Cheap & Easy Vegan Chili

This Cheap & Easy Vegan Chili is Budget and Freezer Friendly, Nutritious & Delicious, and it makes 15 servings in under an hour!

I’ve made a lot of Vegan Chili! In fact I’ve probably made twice as much Vegan Chili as I have non-vegan chili in my lifetime. And so far this recipe has been my favorite! The good news is this vegan chili is not only the tastiest I’ve made, but it’s also the easiest and cheapest too, and it’s highly customizable to your own tastes and preference!

Ingredients for vegan chili

• Veggies – I like using bell peppers, jalapeños, onions and garlic.

• Canned Tomatoes – I’m using both crushed and diced tomatoes in this recipe. I like a thick and chunky chili, so diced do a great job of adding some texture.

spices & Seasonings

• Chili Powder – This is the main seasoning we are using. It’s important to note that this is a seasoning blend and not just hot chile powder. It’s very common here in the US. But if you can’t find it, there’s loads of recipes on line to make your own mix. There’s also two kinds, Dark and Regular. Dark is smokier and a deeper in flavor. Regular is more cumin and garlic powder forward, so choose which ever sounds good to you!

• Cumin – We are adding some additional cumin because it’s cumin and makes chili delicious!

Optional (but recommended) Seasonings

• Chipotles in Adobo – This is one of my favorite ingredients and I can’t imagine making chili without them. It just gives it a nice smokey and spicy layer that I think is necessary. That being said you can sub with some cayenne or smoked paprika if you can’t find them.

• Cocoa Powder & Cinnamon – These both add a nice rich, dark layer to the chili that is freaking scrumptious. Just make sure you don’t use too much as it can get sweet.

• Soy Sauce & Vegan Worcestershire – These both add some nice umami, and don’t worry, the chili won’t taste like soy sauce!

Broth, Beans & Meat!

• Veggie Broth – Now while I like a thick chili, we do need to thin it out with some veggie broth. It will also add some nice flavor as well.
• TVP – Instead of meat we are using our good buddy TVP. We don’t need to rehydrate it in this recipe since the chili will do that. You can of course make my TVP Ground Beef for a bit more flavor, but I wanted to keep this recipe as quick and easy as possible. I also have a Vegan Chili recipe that uses Impossible Meat.

• Beans – You can use any bean you like, Kidney, or Black Beans are common, but I like to use just Pinto Beans!
• Masa Harina & Refried Beans – I like to add these to thicken the chili and add some nice flavor.

How to make Cheap & Easy Vegan Chili

Cook the bell pepper, jalapeños and onion.

Add in the minced garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin and smoked paprika.

Add in the Crushed and Fire Roasted Tomatoes, stir to combine.

Next add in the veggie broth and pinto beans and stir once again.

Pour in the TVP, stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Taste and adjust for seasoning. Add in any additional seasonings and ingredients.

Enjoy with any fixins that you like! Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months!

season to taste!

This should go without saying, but always make your meals, and especially something like chili to your taste! The recipe below is updated from when I originally made it to start off with more conservative amounts of seasonings so you can add as much as you like, since it’s impossible to subtract!

a ton of chili!

This makes 15 servings, so it’s a lot of chili. I typically freeze most of it and then reheat as I need it. So unless you are hosting a party (which I did with this chili and everyone including non-vegans ate all of it!) I suggest freezing for later.

the fixins

You got a lot of options to top you chili! Vegan Sour Cream and Cheese are great, but not exactly budget friendly. I actually prefer cheaper toppings like fresh or pickled jalapeños or onions, the little oyster crackers, chives, Fritos, the list goes on! Whatever you like will work! Or you can top the chili on a baked potato or a vegan burger, what you like!

Storage

This recipe makes about 15 servings, so unless you are feeding a small army, I suggest freezing most of it. You can store it in the fridge for 3 – 5 days, or freeze for 4 – 6 months! I like using some Souper Cubes to freeze and then transferring those to a freezer safe bag.

To reheat, you can do some on the stovetop or microwave.

Here’s a HANDY DANDY VIDEO!

NOTE: This video is for the older recipe, which is similar, but I’ve made some changes that I think will make the chili better too!

other recipes you might like!

• Vegan Chili Burger
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Broccoli Cheddar Soup
• Chicken & Dumplings

Cheap & Easy Vegan Chili

Thee Burger Dude

4.66 from 35 votes

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Servings 15 Servings

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 1 Bell Pepper (Diced)
• 1 – 2 Jalapeños (Diced)
• 1/2 Onion (Diced)
• 8 Garlic Cloves (Minced)
• 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 1/4 cup Chili Seasoning
• 2 Tbsp Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 28 oz Crushed Tomatoes
• 30 oz Fire Roasted Tomatoes (2 cans at 15 oz. each)
• 2 – 4 cups Veggie Broth
• 60 oz Pinto Beans (4 cans at 15 oz. each, drained and rinsed)
• 2 Cups TVP
• 1 – 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
• Salt & Pepper

Optional Ingredients

• 1/8 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 – 3 tsp Cocoa Powder
• 1 – 3 tsp Vegan Worcestershire
• 1 – 3 tsp Soy Sauce
• 1 – 2 Tbsp Hot Sauce
• Cayenne (to Taste)
• 1 – 2 Tbsp Diced Chipotles in Adobo (for Heat)
• 1/4 cup Masa Harina (to thicken)
• 15 oz. Refried Beans (to thicken)

Instructions

 

• Heat a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add in 1 – 2 Tbsp cooking oil, and then the bell pepper, jalapeños and onion. Stir occasionally and cook for 2 – 3 minutes. Add in a pinch of salt and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or until the veggies have softened a bit.

  NOTE: if you are sensitive to anything spicy, leave out the jalapeños!
• Add in the minced garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin and smoked paprika. Stir to combine and cook for 1 – 2 minutes making sure not to burn the garlic or seasonings.
• Add in the Crushed and Fire Roasted Tomatoes, stir to combine. Next add in the veggie broth and pinto beans and stir once again. Start off with 2 cups or so of broth and add more if needed.
• Pour in the TVP, stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for about 30 minutes to 1 hour. The TVP will rehydrate in that time and soak up the flavors. Add more broth if chili seems too thick.
• Taste and adjust for seasoning. Add the Nutritional Yeast, it should taste pretty good at this point, but to really get it over the top, add any of the optional ingredients that appeal to you. And I recommend starting out conservative and adding more as you like.
• If the chili feels too thin to you, you can either simmer and reduce it down, or you can add some Masa Harina (like Maseca) or Refried Beans to thicken. Likewise if it’s too thick, add more broth.
• Enjoy with any fixins that you like! Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months!

Notes

If you want to make a chili that uses Beyond or Impossible Meat, check out my other Vegan Chili recipe. And for a No Bean Chili, check out my All “Meat” Chili!

 

2026 Update – I recently updated this recipe from when I originally posted it in 2023. It’s mostly the same except I halved the recipe as 30 servings was a little overboard. I also cut down on some of the stronger ingredients like cocoa powder and cinnamon as they can overpower the chili if overused. 

I hope that this update makes the chili easier and more widely palatable for everyone who makes it, thank you!

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!