Healthy Lentil Chili
Updated May 02, 2025
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This Healthy Lentil Chili recipe is packed full of whole foods, plant-based proteins, and flavor. You won’t even miss the meat! Lentil chili is a hearty vegan/vegetarian recipe, and perfect for a cold winter day.
Dry beans, lentils, chickpeas, and yellow and green split peas are the types of pulses that I most commonly use and eat, but pulses include all kinds of things that I had never heard of before, like cowpeas, Bambara beans, and lupins (Harry Potter anyone?!). When I think about meatless meals, I often try to include a pulse in the mix because I know they are a great source of plant-based protein.
This lentil chili is an awesome example of a healthy whole food protein-packed meatless meal. It is delicious! Plus, it’s full of fiber and really keeps you full. Add it to your meal plan for next week!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Packed with whole foods and plant-based proteins for a nutritious meal.
- Bursting with flavor, satisfying even for meat lovers.
- Perfect for a cold winter day, warm and hearty.
Recipe Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Bell pepper
- Garlic
- Brown lentils
- Diced tomatoes
- Vegetable stock
- Cilantro
- Optional toppings: tortilla chips, avocado, hot sauce, jalapeños
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Lentil Chili
Step #1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and bell pepper; cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and spices; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Step #2. Add diced tomatoes, 6 cups vegetable stock, and lentils. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low, covered, until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes, stirring often.
Step #3. Blend a few cups of the cooked mixture and return to the pot. Adjust thickness with additional stock if needed. Taste, adjust seasonings, stir in cilantro, and serve.
Recipe FAQs
Start by adding 6 cups of vegetable stock and see how things go. If it’s looking a bit thick during the cooking process, add a little more. If it’s a bit thick once you have added your blended lentils, add a bit more. Lentils cook differently depending on their age (which you don’t have a lot of control over most of the time). And your preference on the thickness of the chili will be different than mine. Feel free to add more liquid to your liking.
According to USA Pulses, “Pulses are the edible seeds of plants in the legume family. Pulses grow in pods and come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Pulses are annual crops that yield between one and 12 grains or seeds. The term “pulses” is limited to crops harvested solely as dry grains, which differentiates them from other vegetable crops that are harvested while still green. Pulses are healthy, nutritious and easy to cook with.
Growing pulses also promotes sustainable agriculture, as pulse crops help decrease greenhouse gases, increase soil health, and use less water than other crops. Pulses are a low-fat source of protein with high levels of protein and fiber. Pulses also contain important vitamins and minerals like iron, potassium, and folate.”
They are! This makes this chili a great dinner option for feeding people of all kinds of diets.
Expert Tips
- Before cooking, rinse lentils thoroughly under cold water and check for any small stones or debris. This ensures they cook evenly and are clean.
- Cooking the onions, bell peppers, and garlic until tender and fragrant enhances the depth of flavor in your chili. Don’t rush this step.
- If the chili is too thick, add more vegetable stock. If it’s too thin, let it simmer uncovered for a few more minutes to reduce.
- Taste the chili before serving and adjust the salt, pepper, and spices as needed. A squeeze of lime juice can brighten up the flavors
What To Serve With Lentil Chili
Serve this Healthy Lentil Chili with cornbread, tortilla chips, or a fresh green salad for a complete and satisfying meal. The cornbread adds a sweet and hearty complement to the chili, while the homemade tortilla chips provide a crunchy texture that’s perfect for dipping. This arugula salad would be fresh and delicious alongside this chili too.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Healthy Lentil Chili
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 pound bag of brown lentils, about 2 1/4 cups
- 2 cans diced tomatoes with the juice, 14.5 ounce, fire-roasted if you can find them
- 6-8 cups vegetable stock
- ⅓ cup fresh chopped cilantro
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- Optional toppings: tortilla chips, avocado, hot sauce, jalapeños
Instructions
- Add the oil to a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the onions and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika, and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the diced tomatoes, 6 cups of vegetable stock, and dry lentils, and stir to combine. Bring the mixture up to a boil. Reduce the heat to low or medium-low and allow it to gently simmer. Cook, covered, until the lentils are soft and cooked through, stirring often, about 30 minutes.
- When the lentils are cooked, place a few cups of the cooked lentil mixture in your blender or food processor (or use an immersion blender) and blend. Add the blended mixture back to the pot and stir to combine. Adjust the thickness of your chili to your liking with additional vegetable stock as needed. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Stir in cilantro and serve.
Notes
- Before cooking, rinse lentils thoroughly under cold water and check for any small stones or debris. This ensures they cook evenly and are clean.
- Cooking the onions, bell peppers, and garlic until tender and fragrant enhances the depth of flavor in your chili. Don’t rush this step.
- If the chili is too thick, add more vegetable stock. If it’s too thin, let it simmer uncovered for a few more minutes to reduce.
- Taste the chili before serving and adjust the salt, pepper, and spices as needed. A squeeze of lime juice can brighten up the flavors
Hello Melissa,
Thank you for your recipe, which brought something new to our kitchen tonight. Everyone loved the corn bread with the lentil chili.
I didn’t have all the ingredients (pepper is out of season and I didn’t know about smoked paprika but will try). I used ground chili (piment d’espelette in France) and ground coriander.
Well, we all enjoyed it thoroughly, so thanks for sharing.
Florence
Sounds like a wonderful mea, I’m so glad that it was a hit!
I wonder if an immersion blender for a few seconds would work instead of putting some of the chili into a blender.
I really think it would, I’ve been wanting one for years but don’t have one so I used the blender. An immersion one sounds much easier.