• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Vegetarian Recipes
    • Beans and Legumes
    • dairy-free
    • Freezer-friendly
    • Make Ahead Recipes
    • Whole Grain Recipes
  • Weeknight Meals
    • Quick & Easy
    • Slow Cooker
  • Baked Goods and Desserts
    • Breads
    • Cakes and Pastries
    • Cookies
    • Egg-Free Baking
    • Muffins
  • Vegan Recipes
    • Beans and Legumes (V)
    • Breads (v)
    • Breakfast (V)
    • Vegan Cookie Recipes
    • Desserts (v)
    • Mains and Dinners (V)
    • Salads (V)
    • Snacks (v)
    • Soup (V)
    • Whole Grains (V)
  • Gluten-Free Recipes
  • about
    • Subscribe
    • Contact
    • Disclaimer
    • Privacy Policy

The In Fine Balance Food Blog logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • WFPB
  • GF
  • Sweet Things
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Recipe index
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • WFPB
  • GF
  • Sweet Things
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Recipe index
×
You are here: Home » Vegan Recipes

Published: Mar 22, 2020 · Modified: Nov 27, 2023 by Trish · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads ·

Vegan Quinoa Chili with Stout

Share it!

lentil and black bean chili with quinoa
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Vegan Chili - this recipe uses quinoa and lentils for a meat-like texture. You won't notice this is vegan. I use a rich dark stout to deepen flavours.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time45 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 274kcal
American, Vegan
Main dish, Soup and stews

This hearty vegan quinoa chilli is made with lentils and quinoa for a meat-like texture, even your carnivore friends will love this. Using a good rich stout as part of the liquid adds depth and flavor.

lentil and black bean chili with quinoa in large soup pot

This post was originally posted in 2013 and has been updated to include more detailed instructions and new photos.

*Sigh*

It's over. Christmas that is. The days and weeks spent planning and shopping and cooking are all done. Today I feel like I can finally relax and do what I want. Boxing day just might be my favorite day of the holidays. And no, not because I'm running around the mall battling the crowds. Precisely because I am not doing that. Nope. I'm curled up on the couch in my new Christmas leggings with my new cookbook and my dog at my feet. And a coffee of course.

And as much as I like holiday food, I'm ready for something filling and wholesome. Snow day food. Sitting around watching movies in wool socks kind of food. This is Boxing Day food. And I think it is the best kind.

ingredients for a hearty vegetarian chili with dark stout

I wanted a hearty and rich chilli. A chilli that simmers all day and gets richer and deeper as it cooks. To keep this chili plant-basted I used black beans and lentils. For richness - I took a page from my husband's playbook and added a hearty dark stout-style beer to the simmering pot.

Stout adds a deep rich flavor. Similar to the effect of using a beef broth, that little bit of stout will develop some of that meaty flavour you might feel missing from vegetarian chilli.

In an attempt to capture the meaty texture my family loves in a good chilli - I threw in a scoop of quinoa at the end and crossed my fingers. I hoped the quinoa would help thicken the chili without getting mushy. The quinoa held up fabulously. Great texture. Even a day or two later, the chili was just right.

lentil and quinoa chili with guiness in two bowls

Lentils and quinoa give this vegetarian chilli a "meat-like" texture

Adding beer to chilli is something my husband does to this classic with "man-chili". So I thought I would give this a try. I wanted a "meaty" chilli. A dark, bitter beer adds an amazing depth of flavor which I always thought was wonderful with a meat-based chili. But here, in a pot of lentils, it does magical things. The texture of the lentils - and the quinoa give this chilli a very meaty texture. Adding the stout just feels hearty and good. Who knew a lentil chilli could be so good?

adding beans, quino and lentils to chili
chili will appear watery until the lentils cook and absorb the liquid

