This vegan lentil chilli with black beans makes a great family meal. It's a healthy choice for midweek or weekend and the leftovers are great to reheat the next day too.
I really wish I could get my family to eat more vegan meals like this healthy black bean lentil chilli. It's super tasty and easy as well as being great for preparing in advance. The black beans and the lentils go brilliantly together and add a lovely texture.
I use red lentils and green lentils. The red lentils break down quite a lot and thicken the chilli while the green lentils hold their shape a bit more. It makes for a delicious chilli with lots of flavour and texture!
As well as the lentils and black beans it's also a meal full of other veggies. There are finely diced carrots, celery, onions and tinned tomatoes. Feel free to vary them if you want though. Extra peppers, courgette or aubergine all work really well in this.
What spices are in this lentil chilli?
I love spices and this plant based chilli recipe is definitely full of spice. I added cumin, coriander, all spice and paprika as well as a chilli pepper and some oregano. It's not too hot though. It would have been perfect for the children, if only they had tried it!
They were having one of those days where they refused to even taste it. Never mind, it did mean I got to eat more of it! I'm hoping they'll eat it next time though as they both love this easy hidden vegetable chilli con carne.
How to customise a chilli recipe
Because I got to eat a lot of this lentil chilli, I enjoyed playing around with the toppings and seasonings a little. There is so much you can do to finish off a chilli to make it taste exactly the way you want. I like to squeeze a little lime juice on at the end. I sometimes add grated cheese too. You can also add avocado slices, extra coriander leaves or spring onion.
I even tried a little of this Ooft sauce. It's an award winning hot scotch bonnet pepper sauce and for me at least a small drop went a long way!
How to store and reheat this lentil and black bean chilli?
This lentil black bean chilli keeps well in the fridge for up to three days. You can also freeze it. I like to freeze it in individual portions so it's easy to take out and reheat. To defrost, put it in the fridge overnight or pop it on the kitchen counter for a few hours during the day. If you're in a hurry you can reheat it from frozen, it will just take a big longer.
I usually reheat individual portions of this chilli in the microwave until it's piping hot. If you don't have a microwave you can reheat it in a saucepan but you will need to add a splash of water. You can also pop it in the oven for 20 minutes in a covered ovenproof dish.
Experimenting with my Tortilla Press
You may have noticed the flatbread that I served with the black bean chilli. I got a tortilla press
I ended up with a type of flatbread which was delicious but not what I was hoping for. They definitely weren't tortillas. They were a bit like chubby little pitta breads, which is actually not a bad thing at all. I need to try out a few more recipes and work out how I like them but when I do, I promise I'll share the recipe.
After all, there are far worse things to have to experiment with than how to make tortillas! By the way, if you just want to serve this chilli with rice, why not try my Mexican spicy rice recipe.
This vegan lentil chilli is great for batch cooking
If you read this blog regularly you'll know just how much I love recipes which are just as good to make in advance and reheat as they are when they are freshly made. I even have a special Cook Once Eat Twice recipe collection. This vegan lentil chilli undoubtedly fits the bill. It fed me for about three days and each time I enjoyed it just as much.
I also like to put the leftovers in these air fryer quesadillas! They are so tasty!
Recipe
Vegan Lentil Chilli
Ingredients
- 1.5 tbsp oil
- 2 onions finely diced, I used 1 red and 1 brown onion
- 1 piece celery finely diced
- 1 carrot finely diced
- 1 chilli pepper Remove the seeds to make it less hot. Add more if you want a hotter chilli or leave it out entirely
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- ½ teaspoon ground all spice
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoon tomato puree
- 400 g chopped tomatoes I used a tin but you could use fresh
- 120 g dried green lentils
- 120 g dried red lentils
- 230 g cooked black beans
- 15 g coriander leaf Chopped (cilantro)
- Toppings - avocado, herbs, cheese, tortilla chips, red onions, spring onions, olives, hot sauce all optional
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Cook the onion, carrot and celery gently for about 10 minutes so they soften but don't brown
- Add the garlic and chilli pepper. Stir for a minute then add the spices. Stir in the spices then add the tomato puree. Stir in too.
- Add the tomatoes, lentils and black beans. Top with about 700ml of water. Bring to the boil then lower to a simmer for about 40 minutes.
- Stir in most of the coriander leaf at the end. Reserve a little to sprinkle on top of the bowls.
- Serve with your favourite toppings
Notes
Nutrition
Are you looking for more vegan one pot meals?
Try one of these:
If you're not looking for vegan recipes you might also like my bacon and chicken chilli recipe. And I'm sure you'll love my recipe collection for easy spicy midweek dinners.
