1-Pot Red Lentil Chili

This chili is soooo flavorful! I added some adobo peppers and used mushroom broth instead of water and I am amazed at how deep the flavors are. So goood!

I’m new at cooking vegetarian & vegan, and this is now my “go to” chili! I used beluga lentils which were also excellent.

I’ve made this chili several times and it’s always a winner. My entire non-vegan family loves it and has even requested I make it…definitely a crowd pleaser. Will always have this one bookmarked to make again!

Hi! I absolutely love all of your recipes and have made probably over a dozen of them so far, but this is my first time commenting.

re: the coconut sugar/maple syrup here, I don’t see where to add it except at the end to balance flavor–is this correct? I went ahead and added it with all the spices but didn’t see it written there.

re: garlic, it says it should be approx Tbsp, but I’m thinking it should read tsp? At least that’s what the jar of minced garlic tells me.

Thank you for all your work and all you do, your recipes have seriously revolutionized the way my family and I eat!!

This was delicious, healthy, and so easy to make. Thank you very much!

Brilliant recipe, everyone loves it! Nice and thick. I serve some before adding kidney beans to my fussy eater, and scale down the chilli powder a little, bit cooking now for the third time. Healthy ingredients that will hopefully keep any viruses at bay. Thank you for this recipe!

Loved it, thank you :)

I have made this. It was wonderful. Very substantial and no disappointment to anyone accustomed to a hearty meat chili. Great flavor. Nice texture.

Perfect! So good & nutritious- thick & filling! I made this for my whole extended fam & everyone loved it! I love your recipes!

Excellent and easy recipe and delicious chili.

This chili was amazing!!! I subbed in green lentils, because that’s what I had on hand, and added some extra chili powder, cayenne, and an extra jalapeno – it turned out so so great! So filling, and healthy too! Thanks for the awesome recipe, I’m going to add it to my regular rotation!

I loved this recipe! It tasted so well and I loved how thick it was (so many chilis are too watery for my liking). I left out most of the chili and the jalapeños for my boyfriend’s sake and then added hot chili sauce to my own plate and that worked really well.
Thanks for making and sharing this recipe :)

Made this for our Meatless Monday. I made some modifications like no jalapeno because I have an 8 year old baby, no chili powder instead used a Taco Seasoning from Trader Joe’s and I couldn’t find my lentils and black beans so my 3 beans were pinto, kidney, and garbanzo. I paired it with these awesome corn bread I made into muffins and they were a bit with my family! Even my overly-critical husband said it was good and he’s a hater of vegan food! My picky eater finished her bowl which very very very rarely happen! Thanks for another keeper recipe, Dana! You have my heart! ?

This chili is a current staple in our house. We miss it when we take it out of rotation! No jalapeño for us, and half the chili powder. I hate chopping, so I use frozen chopped onion and garlic powder. I added a bag of frozen, chopped spinach as well… ’cause I need my leafy greens, but I also want them to hide.

I entered this chili in at work for a “Chili Cook Off”. I did not expect to win since it was a vegan/vegetarian chili and most of the other entries had meat. I was very excited to learn that I had won! I followed the directions exactly.

I made this yesterday for game day and it was a hit! Just had to decrease the amount of chili powder (we as a family cannot handle that much heat haha), and added vegan beef crumbles, and it was oh-so-heavenly. And it went great with both nachos and on top of hot dogs! You’re a culinary genius, Dana!

Lovely recipe! I used 2 dried chipotle chillies instead of 1 jalapeno as I had them to use up so only put 1 tbsp chilli powder in and used the water I used to rehydrate the chillies in the recipe, yum yum! Only problem I had was my red lentils took ages to soften for some reason, but dont think that was a problem with the recipe, just my lentils! I just kept adding a little bit of water and simmered for ages. I like to simmer my chilli for a while anyway. First vegan chilli I’ve ever made and it’s a success!

Love this recipe. I make it every fall and winter at least 2/3 times. Thanks minimalist baker!

