Vegan Lentil Chili

This deliciously easy vegan lentil chili is sure to impress! With stove-top, pressure cooker, and slow cooker versions all in this post, you can whip it up any way you choose with minimal effort.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Lentil Chili

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 321kcal

Author Jenn Laughlin - Peas and Crayons

Ingredients

2 cups yellow onion diced
1 TBSP olive oil
1 large green bell pepper diced
1 large red bell pepper diced
2 jalapeños plus extra to garnish
2-4 cloves garlic minced
1 cup corn frozen or fresh
15 oz can spicy chili beans with sauce
1 cup black beans (drained and rinsed)
2 TBSP chili powder
1 TBSP cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp smoked paprika plus extra to taste
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups veggie broth
1 cup dried red lentils
2 cups crushed tomatoes

EXTRAS:

diced jalapenos or cayenne pepper for a kick
veggie broth or tomato sauce to adjust thickness if desired
all the tasty toppings your heart desires!

TOPPING INSPIRATION:

sliced or diced jalapeños
chopped red onion
fresh pico de gallo or salsa
sliced avocado
fresh cilantro
sour cream or greek yogurt if vegetarian/t-rex
shredded cheddar cheese if vegetarian/t-rex
crushed tortilla chips
corn chips
corn bread crumbles
and so much more...

Instructions

Below are the electric pressure cooker instructions. For stove top or slow cooker instructions, see blog post below.
First chop your veggies and measure out the ingredients.
Switch your pressure cooker to the saute funtion and saute 1 TBSP oil with onion for 3-5 minutes, until edges are golden and browned.
Then add garlic, peppers, and corn, and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes to soften slightly.
Add lentils, veggie broth, chili beans, black beans and spices.
Set to high pressure for 15 minutes and allow to come to pressure.
Allow a natural pressure release.
Lastly, stir in crushed tomatoes and adjust broth/tomato/seasoning to taste, adding more of what you prefer to get your ideal thickness and flavor punch.
I added the crushed tomatoes at the end to avoid overstuffing my pressure cooker and score a quicker cook time as well. Since my crushed tomatoes were canned (LOVE muir glen's organic tomato basil) they took zero time to heat up once swirled into my piping hot pot-o-chili. Sweet!
If you want to dive in sooner, feel free to manually release the pressure on your Instant Pot by flipping the little lever from seal to vent. Worst case scenario, if your chili needs a little extra time you can seal it back up and give the veggies extra time to soften. Pressure cookers are pretty forgiving like that!
Add all your favorite toppings and dive in!

Notes

Feel free to adjust the consistency of the chili to your liking. As written it's perfectly thick and full of delicious texture, but can be thinned with a little broth or tomato sauce if desired! If you add a lot of extra liquid, consider amping up the spices a smidge to compensate. You can also make this as mild or as spicy as you'd like. As written it is pretty mild, then the jalapeños I added on top of one bowl really amped up the heat!

A Note on Salt and Pepper :: I leave salting the dish to the end to prevent over-seasoning. Depending on the brand and type of broth, tomatoes, and beans that you use, the sodium content will vary. I used low sodium broth, regular organic canned tomatoes, and didn't salt my chili.

Pressure cooker recipes always leave out the details so here's a breakdown of what you can expect time-wise: About 13 minutes to come to pressure plus 15 minutes cook time and 15 or so to release pressure. You won't need to be anywhere near your kitchen for this all to partake, the Instant Pot will handle it all and switch to warm once it's done. So fabulous right?

Nutrition facts below are an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. Add your favorite toppings and adjust as needed.

Nutrition