Featuring meaty red lentils, creamy kidney beans, and rich aromatic spices, Instant Pot Vegan Lentil Chili is easy to make in about half an hour. But don't worry if you don't own an electric pressure cooker. Stovetop instructions are also provided.
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I received a complimentary copy of Vegan Richa's Instant Pot Cookbook to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.
Vegan chili recipes can be made with a variety of ingredients. Some include vegan meat alternatives, while others are made purely from whole-food plant-based ingredients.
Often they include multiple types of beans, like in pumpkin veggie chili and jackfruit chili. Or they may feature the pairing of beans and red lentils, like in this Instant Pot Vegan Lentil Chili.
Red lentils, which are softer than green or brown lentils, almost melt into the spicy tomato broth, giving it a meaty texture. And since this vegan chili is prepared in an electric pressure cooker, you can walk away as it cooks and let this amazing small appliance do most of the work.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- It's made with whole-food plant-based ingredients and is oil-free, gluten-free, and soy-free.
- The combination of herbs and spices gives it a deep and hearty flavor, even though it only takes 35 minutes to prepare.
- It's warming and comforting, perfect for cool evenings.
This Instant Pot vegan lentil chili recipe is by Richa Hingle, the creator of Vegan Richa from her third cookbook, Vegan Richa's Instant Pot Cookbook. In the book, it goes by the name Red Lentil Chili.
Ingredients
Red lentils: Also known as dried split red lentils, they are softer than brown or green lentils. They practically disintegrate when cooked, resulting in a thick and meaty texture.
You may have tried them in soups like red lentil and potato soup. Look for them in the bulk bins of your local market or in the aisle with the beans.
Herbs and spices: While it looks like a lot of ingredients in the above photo, many you may already have in your pantry. And you can easily make substitutions for what you don't have, such as using a ancho chile powder in place of chipotle powder, or simply using more chili powder.
Variations
This Instant Pot Vegan Lentil Chili recipe is relatively flexible and can be customized to suit your tastes and the ingredients you have on hand.
- Use yellow or white onion in place of red.
- Swap out the jalapeño pepper for Anaheim pepper or about ¼ cup green bell pepper for a milder chili. Or use serrano pepper for a spicier version.
- Substitute black beans or pinto beans for the kidney beans.
- Not a fan of cilantro? Use sliced green onions instead, or simply leave it out.
- Add ½ cup fresh or frozen corn.
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
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Instructions
- Saute the onions, garlic, and jalapeño in a little vegetable broth or water until the onions are soft and slightly translucent.
- Add the celery, carrots, and bell peppers, and saute about 2 more minutes.
- Add the kidney beans, lentils, spices, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and remaining broth or water.
- Stir well, lock the lid, and pressure cook for 9 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally. Stir in a little lemon juice, fresh cilantro, and salt and chipotle or black pepper, to taste.
- Serve hot with your favorite toppings.
Amy's tip
Be sure to stir the ingredients well before closing the lid to ensure the red lentils don't stick together at the bottom in a big clump.
Stovetop instructions
To cook this red lentil chili on the stove instead of in an electric pressure cooker, you will need to increase the liquid from 1¾ cups to 2¼ cups.
- Heat ¼ cup of the broth (or water) in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Cook until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, adding another tablespoon of broth or water if the garlic starts sticking or browning.
- Stir in the celery, carrot, and bell pepper. Cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
- Add the cumin, paprika, chili powder, oregano, chipotle powder, garlic powder, onion powder, bay leaf, tomatoes, tomato paste, and cook about 2 minutes, mashing up any large tomato pieces.
- Add the kidney beans, red lentils, and 2 cups broth or water. Mix well.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes, until the lentils are very soft. Stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Taste and add salt and cayenne or black pepper, to taste.
Serving suggestions
One of the best parts about chili is enjoying it with all of your favorite toppings. Try offering a selection at the table and letting everyone choose their own.
I personally enjoy mine with cubed avocado or a simple guacamole, fresh cilantro, and tortilla chips. Vegan cheese shreds and vegan sour cream are also popular.