Keep in touch
Do let me know if you make this vegan lentil chilli or any of my other recipes.
I love to get feedback from readers. You can also stay up to date by following on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Disclosure: I was sent a complimentary bottle of Ooft sauce and not required to write about it. I just felt it went rather well in this dish!
Kimberly
This looks so creamy and delicious! I’ve been loving lentillately!
Corina Blum
Lentils are brilliant aren't they? I would eat them a lot more if my husband loved them. He is happy to eat them but they're not his favourite thing!
Sadhna Grover
Hi Corina,
I really liked this recipe, so I bookmarked it to try soon.
Corina Blum
I do hope you like it Sadhna! Let me know.
Lesley Garden
I love the look of this dish, I eat meat but confess to loving a good meat-free chilli. This one looks delicious.
Corina Blum
I'm so pleased you like it! I eat meat too but I am quite happy to eat meat-free meals as well and after making this I would even say I prefer a meatless chilli.
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie
Yum - I love this! I make lots of very similar things too...I think we both have very similar taste in food!! I am very excited to hear about your tortilla press - I'd love to have one...I look forward to you sharing your tortilla recipe when you've nailed it! 😀 Eb x
Corina Blum
We definitely like the same food! I think I'd happily eat everything on your site. The tortilla press was recommended by a blogger I met at an event last year and she said it was one of the gadgets she had actually used a lot since buying so I really need to get to grips with it soon! x
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder
Lentils are great in stews and chillis for added bulk and here they are playing main part which is great! So many gorgeous spices, I could happily eat the lot! I think your flat bread looks rather yummy, almost naan like. Perfect dipping accompaniment here! 🙂 x
Corina Blum
It was a bit like naan. It tasted great and was perfect on the side of this chilli x
Monika Dabrowski
This is exactly the kind of food we should all be eating to keep us warm and nourished in our unexpectedly snowy winter. Sounds and looks gorgeous. Thanks for bringing it to #CookBlogShare:)
Corina Blum
It is just right for today, isn't it Monika? I should really make it again!
Beth
This chili looks so good! I have had a tortilla press for decades but haven't used it in forever! I should break it out. The sound of homemade is good! And you are right, there are worse things to experiment with!
Corina Blum
I really need to do some more experimenting soon. Homemade bread is just so good!
Lisa | Tiny Kitchen Capers
This looks so yummy! I usually only use brown lentils in things, you've inspired me to try the green and red ones. Thanks for sharing this chili!
Corina Blum
The red ones tend to break down so add thickness and the green ones keep some bite so they work well together here. So pleased I've inspired you!
Balvinder
Love the flavors of this chili. We are huge lovers of lentils in our household.
Corina Blum
Lentils are so versatile aren't they? Every time I make something with lentils in I tell myself I should use them more often!
Kacie Morgan
I love spicy dishes so I think I'd love this. I would really like to get my hands on some of that sauce as well!
Corina Blum
The sauce is great! I like it for flavouring things so it was perfect in this as I could add some to my portion and not to the children's.
Elaine @ Dishes Delish
This lentil chili looks so hearty, delicious and comforting! Just what I'm looking for in a chili/stew/soup!! I adore the spices you used and have all the ingredients on hand so I'm going to try it asap!
Corina Blum
I hope you like it Elaine, especially as I love it! Do let me know.
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain
This sounds perfect for the chilly weather we're having Corina - I love lentils though I don't seem to use them as much I should for some reason. The bread, even though you describe them as chubby pittas, look really tasty and perfect for your chili - I'll look forward to the recipe when you're ready to share it. 🙂
Angela x
Corina Blum
The bread was perfect as a pitta type bread, it just wasn't what I was aiming for! I think I need to learn the right technique and experiment with the recipe! x
Mandy
I really, really, really love a veggie chilli and have made it so many different ways but I don't think I have ever used lentils! This looks like a must-try recipe.
Corina Blum
I hope you like it this way! I loved how the different lentils and black beans gave it lots of texture.
Sonia
Sounds like the perfect comforting recipe for the chilly weather we are having right now!
Corina Blum
Exactly! I'm just pleased it's nice and sunny as well as freezing cold today!
[email protected]
I love lentils and I bet they make this chili nice and hearty!
Corina Blum
They do! The lentils are great in it and it is a very thick chilli which I like as well.
Farrah
I haven't made chili yet this year--I'm gonna have to try out this recipe! I have a bag of lentils I've been meaning to use up! :]
Corina Blum
I discovered I really love lentils in a chilli and as we're having some cold weather here at the moment then a chilli is just perfect!