This chili is divine. Perfect texture and keeps my carnivore hubby happy. I did make a couple of additions. I substituted 3/4 of the water with red wine. I prefer to cook with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food. I also added a teaspoon of ground coriander, juice of a lime and 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder (shhhhh).

This chili is incredible. It is a wonderful dinner during the winter and my kids LOVE it! We scaled down the spice for the kids sensitive palettes (less chili powder and no jalapenos) and it was perfect! Minimalistbaker has been a lifesaver for our transition to Vegan! Forever grateful, thank you!

I stayed true to the recipe with the exception of the jalapeno pepper. Without a doubt, the best pot of chili I have ever made and the best chili I have ever eaten!

I stayed true to the recipe with the exception of the jalapeno pepper and I will say that this is the best pot of chili I have ever made and the best chili I have ever tasted!

Delicious! I didn’t have jalapeños so just crushed the garlic with a press and used a T. Penzy’s medium hot chili powder and two T. of regular which added just enough heat. I was also out of cilantro but didn’t miss it. Served it with a little rice and some shredded Daiya cheddar cheese and a few crushed tortilla chips. Will definitely make this again.

Another favorite recipe from you that I make alll the time! We loOove this one! Thank you ☺️

The best chili recipe I’ve tasted in years. All the other recipes required meat. My husband and I have been very disappointed in the past with previous chili recipes. But this one was delicious! I didn’t change a thing except using maple instead of coconut sugar because that’s what I had. I topped it with avocado. Thank you for sharing your love of good food!

My husband and I are new to vegan eating and cooking. I picked this recipe because of the claim it was a stew not a soup. It absolutely was thick and delicious. I followed the recipe almost exactly but I did put less chili powder and no sugar. We topped it with avocado. It’s enough to serve a crowd so we put some away in the freezer for next week.

This was amazing!! My boyfriend is a super picky eater, but he loved this!! We served it over some jasmine rice with avocado & tortilla chips!! Thank you!!

I love this recipe! I subbed the lentils for TVP for a meaty texture and it turned out great, and you don’t need to wait for it to cook which is nice- just throw them in

Just made this in the slow cooker! Nice and low for 8 hours and my son (7) at 3 bowls full and my daughter (4) liked it as well! Used veg. broth instead of water. Added more beans for the big cooker! I was hoping for leftovers and it’s almost all gone! Great!

Absolutely incredible! So flavorful and a great source of protein! The amount of spices are perfect. I kept it on simmer for a while longer just because I think it gets better with more time, but it would have been delicious after the allotted time as well!

My first time making chilli and it turned out fantastic! Very easy to follow, clear instructions. Will definitely be one of my go-to’s from now on :)

My first vegan dish. I didn’t miss the meat at all. Love it. I didn’t divide the recipe before we started eating. Do you happen to know the size of the portion, is it 1 cup or a little more?

This is an incredibly forgiving recipe. I shopped for groceries to get all of the ingredients that I was lacking. I made a number of mistakes, the most glaring of which was adding half the can of full fat coconut milk when I imagined I was adding the black beans, kidney beans, and corn. I didn’t remember to separate it from the group. But I continued with the recipe, which had extra diced tomatoes because they didn’t have 15 oz cans and added extra spices in an attempt to correct the change in the flavor profile. Substituting a serrano pepper for the jalapeno (I cannot get the tilde to save my life) was a lesser issue. Adding the beans and corn at the same time as the dry lentils was just another mistake. But it came out great! A very forgiving recipe!

Great seasonal comfort food. Just the right thing to warm up a family on a cold, frosty, winter’s day in England.

I LOVE this recipe. It’s replaced my family’s normal meat chili as our go-to – our favourite is to serve it over baked potatoes with some sour cream and green onions. I normally cut the chili powder in half though, otherwise it’s just a bit too spicy for us!

I made this last week, as we are having a very chilly autumn. I subbed out a couple of things, (no kidney beans, jalepeno or coconut sugar), and it turned out great! It made a big enough batch that I can savor it for a few days. Made my crockpot polenta to go with it and mmmm, mmmm, I’m a happy camper!
Kudos, Dana!

