This Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili is an easy, comforting weeknight dinner for those cold rainy, or snowy days. Made with black beans, quinoa, and veggies, it is healthy with lots of protein and fiber. The best part is the dump-and-go recipe that can be made in minutes in the pressure cooker!
A one-pot healthy Vegetarian Chili
What’s not to love about this Vegetarian Chili –
- easy one-pot recipe
- dump-and-go with no need to sauté any ingredients
- has healthy, wholesome ingredients
- rich in protein and fiber
- vegetarian and gluten-free. Skip a few toppings to make it vegan.
- Can feed the whole family!
I am totally in love with this easy recipe, just like my vegetarian taco soup. It is hearty and filling on its own and also very nutritious. This makes it a wonderful dinner for those busy weeknights!
My whole family enjoyed this chili. Even the toddler loved it topped with yogurt (adjust the spice down for kids).
How to make Vegetarian Quinoa Chili?
Ingredients
This Vegetarian Chili has fresh ingredients such as onions, bell peppers, jalapeños, and garlic. And pantry staple ingredients such as fire-roasted diced tomatoes, black beans, quinoa, and spices.
Onions: I typically prefer to use yellow onions for cooking.
Garlic: I used fresh garlic and minced it.
Bell Peppers: I used red bell pepper, but any color peppers work.
Tomatoes: I used fire-roasted diced tomatoes from a can. Any diced tomatoes work. Choose no added salt tomatoes or adjust the salt in the recipe.
Quinoa: For this vegetarian chili, add quinoa to make it filling and thick.
Beans: I used black beans. You can use a blend of black beans and kidney beans too. You can also use white beans or pinto beans if you prefer. If you want to cook black beans at home, here is my easy instant pot black beans recipe. You can skip the seasonings and just cook the black beans in water to add to this recipe.
Spices: I used a mixture of chili powder, ground cumin, paprika, and salt. You can also add oregano, which adds a wonderful flavor. Adjust or skip paprika to taste.
Broth: I used vegetable broth for the liquid to make this a vegetarian chili. I like to use Better than Bouillon to make broth. Chicken broth will also work if you aren’t concerned with it being strictly vegetarian or vegan.
Toppings – avocado, cheese, cilantro leaves, sour cream, jalapeños, lemon wedges, and tortilla chips. If you are vegan, skip the cheese and sour cream or use vegan options.
Instant Pot Method
Now comes the best part. The dump-and-go method to make this vegan chili.
No need to cook or saute the ingredients. Just add all the ingredients in the pot in the order listed.
Then pressure cook for 6 minutes. Allow a natural pressure release.
Look at that amazing hearty chili!
Who’s ready for a big bowl of this easy and insanely delicious vegetarian chili?
My favorite part of chili is the toppings. Add as many as you like. For me, a sprinkle of lemon juice is a must!
Enjoy this vegan chili with a green salad or slaw on the side. Dip in some crusty bread and enjoy the chili.
Slow Cooker Method
Place everything into a slow cooker, cover, and cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 3 hours. Stir it and serve!
Stovetop Method
- For the stovetop add a tablespoon of oil (I prefer avocado or olive oil). If you are on a no-oil diet, then you can sauté in water.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, and jalapeños and cook until tender for about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, paprika, cumin, and salt, and cook for a minute.
- Add the diced tomato and cook, stirring constantly, for a minute.
- Add the quinoa, beans, and vegetable broth, and stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Simmer longer if you would prefer the chili to be thicker.
Common Questions
This Quinoa Chili will last for about 4 days in the refrigerator. Allow it to cool and store in airtight containers.
You can freeze chili in small portions in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
When ready to eat, reheat in the microwave or on the stove. Add some water or broth to get the desired consistency if the chili is too thick.
Enjoy this easy vegetarian quinoa chili.
