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Easy vegan quinoa chili loaded with delicious ingredients! This recipe is quick to make (it comes together in under 30-minutes!) and it's perfect for a quick dinner or as a make-ahead lunch.
I mentioned in my Mango Coconut Chia Pudding recipe how DK Publishing sent me a few vegan cookbooks for review.
This book, Vegan on the Go, by Jérôme Eckmeier and Daniela Lais, is the second book.
I was able to pick one recipe to share with you, and making the decision on which one to go with was HARD. There are so many good ones to choose from. Ultimately, I chose to share the spicy vegan chili (page 55).
What Kind of Recipes Will I Find in Vegan On the Go?
This book is all about and make-ahead lunches. Each recipe makes 1-4 servings and they're all perfect to make on the weekend for lunches throughout the week.
What you'll find in this book is a collection of creative and easy vegan recipes that you can make for lunches or dinner:
- snacks and small bites (potato cakes with yogurt dip, sushi rolls)
- soups and salads (creamed carrot soup, barley stew, Mexican pepper salad)
- sandwiches, wraps, and rolls (tomato tartare, rice and bean burritos, BBQ pulled jackfruit sandwiches)
- satisfying mains (eggplant schnitzel, sweetcorn frittatas, potsticker noodles)
- something sweet (cinnamon swirls, caramelized rice pudding, chocolate snacking cake)
- plus, lunch packing tips, pantry and fridge stocking lists, tips for eating vegan in restaurants, and more
Who Is the Vegan On the Go Cookbook For?
The tagline for the book is "fast, easy, affordable—anytime, anywhere." So if simple vegan recipes that fall under those categories are what you're looking for, then this book is for you.
This book is also good for those who are cooking for two or just themselves.
And if you eat gluten-free, you'll be happy to know that the majority of recipes are gluten-free and those that aren't, are easy to convert.
So let's talk about the spicy quinoa chili from the book, shall we? It's an easy vegan chili that even meat eaters will love!
It's packed with flavour, it's filling, it can be made ahead for lunches throughout the week, made the same day for dinner, or you can even freeze it for meal-prep. It's a versatile recipe that will likely make it onto your regular rotation.
Ingredients You'll Need
The list of ingredients you'll need to make this quick and easy vegetarian quinoa chili is filled with things you likely already having in your cupboards and refrigerator.
For the fresh ingredients, you'll need an onion, green pepper, a red chile pepper, and garlic.
The rest of the ingredients are pantry staples.
How to Make It
(Note: I’ve outlined the step-by-step on how to make this vegan chili here, but find the full recipe, ingredients, and directions at the end of this post.)
You'll start out by cooking the quinoa and setting it aside. Next, sauté the onions, pepper, chile, and garlic together in olive oil (you can sauté in water or broth instead of the oil if you are oil-free).
After that, add the tomato paste and the diced tomatoes (don't drain the tomatoes, keep all the juices!) and simmer.
Follow up by stirring in the cooked quinoa, kidney beans, and corn, let it simmer for a few minutes. Add the spices and other remaining ingredients, taste, adjust anything if needed, and your vegetarian chili with quinoa is ready to serve!
About the Spices...
I found that the spices in this recipe needed to be bumped up quite a bit to give it that perfect "chili flavour." I added more chili powder and cumin, but feel free to play around with the spices after you taste it.
Can This Recipe Be Made Ahead and Put in the Freezer?
Yes! This quinoa chili freezes very well. Cool it off after you make it, and freeze in an airtight container. It can be kept in the freezer for up to 4-months. When you're ready for it, thaw, reheat, and serve.
If you'll be using it up within a few days, you can keep it in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to 3-days.
Leftovers can be served as-is or on top of sweet potatoes, baked potatoes, or nachos.
Can I Use Different Beans? Or Leave Them Out?
Feel free to use black beans instead of the red beans.