I made it! But not quite exactly as written. And not on purpose. The only two things I was originally planning on doing differently were to use veggie broth instead of water and frozen instead of canned corn. I really dislike the taste of most canned veggies. I got the lentils through the 20 minute cook time and gave it a taste test. And it was delicious. I didn’t see the point in adding the additional spices or the jalapeno. I like my food spicy, but also like to be able to taste something besides the heat. And this chili was already full of spice. I may add more liquid next time, but that’s only because I like mine a bit more wet. But it’s so good, I’m not even gonna bother this time around. Thank you for the recipe. Almost forgot, hoping to have enough left this evening to try the baked fritos. They sound delicious as well.

Very good, hearty chili recipe. Good level of spice. Used green lentils instead of red since it’s what I had, but otherwise followed to a T.

I absolutely love this recipe! It’s delicious and hearty. The one ingredient I do modify is the water; I use organic chicken bone broth instead.

I made this last week, except I didn’t have jalepenoes so I used a different pickled pepper, it turned out awesome!!! I would however not add as much Chili powder, depending how much heat you like. I also used yellow peppers not red. It had a great heat level for me and my husband, but I’m going to scale back for my inlaws. Highly recommend this recipe!!

I can’t stop making this chili – it’s so delicious that it’s become weekly staple for me. A perfect winter warmer and a great way to get your veggies in. Thank you!

This was DELICIOUS! Thank you. I’m so glad I made the chili corn chips for over top, too. So so good!

Oh my goodness!!!!!! I have made many different kinds of chilis and this one is by far my favorite. My husband is a meat eater, and this chili has been added to our regular dinner rotation based on his request. If you are cooking for someone who is a meat eater, they won’t miss the meat, and the flavor is incredible. When my kids decided to eat vegan last year, I didn’t know where to turn. I now turn to Minimalist Baker for all of my gluten free vegan recipes. Thank you!!!!

Great recipe, very tasty. I used vegetable broth instead of water, and cut the chili powder to two tablespoons instead of three, and only one table spoon of cumin. I did add the black pepper as instructed and it was hot and spicy but not too much. Really like the crunchiness of the corn. Next time I will soak the lentils for a few hours before I make this as they didn’t soften as much as I would have liked.

I made the red lentil chili right after Thanksgiving. It won over everyone! It was really good and flavorful! Will definitely make again! Love it!

The red lentil chili was so good! I made it for my family and everyone loved it. Great flavor, I will definitely make this again.

I’ve made this recipe three times in four weeks! It’s so good! I love how one pot will last six meals, so it’s perfect for freezing and heating up on those nights that you don’t have time to make dinner. It pairs really well with diced avocado and the Pumpkin tortilla chips from Trader Joe’s.

I made this today for dinner. It was super easy to prepare and tasted INCREDIBLE. Not only that, but it was actually satisfying and kept me full (something I have trouble finding with some vegan dinner recipies). This is a new staple recipie of mine for sure!

Our family of 5 loves this chili, and it’s a regular at our get togethers too. I’m making a quadruple recipe today to jar and freeze some. We’ve never added the coconut sugar/maple syrup or the corn, and sometimes we leave out the smoked paprika. We don’t feel like we’re missing anything; It’s fantastic without them. We’ve eaten this chili by itself, with added cheese and/or avocado and/or cilantro, on a Frito pie (we use organic corn chips from Trader Joes’s that taste better than Fritos), in chili mac, on chili dogs or chili burgers… It is soooo good. Thank you for the healthy and delicious recipe!

I made this last night and it was a success! So comforting and flavorful. My non-vegan friends asked for the recipe and took the leftovers home. I wish I had more.
Thx!

Made this for our neighborhood chili cook-off and won 2nd place! (1st place was also a plant-based recipe btw. Yay for plants!). I made it exactly as written except for without the jalapeños. (I’m a wimp). It really was delicious and perfect in every way. Thank you!!!

