This easy recipe for vegan chilli is ready in no time and packed full of flavour. Peppers, carrots and kidney beans are simmered in a rich tomato sauce with chilli and smoked paprika for a super simple supper.
This super simple kidney bean chilli pops up on rice, in tortillas and with polenta or cornbread.
It works well in summer with a cold beer and as a winter warmer with a glass of red, with friends, in front of the fire.
This week I served it up with a piping hot baked potato and steamed broccoli for a well-balanced mid-week meal.
I’m sharing my very basic vegan chilli recipe today but it is a very adaptable recipe and I usually chuck in whatever I have in the fridge!
It is good for using up those leftover limp veg lurking in your salad drawer.
How to Make Easy Vegan Chilli
These quantities are enough to feed 4 normal people or two teenage boys. You can easily halve them if you are feeding fewer or less greedy people!
- Tinned beans are your friends here – they provide the protein in an easy vegan chilli and don’t take any more preparation than opening a tin, draining the beans and giving them a quick rinse. Simple!
- Onions, carrots, peppers and tomatoes provide the vegetable base in this simple chilli but you can chuck in any veg you have in the bottom of your fridge. Mushrooms make a nice addition as do sweetcorn, parsnips, green beans, shredded cabbage and sweet potato.
- Smoked paprika isn’t necessary but it does add a lovely depth of flavour. Switch it up a bit and add some herby flavours with a teaspoon of dried oregano or marjoram or top it with some chopped fresh parsley or coriander.
What to Do if You Need Vegan Chilli in a Hurry!
If you are in a rush and can’t possibly wait for two hours for a potato to bake, serve this easy vegan chilli over rice or with big chunks of bread.
However, baked potatoes really are worth making and you’ll be glad you made them when that smell starts drifting around your hhome – it really doesn’t take much effort to bung them in the oven and then fill them with your favourite things!
Can You Freeze Vegan Chilli?
Yes, you can! This recipe freezes well or you can keep it in the fridge and use it up on rice later in the week.
If you are freezing vegetable chilli allow it to cool completely. Transfer to a suitable container and freeze. Zip lock bags are great as they don’t use up as much room in the freezer.
Defrost completely and reheat in a pan until piping hot. You may need to add a little liquid.
If you are looking for more easy vegan recipes, ready in a flash you might like:
- Easy Vegan Roast Potato Curry
- Baked Bean Curry
- Easy Mushroom Risotto
- Mushroom Stroganoff with Mustard Mash
- Red Pesto Pasta
- Vegan Sausage Casserole with Cider and Apples
And if you’re after something else to pop in a baked potato you could try my Vegan Egg Mayo!
Easy Vegan Chilli
Ingredients
- 1 medium red onion peeled and diced
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 medium carrots 100g, diced
- 1 medium red pepper 100g, deseeded and diced
- 1 clove of garlic peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tsp chilli powder or to taste
- 1 tsp smoked paprika optional
- 1 tin red kidney beans rinsed and drained
- 1 can plum tomatoes
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the onions, fry gently until soft
- Add the carrots and peppers and continue to fry gently until they are beginning to soften
- Add the garlic, chilli powder and paprika and fry for a further minute
- Add the drained beans and the tomatoes with their juice
- Break the tomatoes up with your wooden spoon
- Crumble in your stock cube, bring to a boil and then simmer for about 15 minutes until the tomato juice has reduced to a thick sauce
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Serve with steamed broccoli and baked potatoes
Notes
Nutrition
If you fancy making this easy vegan chilli, why not pin it for later?
This is what I call comfort food! I love that it’s also vegan and healthy. Win win! 😀
Win Win indeed Nadia! I have a broken vegan boy home from Berlin this week for an op on his arm and this went down very well, perfect comfort food when you’re feeling a bit rubbish 🙂
You really are right – chilli is so good with when it’s hot with beer or when it’s cold with red wine. In fact, I just made a batch here in Australia! this looks great and would appeal to everyone, meat eaters or not!
Hoorah! I’m envying you your sunshine at the moment – chilli and beer are a marriage made in heaven!
Such a colourful plate with so many nutrients. If only my kids weren’t so fussy, I would have loved to serve them this. Baby steps!
It’s taken one or two of mine a while to get there but their palates are much improved these days – good luck!
O my, this is screaming comfort food! (And that smoked paprika is never optional 😉 )
Ha, certainly not for me, no! I do know people (aka weirdos) who don’t like it though!
What a lovely and tasty meal, it healthy too and perfect to cook up quickly on a week night.
What a delicious looking chilli and it’s so simple to make too. A great budget friendly meal, although I do love the idea of it with a glass of red, with friends, in front of the fire. Sounds like heaven!