Name: The BEST Lentil Chili (45 Minutes!)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: ½ cup raw walnut halves; 1 large red or yellow onion, cut into chunks; 2 large jalapeno peppers, stems removed (for mild chili remove the seeds; for spicier chili include all or some of the seeds); 5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed; 2 Tablespoons oil such as avocado, olive or grapeseed (omit for oil-free); 3 rounded tablespoons chili powder (the spice blend, not pure chile pepper); 1 tablespoon ground cumin; 2 teaspoons dried oregano; 2 teaspoons smoked paprika; 2 teaspoons mushroom powder, optional; 1 teaspoon smoked sea salt flakes or ¾ tsp regular fine sea salt); 1 (28 oz) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes; 2 tablespoons soy sauce (Sub tamari for GF); 4 cups vegetable broth; 1 ½ cups water; ⅔ cup red lentils; ⅔ cup bulgur or TVP, dry (For GF, sub millet or quinoa; rinse and drain before adding to pot. TVP is also GF.); 2 (15 oz) cans beans, rinsed and drained (pinto, black, and/or kidney)

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This Lentil Chili recipe is easy enough for a weeknight and just might be the BEST vegan chili you've ever tasted. Yes, really! There are a few tricks to creating deeply flavorful, thick, and satisfying chili without meat. Give this one a try and get ready to have a new go-to chili recipe!

This lentil chili is vegan, easily made gluten-free and/or oil-free, and ready in 45 minutes.

overhead view of hearty lentil chili in a pot.

5-Star Review ★★★★★

"Speechless! I will never make another chili recipe again! This recipe blew me away!! SOOOO GOOD!!! The texture was so meaty with the bulgur, walnuts, lentils and beans! I loved it!!!" -Sheri Anne

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Why You'll Love It

The most difficult thing about this lentil chili recipe was figuring out what to name it because it truly checks all of the boxes!

Basically, it's my idea of the perfect chili. Bonus, it's always a hit, no matter the crowd. From vegans to meat-eaters, you can count on this lentil chili to please everyone.

The flavor and texture are exactly what you crave in a bowl of chili. But it's simpler than my other vegan chili recipe and comes together in just 45 minutes!

I know what you're thinking... everyone says they have the best chili. But seriously, friends. This is gooooood. It's not like those flat, tomato-y, thin vegetarian chili recipes you've tried before.

This lentil chili is rich, thick, smoky, flavorful, balanced, and versatile.

I hope you love it as much as we do. Give it a try and report back to let us know!

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Why You'll Love It
Ingredient Notes
How to Make Lentil Chili
Substitutions
Variations
Serving Suggestions
More Lentil Recipes
Recipe Video
Recipe
💬 Comments

close up of red lentil chili with bulgur and 3 types of beans.

Ingredient Notes

The same key ingredients listed here are also in the other vegan chili I mentioned. It's inspired by an America's Test Kitchen chili recipe I came across years ago. I kept tweaking the recipe each time I would make it and even won a few local chili cook-offs with that recipe.

This time I've simplified the process even more and added red lentils for even more protein, thickness, and nutrition.

I ditched the step of making your own chili powder because I'm guessing 99.9% of you don't want to track down specialty dried peppers, toast them in the oven, then grind them into powder. Right? Yeah, me either. Store-bought chili powder to the rescue!

But we are keeping a few of the America's Test Kitchen ideas because they're critical for making epic vegan chili, while taking shortcuts where we can.

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Walnuts - ground walnuts thicken the chili and add a richness that's missing from a lot of vegetarian chilis. Instead of turning on the oven to toast the nuts, we give them a quick toast on the stovetop in the same pot we'll use for the chili.
- For nut-free, simply omit the walnuts, and decrease the water by ¼ or ⅓ cup.
Bulgur - bulgur wheat is inexpensive, easy to find (look for it in bulk bins), and adds a ground beef-like texture while also thickening the chili.
- For a gluten-free option, sub millet or quinoa. Or for extra protein use TVP (textured vegetable protein).
Mushroom powder - instead of the whole dried shiitake mushrooms called for in the original recipe, which then had to be ground into powder, I now use this shiitake mushroom powder or a product like Trader Joe's umami seasoning as a shortcut. But if you don't have any, it's perfectly fine to skip this ingredient.

Side note: If you're not sure how else you'll use mushroom powder, it's a great way to add umami to grains, gravy, casseroles, beans, and so much more. It's also the base of my vegan "beef" broth powder.

close up of spices and ingredients in lentil chili.

How to Make Lentil Chili

Be sure to check out the video below to see the recipe come to life. Here's the basic process:

Prep and gather all ingredients because once you start cooking, things move quickly! Preheat a soup pot over medium-low heat and toast the walnuts for a few minutes. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Transfer the ground walnuts to a bowl and set aside.
Add the onion, jalapeños, and garlic to the food processor. Blend until mostly pureed.
Return the pot to the stove, and increase heat to medium. Add the oil, if using, and the spices. If not using oil, add the blended onion-jalapeno mixture before adding the spices. Stirring, cook the spices for about 1 minute. Add the pureed onion mixture to the pot, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the smoked salt, tomatoes, soy sauce, broth, and water. Bring to a boil. Add the lentils, bulgur, beans, and ground walnuts, and stir well. Return to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Turn off the heat, and give the chili another good stir. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes. The chili will continue to thicken as it rests.

