The BEST Vegetarian Chili Recipe (2024)

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Created On: February 19, 2020&nbsp|Updated: January 27, 2021| 18 Comments

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This Vegetarian Chili Recipe is packed with TONS of fresh veggies! It’s thick, cozy and filling. Freezer friendly and perfect for a big family dinner!

Let’s talk chili! I LOVE chili. It’s so comforting, you can load it up with beans, vegetables and delicious toppings, and it’s healthy! This entire pot of vegetarian chili only has 6 Weight Watchers points (Freestyle program)! It really is the BEST Vegetarian Chili Recipe and I think you all will love it as much as I do 🙂

I have a few different chili recipes on my site (because I love it so much) and this one is probably neck and neck with my Best Vegan Chili Recipe. This recipe is actually vegan as well, but I did top mine with some non-fat greek yogurt. I’m calling this the best vegetarian chili recipe though because it’s loaded with SO many veggies!

What You’ll Need To Make The Best Vegetarian Chili Recipe

Vegetables – As always, I like to encourage you to use whatever veggies you and your family love. Here is what I used in this chili: onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, zucchini, carrots, corn and cauliflower rice. Sweet potato would be great too, but since I’m on WW I wanted to use all zero point vegetables.
Beans – I used three cans of beans in this recipe. You could use all the same type of bean or mix it up, like I did. I used a can each of black, pinto and dark kidney beans.
Tomato and Tomato Paste – I usually use a can of diced tomatoes but I wanted this recipe to have as little WW points as it could, so instead I diced up 3 fresh tomatoes. I did use 4 tablespoons of tomato paste though, because I love how it helps thicken the chili.
Spices – There are quite a bit of spices used in this vegetarian chili recipe. If you cook a lot, you probably already have them in your cupboard. If not, you can try to find a bulk spice section at a natural foods store so you only have to buy what you need.
Vegetable Broth – I’ve been using this Better Than Bullion paste for a while and love it! It stays good in the refrigerator for a long time and I just add in a teaspoon for every cup of water.

What Makes This The Best Vegetarian Chili?

It’s loaded with spices! It may seem like a lot of spices but they are what make this chili recipe so flavorful. My go-to chili spices are: cumin, paprika, smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried herbs.
I let the chili simmer for a bit to develop the flavor. Chili can take only about 30 minutes to make, but I’ve found that if you let it simmer a little bit longer, the flavor really comes out. You don’t have to let it cook all day, but once you add everything in I like to let it keep cooking for about 30 minutes if I have time.
It’s nice and thick! I’ve said many times that I don’t really like brothy soups as much as I love thick and creamy soups. Chili is one that always has to be thick! In my Vegan Chili Recipe I add refried beans and tomato paste to help thicken it, but in this recipe I just blend up about 2 cups of the chili and then add it back into the pot. This helps give it such a great texture but also keeps a lot of it nice and chunky.

Chili Topping Ideas!

I feel like picking out your chili toppings is almost just as fun as eating the chili 🙂 Here are a few ideas in case you’re looking for some ways to jazz up your chili:

Plain non-fat Greek yogurt, sour cream, shredded cheese
Crackers, fritos, chips, croutons, cornbread
Avocado, jalapeno, cilantro, green onion, tomato, onion, radishes,

I’d love to know what you think if you give this Vegetarian Chili Recipe a try!

Enjoy more hearty vegetarian soups here:

Best Vegan Chili

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Easy Falafel Soup