📋 Ingredient and preparation notes

  • Beer: Use a dark beer, 1 cup, something rich. Guinness is the obvious choice, but any brand will do. Look for a dark stout.
  • Lentils: Use green or brown lentils here. Red lentils are too tender and will melt into nothing, sacrificing texture. Basic green (a.k.a. brown lentils) are just fine here.
  • Quinoa: quinoa complements the lentils and gives this chili a meat-like texture.
  • Vinegar: Finish this chili with just a splash of vinegar. Cider vinegar wakes up the flavors.
  • Sweetener: The honey adds the tiniest bit of sweetness. Use agave or another liquid sweetener if you don't want to use honey and would like to keep this dish vegan. Just enough to complement the heat of spices and the bitterness of the stout. Stir both the vinegar and the sweetener in at the end, taste.
  • I find this chili takes a good long time to simmer. So give it time. I like to let it go for 45 minutes.
  • When you first add the lentils and quinoa to the pot the chili will look very watery, it will thicken up nicely once the lentils and quinoa cook and absorb some of it.
  • Check the pot occasionally as it simmers, if the pot seems dry add a half cup of liquid (water or stock), especially if the lentils are not yet completely tender.
  • If after 45 minutes the lentils still seem a bit on the tough side, add a bit more water and let it simmer some more. Check it every 15-20 minutes.
vegetarian lentil chili made with stout in two bowls,top view

📖 Recipe

lentil and black bean chili with quinoa
4.50 from 2 votes

Lentil and Quinoa Chilli with Stout

Vegan Chili - this recipe uses quinoa and lentils for a meat-like texture. You won't notice this is vegan. I use a rich dark stout to deepen flavours.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time45 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 274kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup diced onion about 1 small onion
  • 1 cup diced red sweet pepper
  • 1-2 jalapeños fresh, diced
  • 2 tablespoons chill powder
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 3 cloves of garlic pressed
  • 1.5 cup green or brown lentils
  • ½ quinoa
  • 28 oz can diced tomatoes or whole canned tomatoes,broken into small pieces with your spoon
  • 1 cup dark beer such as Guinness
  • 4 cup veg stock or water
  • 1-2 Tablespoons agava syrup, to taste or honey if not vegan
  • ½ teaspoon cider vinegar
Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

  • Warm olive oil over medium heat, add onion, sweet and jalapeño peppers and sauté until tender - 5-7 minutes.
  • Add garlic, tomato paste, and spices and cook for one to two minutes. Add lentils and quinoa and toss to coat with the spices and onions. Add diced tomatoes, beer, water and stock. Bring to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer and slightly cover. Simmer until lentils are tender about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, adding water if the mixture becomes too dry. Finish chill with a half teaspoon cider vinegar and 1-2 tablespoons of sweetener, depending on your taste. Serve.

Notes

Use a dark beer, 1 cup, something rich. Guinness is the obvious choice, but any brand will do. Look for a dark stout.
Use green or black lentils here. Red lentils are too tender and will melt into nothing, sacrificing texture. Basic green (a.k.a. brown lentils) are just fine here.
I find this chili takes a good long time to simmer. So give it time. I like to let it go for 45 minutes at a low simmer. Check the lentils,if they are still a bit tough let it simmer a bit longer.
If during this long simmer the pot seems to get a bit dry, add more water, especially if the lentils are not yet tender. 
Leftovers keep niclely, the flavours will deepen overtime.
Calories: 274kcal (14%) Carbohydrates: 45g (15%) Protein: 15g (30%) Fat: 4g (6%) Saturated Fat: 1g (6%) Sodium: 262mg (11%) Potassium: 900mg (26%) Fiber: 18g (75%) Sugar: 9g (10%) Vitamin A: 1877IU (38%) Vitamin C: 52mg (63%) Calcium: 96mg (10%) Iron: 6mg (33%)
Trish | The Infinebalance Food Blog
Tried this recipe?Mention @infinebalance or tag #infinebalance!

You might also like these recipes made with quinoa

  • Lentil Taco Meat {Vegan}
  • Instant Pot Lentil Sweet Potato Curry {Vegan}
  • Slow-Cooker Lasagna Soup {Vegan}
  • Easy Red Lentil Soup {Vegan, GF}

More Vegan Recipes

  • baked vanilla donuts with sprinkles on a baking rack
    Baked Vanilla Donuts
  • vegan carrot pate with seseame seeds
    Carrot Cashew Paté
  • oatmeal and apple butter bars
    Apple Butter Bars (vegan)
  • healthy vegan oatmeal cookies lined up on a cooling rack
    Healthy Vegan Oatmeal Cookies with Dark Chocolate

Share it!

