cube plus some water, but liquid stock would also work well.
  • red chilli – just use a small amount to begin with! You can always spice up your soup more later if it needs it, but adding too much chilli is a good way to quickly ruin a tasty soup.
  • smoked paprika
  • cumin
  • garlic

Becca’s Top Tip

If you don’t want to buy a whole pack of red chillies to only use a small amount, a dollop of sweet chilli sauce will also work really well in this recipe.

📹 Recipe Video





🔪 Equipment

To make this vegan corn chowder, I used an immersion blender (hand blender) to partially blend the soup. It helped to break down the potatoes and corn, making the soup extra thick and creamy.

If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can choose to leave the soup unblended – but if you’d like to make soup regularly, a hand blender is definitely something worth buying, as they’re not expensive, and they’re a tool you’ll probably use regularly. I make soup about once a week, so my immersion blender is one of my most-used kitchen tools.

Here’s a great one on Amazon, with really positive reviews:

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OVENTE Electric Immersion Hand Blender 300 Watt 2 Mixing Speed with Stainless Steel Blades, Powerful Portable Easy Control Grip Stick Mixer Perfect for Smoothies, Puree Baby Food & Soup, Black HS560B

OVENTE Electric Immersion Hand Blender 300 Watt 2 Mixing Speed with Stainless Steel Blades, Powerful Portable Easy Control Grip Stick Mixer Perfect for Smoothies, Puree Baby Food & Soup, Black HS560B

I use this kind of hand blender at least once a week to make homemade soup.

If you’re in the UK or Australia, click ‘Buy on Amazon’ to view a local product.

$17.08

Buy on Amazon

A bowl of vegan corn chowder topped with cilantro.

🖨 Printable Instructions

Buttered toast being dipped into a bowl of coconut corn chowder.

Print

Vegan Corn Chowder (with Coconut Milk)

This creamy vegan corn chowder recipe is made with coconut milk, which makes it extra luxurious and extra delicious!
Course Appetiser, Light lunch, Soup
Cuisine American
Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 3 people
Calories 360kcal
Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp oil
  • 450 g (~ 1 lb) potato (~ 3 medium)
  • 1/2 large onion (or 1 small)
  • 1 medium carrot
  • 1 large celery stick (~ 80g / ~ 3 oz)
  • 250 g (~ 9 oz) frozen sweetcorn
  • 1/2 small mild red chilli, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 400 ml tin coconut milk (~ 1 1/2 cups) – I used light
  • 1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled
  • 500 ml (~ 2 cups) water
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Dice the potato, onion, carrot and celery stick fairly small (1cm or less). Heat a dash of oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat, and add the chopped vegetables. Cook for 5 minutes or so, until fragrant.
    Diced potatoes and other vegetables in a saucepan.
  • Add the frozen sweetcorn, chilli, garlic, smoked paprika and cumin. Mix well, and cook for a couple more minutes.
    Sautéed vegetables and spices in a saucepan.
  • Next, add the can of coconut milk and the vegetable stock – I used a stock cube and water, but you can use liquid stock if you prefer.
    Vegetables and coconut milk in a saucepan.
  • Bring to a simmer, and cook for 25 minutes or so, until all the vegetables are very soft.
    Chunky corn chowder in a saucepan.
  • Use an immersion blender to partially blend the soup, breaking down some of the potatoes and corn, and leaving some whole.
    Vegan coconut corn chowder in a saucepan.
  • Season to taste, and serve warm.
    Coconut corn chowder in a bowl with buttered toast.

Video





Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 49.2g | Protein: 8.4g | Fat: 15.4g | Saturated Fat: 8.5g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 552mg | Potassium: 1083mg | Fiber: 7.6g | Sugar: 5.7g | Calcium: 554mg | Iron: 3mg

💭 Recipe FAQs

Does this corn chowder reheat well?

Yes! The leftovers are great reheated – just microwave until piping hot. This means you can also prepare the soup in advance if you need to, and reheat when you’re ready to serve.

Can I freeze corn chowder?

Soup generally freezes very well – just allow it to cool and store it in an airtight tub in the freezer.

How should I serve corn chowder?

Because of the potatoes and corn, this is a hearty soup that doesn’t really need anything else alongside. However, I do love it with a slice of crusty, buttery toast for dipping.

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The post Creamy Vegan Corn Chowder (with Coconut Milk) appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

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