Easy Instant Pot Vegan Chili
There is nothing better to warm you up on a cold day than a big bowl of hearty chili, and it’s even better when it can be ready and on the table in minutes without any fuss in the kitchen. This Instant Pot Vegan Chili is easy to make and chock full of healthy wholesome ingredients.
Chili is such a comfort food with its warm spices, convenient canned beans, and filling grains like bulgur, quinoa, or brown rice. It’s inexpensive to make and can feed a crowd.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot or would just rather allow it to cook while you’re at work, we have a Crockpot Bean Vegan Chili recipe that’s perfect for a slow cook method. Other great chili recipes on this website are our vegan white bean chili and this easy black bean chili.
Reasons you will love this recipe
- Quick and Easy Preparation: This vegan Instant Pot chili is ready in under an hour, making it a perfect option for a fast and convenient meal.
- Rich and Flavorful: Packed with a hearty blend of spices, beans, and vegetables, this chili delivers a robust, savory taste that satisfies.
- Perfect for Meal Prep: Ideal for making ahead, this vegan chili stores well and can be easily reheated, providing delicious leftovers throughout the week.
Ingredients you will need
One of the greatest things about vegetarian chili is that it’s so versatile. I’ve seen recipes add all kinds of different things like sweet potatoes, bell peppers, and even quinoa. These are the ingredients that are most common and that are always in my pot.
- Beans- Use just one kind of bean or a blend of different types which is what I like to do. Some of my favorites are red kidney beans, black beans, and white cannellini beans.
- Onion & Garlic- These are always a must to get that amazing flavor.
- Tomatoes- Fresh tomatoes can be used or canned. One thing I do to add even more flavor is to use fire-roasted tomatoes and their juice.
- Vegetable Broth- Some people might use water for the liquid, but I much prefer vegetable broth for the flavor. Low-sodium is best and, if you want to make your own from vegetable scraps, it’s great too.
- Ketchup- Some folks might want to use tomato sauce instead, but ketchup adds more flavor in my opinion, and you can even make your own homemade ketchup if you like.
- Grain- Adding a grain helps bulk up vegan chili to keep it filling without any meat. I love to use wheat bulgur because it has a crumbly texture that mimics ground beef, and it soaks up all the warm spices. We have a great article on this website to answer all of your bulgur questions on how to cook it and recipes. Other options to make this chili gluten-free are buckwheat groats which also has a nice crumbly texture, brown rice, or quinoa.
- Spices- My favorite spices to use are chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and season salt.
Tips & Substitutions
- Make it gluten-free- To make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the bulgur wheat with another grain such as buckwheat groats, brown rice, quinoa, or another GF variety.
- Ketchup- Tomato sauce can be used in place of the ketchup if desired.
- Beans- Use 4.5 cups of any single type of bean or a variety like I do. Great bean options include kidney beans (red, dark red, white, etc), black beans, pintos, navy beans, northern beans, and others.
How to make Vegan Instant Pot Chili
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
STEP #1: For this recipe, you will need to begin with completely cooked beans which you can make yourself or use canned beans. Personally, I use canned beans so that I have a variety of different kinds of beans and just keep it simple with precooked beans.
If using canned beans, remember to drain the liquid and rinse them to remove most of the preservatives and salt. To do this, I dump them into a colander and rinse them.
STEP #2: Dice up the onion and garlic and add them to your Instant Pot. Press the SAUTE button and allow them to begin cooking in the dry pan.
Watch closely, and when they begin to turn a little brown, add 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable broth and stir to let them caramelize a little bit.
STEP #3: Add the cooked beans and all of the other ingredients EXCEPT the fire-roasted tomatoes. Stir everything together well.
Next, spread the fire-roasted tomatoes across the top of the mixture but DO NOT STIR. This is because tomato-based products that touch the bottom of the Instant Pot cause them to burn.
STEP #4: Place the lid on your Instant Pot, lock it down, and turn the vent to SEAL. Set to MANUAL and allow the chili to cook for 6 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure and then the timer will begin to count down the cooking time.
When the timer beeps once the cooking has stopped, do a quick release of the vent. You may want to use a spoon or dish towel to do this if there is much steam coming out.
STEP #5: Remove the lid and serve. Some great topping options are my Tofu Sour Cream and fresh chives or jalapenos. If you’re looking for more IP recipes, take a look at these 25 BEST Vegan Instant Pot Recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use dried beans, but they need to be soaked and pre-cooked before adding them to the Instant Pot. For a faster option, you can use canned beans, which are already cooked and ready to add directly to the chili.
To make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the bulgur wheat with another grain such as buckwheat groats, brown rice, or quinoa. Also, be sure to check the labels on other ingredients and sauces.
Some great sides are crusty sourdough bread, vegan country cornbread, homemade oil-free tortilla chips, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
Absolutely! Vegan chili freezes well. Store leftovers in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat thoroughly before serving.
More Vegan Chili Recipes
I love chili so much that there are variations of it on my website and include a Vegan Chili Category so you might want to check some of them out.
