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The perfect vegetarian meal all in one pot with this delicious quinoa chili! This recipe tastes just like traditional chili but with quinoa instead of meat for texture, plus a secret ingredient to maximize flavor!
As more and more food blogs pop up, the industry is becoming increasingly saturated with recipes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m the first person to applaud there being open access to blogging and providing people who might otherwise not have a platform, a place for them to share their voice. However, it also means that you can get caught in the “innovation trap” of new recipes instead of sharing what you really want to share.
If it’s all been done before, what’s the point in sharing another quinoa chili recipe?
But here’s the thing, this vegan chili recipe has never been done my way and with my voice. It honestly, is so dang good! So innovative or not I think you’ll love this vegetarian chili recipe and will absolutely be going back for leftovers!
Ingredients in Quinoa Chili
- Vegetables – onion and bell peppers are the primary ingredients but you can always add in others to your preference!
- Quinoa – I prefer white quinoa in this recipe but you can also use tri-colored quinoa.
- Canned products – diced tomatoes, canned black beans, canned kidney beans and canned green chile peppers
- Spices – chili powder, cumin, sea salt and pepper. Make sure you’re using chili powder and not cayenne pepper!
- Water or Vegetable stock – you can use water but vegetable stock or even chicken stock will work if you aren’t vegan/vegetarian.
- Maple syrup and Dark chocolate – not a typo! The secret ingredient to a robust flavored chili. Sorry, it won’t make your soup taste like chocolate but I promise these secret ingredients really take the flavor up a notch!
Tips for Making a Quinoa Chili
If you have a meat eater/lover in your life, you know it can be hard to convince them to incorporate a plant based meal into their week. Instead of handing them a plate of vegetables and calling it a meal, make a comforting batch of this soup that will make them forget they’re missing meat.
- Pack in the protein. We need protein to feel satisfied so make sure your vegetarian dishes have protein! The star of this chili is obviously the quinoa which is a complete protein (aka contains all nine essential amino acids) without the meat.
- …But don’t overdo the quinoa. It seems like 1/2 cup of quinoa won’t be enough, but trust me it is. quinoa expands to 3x it’s size so be sure to follow the instructions on this one.
- Flavor is key! How many times have you heard something along the lines of “but healthy food is so boring”?! NOT WITH THIS MEAL! Tons of flavor is packed into one bowl thanks to the vegetables and spices. And let’s not forget the maple syrup and chocolate!
Bring on the Toppings!
It isn’t chili without all the toppings. Here are my suggestions:
- Tortilla chips
- Sliced avocado
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt – you could also use vegan sour cream for a dairy-free option.
- Shredded cheese – use vegan cheese for a vegan/dairy-free option.
- Green onions
- Cilantro
- Lime/Lime juice – just give a little squeeze on top!
Meal Prep + Storage
This quinoa chili makes a great meal prep recipe. You can easily store leftovers in either the fridge or freezer.
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in microwave or on stove top.
Freezer: Freeze leftovers in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw on countertop for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat in microwave or on stove top.
More Chili Recipes You’ll Love:
- Healthy Veggie Chili
- Green Chili
- Sweet Potato and Turkey Chili
- Buffalo Chicken Chili
- White Chicken Chili
The Best Vegetarian Quinoa Chili
The perfect vegetarian meal all in one pot with this delicious quinoa chili! This recipe tastes just like traditional chili but with quinoa instead of meat, plus a secret ingredient to maximize flavor!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cook
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 bell peppers (any color), seeded and chopped
- 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
- 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 2 15 oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 15 oz cans of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 small can green chile peppers
- 2 cups of water or vegetable broth
- 3 tbsp chili powder (NOT cayenne!)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1–2 tsp sea salt (to taste)
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 piece of dark chocolate
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- In a large pot add onion and 1 tbsp olive oil
- Cook on medium for 3-5 mins or until translucent
- Add bell peppers and cook for 2 mins.
- Add quinoa, tomatoes, beans, green chilies, water and spices.
- Bring pot to a boil and then cover and lower to a simmer for 30 mins.
- Remove lid and give it a good stir and cook for an additional 10 mins or until chili has thickened up and quinoa has absorbed liquid.
- Add in dark chocolate and maple syrup and stir until melted and combined.
- Serve warm with avocado, cheese, sour cream or toppings of choice.
Hi could mushrooms replace the quinoa? Need to watch the carbs as a diabetic. If it could work, what type of mushrooms and what amount! Thanks!
Thanks Davida, that makes more sense. Yeah chilli powder is pure cayenne here. I will try again tonight and put in a little cayenne, some chilli flakes and no more! May also look at the ingredients in the blended mixes I have (jerk, jollof) see if they might be good subs..ta!
This was fabulous!! It will become a regular staple in my household, thank you!
So happy to hear you enjoyed, Meredith!
I love this recipe and agree that the quinoa and beans give it the perfect texture to stop meat eaters complaining. However I think three tablespoons of cayenne pepper is way too much – last time I only put two in and it was still too hot to eat. I’m wondering if tablespoons (or chilli powder) is different here in the UK from how it’s intended by the author. But it’s so great I will definitely keep making it just remember to make it three teaspoons instead!! thanks for the recipe 🙂
Oh no! In North America, chili powder is different from cayenne! I would never recommend that many tablespoons of cayenne eek! Chili powder is a blend of spices that you can buy at almost every grocery store here. It has a tiny bit of cayenne in it but mostly a blend of mild chili flakes and other spices!
Can you tell me how this would work in a slow cooker?
Very tasty! I used cocoa powder instead of chocolate and left out the maple syrup. I agree that the beans and quinoa do add a meaty texture. I also halved the recipe as it made so much!
I am SO glad I found this recipe. I was hesitant when I saw that it included dark chocolate & maple syrup, but it worked very well in the chili. Seriously, I am very impressed. This is definitely my new staple. It’s cheap (I bought all ingredients at Trader Joe’s), quick, easy, and delicious.
How well do you think this will freeze since it makes a large batch? I’m a single eater, and would like to save this for a future meal.
It freezes very well! So happy you enjoyed 🙂
the best dinner reciep..i liked it…i will try this one
I made this for the 3rd time yesterday! I love this recipe. As a meat eater, I have to say that this is super hearty and the black beans and quinoa give it a meaty texture even. After the first time I made it, I wished it had a bit more spice so I have added 1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper (with the bell peppers) and about 1 extra tbsp of chili powder to give it a bit more heat and it is perfect. This is slowly becoming one of my go-tos! Thanks for sharing this.
Just made this, with a few tweaks (I omitted the oil and water sauteed the onion and red peppers; I used Wondercocoa powder 3 TBS instead of chocolate, used no salt added beans, and (because I ran out of quinoa) used brown rice. And it is still wonderful. I’m going to take some to a potluck at work in a couple weeks and wanted to try it out first. Thanks for sharing this recipe!