Lentil Chili
Meatless lentil chili with simple ingredients and flavorful spices. It’s wholesome, filling, and makes one easy weeknight meal.
Love meatless lentil recipes? Try our Lentil and Butternut Squash Chili. Loaded with veggies, lentils, and spices.
Lentil Chili
Hearty, chunky, and thick. That’s what this lentil chili is all about. It’s flavorful and very easy to prepare with only 10-ingredients!
It’s made with traditional chili ingredients, plus the lentils. Lentil is an edible legume that is high in protein and fiber and low in fat making it a great alternative to meat.
Also, lentils absorb flavors really well from whatever they’re cooked in. So the chili comes out really well seasoned and flavorful.
Not to mention this lentil chili recipe is very adaptable. Just keep reading for more add-in ideas.
What Type of Lentils To Use?
Brown or green lentils are best for lentil chili. Brown lentils have a mild and earthy flavor, whereas green lentils have a peppery taste. Both lentils hold their shape well when cooked.
I recommend using dry lentils for this recipe and not canned.
Do Lentils Need to Be Soaked?
Lentils do not require soaking. Simply rinse lentils before adding them to the chili, and quickly sift through for any broken bits.
How to Make Lentil Chili
In a heavy-duty dutch oven, at least 5-quart (or bigger), cook the onions and bell pepper over medium heat until soft and lightly browned, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in garlic and chili powder, and cook until fragrant.
Add lentils, tomatoes, bay leaf, and vegetable stock. Season generously with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
Tip: Lentils are cooked as soon as they are tender but not mushy and no longer crunchy.
Remove the chili from heat and discard the bay leaf. Transfer about 3-4 cups of chili into a food-processor and process until smooth.
Return the puréed chili back to the pot and stir to combine. Stir in cilantro and serve with your favorite toppings.
Add-Ins
This lentil chili recipe is very adaptable. You can add more flavor to the chili by adding more veggies, spices, or beans. Here are a few suggestions:
- Vegetables – carrots, celery, zucchini, corn, jalapeño, canned fire-roasted tomatoes
- Spices – cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, chipotle chili powder
- Beans – canned black beans or red kidney beans
Lentil Chili Toppings
To serve lentil chili, set out a variety of toppings so everyone can customize their bowls. Here are a few favorites:
- Sliced jalapeño
- Minced red onion or pickled red onion
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Diced avocado
- Lime wedges
- Sour cream or crema
- Cheddar cheese
- Roasted tomato salsa
- Cheese puffs (for dipping!)
Storing Leftovers
Leftovers will keep for up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Video: How to Make Lentil Chili
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Lentil Chili
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Yield: 8–10 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: American
Description
Meatless lentil chili with simple ingredients and flavorful spices. It’s wholesome, filling, and makes one easy weeknight meal.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tsp. chili powder
- 1 (16 oz.) bag dry brown lentils
- 2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 (32 oz.) cartons vegetable stock
- 1/3 cup fresh chopped cilantro
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
To Serve
- Red onions, minced
- Jalapeño, thinly sliced
- Cilantro, chopped
- Limes
Instructions
- In a large heavy-duty dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and red bell pepper. Cook for about 8-10 minutes or until soft and lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in garlic and chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add lentils, tomatoes, bay leaf, and stock. Season generously with salt and ground black pepper. Simmer partially covered over medium-low heat for 30 minutes or until lentils are tender. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf.
- Transfer 3-4 cups of chili into a food processor and process until smooth. Add the puréed chili back into the pot and stir to combine. Taste for salt and pepper.
- Stir in cilantro and serve with toppings of choice.
Notes
- Add-Ins: This lentil chili is very adaptable. See post for a full list of add-in ideas.
- Leftovers: Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days or for up to 3 months in the freezer. Chili will thicken the longer it sits. If desired, thin out with a little stock when reheating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
- Calories: 231
- Sugar: 5.6 g
- Sodium: 588.1 mg
- Fat: 3.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 39.2 g
- Protein: 12.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Made this last night and it was absolutely delicious. I really liked that it was all done in one pot and created minimal clean up! Thanks for a great recipe. I will be adding it to our regular meal rotation.
That’s awesome Kelley! So glad you liked it and yes minimal clean up is always a plus 🙂
I just made this and it was SO GOOD. The lentils give it an almost crunchy taste that was really good. However, never one to be able to follow a recipe, here are my adjustments:
1) Just used one 32 oz of stock. With the puree, this made the chili very thick, which I liked. 2) few tablespoons of brown sugar 3) no bay leaf, just because I didn’t have any and 4) added corn and chili beans.
Lastly, the final ingredient was Sriracha, just because I like food spicy.
And don’t skip the cilantro, that I something I wouldn’t have thought to add, but really enhanced the favor.
Love your take on this chili Sara! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for sharing.
