Finally – a Classic, Thick, and Hearty Chili Made for Vegan Comfort Food Lovers!
I make a pot of chili at least once a week during the winter. It’s the best comforting dinner, and I eat the leftovers for lunch every day. Meat or meatless chili — I love them all!
Yet while my Vegan White Chili and Vegan Pumpkin Chili are awesome plant-based chili recipes, they don’t quite satisfy the craving for a more classic, hearty, tomato-based vegan chili. So I got to work….
And here is the result! 😍
This vegan chili uses a satisfying combination of sweet potatoes, black beans, and quinoa. It has all the heartiness of a classic Turkey Chili, made entirely with plant-based ingredients (you will not miss the meat – promise!).
The secret to a deeply flavored meatless chili is 3 simple but sneaky ingredients. Worcestershire sauce adds umami, concentrated tomato paste adds rich tomato flavor, and a dash of cocoa powder enhances all spices while balancing out the acidity.
The resulting pot of sweet potato quinoa chili is thick, tomato-forward, a bit spicy, and satisfying enough even for meat lovers!
Check your labels! To ensure this meatless sweet potato quinoa chili is completely vegan, be sure to use a vegan-friendly Worcestershire sauce.
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All the Recipes You Need for Soup Season!
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How to Make Sweet Potato Quinoa Chili
This sweet potato, black bean, and quinoa chili is a one-pot recipe you can get on the table in less than 45 minutes. It could not be easier to make!
Alternate Cooking Methods
You can also make this vegan sweet potato quinoa chili in a slow cooker or Instant Pot, if you want to free up your stovetop! See the Recipe Notes below for full instructions.
Serving Suggestions
The best part about making any chili? Loading up on the toppings!
Some of my favorite vegan chili toppings are diced red onion, thinly sliced jalapeno, fresh cilantro, and diced avocado. You can also always add your favorite dairy-free cheese and/or sour cream. And don’t forget the tortilla chips for crunch!
😋Got Leftovers? ⇢ The flavors of this vegan quinoa chili only get better as it sits, making it perfect for meal prep! It keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days, so whip up a big pot on Sunday to eat all week.
I can’t wait for you to try this Hearty Sweet Potato Quinoa Chili with Black Beans! It’s a vegan take on a classic, tomato-based chili, and it will not let you down!
If you do give it a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about and seeing your PWWB creations! Happy cooking! ♡
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Hearty Sweet Potato Quinoa Chili with Black Beans
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: serves 6-8 1x
- Category: Soup, Stew & Chili Recipes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican & Tex-Mex
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Hearty Sweet Potato Quinoa Chili with Black Beans is so thick and satisfying you’d never know it’s meatless!
This vegan quinoa chili has a deep, rich flavor thanks to a base of tomatoes, quinoa, sweet potatoes, black beans, and classic chili spices. It’s a one-pot, 45 minute meal that’s perfect to meal prep and enjoy all week long. Just load up on your favorite vegan chili toppings!
Naturally vegetarian, dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free with Slow Cooker and Instant Pot directions included.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, deseeded and diced
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes
- 1–2 chipotle peppers (from a can, in adobo sauce), finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (see Recipe Notes, below)
- Two 14-ounce cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes, with their juices
- Two 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup dry quinoa
- 2 cups vegetable stock or broth
- 1 large, juicy lime, juiced
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
- for serving, as desired: cashew crema or shredded cheese (or vegan cheese), smashed avocado or guacamole, sliced jalapeno, chopped cilantro, tortilla chips, etc.
Instructions
- Cook the veggies: Add the olive oil to a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven (at least 4 qt) over medium heat. Once hot and shimmering, add the onion, bell pepper, and sweet potato. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4-5 minutes.
- Add the spices: Add the chipotle peppers, garlic, bay leaves, tomato paste, chili powder, cocoa powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, and dried oregano to the pot, stirring to coat the veggies. Cook for 2-3 minutes, to allow the spices to bloom.
- Build and simmer the chili: Add the Worcestershire sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes, black beans, quinoa and veggie stock/broth to the pot. Stir to combine. Bring the chili to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the chili is thickened slightly and the quinoa is cooked. To finish the chili, squeeze in fresh lime juice and taste and season with additional salt or ground black pepper as needed.
- Serve: Ladle the chili in individual bowls and finish with toppings of choice – cashew crema or shredded (vegan) cheese, smashed avocado or guacamole, sliced jalapeno, pico de gallo, chopped cilantro, tortilla chips, etc. Enjoy!
Notes
- Vegan Worcestershire sauce: If keeping your quinoa chili vegetarian or vegan is important to you, be sure to use vegan-friendly Worcestershire sauce. My favorite vegan Worcestershire is Annie’s, which is also certified organic. If you have a hard time finding vegan-friendly Worcestershire, feel free to substitute with an equal amount of soy sauce (or tamari, or coconut aminos).
- Storage: To store, transfer cooled quinoa chili to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. Leftover quinoa chili will keep for up to 5 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through.
- Freezing: This quinoa chili is very freezer-friendly! To freeze, transfer cooled quinoa chili to an airtight freezer container. (These are my absolute favorite!) Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through.
- Alternative cooking methods:
- Slow Cooker or Crock Pot: Prep the veggies and spices according to Steps 1-2, above. Transfer the spiced veggie mixture to the slow cooker, along with the remaining ingredients as directed in Step 3. Slow cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours, stirring occasionally. Finish the quinoa chili as directed in Step 3. Serve as directed in Step 4. If your slow cooker has a searing/browning feature, you can use it to cook the entire vegan quinoa chili recipe (Steps 1-3) in the slow cooker.
- Instant Pot: Use the Instant Pot’s “Sauté” setting to cook the recipe according to Steps 1-2, above. Build the chili in the Instant Pot according to Step 3, then cover and seal. Cook on manual high pressure for 4 minutes (it will take 15-20 minutes for pressure to build). When the timer goes off, quick release by carefully flicking the valve to its “venting” position. If the chili seems a little too liquidy, feel free to turn on the Sauté setting again, letting the chili simmer down a little before finishing and serving as directed in Steps 3-4.
- 10-Minute Meal Prep: Most of the active prep time involved with this recipe is chopping up the veggies. With just a little prep, you can cut down on all active prep the night you want to throw it together. Pick and choose from the list below, or do it all and all you’ll have to do at dinnertime is get cooking – easy!
- Dice 1 large yellow onion
- Deseed and dice 1 bell pepper
- Peel and dice 2 medium sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes
- Optional: Prep desired toppings, such as making a batch of guacamole or cashew crema.
- Store in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
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Delicious. I’ll admit, I forgot the worcestershire. But it still turned out great. Has a bit of spicy to it, but my 6 month old ate it when some mashed avocado! I made the instant pot version but it kept giving me the burn notice, which was ridiculous because I scraped it and all that. Still, I just turned it to saute and finished up cooking it that way. I’ll probably just do stovetop next time since the IP was misbehaving.
Hi Suzie, so glad to hear that you enjoyed! Sorry to hear that your Instant Pot was acting up – so strange! Either method should work great!
a great chili, every time I think I’ve tried every version, another, and love them all! Love sweet potatoes too, thank you!
Sabrina, completely agree – there seems to be endless amounts of chili recipes! We are SO glad you enjoyed this one!
I nearly completely followed this recipe, and it turned out fabulous! Straight from heaven!
Hi Blaire! So glad you enjoyed – we love this recipe too!