If beans aren't your thing, you can leave them out and add a little more quinoa to the recipe. If you want to try something a different, you can replace the beans with chickpeas or lentils.
Making any of these substitutes will still result in a tasty protein-packed vegetarian chili 🙂
Can I Leave the Chile Pepper Out?
Yes, if you aren't a fan of spicy chili, then you can leave it out.The result will still be one of the best vegetarian chili recipes you've tried!
How to Top Vegan Quinoa Chili
In the pictures, I went simple and topped with chopped cilantro. Adding a topping is not necessary, but if you want to add a little something extra, feel free to use your favourites. Here are some ideas:
- diced avocados
- chopped parsley
- vegan sour cream
- vegan cheese
- guacamole
- crushed tortilla chips
What to Serve with Quinoa Bean Chili
In the pictures, I served my chili with cornbread muffins which is the perfect side.
You can also serve with:
- rolls
- salad
- garlic bread
- coleslaw
- baked potatoes (regular or sweet)
Or, if you're feeling adventurous, how about...cinnamon rolls?! Apparently, serving chili with cinnamon rolls is a thing in some midwest US states! If you try it, let me know! You learn something new, every day 🙂
Can This Recipe Be Doubled?
This quinoa chili recipe will make 2 large servings or 4 small servings. If you need more, yes, you can double it.
Can It Be Made In a Slow Cooker?
It likely can, but since I have not tried it, I don't have timing for you. If you really want to make chili in your slow cooker, check out my sweet potato lentil chili.
***
If you pick up the Vegan on the Go cookbook, let me know which recipe you'll make first! I highly recommend it if you struggle with deciding on what's for lunch or if you cook in small batches.
If you make this easy vegan quinoa chili recipe, let me know how things went in the comments, or share a pic on Instagram and tag me!
And if you like this recipe, you may also like these other quick vegan meal ideas:
- Sweet Potato Lentil Chili
- Cheesy Taco Pasta
- Butternut Squash Sweet Potato Carrot Soup
- Creamy Vegan Garlic Pasta
- Vegan Mushroom Stew
- Vegan Lentil Pasta
Vegan Quinoa Chili
Ingredients:
- ½ cup quinoa (100g)
- 1 cup vegetable stock (250ml)
- ½ green pepper
- 1 red chile
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 2 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
- 14oz can of chopped/diced tomatoes (400g)
- 1 cup corn (140g)
- 7oz kidney beans, drained and rinsed (200g)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- pinch of sea salt (or more to taste)
- pinch of freshly ground white or black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder (or more to taste)
- pinch of dried oregano
- pinch of ground cumin (or more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
Instructions:
- Run the quinoa under water in a strainer until the water flows clear, then cook it in the vegetable stock for about 15 minutes, or according to the package instructions. Drain in a strainer, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
- Slice the pepper and chile in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Chop the pepper into bite-sized cubes and finely chop the chile. Peel the onion and garlic and chop finely.
- Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the pepper, chile, onion, and garlic over medium heat. Add the tomato paste and briefly sauté this with the other ingredients. Add the tomatoes and simmer everything for 5 minutes.
- Fold corn and kidney beans into the sauce with the quinoa. Let everything continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Adjust the flavor by adding lime juice, salt, pepper, chili powder, oregano, cumin, and maple syrup to taste.
- Serve immediately, or leave to cool, chill, and briefly reheat before serving.
Recipe Notes:
- Please read all of the helpful tips and FAQ above before making this your quinoa chili.
- This recipe makes 2 large or 4 small portions.
- I use low sodium broth, and no salt tomatoes and beans for this recipe.
- Don't drain the tomatoes, pour the entire can, juices and all, into the pot.
- Nutrition info is based on the recipe split into 2 servings. Click to learn how nutrition info is calculated on this website.
Nutrition Info:
Recipe excerpted from Vegan on the Go Copyright 2019 © DK Publishing / Jérôme Eckmeier and Daniela Lais. All opinions and images are my own.
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