Quickly rush to the kitchen to make this healthy and nourishing one-pot meal – Sweet Potato Quinoa Lentil Chili. I literally dump everything in the Instant Pot at once!! This chili recipe is Vegan, Whole Food Plant-Based, Gluten-Free, Oil-Free, and Tasty!!! Dinner preparation is done and dusted with just 10 minutes of my active time.
I am a big advocate of one-pot meals. In today’s unprecedented times when everyone is at home, Instant Pot recipes like this Curried Quinoa Spinach Sweet Potato and this pot in pot Dal Rice recipes are a big savior. My kids have started to love quinoa after I made this Vegetable Lentil Quinoa Soup and then there was no looking back. We are leaning towards more whole foods to keep our immune system high. My Sweet Potato Quinoa Lentil Chili is one such superfood meal packed with nutrient-dense ingredients.
This recipe is made up of four main ingredients and the rest are the tastemakers
Main ingredients
- Brown lentil- Lentil is a good source of protein and energy. It is a good change from eating bean chili.
- Quinoa – You can use red or sprouted Quinoa too.
- Sweet Potato – Great source of Vitamin A and fiber, imparts light sweetness to the chili.
- Tomato Puree- Can’t imagine my chili without tomatoes. You can use the homemade or store-bought puree for this recipe.
The tastemakers for this chili recipe are green chilies, onion, garlic, vegetable stock, fire-roasted tomatoes, and spices. We need them to make a meal tasty. These are equally important but can be adjusted to your preference.
Step by step instructions to make Instant Pot oil-free chili
I start by switching on the Instant Pot on saute mode. Then I add chilies, garlic, and onions. Sautee them with ¼ cup water for a minute.
After that, I throw in the sweet potato, spices, lentil, quinoa, and vegetable broth. Then top it with tomato puree and fire-roasted tomatoes.
I don’t stir the chili at all because the tomato puree will stick to the bottom giving burn notification on the pot. Let it be absorbed slowly.
Next, I place the lid and turn the knob to the SEALING position. Lastly, I press the porridge mode, use the (+/-) button, and come down to 14 minutes and let the chili cook on NORMAL pressure with natural pressure release. My work is done here.
Once the silver pin drops down its time to taste the chili and adjust any seasoning like salt if needed.
Just before eating add your favorite toppings like chilled sour cream, extra chilies, any garnishes like cilantro or spring onions to the chili.
Important tips to make a successful & delicious vegan chili
- Use seasoning to your preference.
- Some like it hot and others stick to the mild flavor of spices.
- Skip green chilies if you don’t like spicy food.
Possible substitutes
- Vegetable stock adds a lot of flavor to this dish. If you don’t have it then this what you will do.
- Use an equal amount of water, throw in a bay leaf, small cinnamon stick, ¼ teaspoon of onion, and garlic powder.
- You can substitute sweet potato with pumpkin or butternut squash.
- You can use green lentil instead of brown ones.
- Swap fire-roasted tomatoes with an equal amount of tomato puree.
Storing Quinoa Lentil Chili
- Chili makes great leftovers. Store it in the fridge for 3 days.
- Or freeze it in airtight containers for up to 3 months.
- As chili will thicken, add water to get it to the desired consistency.
Make-Ahead Of Time Tips
I love batch cooking and just double up this recipe and freeze. Seriously guys, please make a big batch of this chili, freeze it in portion size containers and add it to everything. Cooking every day is tiring and eating the same food day after day is boring. I totally get it. We dislike repeating the same meal for days. So, I have some amazing ideas for you to keep this chili interesting and adding to your diet just once a week. Pick and choose the day!
Some creative ideas to use this Quinoa Lentil Chili for months.
- Week 1- Enjoy bowlful of chili as-is. Maybe add a dollop of chilled vegan sour cream.
- Week 2- Pile up this chili with extra toppings like cheese and guacamole over baked potatoes
- For Week 3 – Stuff between two buns and eat it as sloppy joes
- Week 4 – Enjoy it over warm rice.
Repeat this every week to get into a clean eating routine. Or just rotate between this Vegan Beetroot Bean Chili and Instant Pot Two Lentil Vegetable Chili. Starting fall through winter I recommend adding my Black-eyed peas Lentils Butternut Squash Chili. It is so freaking delicious. The bonus thing is that all the above recipes are a one-pot meal made in an Instant Pot for maximum convenience.
