Instant Pot Vegan Chili Recipe

This is the BEST Instant Pot vegan chili recipe I’ve ever made! Full of robust and hearty flavor, this vegan chili is a crowd pleaser for all eaters, and protein packed!

My favorite vegan chili recipe EVER

When the chilly weather hits, I am all for the chili recipes. This is my absolute favorite chili recipe, vegan, vegetarian or not!

You see, I used to be the “connoisseur” of chilis growing up as a kid. I use connoisseur very loosely here, but I really did love chili. Oddly enough, even as a kid, I preferred my chili without meat, so my mom always me my own vegetarian chili to have (I know, she spoiled me!).

This Instant Pot vegan chili is unique, though, because unlike regular vegan chili, it’s ready in under 40 minutes (though if you don’t have an Instant Pot, no worries! We have options for you!).

Another reason why this is the best vegan chili ever, aside from the fact that it’s meatless, dairy free, vegetarian-friendly, and full of plant-based protein? This chili also happens to be full of robust flavor, so incredibly hearty and comforting, and a crowd pleaser for those who do and don’t eat meat!

What goes into vegetarian/vegan chili?

This Instant Pot vegan chili recipe is actually also considered a vegetarian chili recipe (and a damn good one at that).

It’s made up of the simplest ingredients, and is heavily based off of the one my mom would make me as a kid (because no one makes chili like her!). For this chili, you’ll need:

• Three types of beans: I use black beans, kidney, and white beans
• Diced tomatoes: I use unsalted and just add in sea salt, but if you use salted, just be careful and air on the side of caution when adding salt at first.
• Veggies: I dice onions, celery, and carrots for added flavor
• Tomato sauce or marinara: I recommend Jovial Organics or Rao’s marinara- either of those are my all time favorites!
• Spices: I personally don’t like a chili that’s too spicy- because then I’m just spending an hour cooling down my mouth! For this vegetarian chili, I like to use a mix of chili powder, cumin, black pepper, and just a pinch of cayenne. You can, however, use as much or as little cayenne as you’d like.
• Olive oil: you can use coconut oil too, if preferred, but we’re just using it to sauté the veggies.
• Optional: pea protein + red wine! You can omit or add in if you’d like- I personally choose to because I like adding in a little extra plant-based protein. I recommend using a neutral or unflavored pea protein. For the wine, I think it just adds more of a robust flavor to the chili and really makes the ingredients shine (insert Kevin from The Office reference here 😉 ).

Why is there no bell pepper?

You might be wondering that, and truthfully, I just don’t like my chili with bell pepper! I find them a hassle to slice with all of the seeds, so I just omit it. However, if you do want bell pepper in there, you can definitely add one whole bell pepper, diced.

The full ingredients measurements can be found down below in the recipe card, along with the full written instructions. However, we’ll go over the ins and outs of making an Instant Pot vegan chili as well as how to make this recipe if you don’t own an Instant Pot!

How to make the best Instant Pot vegan chili

Making vegan chili in an Instant Pot is extraordinarily easy and so quick! The full recipe is written below, but I just wanted to go over a few pointers to help make this the best vegan chili you and your family ever taste!

• You can sauté the veggies in your Instant Pot! I don’t believe all IP’s have this option, but if you do, it’s just one less pot to clean at the end. I have the Duo Evo 6, and there’s a sauté option on that. I use this option to sauté the carrots, celery, and onions together until they’re translucent.
• Use sea salt to taste: before starting the Instant Pot, I actually recommend tasting everything cold. Since this is a vegetarian chili, you don’t have to worry about anything not being cooked! That way, you can add more sea salt until you achieve the desired flavor.
• Be like Ina Garten- add the wine! I think that’s my favorite tip I’ve learned from Barefoot Contessa- a little wine does wonders for a dish. I recommend Cabernet, but Merlot, and Pinot Noir are also great options).
• This chili gets better and better over time! I think this is true for most chilis, but really, this chili ages like a fine wine (lol) overnight. Of course, this is the quick chili option, and it will still taste absolutely amazing. But you can also use your Instant Pot as a slow cooker if it has that option and cook it for a few hours. I actually always prefer my chili the next day after it’s had a night to sit in the fridge. We were really channeling Kevin from this ha!

How to make this vegan chili WITHOUT an Instant Pot

So you may have clicked on this Instant Pot vegan chili recipe…without actually owning an Instant Pot.

If you don’t own one, I highly recommend considering investing. I use my IP multiple times a week, and I love it! For meal prep, I always prep my quinoa and lentils in there because it makes the fluffiest quinoa I’ve ever had.

You can even make a vegan cheesecake in an Instant Pot!

However, no worries if you’re not into it. I do have some more options for you!

Slow Cooker: my family’s favorite kitchen tool, which can definitely be used for this vegetarian chili as well! Simply sauté the carrots, celery, and onion in a sauce pan, then transfer all of the ingredients over to the slow cooker. Cook the chili for 5 hours at least then serve!

Stovetop: if you’re not a slow cooker person either, not a problem- simply sauté the veggies in a sauce pan, then transfer everything over to a large soup pot. Cover and cook on low for at least 5 hours then serve!

Vegan chili toppings

Traditionally, chili is served with cheese, sour cream, chives, and the like. Being dairy free or vegan these days, we actually lucked out. All of the traditional toppings can be found both dairy free and vegan, and they taste good.

• Sour cream: I recommend Forager Project’s sour cream- it’s my favorite, and tastes just like sour cream!
• Vegan shredded cheese: my favorite brand to use here is So Delicious- any of their options are great!
• Chopped chives
• Avocado
• Toasted bread
• Toasted cornbread: we don’t have a vegan cornbread recipe just yet, but we do feature one from another vegan blogger in our vegan Thanksgiving recipe round up!

What to serve with this vegetarian chili recipe

I love to prep my vegan chili alongside some quinoa or farro! It’s also great to serve with some roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes.

If you have some leftovers, you can also make some vegan chili fries, using regular potatoes or sweet potato fries.

I hope you absolutely love this Instant Pot vegan chili recipe as much as I do!

If you try this chili recipe, be sure to leave a comment down below so that I can hear how it went for you! Let me know if you have any questions down there too 🙂

As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!

Happy Instant Pot Chili making!

More vegan soup recipes you’ll love:

Vegan Pantry Staple Lentil Soup

Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Soup

Easy Vegan Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup

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