Lentil chili is a hearty, high-protein one-pot meal where lentils, black beans, and vegetables simmer with aromatic spices for a flavorful, meatless twist on classic chili.
If you like more high protein dinners, check out our peanut stew, vegetarian chili, lentil curry, and lentil meatballs.
Why we love this…
Like other classic lentil dishes such as lentil pasta, lentil soup, creamy dal and rice and lentil Mujadara, this lentil chili offers more than just rich, comforting flavor.
๐ Louise and I think you’ll love this because it’s:
- Easy to make in one pot.
- Packed with protein and fiber.
- Nutritious and deeply satisfying.
- Affordable, made with pantry staples.
- One of the best recipes for meal prep.
- Easy to customize and adapt to your taste.
๐จ๐ปโ๐ณ Pro tip: Serve lentil chili with something pickled (quick-pickled onions or jalapeรฑos), something creamy (sour cream, cashew sour cream, or thick yogurt), and something tangy (lime or lemon juice) for the best flavor!
Ingredients
Find complete ingredient list, quantities, and substitutions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
- Flavor base: olive oil, onion, garlic, bell pepper, tomato paste.
- Spices & herbs: red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, and bay leves. You can substitute chipotle powder for smoked paprika and thyme for bay leaves.
- Lentils: we recommend dried brown, green, or french lentils. If you use canned lentils or dried split lentils they only require 15 minutes cooking time and 1/2 the amount of vegetable broth.
- Beans: we recommend canned or pre-cooked beans like black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans or black-eyed beans.
- Canned tomatoes: crushed, diced, or whole canned peeled tomatoes.
- Vegetable broth
- Balsamic vinegar: we list this as optional, but if you have some please add it in to boost the umami of the chili. It’s SO good!
- Serves well withย lime juice, cilantro, avocado, sour cream, pickled onions, rice, or tortillas.
How to Make Lentil Chili
Step 1: Make the flavor base.
Rinse the dried lentils under running water, checking for any hidden stones or debris. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add chopped onion, diced red bell pepper, and minced garlic, sautรฉing for about 5 – 10 minutes until the onion turns translucent.
Stir in red pepper flakes, cumin, smoked paprika, dried oregano, tomato paste, and bay leaves, cooking for another minute until the spices become fragrant.
Step 2: Simmer until tender.
Stir in rinsed dried lentils and drained canned beans, then add vegetable broth and crushed tomatoes and season with salt and black pepper.
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 40 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Stir occasionally.
Stir in the balsamic vinegar, then taste and adjust the salt and spices. Add more broth for a thinner chili, or let it simmer longer to thicken.
Step 3: Serving suggestions.
You can serve lentil chili with brown rice, quinoa, cornbread, corn tortillas, flatbread, or crusty bread.
For toppings, we recommend a squeeze of lime juice, fresh cilantro, pickled red onions or jalapeรฑos, sliced avocado or guacamole, and a dollop of yogurt or sour cream.
Tips
- Build a Bold Flavor Base: the first 10 minutes are crucial! Let the veggies sautรฉ slowly until soft and fragrant. Don’t rush this step.
- Rinse and Check Your Lentils: Give them a good rinse under running water while scanning for small stones to keep your chili grit-free.
- Go Big On Toppings – they elevate this recipe to the next level! Remember to add something cold, something tangy, something creamy, and something spicy.
Questions
We recommend using dried green, brown, or French lentils because they keep their shape well, while split red lentils break down easily making the chili more like a porridge texture and with less bite.
Dried green lentils take between 30 and 45 minutes to cook on the stovetop and 10 minutes in an instant pot.
To speed up cooking time, you can soak them in cold water for 8 hours.
Dried lentils don’t require soaking before cooking.
We recommend rinsing them to remove dirt and do a quick visual check to ensure no stones are hiding between the lentils. Here’s our in-depth guide on how to cook lentils.
Yes! This recipe is easy to make in an Instant pot or pressure cooker. Start by sautรฉing the flavor base as instructed, then add the rest of the ingredient and pressure cook 12 minutes for a firm biter or 15 for a creamier texture.
For the slow cooker you’ll need about 8 hours on low, or 4 hours on high.
Lentil chili is great for meal prep, staying fresh in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it cool before storing in an airtight container. To reheat, thaw in the fridge and warm on the stovetop with a splash of water or microwave for 3 minutes.
More Mexican-Inspired Recipes
If you tried this Lentil Chili recipe or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a ๐ star rating and let us know how it goes in the comments. We love hearing from you!
Lentil Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 red bell pepper
- ยผ teaspoon red pepper flakes or 1ยฝ tablespoons chili powder blend, not pure chili powder. Adjust spiciness to taste.
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1ยฝ teaspoons smoked paprika
- ยฝ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup dried lentils green or brown
- 2 cans beans 15 oz (230 g net) each can, or 3 cups of cooked beans. We use 1 can black beans and 1 can kidney beans.
