Lentil Chili is a delicious, hearty recipe for Vegetarian Chili. Vegan friendly, high in protein, and full of fiber, this Lentil Chili, makes a healthy meal loved by everyone–even meat eaters! vegan chili is a hearty meatless chili made with lentils.
Looking for more recipes featuring lentils, check out Lentil Meatballs, Lentil Tacos , and Instant Pot Lentil Soup.
Lentil Chili
Once the outside temperature begins to drop, I begin to crave warm and hearty chili recipes.
This Lentil Vegetarian Chili recipe may be a bit different than your traditional beef and bean chili, but even my mid-western, meat loving husband enjoys this Vegan Chili.
It is hearty, filling, easy to make, inexpensive, and bottom line: GOOD!!!
How to make Vegetarian Lentil Chili
The base for this Vegan Chili is lentils. Beans and lentils are simmered in a thick and richly flavored tomato sauce. It is a thick chili that sticks to your ribs and fills you up–all while being meatless and low in fat and calories.
It starts with a simple saute of onions and garlic, because that is how all good recipes for chili start–right?! But my secret to turning this Lentil Chili into a memorable dish is to deglaze pan with a dry red wine after the onions have softened. The wine gives a rich depth to chili.
Then it is as simple as adding in the remaining ingredients and simmering until the lentils are tender. This only takes 20 minutes, so Lentil Chili is a perfect recipe for a busy night.
Once the chili is prepared, serve as desired. I enjoy this Lentil Chili with diced avocado, and chopped cilantro. But you can also top with sour cream and cheese if not vegan. I also enjoy serving leftover chili on baked potatoes or sweet potatoes.
Slow Cooker Instructions
To make this Lentil Chili in the slow cooker, place all ingredients into your slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
What are lentils?
They are a high protein part (called a pulse) of a plant that has been dried. There are many types of lentils. This recipe uses green or brown lentils. Red and yellow lentils are much too soft to lend themselves to a chili.
Lentil Benefits:
- Extremely high in fiber and protein
- Vegetarian
- Great substitute for meat
- Extremely inexpensive
- High in iron and Vitamin B
- Quick cooking
A Few Notes on Vegan Lentil Chili
- The red wine is optional in this Vegan Chili, but it adds a rich depth of flavor. If you omit, replace it with vegetable stock.
- Any beans–pinto beans, red beans, black beans, all work in this Vegan Chili.
- I like my chili stick to the spoon thick, feel free to thin out with more broth–just be sure to adjust seasonings.
- Mom Tip: Sneak in some veggies by adding 1-2 cups of pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling) to this vegetarian chili. It will blend in perfectly with the flavors in this chili.
More Chili Recipes
- Instant Pot Chili
- Vegetarian Butternut Squash Chili
- Sweet Potato Black Bean Quinoa Chili
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili
- Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Lentil Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1/2 cup dry red wine optional
- 1 tablespoon chili seasoning
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes blended
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes not blended
- 2 cups water or vegetable broth
- 1 cup green or brown lentils
- 2 cups beans cooked or canned
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and spices. Saute until onion is softened.
- Deglaze pan with wine and allow to boil for 1 minute.
- Add tomatoes and broth (or water). Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.
- At this point you can allow the broth to simmer for 1 hour to intensify in flavor, or you can add the lentils and beans and cook until lentils are tender--about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Alternatively--you can place all ingredients into the slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
Notes
- Lentil Chili can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days and can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- I blended one can of tomatoes to give the soup more liquid and for texture preference. You can skip this step and just use 2 cans of diced tomatoes, or you can blend all the tomatoes if your family is opposed to the texture of diced tomatoes.
- I recommend kidney beans and black beans for this Lentil Chili, but you can use red beans or pinto beans instead.
- Feel free to adjust the spices to accommodate your family's preferences.
- Green or brown lentils are best for this chili recipe. Red lentils will turn to mush, so are not recommended for this recipe.
- Dry red wine, like Merlot or Cabernet, is recommended for this Lentil Chili, but feel free to use additional vegetable stock in place of the wine.
Kristen Chidsey
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Mmmmm, I like this idea for lentils. I have too many bags of them in the pantry right now, just waiting to be put to good use. This looks delish, garnished with avocado and cilantro! What a fun idea!
This is the PERFECT recipe for all those lentils! Enjoy!
This was so delicious yet easy! Thanks for saving me when I needed a quick dinner my family would love!
YAY! So glad your family enjoyed this Julie! It is so easy and on the table fast!
Excited about soup weather. Thank you for this new yummy soup recipe.
This is the perfect meatless soup to warm up with.
So simple and easy – we love to have chili around in the fall and winter – sometimes we put it over rice or I make cornbread and I love all the toppings!
I love to serve my chili over cornbread and rice too! I am glad you enjoyed this recipe Beth .
So delicious and perfect for fall!
Thank you Nellie!
That sounds so good! I am a huge fan of lentils! Thanks for the shoutout for my Vegan Picadillo Lentil Stew!
Thank you Kalyn! I am so excited to make your stew as well 🙂
I love lentils but would have never thought to include them in chili, sounds awesome!!
Anna, lentils in Chili are great. They really add texture and heartiness. I hope you give it a try.
I love me some chili and what a great way to spice it up with some different ingredients!
Thanks Jennifer. I love chili of all kinds myself and this one ranks up there for me as one of my favs.
I’ve been dancing around tanking the plunge with lentils for a while now, but I’m staring to wonder what the hold up is. This chili looks delicious!
Chrisy, this is one easy and delcious way to experiment with lentils.
Sounds like the perfect dinner for tonight.
Thanks Christie.
It is damp and raining here and nothing sounds as good as a bowl of this chili right now. I love lentils…perfect. xo, Catherine
Yes, this dish is PERFECT for nasty cold days!
This looks delicious! I never thought to add lentils to chili, what a great idea, I just love lentils! Thank you for posting.
I stopped by from Mix it up Mondays.
Thanks Jessy! If you love lentils, you will LOVE them in chilis!
I enjoy lentils but haven’t tried them in chili. Sounds like a great idea!
If you love lentils, you will truly love thu s chili.
This sounds and looks delicious – pinning and making for sure!
Thanks Marie, I hope you enjoy it!
Yum! I love all kinds of chili too, pinning to try!
Thanks Joy! Hope you enjoy!
I used to live in GA and I miss those unexpected snow days. Here in MD we have what seems like a ton of snow. Chili is always on the menu up here.
The unexpected snow is so much better than the continuous pummel of snow up North. I am originally from Ohio where Adult snow days NEVER happened. You just dealt with it!
We love lentils, but I have never made chili with it! Definitely going to try it now though!
Hope you enjoy this version of Chili!
I love lentils, but never put them in a chilli before – gonna have to try this one!
Michelle–they work beautifully in chili. You must try it!
Your chili sounds delicious! I love using lentils in vegetable soups, I love how “meaty” and hearty they make everything. What a great idea to use them in chili… why did I never think of that! Thanks for the inspiration! 🙂
You bet Maria!
I can’t wait to make this, its freezing in Atlanta today!! I love healthy comfort food!
I am here in Atlanta too!! This week looks horrible! I want spring!
I love chili, and vegetarian chilis are some of my favorites! This recipe looks delicious – so hearty and comforting!
Thanks Cate. It is so easy and very comforting indeed!
Hearty, warming, and healthy, this chili looks like the perfect way to warm up on a cold winter day!
Thanks Faith! I agree!