Delicious and comforting vegetarian chili with zucchini made in Instant Pot, and that’s what I am going to share today.
Check out my “Saute, Dump and Go” vegetarian chili recipe with detailed step-wise pictures.
We always try to compare and find Western names for Indian dishes, but I will do the other way around for this veg chili. This veg chili is the jazzed-up version of rajma.
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I don’t know if chili is a Mexican dish or an American one with Mexican roots. You can read about the origin and history of the chili on the national chili day website. Be it American dish or Mexican dish, it’s a delicious one perfect for this fall and winter weather.
Chili Sin Carne | Vegetarian Zucchini Chili
While chili is usually made with some meat, here is mine without meat (obviously) but with zucchini. Yes, after a break, I am back with more zucchini recipes. Here is my version of chili sin carne, meaning chili without meat.
I learned this recipe from a calendar clipping but customized it as per our preference and with vegetables. This chili recipe evolved a lot in my kitchen in the past few years, and this version has become my go-to one.
The recipe is very straightforward more like my chakalaka. I sauteed the onions and garlic first and then dumped all my vegetables and spices and then added the beans. I used store-bought canned beans, which makes it super easy, and you can even make it during weekdays.
Also, Instant Pot comes in handy for this chili. This is my yet another “Saute, Dump and Go” recipe.
You might notice unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe. For vegetarian chilies, adding cocoa powder adds more flavor and richness to the dish.
Zucchini Chili Serving Details
We love our zucchini chili topped with some cheese and avocado. But you can add some sour cream and also serve with rice. You can use as your burrito filling, and for nachos, and make some chili mac also. Each of these ideas deserve their own post so let me talk about them in the individual posts. Chili freezes well, so you can make in bulk and freeze for busy days.
Now without any further ado, let’s see how to make this vegetarian chili in Instant Pot.
Prep-Work for Chili
- Chop all the veggies(onion, bell peppers, and zucchini) and set aside.
- Drain the water from the black beans and rinse it and set it aside.
- Mix 3 oz of the tomato paste with 1 cup of water and set aside. Make sure there aren’t any lumps.
How to make vegetarian zucchini chili in Instant Pot
- Set the Instant Pot in saute mode. Add the 3 tbsp of oil and after 30 to 45 seconds, when the oil is hot, add the chopped onion, garlic, and ginger(optional). Saute until the onion turns soft and tender or for about 4 to 5minutes.
- When it starts to turn brown, turn off the Instant Pot. Turning it off after sauteing onion helps to prevent the burn signal in the newer Instant Pot models.
- Now add the corn, zucchini, bell peppers, and all the spices – dark chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, cocoa powder, and brown sugar. Gently mix.
- Add the tomato paste mixed with water and mix again.
- Now add the drained beans and gently spread it—no need to mix. As the canned beans were already soft, I did not mix them frequently. Add the remaining ½ cup of water.
- Close the Instant Pot. Make sure the vent is in the sealing position. Select manual/pressure cook and set the time to 3-minutes at high-pressure mode. When the cooking is complete, wait for 5 minutes, then quickly release the remaining pressure. Carefully open the lid after releasing the pressure and mix the chili.
- As you can see, the zucchini is soft but not mushy.
- Now add the chopped cilantro and mix well. Add cheese, if using, and serve warm.
Recipe Notes:
- I used my homegrown zucchinis, and they weren’t tender by the time I plucked them. So I went ahead with 3 minutes of cooking time. If you are using soft and tender zucchini, 2 minutes of cooking time should be enough.
- Instead of 2 cans of black beans, you can use 1 can of black beans and 1 can of red kidney beans.
- Sugar is optional. Adjust the salt and spices as per your preference. Make sure you use unsweetened cocoa powder. If you don’t have unsweetened cocoa, you can skip it.
- Instead of zucchini, you can use butternut squash or sweet potatoes. Or instead of zucchini, you can add one more can of beans. You can add black bean, kidney beans, and navy beans and make it like a three-bean chili.
- Skip the cheese for vegan chili.
Browse Other Instant Pot Soups & Stews
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📖 Recipe
Vegetarian Zucchini Chili | Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1 onion finely chopped. Approx 250 grams
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 tsp ginger chopped, optional
- ¼ cup corn I used frozen. Thaw it to room temperature.
- 500 grams zucchini peeled and chopped
- ½ cup colored bell peppers chopped
- 1 tbsp dark chili powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp brown sugar. Refer notes
- 3 oz tomato paste half of 6 oz can
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 2 canned black beans
- 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
- 1.5 cups water
- ½ cup cheese grated to serve, optional
Instructions
Prep-Work
- Chop all the veggies(onion, bell peppers, and zucchini) and set aside.
- Drain the water from the black beans and rinse it and set it aside.