Oh my goodness! This was the most flavorful chili. Both my daughters are vegan and I have tried many chilis and most have been lacking in flavor or just too “tomato-y” for me. I usually make a beef based chili for my husband and me. Not any longer! I just tasted this and WOW!

The only 2 things I changed was I used candied jalapeños that I had previously made from my fridge and frozen corn because it is what I had.

Serving this tonight. I can’t wait to hear their thoughts. Thank you for your terrific recipes!

Loved this recipe! I swapped red lentils with split pigeon peas (tur dal), and tomato paste with ketchup (eliminating sugar at the end) keeping everything else the same! I’ve made a big batch and intend on freezing it to enjoy throughout fall!
I might try this in the insta pot next time though, just to quicken the process.

Hi Dana! Looove your recipes! I just did this one and is sooo yummy! Thank you!

This recipe is a keeper. I did tweak a little, adding an extra onion, pepper and another tbsp of paprika, ancho chilli powder and ground rosemary. Fried off the tomato paste a little before adding other wet ingredients. The juice of half a lime opened the flavour up, and I let it simmer gently for an hour before adding the lentils, which took 20 mins to cook.

Served with guacamole (avocado, onion, tomato and lime juice) and brown rice (1 part brown rice, 2 parts boiling water, chuck it in the microwave on high for 1.5 mins, then 30 mins on the lowest setting – hassle free fluffy rice)

I’m trying to eat more plant based and this recipe is as good as any chilli I’ve made with meat. Also, a massive thank you to the minimalist baker, your recipes are consistently top notch and have reinvigorated my love of cooking.

I’m eating this right now and it’s seriously so good! As someone who does eat meat regularly but eats vegan during weekday lunches, this chili is every bit as satisfying as all the beef chili recipes I’m used to. I made it on the stove top using all the recommended spice amounts, 1.5 tbsp of coconut sugar, and corn. I prefer my chili on the soupier side so I included some of the canned corn liquid as well. With the corn liquid, it ended up making 6 very filling 2-cup servings. This might sound odd, but I’ve always liked adding a dash of soy sauce to my chili for that extra umami-ness — try it before you write it off as gross! Thank you for the great recipe!

So Holy Moly, this was AMAZING!!! Even my husband who has never been a fan of veg chili RAVED about how Great it is!!! Thank You!!! I did have some changes, used a red, yellow and orange bell pepper (they were at the use or lose stage:), added a cup of water bc I was worried about the lentils. That led to an additional 3 Tbls chili powder. Used 1 can rotel and one diced tomatoes-it’s what I had. After the recipe time finished, I just kept it on low with the lid off and it cooked down to the thick stew consistency I was looking for. SO Good!!!
Paired it with your THE BEST VEGAN GLUTEN-FREE CORNBREAD recipe and our dinner was all we could have hoped and dreamed of ❤️ This will stay on our winter meal rotation all season. Thank You ?

This is my favorite chili recipe! My whole family loves it. We especially appreciate that it is gluten free!

I have made this so many times & it is always DELICIOUS!!! Thank you for all your amazing recipes. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was absolutely delicious. Thank you for the recipe.

Just watch out with the Chili quantities. I put only half and it was pretty hot, so I guess it depends on the type of chili. Was still really yummy!

Added some vegan “sausage” to make a chili sin carne.

I tend to try a different chili recipe every time I’m craving chili, just because it’s fun to try new things. This is my favorite yet! I’ve been a vegetarian for 5 years, and this is the first veggie chili I’ve tried that doesn’t seem lacking in some way. Most veggie chilis just taste like vegetable soup. Not this one. It’s hearty and smoky and perfect.

This is my favorite favorite chili recipe! I soak the lentils during the day before I make this one at night to soften them up. Also a little Greek yogurt and cilantro are tasty to add in right before eating. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I can’t wait to make it all winter long ?

than my normal chili recipe. Everyone in the comments is complaining about the spiciness… However I found it to be a bit lacking(even with substituting hotter chili peppers). Even with all the spices I thought it was a bit bland even after trying and trying to add more to get it to taste. Took much longer than an hour to prepare. And used way more than 1 pot. I like the use of the red lentils though. Not sure I will make again but perhaps try to incorporate the lentils into my own chili recipe. Still…always interesting to try something new and different.

