Vegan pumpkin lentil chili couldn't be any easier to make! It's a delicious and hearty plant-based chili loaded with veggies and plant protein thanks to lentils, quinoa, and black beans. (vegan, gluten-free)
Let me preface this post by saying Mr. Table and I are total meat-eaters. We love good ol' meaty chili, and when I told Mr. Table what I was making when I cooked up this vegan pumpkin lentil chili, he gave me the face.
You know the one.
BUT we ran out of venison in our freezer and didn't have any ground beef, so I found myself meatless with a week's worth of lunches to prep.
I did, however, have a half can of pumpkin in the refrigerator (leftover from Pumpkin Lava Cake testing) and a pantry full of beans, so I decided to try my hand at vegetarian chili.
Let me tell you, as a total meat-eater, I loved how this vegan chili turned out! It's thick and full of delicious spices, and it's got tons of veggies! Of course, it's also packed with filling plant protein from black beans, lentils, and quinoa. It's delicious, hearty and satisfying. And since it's made with canned black beans, it takes less than an hour to cook!
After bringing this vegan pumpkin lentil chili to work for lunch and feeling totally satisfied without meat, I've been inspired to try more meatless meals for lunch, using mostly quinoa and beans for protein. Not only is it a cinch to throw together lunches this way, but it's also very cost-effective. And while we eat mostly lean cuts of meat in our house, eating more plant protein is also heart-healthy.
Not that I'm going to become a vegetarian any time soon, but I won't freak out when our freezer stores of meat run a little low after loving this vegan pumpkin lentil chili with quinoa. Have you ever tried vegetarian chili? What are your thoughts on eating more meatless meals?
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the comments!
PrintVegan Pumpkin Lentil Chili with Quinoa
Vegan pumpkin lentil chili couldn't be any easier to make! It's a delicious and hearty plant based chili loaded with veggies and plant protein thanks to lentils, quinoa and black beans. (vegan, gluten-free)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: about 12 cups 1x
- Category: main dish
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: vegan
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 1 cup dry lentils
- 1 can (15 oz) low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz) low sodium diced tomatoes
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
- 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- ½ tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ tbsp smoked paprika
- To serve: avocado, cilantro, cheese, or sour cream
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add pepper, onion, carrots, and garlic. Cook 1-2 minutes, stirring, until veggies are slightly soft.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover pot reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so.
- Serve chili hot and garnish as desired.
Keywords: pumpkin lentil chili, vegan lentil chili, vegan pumpkin chili
I thought this was really good and so easy! I like to pre-cook grains and whatnot for the week so I had cooked lentils and quinoa on hand. I threw them in the pot for the last 5 minutes just to warm through and it worked perfectly. I accidentally used fire-roasted tomatoes (which I highly recommend, they added a great smokey flavor!) but otherwise followed the recipe. Will definitely add this to my rotation!
★★★★
Thanks for sharing your tips! Fire roasted tomatoes sound great!
Vegan of 10 years here and I must say .... this looks FABULOUS!! Can it be made in a slowcooker or pressure cooker?
I cant wait to try it.... I may even get creative myself and try using it as a filling... for stuffed peppers? Mmmmm.
Wow, thank you! I bet it can be made in either. For the pressure cooker, I'd just cook it for the amount of time it takes to cook quinoa probably. Let me know if you try it. The stuffed peppers sound great!
I LOVE this recipe and how easy it is! I subbed sweet potato purée for the pumpkin, and chickpeas for the black beans. I also added in walnuts, because I love their texture when they’re cooked in chili— reminds me of ground beef. This turned out awesome and will definitely be a go to recipe for me!!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Liz. I will have to try adding walnuts next time!
Which Lentils did you use?
Hi Dawn, I just used regular dried brown lentils!
Sounds so tasty! I love how you got creative with items you had on hand 🙂
My husband gives me the same face when I tell him we're having a veggie meal! But I do love my veggie chili - it's so good and this one looks great too!
Haha! I thought it was great!