- Mix 3 oz of the tomato paste with 1 cup of water and set aside. Make sure there aren’t any lumps.
How to make vegetarian zucchini chili in Instant Pot
- Set the Instant Pot in saute mode. Add the 3 tbsp of oil and after 30 to 45 seconds, when the oil is hot, add the chopped onion, garlic, and ginger (optional). Saute until the onion turns soft and tender or for about 4 to 5minutes.
- When it starts to turn brown, turn off the Instant Pot. Turning it off after sauteing onion helps to prevent the burn signal in the newer Instant Pot models.
- Now add the corn, zucchini, bell peppers, and all the spices – dark chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, cocoa powder, and brown sugar. Gently mix.
- Add the tomato paste mixed with water and mix again.
- Now add the drained beans and gently spread it—no need to mix. As the canned beans were already soft, I did not mix them frequently. Add the remaining ½ cup of water.
- Close the Instant Pot. Make sure the vent is in the sealing position. Select manual/pressure cook and set the time to 3-minutes at high-pressure mode. When the cooking is complete, wait for 5 minutes, then quickly release the remaining pressure. Carefully open the lid after releasing the pressure and mix the chili.
- As you can see, the zucchini is soft but not mushy.
- Now add the chopped cilantro and mix well. Add cheese, if using, and serve warm.
Notes
- I used my homegrown zucchinis, and they weren’t tender by the time I plucked them. So I went ahead with 3 minutes of cooking time. If you are using soft and tender zucchini, 2 minutes of cooking time should be enough.
- Instead of 2 cans of black beans, you can use 1 can of black beans and 1 can of red kidney beans.
- Sugar is optional. Adjust the salt and spices as per your preference. Make sure you use unsweetened cocoa powder. If you don’t have unsweetened cocoa, you can skip it.
- Instead of zucchini, you can use butternut squash or sweet potatoes. Or instead of zucchini, you can add one more can of beans. You can add black bean, kidney beans, and navy beans and make it like a three-bean chili.
- Skip the cheese for vegan chili.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Submitting this post for the Blogging Marathon #117. You can check out the participant details and their recipes at this link.
Julianne says
This recipe is worth writing a review about. I’ve followed a lot of vegan chilli recipes in the instant pot and this one stands out. I followed the recipe with one exception, I did not have black beans today, so I used chickpeas. Nevertheless, really delicious. I also used leftover fresh corn instead of from a can, which always makes a difference. The kids were thrilled when I made them guess the secret ingredient; chocolate!
Srividhya G says
Thank you so much. Very happy to hear. :-)
Stacey Miller says
This has been a fantastic find for us. With one vegetarian in our home finding meals we can all eat is hard. We all loved it and will be making this all throughout the year. Thank you!
Srividhya G says
Thanks much for your feedback. Really appreciate it.
Stacey Miller says
I can not rate as of yet as my husband is taking on the cooking tonight. The recipe card does not show the ginger or green chili so we have no idea how much to add. I have been looking over the steps and no amounts. HELP
Srividhya G says
Hi Stacy, sorry about that. Actually, we don’t need green chili and ginger is optional. I have updated it with the measure. We need 1 tsp of finely chopped ginger. Sorry, I was working back and forth between this and the chakalaka recipe, hence the confusion. I hope this helps. Thanks a lot for letting me know about the mistake.
Stacey Miller says
Thank you. I will print the recipe again. We have one vegetarian in our home and are always looking for recipes we will all like. I have been looking yours over and I am very excited. My husband wanted me to tell you he is missing Diwali with his co-workers and will keep this recipe for when they can be back in the offices again. Thank you it is smelling so good right now.
Srividhya G says
Thanks a lot. This year, Diwali is very different, and I hope things get back to normal soon. I hope you all enjoy the chili.
Suma Gandlur says
I too sometimes think chili as a jazzed up version of rajma, though it may sound funny.. I haven’t tried chili with zucchini but again a chili can be customized according to our preference and what we have on hand. That cocoa powder addition is interesting. Your version sounds wholesome and yummy too.
Srividhya G says
Thanks Suma. Every time I think chili, I think rajma :-)
Rafeeda - The Big Sweet Tooth says
With the climate getting cozier by the day, this chili is just so perfect for a filling and hearty dinner…
Srividhya G says
Very true. Thanks Rafeeda.
Harini Rupanagudi says
What a splendid job you have done with the home grown zucchinis. Love that the flavors are simple and the zucchini shines through. Love to have a bowl right now.
Srividhya G says
Thanks much!
Srivalli Jetti says
So nicely done Srividhya, love your pictures…the pictures have turned out so good!
Srividhya G says
Thanks Valli.
Radha says
Excellent presentation. Just reserve a bowl for me.
Srividhya G says
Sure. :-)