This chili is so delicious! I swapped 1 tbsp of regular chili powder for chipotle chili powder (just for fun) and I found that spicy enough without adding the jalapeno. I ate it with some roasted cauliflower and a blob of mac and cheese on the side. Can’t wait to eat the leftovers! Love your website and all of the recipes I have tried!

Fantastic vegetarian bean chilli, my go to recipe. You have to take a little time toward the end to balance the flavours a little more. I also found it needed plenty of salt and the corn goes in every time in our house. An absolute winner though, really lovely

This is an absolutely amazing chili recipe! I have made it for years now, probably 20 times. I typically double the garlic and jalapeño and blend in a little magic bullet. I always add the corn and often add sweet potato. When serving unusually add some shredded cheddar cheese and diced onion.

OMG this was SO delicious! I changed the recipe a little bit…I added cilantro, a cup of chickpeas, and a cup of white kidney beans. I cooked this for my friends in a #Yuck2Yum challenge for our nonprofit organization. Neither of them like cilantro, so I cooked a recipe full of it. They loved the chili and so do I. This is one of my absolute FAVORITE recipes to cook from here.

If you’d like to see the video of our challenge (and my Minimalist Baker shout-out) check out @bullockgarden on Instagram and Twitter. They will be posted on September 26, 2019.

Thanks, MB for ALWAYS having the absolute best vegan recipes!!!

I have to say that I am so grateful to have found this recipe! Yummy and my go to chilli. It’s a family favourite on repeat!

I made the recipe as is, except I added more jalapeño. It was great! I loved the extra spice kick! It was a simple recipe that was really enjoyable! Even the meat eaters thought it was delicious!

This is one of mine and my fiancé’s favorite thing to make! It’s so flavorful and delicious! Great for leftovers as well. We have so much fun making it!

This was unbelievably good! So flavorful and filling and super easy to make. I made the full 6 serving recipe and am very excited to have a couple of portions in the freezer when I am short on time!

Such a great recipe!! I’ve made it a few times now. I used water instead of oil. Thank you!

Absolutely love this chilli,especially over jacket potato

I made this today and it was delicious and easy! I paired it with some roasted butternut squash cubes which really suited. I really recommend trying this as long as you have an hour, so worth it!

I would give this recipe 6 stars if it was possible! Absolutely delicious and easy to make.

This was an amazing recipe, as all of the dishes I have made from your site. You have made my boyfriend’s transition into veganism enjoyable. I can’t thank you enough for that. I have made so many dishes of yours and did not stop to leave a review, no more of that. You are my favorite chef and make it so easy for everyone to have delicious meals. What a gift God’s given you. Again, thank you! – Kiki

Wow! Flavour town! This chili is healthy, filling, full of flavour and sooo easy to make. Will definitely become a new week night winter staple! Thanks Dana!

I made the red lentil chili and it was delicious!!
I had everything at had minus the paprika. I chose not to use oil to saute the onion and pepper. I allowed the onion to sweat on it’s own and added a tablespoon of water at a time if the onion and pepper were drying out. I didn’t have red bell pepper so I used green instead. The directions were easy to follow and the chili was done in about an hour. This is a keeper. Thanks!

I added TJ’s beefless beef and left out a few other things because I just didn’t have them on hand (kidney beans, jalapeno, smoked paprika). It was still delish! And I loved that there was an extra boost of protein from the red lentils. I had to add some water while cooking because it was beginning to dry out. I also (after reading the reviews) was super careful about adding the chili. I think peeps may have ended up with varying levels of spiciness depending on the chili powder they used. I had a super spicy, Kashmiri chili powder my Indian grandma gave me — so I added just one tablespoon at first and adjusted later on. Overall, I think this is going to be my go to in the future for chili recipes!