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Instant Pot Vegan Chili – Oil-free Kidney Bean Red Lentil Chili. Easy Flavorful Bean Lentil Vegetarian Chili 18 Gm Protein! Saucepan Option. Vegan Glutenfree Nutfree Soyfree Recipe. Jump to Recipe 
It was hot last week to give a glimpse of Summer, and then we hit a cold front again. So here we are enjoying a bowl of chili for dinner! Curries, stews, chili, Dal are all season meals in my house. A hearty 1 Pot meal with veggies and beans and flavors of choice!
This chili has veggies, red lentils and kidney beans. The lentils add a great texture and also thicken the chili really well. Add whichever beans you like to make up the bulk. I like to use chipotle and ancho chilies for flavor. Use dry or canned chipotle pepper to preference.
This chili is Simple, hearty, quick and Delicious.
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto. No standing and stirring needed! GF
- Instant Pot Vegan Butter Chickin(soycurls). GF – Creamy, Delicious
- Japanese Veggie Curry. GF
- Potato Chickpea Spinach Soup. GF
- More Instant Pot Recipes!
Use re lentils in this popular Instant Pot Lasagna Soup with Red lentils, Tortilla soup, Srilankan red lentil coconut Curry!
Tips for an amazing chili in the instant pot every time
- Cook the veggies and tomato on saute for a more rounded flavor and texture.
- Add just enough liquid for the lentils for a thick chili as water does not evaporate while pressure cooking.
- Add texture ingredients such as chopped mushrooms, beefy crumbles, walnuts. Add a blend of different mexican dried chilies, powdered or flakes for flavor variations.
- Toppings are not optional 🙂
- Burn issues: Red lentils can sometimes tend to clump and settle and then burn at the bottom. To reduce this possibility, 1. Mix the lentils in really well for about 10-15 seconds so that they distribute and start to absorb some liquid and hence not settle. 2. Or sprinkle them over after step 3 and dont mix, 3. Or Add 1/2 cup more water and 1 or 2.
- There are several things that can affect thick dishes in a pressure cooker. The model, type of IP, the moisture content in veggies& tomato, anything stuck on the bottom of the pot, the age of the lentils etc. Sometimes whole lentils are labelled as red lentils. I use the split kind in this recipe. The non split red lentils will make an even thicker chili.
Instant Pot Vegan Chili - Oil-free Kidney Bean Red Lentil Chili
Instant Pot Vegan Chili - Oil-free Kidney Bean Red Lentil Chili. Easy Flavorful Pressure Cooker Vegetarian Chili. Vegan Glutenfree Nutfree Soyfree Recipe. Saucepan Option
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup water or broth
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 jalapeno or 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup chopped carrots
- 1/2 red bell pepper or green bell pepper, chopped
- 15 oz can kidney beans or 1.5 cups cooked, , or use black beans
- 1/2 cup dry red lentils, quick cooking lentils (masoor dal)
- 2 tsp ground cumin or a combination of cumin and coriander
- 1 to 2 tsp paprika, I use a combination of smoked paprika and sweet
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp chipotle chili flakes or powder, or ancho chili powder
- 1 to 2 tsp chili powder blend, chili blend not pure chili powder, optional
- 1/2 tsp each garlic powder and onion powder
- 1 bay leaf optional
- 28 oz diced tomato, with juices
- 1 to 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3/4 tsp salt, (less if using salted broth and beans)
- 1.5 cups water, or veggie broth
- lemon juice to taste, , cayenne or black pepper for heat
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- avocado, , hot sauce, vegan sour cream, chopped onion, tortilla strips, other toppings
Instructions
- Add water or broth to the instant Pot on Saute when hot. Add onion, garlic and jalapeno. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir frequently. Add another tbsp water to deglaze if needed.
- Add the veggies and a good dash of salt and mix. Cook for another 2 minutes. (At this point you can add the tomatoes and cook them until tender for 3 to 4 mins, stirring occasionally. This adds a deeper flavor profile or follow next step for quicker).
