This hearty vegan one-pot quinoa chili features sweet corn and beans simmered up in spicy tomato sauce, served up piping hot with your favorite chili toppings. It's healthy, delicious, and packed with flavor!
I'm a big fan of chili recipes, and I really like having some fun with my chili. So why did it take me this long to throw some quinoa into a pot of chili?
I can't really say, except I suspect it has something to do with the fact that every quinoa chili recipe I've ever come across doesn't involve simply throwing quinoa into chili. Nope! Most ask for you to cook it first, separately.
I guess that seemed like too much effort for me. I'm all about one-pot meals these days. Just check out my one-pot orzo, one pot Spanish rice and beans, and one-pot chickpeas and rice. So I decided to give quinoa chili the one-pot treatment.
Sometimes laziness has rewards. In this case that reward came in the form of super easy, thick and hearty chili that cooks up in record time.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Olive oil. You can substitute another high-heat oil if you'd like. Corn oil, canola oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil will all work.
- Onion.
- Red bell pepper. Free free to swap this out with a bell pepper of another color if that's your preference. Any one will work!
- Garlic.
- Spices. We're using chili powder, ground cumin, ancho chile powder, and paprika, all of which you can get in the spice aisle of most supermarkets.
- Vegetable broth.
- Diced tomatoes. We're using canned diced tomatoes. Easy!
- Crushed tomatoes. These are also canned. Tomato puree will work as a substitute — it just has a slightly different texture.
- Beans. The recipe calls for black beans and pinto beans, but you can swap these out with most varieties of canned beans. Got some kidney beans, cannellini beans, or navy beans on hand? Use them!
- Quinoa. Most grocery stores sell this either near the rice, or in the natural foods aisle.
- Frozen corn.
- Salt and pepper.
Tip: This chili is very flavorful, but it's also very mild. For some heat, try adding cayenne pepper or your favorite hot sauce.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Heat your oil in a large pot, then add diced onion and bell pepper. Cook the mixture for about five minutes, stirring often, just to start softening the veggies.
Stir in minced garlic, along with all of your spices. Continue to cook the mixture for another minute or so. Keep stirring to prevent the spices from burning!
Now stir in the broth, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, both types of beans, and quinoa.
Raise the heat to high and bring the chili to a boil.
Now lower the heat and let your quinoa chili simmer for about a half hour, until the quinoa is fully cooked. Make sure to stir it from time to time so that your quinoa cooks evenly, and add some water if it gets too thick.
Stir in the corn and remove the pot from heat. Give the chili a taste-test and add some salt and pepper to taste. You can adjust any other seasonings to suit your preference at this point.
Tip: The best way to tell if your quinoa is cooked is by giving the chili a taste test. It can sometimes be difficult to asses visually, and there's nothing worse than getting ready to enjoy your chili and biting into a spoonful of rock hard quinoa bits.
Your quinoa chili is finished! Ladle it into bowls and pile on the toppings! You can use avocado and scallions like I did, or try vegan sour cream, shredded vegan cheese, guacamole, chopped onion, chives, or fresh cilantro.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover quinoa chili will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about four days, or in the freezer for about three months. The quinoa will continue to suck up moisture and expand over time, so the leftovers may be very thick! You can thin the chili with a bit of water or broth during reheating if you'd like.
More Vegan Chili Recipes
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📖 Recipe
One-Pot Quinoa Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (14.5 ounce/411 gram) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (14.5 ounce/411 gram can) crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15.5 ounce/439 gram ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15.5 ounce/439 gram ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup uncooked quinoa,
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a large pot with oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and bell pepper. Sweat the vegetables while stirring occasionally until the pepper is softened and the onion translucent, about 5 minutes.Â
- Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, ancho chile powder, and paprika. Stir to coat the onions and peppers with the spices, then sauté the mixture for about a minute, until it becomes very fragrant.
- Stir in the broth, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, black beans, pinto beans, and quinoa. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil.
- Lower the heat and let the chili simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened and the quinoa is tender (Note 1). You can add a bit of water if the chili gets too thick while cooking.
- Stir in the corn, then remove the pot from heat.
- Season the chili with salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and serve.
Notes
- Feel free to let the chili simmer longer if you'd like, adding water as needed. The quinoa will continue to expand and soften as it cooks.
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Would you be able to put all ingredients in a crockpot on low setting for a long time (like 8 hours)?
I think so! I haven't tried it with this particular recipe though, so I'd definitely keep an eye on it the first time you give it a try. This chili in is very thick, so you might end up needing to add more water to keep it from burning.
Could I substitute rice for quinoa? I have a hard time digesting quinoa.
I think so! You might find that you need more liquid. Just keep an eye on it while it cooks and add broth or water as needed.
Delicious, so flavorful and EASY!!! This is now in my GO TO recipe folder!!
It's our go too recipe...healthy, easy, delicious!
I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks Lin!!
Looks great making this today -thank you. One suggestion, if I may : add dry spices when cooking onions & peppers. The hot oil will 'bloom' your spices and add a nice warm depth of flavor.
That sounds like a great suggestion - I do it sometimes with curries. I'll have to give it a try with my next batch of chili. :) Hope you enjoy!
Delicious and super easy to make! Thank you!
Thanks so much Kristen! Glad you enjoyed this!!