Here are more instant pot vegetarian recipes you might enjoy –
- Butternut Squash Curry with Spinach
- Mushroom Wild Rice Soup
- Vegetable Lo Mein
- Fajita Pasta
- Quinoa Khichdi
Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili with Quinoa
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup Green Bell Pepper, diced
- 1/2 Jalapeno, finely diced
- 3 cloves Garlic , minced
- 1/3 cup Quinoa, washed
- 1 can Fire-roasted diced Tomatoes, 14.5oz
- 1 can Black beans, rinsed and drained, about 1.25 cups
- 1 cup Corn, frozen
- 3/4 tablespoon Chili powder
- 1/2 tablespoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin (Jeera powder)
- 1 teaspoon Salt , adjust to taste
- 2 cup Vegetable Broth
Optional Toppings
- Cilantro leaves, chopped, to garnish
- Cheddar Cheese, shredded (skip for vegan or use vegan cheese)
- Jalapeno, sliced
- Lemon wedges
- Avocado, sliced or cut into small pieces
- Red onion , diced
- Sour cream, (skip for vegan or use vegan greek yogurt)
- Tortilla chips , (skip for gluten-free)
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to your instant pot in the order listed.
- Close lid with vent in sealing position. Set on pressure cook mode for 6 minutes at high pressure.
- When the pressure cooker beeps, let the pressure release naturally (NPR). Open the lid. Taste and adjust salt if needed. Garnish with cilantro leaves.
- Serve with any of the optional toppings you like!
Video
Notes
- For stovetop add, a tablespoon of oil (I prefer avocado or olive oil). If you are on an no-oil diet, then you can sauté in water.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, jalapeños and cook until tender for about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, paprika, cumin, and salt and cook for a minute.
- Add the diced tomato and cook, stirring constantly, for a minute.
- Add the quinoa, beans, vegetable broth, and stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Simmer longer if you would prefer the chili to be thicker.
Hello,
Could you use uncooked black beans instead of canned?
Hi Jenae – I would not recommend to use uncooked black beans in this recipe directly, as the quinoa will get overcooked in the time it takes to cook black beans from raw (about 20 minutes). You can cook black beans beforehand using the pressure cooker. Here is my recipe – https://pipingpotcurry.com/mexican-black-beans-instant-pot/
I have frozen peppers and onions. Can I use them in this recipe to save a trip to the store?
Hi Jane – Sure, I think frozen onions and peppers will work fine in this recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
This recipe was so good and will definitely be added to my favorites list! I also love how little prep and work I have to do to make it, makes busy nights or cooking when I’m not feeling well a breeze. The leftovers are also just as good as when it first came out of the instapot which is awesome!
Hi – So happy to hear that. Thank you for sharing back 🙂
How much oregano should I add?
Hi Cindy – You can add about a teaspoon of dried oregano to the recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
If I’m doubling the recipe, do I need to double the cook time for instant pot?
Hi Princy – The cooking time will remain the same even if you double the quantity. Hope you enjoy the chili.
I don’t have quinoa. What can I use as a substitute? Or if I skip it, do i need to alter any other measurements?
Hi Sana – You can use Dalia (broken wheat)/ burger in place of quinoa. If you want to try this without quinoa, check this taco soup recipe – https://pipingpotcurry.com/vegetarian-taco-soup-pressure-cooker/
For the stovetop method, when do you add the quinoa?
Hi Kavi – Thanks for your question. I have clarified in the notes to add the quinoa along with the black beans. Hope you enjoy the chili!
Hi, this looks wonderful! Could you please tell me if your calculations for calorie and sodium, while approx9, are per serving or for the entire pot of chili?
Hi Jeri – The nutrition calculations are per serving. Hope you enjoy the chili!
Hi,
Could you clarify when to add the quinoa?
Thanks
Hi Ramya – For the instant pot method, add the quinoa as listed in the order of the recipe ingredients. Hope you enjoy the chili!
Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes.
Good Health to you and yours.
Sharon
Hi Sharon – So good to hear that. Thank you!