Tip! Like most chili recipes, it tastes even better the next day.

Substitutions

Gluten-free - sub millet or quinoa for the bulgur and use tamari instead of soy sauce.
Oil-free - omit the oil used to sauté the veggies and spices. See the Notes section in the recipe card about reversing the order of Step 3. Basically, you'll add the onion mixture to the pot before adding the spices.
Nut-free - either omit the walnuts and reduce the water slightly, or add a bit more oil when blooming the spices for more richness.

Tip: If you need to omit the walnuts or bulgur due to an allergy, use only two cans of beans and stir in half a can of refried beans for extra thickening.

Variations

With the addition of red lentils in this chili, it doesn't really need three types of beans. So I've updated the recipe to only include two cans of beans. But if you like chili with a lot of beans, feel free to include a third can.

In a hurry? Not into lentils? Omit and reduce the water by ½ cup. This chili is still loaded with satisfying beans. As an added bonus, omitting the lentils means shaving a few minutes off the cook time!

a big pot of vegan chili with a cup of chili on the side.

Serving Suggestions

I love this chili so much that, honestly, I rarely even add toppings. But you do you! Add all of your favorite chili fixings, like cilantro, green onion, fresh or pickled jalapeños, shredded cheese, and sour cream.

If you have extra bulgur in the pantry, I highly recommend a side of autumn bulgur salad! Lentil chili is also great with cornbread:

For a full list of toppings and sides that pair well with chili, check out this post: What to Serve With Chili!

I hope you love this Lentil Chili as much as we do. If you try it be sure to leave a comment and rating below. Your feedback not only helps me, but it helps other readers find recipes they'll enjoy.

Happy cooking!

More Lentil Recipes

Be sure to try my other chili recipes: Vegan White Chili, Beyond Meat Chili, Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chili, and Vegan Cincinnati Chili!

Recipe Video

Click to play the video and see how to make lentil chili!

Recipe

close up of chili in a pot showing thick meaty texture.

The BEST Lentil Chili (45 Minutes!)

Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen

Are you ready for some mind-blowingly good lentil chili? It is thick, rich, meaty, flavorful and won't keep you in the kitchen all day! Adapted from an America's Test Kitchen recipe, this version keeps the select ingredients and methods critical for making the best vegan/vegetarian chili, while streamlining the process so it's much simpler to prepare. The result is a vegan chili you'll return to again and again! Gluten-free and oil-free options.

5 from 84 votes

Servings: servings

Prep:15

Cook:30

Total Time:45

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Equipment

Ingredients

½ cup raw walnut halves - if allergic, omit and reduce water by about ¼ cup. TIP: another option for added thickening is to stir in half a can of refried beans at the end of cooking.
1 large red or yellow onion, cut into chunks
2 large jalapeno peppers, stems removed - for mild chili remove the seeds; for spicier chili include all or some of the seeds
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 Tablespoons oil such as avocado, olive or grapeseed - omit for oil-free
3 rounded tablespoons chili powder - the spice blend, not pure chile pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons mushroom powder, optional
1 teaspoon smoked sea salt flakes or ¾ teaspoon regular fine sea salt)
1 (28 oz) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
2 tablespoons soy sauce - Sub tamari for GF
4 cups vegetable broth
1 ½ cups water
⅔ cup red lentils
⅔ cup bulgur or TVP, dry - For GF, sub millet or quinoa; rinse and drain before adding to pot. TVP is also GF.
2 (15 oz) cans beans, rinsed and drained - pinto, black, and/or kidney

Instructions

Tip: Once cooking begins in Step 4, things move quickly, so it helps to have all or most of the ingredients gathered and prepped.
Preheat a large soup pot over medium-low heat. Toast the walnuts until warm and fragrant, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Transfer walnuts to the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until finely ground. Transfer the ground walnuts to a bowl.
Add the onion, jalapenos, and garlic to the food processor (see Notes section). Blend until mostly pureed.
Note: If omitting oil, reverse the order of this step; add the blended onion/jalapeno mixture to the pot first, then add the spices. Otherwise, for the best flavor, bloom the spices in oil as described below.
Return the pot to the stove, and increase the burner to medium heat. Add the oil to the pot. Add the spices (3 T chili powder, 1 T cumin, 2 teaspoon oregano, 2 teaspoon smoked paprika, and 2 teaspoon mushroom powder). Stirring frequently, cook for about 1 minute. Add the pureed onion mixture to the pot, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the smoked salt, tomatoes, soy sauce, broth, and water. Bring to a boil. Add the lentils, bulgur, beans, and ground walnuts, and stir well. Return to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once the lentils are done, turn off the heat, and give the chili another good stir. Taste and add a pinch more salt or a drizzle of soy sauce, if desired. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes. The chili will continue to thicken as it rests.

Notes

Note on prep: there are two ways to go about preparing the onion, jalapeno and garlic. You can hand-chop them or let the food processor turn them into a puree. I've prepared this chili both ways, and initially published the recipe with instructions to hand-chop the vegetables.

After another try I decided to change the instructions with a preference for using the food processor. Not only is it easier and faster than chopping by hand, it creates a more flavorful chili. But if you prefer chunkier chili with pieces of onion, jalapeno, and garlic, finely chop them and sauté in oil for about 5 minutes (step 3).

Storage: the flavor of the chili continues to improve as it sits. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Chili can also be frozen for up to one month.