The latest recipes

tortellini pasta salad with pesto, arugula and bocconcini cheese ready for tossting

Easy Tortellini Pasta Salad Recipe with Pesto and Arugula

a stack of 3 vegan morning glory muffins made with sprouted spelt flour

Vegan Morning Glory Muffins made with Sprouted Spelt Flour

a stack of Hello, Dolly! chocolate chip cookies

Hello, Dolly! Chocolate Chip Cookies

kale and couscous salad with goat cheese and apricots

Goat Cheese & Kale Salad with Couscous

whipped cottage cheese breakfast bowls topped with raspberries nuts and seeds

High Protein Cottage Cheese Breakfast Bowls

lentil salad with carrots and peas in while serving bowl

Easy Lentil and Pea Salad

Reader Interactions

Comments

    4.50 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

    Leave a reply: Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Jack says

    December 28, 2013 at 7:22 am

    Your recipe seems cool.

    I might try this at home, altough I'm not such a big fan of Quinoa Chilli. Does it taste good? 🙂

    Reply
  2. Laura says

    December 28, 2013 at 10:22 am

    I love soup with stout - makes it so hearty!

    Reply
    • Trish @infinebalance says

      January 01, 2014 at 9:06 am

      It does. The Stout has such a deep and rich flavour!

  3. Allison @ Clean Wellness says

    December 28, 2013 at 5:22 pm

    This is exactly what I feel like after all of the holiday food I've eaten this week. I need something spicy and full of goodness. I've never added beer to a chili before but I'm going to give it a go! Looks great.

    Reply
    • Trish @infinebalance says

      January 01, 2014 at 9:05 am

      Funny how we look so forward to the holiday over-indulge... then so quickly feel ready to get back to healthy foods again. 🙂
      Beer and chilli were made for each other. Give it a try.

  4. sarah says

    January 21, 2014 at 3:48 pm

    Can this be made in a slow cooker? I love throwing chili ingredients in my crock pot to come home to a house smelling like chili! And, I love cooking with beer, so that would be perfect! Love your blog! Thank you 🙂

    Reply
    • Trish @infinebalance says

      January 21, 2014 at 4:19 pm

      I know what you mean. I love using my slowcooker. I haven't made this particular recipe in my slow-cooker (yet!).
      If I were to make this in the slowcooker I would still saute everything in a fry pan - onions, garlic, etc... Then just before the directions say add the canned tomatoes, water, beer, etc... move the mixture to the slowcooker, add the tomatoes and liquid and set it on low to cook for 6-8 hours.
      The only potential problem you might run into is the amount of liquid in the recipe. In the slow cooker liquid doesn't evaporate as easily so for this recipe you might end up with a thinner consistency. But because of the lentils and quinoa need some liquid to cook in you will have to careful here. So there are two ways to handle this ....
      1) If you can check on your chili during the day, start the recipe with 1 cup less water and check on it a least half way through, and more often after that - and add a bit of water if if it seems too dry.
      2) Add all the liquid in the recipe and let it cook all day. When you get home if its not as thick as you want, turn the heat up to high and let it cook uncovered for 20-30 minutes and some of the excess liquid will evaporate.
      Good luck
      Let me know how it turns out.

Primary Sidebar

Trish Cowper

Hi. I'm Trish.

I'm a curious home cook, just as enthusiastic about healthy ingredients and whole foods as I am about cookies.

more about me →

Popular

  • tortellini pasta salad with pesto, arugula and bocconcini cheese ready for tossting
    Easy Tortellini Pasta Salad Recipe with Pesto and Arugula
  • a stack of 3 vegan morning glory muffins made with sprouted spelt flour
    Vegan Morning Glory Muffins made with Sprouted Spelt Flour
  • a stack of Hello, Dolly! chocolate chip cookies
    Hello, Dolly! Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • kale and couscous salad with goat cheese and apricots
    Goat Cheese & Kale Salad with Couscous
  • whipped cottage cheese breakfast bowls topped with raspberries nuts and seeds
    High Protein Cottage Cheese Breakfast Bowls
  • lentil salad with carrots and peas in while serving bowl
    Easy Lentil and Pea Salad
  • maple cheesecake with maple whipped cream and maple glazed pecans on a table
    Canadian Maple Cheesecake
  • open jar of honey strawberry jam with a spoon in it
    Low-Sugar Strawberry Jam with Honey & Vanilla

Footer

About

  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer

Newsletter

  • Sign Up!! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2020 Brunch Pro on the Brunch Pro Theme

7ads6x98y

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.