A final note before the recipe
Minimum processed ingredients, zero oil, sugar-free whole grains, and veggies will make your tummy happy. I am sure you will feel good about what you ate. Make it a routine at least once a week to have unprocessed food. There is so much you can eat with very little effort. Have lots of fruits, veggies, legumes, beans, whole grain pasta, nuts, seeds whole grain flour tortillas, tofu in moderation, and plant-based milk.
KEEP IN TOUCH –
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Oil-free recipes you should try –
Creamy Broccoli Cauliflower Soup
Zero oil chickpea pesto pasta salad
Instant Pot Sweet Potato Quinoa Lentil Chili Recipe
Sweet Potato Quinoa Lentil Chili (Instant Pot)
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown lentil Or green lentil, (rinsed a few times and drained)
- ½ cup Quinoa (use pre-washed or rinse and drain)
- ½ cup red onion chopped
- ½ cup bell peppers chopped
- 1 medium sized sweet potato, approx 1" cubed approx 180 grams
- 1 jalapeno finely chopped
- 4-5 garlic cloves chopped or minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder (not the actual red chili powder) see notes
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder (use smoked paprika to keep it mild)
- 2 teaspoons cumin powder
- 14.5 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes i.e 1 can
- 15 oz tomato puree i.e 1 can OR crushed tomatoes
- 3 cups vegetable broth see notes
- Salt to taste
- Couple twists of black pepper
Instructions
- Start by switching on the Instant Pot on saute mode.
- Then add chilies, garlic, and onions. Sautee them with ¼ cup water for a minute.
- After that throw in the bell peppers, sweet potato, spices, lentil, quinoa, and vegetable broth.
- Then top it with tomato puree and fire-roasted tomatoes.
- I don’t stir the chili at all because the tomato puree will stick to the bottom giving burn notification on the pot. Let it be absorbed slowly.
- Next, place the lid and turn the knob to the SEALING position.
- Lastly, press the porridge mode, use the (+/-) button and come down to 12 minutes and let the chili cook on NORMAL pressure with natural pressure release.
- Your work is done here. Once the silver pin drops down its time to taste the chili and adjust any seasoning like salt if needed.
- Just before eating add your favorite toppings like chilled sour cream, extra chilies, any garnishes like cilantro or spring onions to the chili.
Notes
Why I opt for porridge mode?
I have tested this recipe on High Pressure but my sweet potatoes were all smashed up. Porridge mode is the Normal-pressure mode hence works great for this recipe.About chili powder
Don't confuse Chili powder with red chili or lal mirch powder. Chili powder is a blend of spices especially used to make chili. If it is unavailable then substitute 1 tablespoon chili powder with a mix of 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon cayenne, ¼ teaspoon oregano, pinch of garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon cumin. Note that store-bought chili powder has salt in it. So add it accordingly. Taco seasoning works great here.Important tips to make a successful vegan chili
- If you soak lentil for an hour or two then your cook time comes down to 6 minutes on normal pressure.
- Use seasoning to your preference.
- Some like it hot and others stick to the mild flavor of spices.
- Skip green chilies if you don’t like spicy food.
Possible substitutes
- Vegetable stock adds a lot of flavor to this dish. If you don’t have it then this what you will do.
- Use an equal amount of water, throw in a bay leaf, small cinnamon stick, ¼ teaspoon of onion, and garlic powder.
- Use vegan better than bullion dissolved in water, instead of vegetable stock
- You can substitute sweet potato with pumpkin or butternut squash.
- You can use green lentil instead of brown ones.
- Swap fire-roasted tomatoes with an equal amount of diced tomatoes.
Storing chili
- Chili makes great leftovers. Store it in the fridge for 3 days.
- Or freeze it in airtight containers for up to 3 months.
- As chili will thicken, add water to get
Nutrition
Today was a cold day, so it was a perfect day to make this. I made it just as written. It was very thick, which I really liked. I put a measuring cup of boiling water on the table so family could thin it if they preferred. Two thinned it; two did not. All agreed the flavors and textures are wonderful. I put avocado slices on for garnish. This is in the category of comfort food, and I am definitely going to make it again!
Thank you, J for the lovely feedback. I am so glad that you adjusted the recipe to your family’s liking. Keeping a cup of boiling water on the table is so clever. I will do it next time for my little one as he prefers thin chili too.
You didn’t say how many green chilies or what to do with the sweet potato and how much.
Hello Kim, the quantity is mentioned in the recipe card which is towards the end of the post.