You can also serve this veggie chili over spaghetti or rice. And baked potatoes, home fries, and hand cut fries are delicious topped with this rich and hearty dish.
Storing and freezing
Leftover chili can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Freeze in a glass container with a lid. Be sure to allow a little room at the top since the chili will expand a little when frozen.
Reheat the leftovers on the stove or in the microwave. Defrost frozen chili overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Recipe FAQs
If you want to double the recipe, the cooking time will remain the same. However with the added volume of food, the Instant Pot will take longer to come up to pressure before the cooking time starts. Make sure not to add food or liquid above the maximum fill line in the pot.
Pre-soaking is not required for red lentils. Their skins are removed, making them split in half, which is why they are often called split red lentils. They cook much faster than other varieties of lentils such as green or brown.
Chili powder is a spice blend made with ground dried chilis and other seasonings such as cumin, garlic, onion, paprika, and salt. On the other hand, chile powder is usually made solely from ground dried chiles.
More vegan chili recipes
And for even more recipes, join the Vegan Mediterranean Diet Recipes Facebook group for support, inspiration & fun!
📋 Recipe
Instant Pot Vegan Lentil Chili
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Ingredients
- 1¾ cups vegetable broth, (or water) plus more, if needed (divided)
- ¾ cup red onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- ½ cup carrots, chopped
- ¾ cup red or green bell pepper, chopped
- 1-15 ounce can kidney beans, (1½ cups) drained
- ½ cup dried red lentils
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika, (smoked or sweet)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon chipotle powder, (or ancho chile powder)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 bay leaf
- 1-28 ounce can diced tomatoes with juices
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste, or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped (divided)
- salt, to taste
- cayenne pepper, or black pepper, to taste (optional)
- avocado, red onion, tortilla chips, etc., for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the Instant Pot by selecting the Saute setting. Heat ¼ cup of the broth (or water) in the preheated pot, then add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Cook until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, adding another tablespoon of broth or water if the garlic starts sticking or browning.
- Stir in the celery, carrot, and bell pepper. Cook until heated through, for about 2 minutes.
- Add the kidney beans, red lentils, cumin, paprika, chili powder, oregano, chipotle powder, garlic powder, onion powder, bay leaf, tomatoes, tomato paste, and remaining 1½ cups of broth or water.
- Stir well to mix and pick up any stuck bits from the bottom of the pot. Select the Cancel setting. Lock the lid into place, set the Pressure Release Knob to Sealing, select the Pressure Cook/Manual setting at high pressure, and set the cook time to 9 minutes.
- Once the cooking cycle is done, let the pressure release naturally. Open the lid and stir in the lemon juice and half the cilantro. Taste and add salt, as needed, and cayenne or black pepper, to taste.
- Serve the chili hot, topped with the remaining cilantro, avocado, red onions, tortilla chips, or your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Heat ¼ cup of the broth (or water) in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Cook until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, adding another tablespoon of broth or water if the garlic starts sticking or browning.
- Stir in the celery, carrot, and bell pepper. Cook until softened, for about 2 minutes.
- Add the cumin, paprika, chili powder, oregano, chipotle powder, garlic powder, onion powder, bay leaf, tomatoes, tomato paste, and cook about 2 minutes, mashing up any large tomato pieces.
- Add the kidney beans, red lentils, and 2 cups broth/water. Mix well.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes, until the lentils are very soft. Stir in the lemon juice and half the cilantro. Taste and add salt and cayenne or black pepper, to taste.
- Serve hot, topped with the remaining cilantro and your favorite toppings.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
Chenee says
OMG!! This is delicious…. It’s gonna be on repeat for the fall and winter!
Amy Katz says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Chenee!
Larry Folkerth says
Made this yesterday everybody loved it
Amy Katz says
That's wonderful to hear, Larry!
sylvia says
Yummy, Easy AND Quick!
Thank you.
Amy Katz says
So glad you enjoyed it, Sylvia!