If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it by rating it and leaving a comment. We love to hear from you!
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Instant Pot Vegan Chili
Ingredients
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes, with juice
- 3/4 cups bulgur wheat uncooked dry
- 2.5 cups vegetable broth low sodium
- ¾ cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons Worchester sauce without anchovies
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon season salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional for spice
Instructions
- For this recipe, you will need to begin with completely cooked beans which you can make yourself or use canned beans. Personally, I use can beans so that I can have a variety of different kinds of beans and just keep it simple.
- If using canned beans, remember to drain the liquid and rinse them to remove most of the preservatives and salt. To do this, I dump them into a colander and rinse them.
- Dice the onion and garlic and add them to your Instant Pot. Press the SAUTE button and allow them to begin cooking in the dry pan. Watch closely, and when they start to turn a little brown, add 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable broth and stir to let them caramelize a little bit.
- Add the cooked beans and all of the other ingredients EXCEPT the fire roasted tomatoes. Stir everything together well.
- Next, spread the fire-roasted tomatoes across the top of the mixture but DO NOT STIR. This is because tomato-based products that touch the bottom of the Instant Pot cause them to burn.
- Place the lid on your Instant Pot, lock it down, and turn the vent to SEAL. Set to MANUAL and allow the chili to cook for 6 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure and then the timer will begin to count down the cooking time.
- When the timer beeps once the cooking has stopped, do a quick release of the vent. You may want to use a spoon or dish towel to do this if there is much steam coming out.
- Remove the lid and serve. Some great topping options are my Tofu Sour Cream and fresh chives or jalapenos.
- If you’re looking for more recipes, take a look at these 25 BEST Vegan Instant Pot Recipes.
Video
Notes
- If you don’t have an Instant Pot, no problem! Try my Crockpot Chili instead which is basically the same recipe.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the bulgur wheat with another grain such as buckwheat groats, brown rice, quinoa, or other GF varieties.
- Tomato sauce can be used in place of the ketchup if desired.
- Use 4.5 cups of any single type of bean or use a variety as I do.
- Great bean options include kidney beans (red, dark red, white, etc), black beans, pintos, navy beans, northern beans, and others.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
Delicious chili recipe! The addition of bulgar wheat gives that crumbled meat sensation and adds to a plethora of wonderful tastes.
I have one little issue, I have made it three times and each time my instant pot sets off the burning alarm. When I open it up, the bulgar wheat is burnt to the bottom. It still has a wonderful taste to it but I am not sure what can be done to prevent the burning.
I continue to make it though, all worth it!
Hi Debby- I am so glad that you loved the recipe! Evedientally, adding tomato-based products to an Instant Pot can sometimes cause the burning you mentioned. To resolve the issue, mix all of the ingrients EXCEPT the fire-roasted tomatoes (STEP #4). Next, spread the fire-roasted tomatoes across the top of the mixture but DO NOT STIR. I have added this as STEP #5 to help. Thanks for your great feedback!
Quick, easy, and delicious. I did find it was too sweet for me but I will just eliminate the maple syrup next time. Will definitely be making it a lot this winter!
Good and easy, however I found it a bit too salty. I will leave out the extra salt if I make it again. I am sure there is plenty of salt in the canned beans, the tomatoes, the ketchup and the Worcestershire sauce.
Made this today and it is delicious. Terri, thanks so much for sharing your recipes. Every dish from a recipe of yours that I’m made has been so good. So thankful to find your site. Fondly, Dolores Jones
Dolores- I am so glad that you liked this chili recipe. Thank you for letting me know and for leaving such positive feedback! ♥
Love, love, love this recipe! It’s my go to chili, so simple to make and so delicious. It took me a while to find a recipe without lentils. Nothing wrong with lentils, but that seems to be everyone’s go to. I very much prefer the bulgur.
Hi Dorinda- That’s awesome! I’m so glad that you’re loving this chili recipe.
I made this today and it was delicious but I ended up doing it on the stove top as the Instapot kept saying BURN. I tried 3 times with the same result. Did anyone else have this problem? And how can I stop this from happening? Thx
@Laraine Chen, Hi, Laraine. I’ve learned to add any tomato-based products last–spread across the top and DO NOT STIR. In step #4, add the fire-roasted tomatoes last. Go ahead and add “all of the other ingredients” and stir everything well. THEN skim the fire-roasted tomatoes on top, but DO NOT STIR. You may stir to your heart’s content when you remove the lid in #7. 😊
@Trevor Marconi, This is an amazing tip. The first 3 times I made it, I got the burn alert. I followed your tip and no more burn alert. Thank you!!
Just made! Don’t have instant pot, I made it on stovetop. I used half brown rice and half quinoa instead of bulgur. Made a big pot, going to freeze some to have for fast lunches. Another winner!
Mary- YAY! I’m glad that you liked it. Subbing a mixture of quinoa and brown rice for the bulgur sounds delicious. Thank you for the great comment.
Great! Fast and easy for when. You want chili but don’t have all day. Love using bulgur.
Jill- Wonderful! I love using bulgur to get that great texture too.