I have just made this chilli for tea tonight …. It’s absolutely delicious. I’m going to serve with cheese, sour cream and tortillas can’t wait ….. Thanks for the recipe
That’s so great Hayley! So happy you liked it 🙂
That’s so great to hear Danielle! Glad you liked the chili. And yes, we love sour cream and it’s kind of a must for us on chilies 🙂
Hi! No there’s no beans in this chili but you can definitely add some!
Oh, no! Never heard of split red lentils. I know I’ve mistakenly used split green peas before. LOL. They all kind of look the same and you would think taste the same 🙂 I really like using brown lentils for their mild earthy flavor and they hold their shape very well. Hopefully the chili tasted good atleast 🙂 Thanks for your input. Have a great night!
The photo shows beans, but there are none listed in the recipe.
A couple of tsp of cumin makes this already delicious chili amazing!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Manali!
Hi Leandra! Adding beans sounds really delish in this chili! So glad you enjoyed it. Have a great night!
This is one of the BEST chili recipes I have had. We have started the new year off as a vegan family and this has been a great substitute for my meat loving family.
Hi Brittany! I’m glad you liked the chili despite using green lentils. It definitely has a bit of a different taste just because you’re not using any ground meat but all the ingredients are same as chili. And yes, try using brown lentils next time to see if you like the taste. Have a great day!
Is it okay to use red lentils? I’m new to cooking with lentils and I don’t know if this will effect the taste.
Hi Nikki. It’s hard to say as I only tested the recipe with brown lentils. I believe red lentils are fairly mild in taste just like the brown. I would use your best judgement in cooking and adjusting as needed.
Cooking this right now….I added cumin to the recipe and the smell is divine!!!! Can’t wait to have a big bowl with rice and topped off with cheddar cheese and cilantro!!! YUMMY 🙂
Maria: You are making me hungry girl! Your twist to this chili sounds absolutely delicious! I hope you enjoyed your big bowl 🙂 Thanks for your stopping by and leaving a comment.
This was delicious! I also added chopped carrots in with the peppers and onions. I always season my chili with a little cinnamon as well. My whole family, including kids, ate this chili!
Hi Melissa! I’m so happy you liked the chili! I love that you can pack this chili with any veggies on hand, making it very versatile. I have a little guy too who surprisingly ate the chili and I think (hope) liked it 🙂 Thank you for your feedback. Have a great day!
Hi Emma! You should be fine. Green lentils have a slight peppery taste and since this is a chili recipe you wont taste a big difference. You may just need to simmer the chili 10-15 minutes longer as the green lentils take a bit longer to cook. I would just taste the lentils for doneness as your chili simmers away. Hope this answers you questions! Have a great weekend and let me know how your chili turns out 🙂
I made this soup for a Christmas party, and it was a hit! My husband and I are vegetarians, and my friends are not- but even they loved it! I used green lentils. What a great recipe! Thanks!
That’s so awesome Nikki! Glad it turned out well for you and everyone loved it.
Do you have nutritional info for this recipe?
Do you think there is a way that this could be converted for the crockpot? Lentil Chili sounds awesome for Meatless Mondays but I would definitely need a crockpot version.
Hi Lori. I agree this would be awesome for a meatless Monday! You can try converting this into a crockpot, however, I never did with this specific recipe but with others and it turned out great. I would just recommend following steps 1 and 2 of this recipe on a stovetop and then transferring everything into a crockpot to cook for about 3-4 hours on HIGH. If you do try this in a crockpot, let me know how it works out for you. I’m really curious. You can find tips on how to convert a stovetop recipe into a crockpot here: http://www.thekitchn.com/5-tips-for-converting-recipes-to-the-slow-cooker-189343. Legit website with great tips and recipes. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Hi, I just made this in the crockpot and it came out great. I just tossed the onion, garlic, onion, and pepper in the crockpot with 1 box of organic chicken stock and let it heat up for awhile. I then added the tomato’s (drained them) and spices (onion powder, paprika, white pepper, garlic salt). Once this has heated for a bit I added the lentils and let them go for a few hours. I then added chicken stock as needed from the 2nd container (about 3/4’s of the box). I skipped the food processor step because I feel that the chili is thick enough without doing that. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Love your crockpot version Craig! Sounds so good. Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
This looks delicious Katya! I love thickening soup with soup and I love lentils! It’s actually kind of hard to find recipes or meals that use them so I am definitely going to try this chili.
Hey Bri! I know, right? Lentils don’t get much love. I hope you like this chili! Let me know how it turns out for you.
Thank you Arpita! It’s definitely hearty and chunky 🙂
This is such a delicious looking chili and I totally love the idea of using lentils!!
Thanks Ami!!
This looks delish! For me chili is all about the seasoning so I never miss the meat at all!
Jill: I had my doubts…not gonna lie. Chili w/o meat? But it’s all in the seasonings whether meat or no meat.