This winter all you need is this easy Instant Pot Vegan Chili recipe – An ideal make ahead of time vegan dinner . This meatless chili recipe is loaded with lentil & vegetables making a nutritious meal for you. And all this is done under 15 minute preparation time.
Clean eating and making healthy food choices tops my list of the New Year Resolutions. And this Easy Instant Pot vegan chili recipe is a great way to start off the New Year. If you are on a look out for a recipe that is easy to make without compromising on your health goals and is delicious at the same time then this chili recipe is a must try.
It’s been almost a month since I have shared any new recipe with you guys. Life has been very hectic!!! I have moved to a new house and was busy packing and now unpacking is taking forever. We are slowly settling down here and all set to share my daily meals with you.
Instant Pot has been my best friend all this time. I just cant imagine my life without one pot meals. I am leaning towards recipes that are simple and I literally mean simple like this Chili recipe that I am sharing with you today. It’s like throwing everything in the pot and in minutes coming back to a healthy hearty meal that isn’t compromised because of time constraints.
Soups and chili are something I look forward to on cold chilly days. A warm bowl of chili is so comforting in this weather. This plant based vegetarian chili will fill you up for a longer time. It is a clean eating recipe made without overly processed ingredients . You will definitely need this after all the Christmas and New Year feasting.
Ingredients used to make Vegan chili
I have used 2 types of lentil . Feel free to use either or.
Fire roasted tomatoes packs great flavor to this instant version of chili. It feels like chili was simmering all day long.
You may even use freshly cooked beans or canned beans instead of lentil if desired.
But I highly recommend giving this lentil chili a try . It is a great change from the bean chili.
Vegetable stock or bullion is a better choice than water.
I have used (mainly beets) . You think you do not need beets in your chili but this recipe will definitely change your mind.
Beetroot is considered as one of the most powerful vegetable with ton of benefits.
You name it and it has it. Beetroot is rich in iron , potassium , anti oxidants , folic , essential vitamins.
It’s absolutely fat free 🙂
It is great at building up stamina , increasing hemoglobin , improving immunity , stabilizes blood pressure to name a few.
I make constant efforts to use veggies in our diet which are hearty and wholesome. I make a point to buy a whole bunch of beetroot once in two weeks and use it as and when in variety of ways. Not only it imparts a beautiful red or a pink color ,it even benefits our body in so many ways.
Other veggies that I have used to make this chili are celery, sweet potatoes, sweet corn , onion, bell pepper.
Feel free to take away or add your favorite vegetable.
Other veggies suggested are carrots, zucchini , yellow squash.
Spices used to make chili
Spices play an important part to make the best chili . A key to heartwarming chili is great seasoning .
I have used a combination of paprika, red chili powder , cayenne, oregano , cumin and black pepper.
The best part of making chili at home is you can adjust spices to your taste.
You may increase or decrease the amount of cayenne or paprika. Everything can be adjusted easily to satisfy your taste buds.
Toppings for chili
As chili best tastes spicy , topping it with chilled sour cream is a great idea. I have used plant based vegan sour cream . Handful of chopped fresh herbs like cilantro or parsley and generous squeeze of lemon just makes it even better.
How to make the best vegan chili
I am using an electric pressure cooker i.e Instant Pot to make this one pot meal .
No need to soak lentil as they cook up quickly as compared to beans.
All I do is rinse the lentil , chop the veggies .
Switch on the Instant Pot and throw everything in.
The preparation time is less than 15 minutes and then let the Instant Pot do its work.
After the pressure comes down I open the pot and enjoy a bowl or two of this heart warming chili with a dollop of sour cream .
Leftover chili makes great next day lunch or I freeze it for future use.
Freezing Chili
The best part of making hearty soups and chili is that you can make a big batch and freeze in one time use portion size bags to enjoy on future busy days.
This Easy Instant Pot vegan chili can be made ahead of time and frozen for 4 months .
Enjoy it for lunch at office or for express dinner.
Easy Instant Pot Vegan Chili recipe
I have used my 6 qt Instant Pot to make this chili.
