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Vegan Lentil Chili
5 from 120 votes

Vegan Lentil Chili

Vegan Lentil Chili combines red lentils with chili and black beans, bell peppers, jalapeños, corn, and crushed tomatoes for a textured, mildly spiced chili. The recipe uses a pressure cooker to meld flavors while maintaining some individual ingredient integrity, finishing with tomato added last for freshness and thickness control. This chili can be adjusted for consistency and spice level, making it adaptable for different tastes and ideal for hearty, flavorful vegan meals.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
45 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 321 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 2 cups yellow onion diced
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 green bell pepper diced, large
  • 1 red bell pepper diced, large
  • 2 jalapeños plus extra to garnish
  • 2-4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 cup corn frozen or fresh
  • 15 oz chili beans spicy, with sauce, canned
  • 1 cup black beans (drained and rinsed)
  • 2 TBSP chili powder
  • 1 TBSP cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano dried
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika plus extra to taste
  • salt to taste
  • black pepper to taste
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 cup red lentils dried
  • 2 cups crushed tomatoes
EXTRAS:
  • jalapeños or cayenne pepper, diced, for a kick
  • vegetable broth or tomato sauce, used to adjust thickness if desired
  • all the tasty toppings your heart desires!
TOPPING INSPIRATION:
  • jalapeño sliced or diced
  • onion red, chopped
  • Pico de Gallo fresh or salsa
  • avocado sliced
  • cilantro fresh
  • sour cream if vegetarian/t-rex, or Greek yogurt
  • cheddar cheese if vegetarian/t-rex, shredded
  • tortilla chip crushed
  • corn chips
  • cornbread crumbled
  • and so much more...

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Below are the electric pressure cooker instructions. For stove top or slow cooker instructions, see blog post below.
  2. First chop your veggies and measure out the ingredients.
  3. Switch your pressure cooker to the saute funtion and saute 1 TBSP oil with onion for 3-5 minutes, until edges are golden and browned.
  4. Then add garlic, peppers, and corn, and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes to soften slightly.
  5. Add lentils, veggie broth, chili beans, black beans and spices.
  6. Set to high pressure for 15 minutes and allow to come to pressure.
  7. Allow a natural pressure release.
  8. Lastly, stir in crushed tomatoes and adjust broth/tomato/seasoning to taste, adding more of what you prefer to get your ideal thickness and flavor punch.
  9. I added the crushed tomatoes at the end to avoid overstuffing my pressure cooker and score a quicker cook time as well. Since my crushed tomatoes were canned (LOVE muir glen's organic tomato basil) they took zero time to heat up once swirled into my piping hot pot-o-chili. Sweet!
  10. If you want to dive in sooner, feel free to manually release the pressure on your Instant Pot by flipping the little lever from seal to vent. Worst case scenario, if your chili needs a little extra time you can seal it back up and give the veggies extra time to soften. Pressure cookers are pretty forgiving like that!
  11. Add all your favorite toppings and dive in!

Notes

  • You can tailor the chili's thickness by introducing broth or tomato sauce after cooking; increase spices accordingly when adding extra liquid.
  • Adjust spiciness by adding jalapeños or cayenne either during cooking or as a garnish to achieve your preferred heat level.
  • Season with salt and pepper at the end to account for sodium in broth and canned products, preventing overseasoning.
  • The pressure cooker manages cooking and natural pressure release allows hands-off timing with approximately 13 minutes to pressure, 15 minutes cook time, and 15 minutes release.

Nutrition Information

Calories 321kcal (16%) Carbohydrates 56g (19%) Protein 16g (32%) Fat 4g (6%) Sodium 993mg (41%) Potassium 1149mg (24%) Fiber 18g (72%) Sugar 12g (24%) Vitamin A 1980IU (40%) Vitamin C 62.5mg (69%) Calcium 108mg (11%) Iron 6.6mg (37%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6 servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 321

% Daily Value*

Calories 321kcal 16%
Carbohydrates 56g 19%
Protein 16g 32%
Fat 4g 6%
Sodium 993mg 41%
Potassium 1149mg 24%
Fiber 18g 72%
Sugar 12g 24%
Vitamin A 1980IU 40%
Vitamin C 62.5mg 69%
Calcium 108mg 11%
Iron 6.6mg 37%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.