- 2 cans crushed tomatoes 15 oz (230 g net) each can each can.
- 4 cups vegetable broth or more as needed to fully cook the lentils.
- 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste.
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar optional.
- 1 handful cilantro + lime juice, yogurt, and rice for serving.
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot; add 1 large onion, 1 red bell pepper (both chopped), and 3 cloves garlic (pressed). Cook on medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring often.Add ยผ teaspoon red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1ยฝ teaspoons smoked paprika, ยฝ teaspoon dried oregano, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, and 2 bay leaves and cook for 1 more minute.
- Stir in 1 cup dried lentils (rinsed) and 2 cans beans (drained), then add 4 cups vegetable broth, 2 cans crushed tomatoes, and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 2 twists of pepper.Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for about 40 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Stir occasionally.Stir in 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar then taste and adjust salt and spices to taste. Add more broth for a thinner chili or let it simmer longer to thicken.
- Serve with brown rice, quinoa, cornbread, corn tortillas, flatbread, or crusty bread.For toppings, we recommend 1 handful cilantro, a squeeze of lime, quick pickled red onions or jalapeรฑos, sliced avocado or guacamole, a dollop of yogurt or sour cream.
Video
Notes
- Olive oil: substitute another oil.
- Smoked paprika: substitute chipotle powder.
- Tomato paste: substitute 1 tablespoon soy sauce.
- Dried lentils: you can substitute canned lentils but in this case add half the broth and simmer for just 15 – 20 minutes.
- Beans: you can use any bean variety.
- Crushed tomatoes: substitute tomato puree, whole canned peeled tomatoes, San Marzano, and diced tomatoes.
- Build a Bold Flavor Base: the first 10 minutes are crucial! Let the veggies sautรฉ slowly until soft and fragrant. Donโt rush this step.
- Rinse and Check Your Lentils: Give them a good rinse under running water while scanning for small stones to keep your chili grit-free.
- Go Big On Toppings โ they elevate this recipe to the next level! Remember to add something cold, something tangy, something creamy, and something spicy.
- Lentil chili is great for meal prep, staying fresh in the fridge forย 5 daysย or in the freezer forย up to 3 months.
- Let it cool before storing in an airtight container.
- To reheat, thaw in the fridge and warm on the stovetop with a splash of water or microwave for 3 minutes.
Nutrition
Hi! We are Nico & Louise
Weโre here to share delicious, easy, and healthy plant-based recipes (vegetarian & vegan) ๐ฟโจ.
Welcome to our blog, we are glad you are here.
Another amazing dish ๐
Delicious! I added a green pepper and a zucchini for more veggies. My green lentils were cooked at about the 40 minute mark, and I did not have to add any more broth to cook them. I might tweak the seasoning a little next time, but this is a delicious, easy to prepare meal. I served over cooked millet with some homemade vegan smoked cheddar added in. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for the great recipe!
I made this for our Meatless Monday meal this week. I had black lentils on hand so that’s what I used, also used black beans and garbanzo beans. Made some rice and I had pickled onions to top this with. Ended up cooking this in my instant pot, because Mondays don’t offer a lot of time for us, 10 minutes and natural release, made cooking this even easier. This was delicious and will stay in our rotation of meals.
Fantastic, Angela, that’s a great meatless Monday idea ๐ฅณ
Wonderful tip on the instant pot, thank you for your valuable input, it is very useful!
All the best,
Louise
This was delicious for something so simple. Adding it to my rotation, thanks so much!
Made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious!
Fantastic, Harold!! Great news. Thank you so much for coming back to leave your feedback here.
Best, Louise
This recipe is absolutely delicious, and weโll definitely start this in our rotation of meals! My husband is the pickiest eater out there (hates veggies and always thinks the diced veggies are too big when he sees me prepping/cooking), and even HE approved. He did add a little bit of shredded cheese and a few crushed Fritos to it but all in all he gave it a 9.5 out of 10. If you knew him, youโd be thoroughly impressed and ready to try this!
This is one of our favorite recipes for the week to come! We make it at least twice a month if not more.
This is excellent. My whole family loved it!
This was delicious! Family of 6 and everyone had two bowls! (I doubled the recipe.) Everyone put their favorite chili toppings per usual. I love that I donโt feel like I can move after! Thanks so much!
Amazing. Just beginning the plant based journey and this is a hit! Not often that I follow a recipe but I wanted this to turn out as intended. And it did. I did add a tsp of cocoa powder and I cooked it in my pressure cooker.
We are thrilled you liked the recipe Vic!
I’m sure the addition of cocoa powder makes it even tastier ๐
Have a wonderful day!
Nico
The best chili ever! I had mine with sour cream and jalapeรฑos. ๐
Amazing, that sounds delish! ๐ช
Thanks so much for sharing. Kindest,
Louise