DID YOU TRY THIS RECIPE ? Don’t forget to give a ★ rating. Just click on the stars in the Recipe below to rate!!!
Easy Instant Pot Vegan Chili recipe
This meatless chili recipe is loaded with lentil & vegetables making a nutritious meal for you. You may want to make a big batch and freeze it to enjoy later . Vegan and gluten-free
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown lentil
- ½ cup red lentil
- 2 cups low sodium veg broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 count 14 .5 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 cup tomato puree
Vegetables used in total , 5 -6 cups approx. -
- 5 cloves grated fresh garlic or / 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 small Onion chopped
- 1 Beetroot cubed approx 1/4-1/2"
- 2 sticks Celery chopped
- 1 small sweet potato cubed
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper or your choice
- 1 cup sweet corn kernels frozen or fresh
Spices used -
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- Salt to taste
- Couple twists black pepper
Topping (Optional )
- Vegan yogurt or sour cream
- Cilantro / parsley
- 1 Lemon
Instructions
-
Switch on the instant pot on sautee mode .
-
Once warm add in onions , some sprinkle of salt and 2 tablespoon broth .
-
Saute for 1 minute or until the onions are translucent.
-
Now add in garlic and saute for a minute.
-
As we are not using oil to make this chili you may add couple tablespoons broth to saute and prevent burning of bottom of the pot .
-
Now add in remaining vegetables and the spices . Give it a good mix.
-
Add in the vegetable broth . Mix once.
-
Add in the lentil , followed by tomato puree and diced tomatoes.
-
Stir once lightly.
-
Place the lid on.
-
Cancel Saute mode.
-
Press MANUAL 7 minutes HIGH PRESSURE.
-
Make sure the black knob on the top is in sealing position.
-
Once the Instant Pot beeps let the pressure come down naturally. (NPR)
-
When the silver pin drops down or after 15 minutes just move the knob to VENT to release pressure if any.
-
Carefully open up the Instant Pot and stir the chili.
-
It will thicken more as it starts cooling.
-
Give it a taste test and adjust seasoning if needed.
-
Just before serving top it with sour cream parsley and a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Recipe Notes
This is an oil free chili recipe.
You may use 1 tablespoon oil for sautéing onions and proceed further. Vegetables used can be customized to your preference. Just keep the vegetable quantity to 4-5 cups.
The spice level of this chili is 4 on 5 . 5 being hot.
Use spices as per your choice. You may skip cayenne and red chili powder to make it less hot.
You may sub store bought tomato puree with two medium size tomato puree. I highly recommend fire roasted tomatoes and smoked paprika for a smoky flavor. But then use what is available at your end.
You can use a blend of 2 lentils as I did or pick one too.
Always take a savory recipe as a guideline and make substitution as per your taste. If you feel lost I am just a comment away.
Make ahead of time tips-
Stays good in the fridge for 4 days. This vegan lentil chili freezes well up to 4 months . Makes nutritious office lunch on the go.
Hungry for more clean eating recipes??
More INSTANT POT recipes here.
For delicious hearty soups click here.
Recipes using BEETROOT here-
Must try!! - Mix veggies stir fry with beet boost recipe.
Pin this Easy Instant Pot vegan chili loaded with vegetables and lentil for later use.
Hope you like this easy recipe on how to make Easy Instant Pot vegan chili and give it a try. Let me know if you have any questions below in the comment section. Never miss a recipe . If you like being here do subscribe to my blog.Make sure you have us in your contact list so that the recipe does not land in spam folder. Carveyourcraving(at)gmail(dot)com .
Are we friends yet . Let’s connect on-Facebook| Instagram | Pintrest | Twitter
Happy cooking!!!Do share it with the world!!!Thanks for stopping by!!
IF SHARING ,PLEASE LINK BACK TO THE POST AS REPRODUCING, DISTRIBUTING OR COPYING PICTURES OR TEXT/ RECIPES THAT BELONG TO CARVE YOUR CRAVING IS A COPYRIGHT VIOLATION. YOU CAN ALWAYS LINK BACK TO THE WEBSITE.
Leave a Reply