- Add the kidney beans, red lentils, spices, tomato, tomato paste, salt and water and give it a good mix to pick up any stuck bits. (You can also add other cooked beans at this point. Add some corn, veggies, 1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts for texture for variation). Add 1/2 cup more water for thinner consistency or if tomatoes werent as juicy..
- Close the lid and pressure cook for 8 to 9 minutes (Manual/Pressure Cook, high pressure). Let the pressure release naturally. Mix in 1 to 2 tsp lemon juice and half of the cilantro.
- Taste and adjust salt, heat and flavor and add more if needed. Serve hot garnished with chopped onion, jalapeno, cilantro, avocado, hot sauce. See Saucepan instructions in Notes
Video
Notes
For variation: Add a pinch of cinnamon and all spice with the spices.
Use a 1/3 cup red lentils and add a can of black beans for more beany chili.
Saucepan: Follow steps 1 and 2 in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add tomatoes, spices and tomato paste and cook until tender, mash the larger pieces. Add beans, lentils, salt, 2 cups water/broth, mix well. Partially cover and cook for 25 to 30 minutes.
Nutrition is 1 of 3 serves
Nutrition
Calories: 306kcal, Carbohydrates: 57g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 1g, Sodium: 682mg, Potassium: 1416mg, Fiber: 21g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 4805IU, Vitamin C: 63.2mg, Calcium: 193mg, Iron: 7.9mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this recipe? Rate and comment below!
You have made me return to vegan lifestyle! This chili was perfect on such a cold night.
Isn’t it the BEST? Love it.
Looks delicious I can’t wait to make it!
Can a slow cooker be used ?
Today was my first day using the Instant Pot! I made this red lentil chili and it was delicious! I doubled the recipe and it turned out great! Thank you! 😃👍🏼🎉
yay!
Made this last night and my husband & I loved it. My husband mentioned several times how much he enjoyed it. It was SO good. I omitted the jalapeno, the hot sauce, the cayenne and chipotle chili flakes; I really don’t handle any heat well at all. It was delicious!
yay!
Made this tonight and really enjoyed the blend of flavours. I used white kidney beans, cayenne and chilli flakes and also added corn. Perfect. Didn’t need to adjust the cooking time. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe
awesome
Hi, i am just wondering if this recipe really only feeds 3 people because I am making it for a party and I want to make sure i make enough
Thank you!
can’t wait to try it
depends on the appetite, toppings and sides etc. if its for a party, i am guessing there are other dishes served as well, then it will probably serve 5. Scale up accordingly
I rarely comment on food blogs unless it knocks my socks off. This knocked my socks off. My family loved it!!!
awesome!
This recipe was so, so good. I subbed the kidney beans for beluga lentils because that’s what I had. The spice mixture was perfect, it was simple, quick, and had all the deep flavour of a chili that takes hours and hours to cook. Perfect with brown rice and some avocado on top.
Thank you!
I made this for dinner this evening. Excellent recipe, the whole family enjoyed it!
yay!
What’s the difference between chili powder blend and chili powder? I thought chili powder was actually a blend of spices already.
chili powder in the US is generally a blend. But in a lot of other countries and in other cuisines, chili powder is generally pure chili powder, powder of a particular type of chili (cayenne, chipotle chili powder, ancho, kashmiri, thai chili etc). Sometimes the most often used chili in the cuisine is omitted from the name of the chili powder. For eg. chili powder or red chili powder in Indian recipes actually means pure cayenne while other chili powders will have a prefix of the type of chili.
What could I use in place of the red lentils? I can’t find the red ones at any of the stores near by
What would be a good replacement for the red lentils? I can’t find the red ones in any of the stores near me. So excited to try this out!
use regular lentils and pressure cook for 13 mins
use regular lentils and increase cooking time by 8 mins