Quinoa Chili is a one-pot dinner ready in 30 minutes! It’s loaded with flavorful ingredients and seasonings—you won’t miss the meat!
Pair quinoa chili with roasted Brussels sprouts, Italian salad, or fruit salad.
Quinoa Chili
Chili is a favorite at my house, mainly as the weather cools down. This crockpot chili is my go-to recipe and one of the most popular on my site.
When I want to add more veggies, I turn to this vegetarian chili or this chili—they’re both filling and delicious. Thanks to the quinoa, this chili is full of protein and keeps you feeling full.
With sweet potatoes, beans, and a great mix of seasonings, Quinoa Chili is a top pick!
Quinoa Chili Ingredients
- Sweet Potatoes: Cut small so they cook faster.
- Seasoning Blend: Taste and adjust any seasonings to what you like.
- Quinoa: Rinse before adding it into the pot.
- Chicken Stock: Gives great flavor; use veggie broth to keep it vegan.
- Chili Beans: Use mild or pick the spice level you like. Use black beans if you prefer.
- Black Beans: Swap for another can of chili beans if preferred.
- Frozen Corn: Fresh corn works too—cut it off the cob.
- Petite Diced Tomatoes: Fire-roasted tomatoes add extra flavor; add a little sugar if it’s too tangy.
- Toppings: Check below for ideas!
Quick Tip
Quinoa absorbs liquid, so the chili gets thicker the longer it sits. Add a splash of stock/broth if needed.
Quinoa Chili Toppings
- Fresh lime juice
- Freshly grated sharp Cheddar cheese
- Sour cream (fat-free, reduced-fat, or full-fat)
- Crushed corn chips, crushed tortilla chips, or saltine crackers
- Fresh chives or cilantro (chopped)
- Fresh avocado/guacamole and/or fresh chopped tomatoes
Variations
Switch Things Up
- Vegan Chili: Use veggie stock and vegan toppings in quinoa chili.
- Southwest Chili: Add a tsp of oregano and chopped bell peppers. Cook the peppers for 3-4 mins before adding quinoa.
- Turkey Chili: Add cooked turkey and extra spices. Add salt and pepper to turkey.
- Onion/Garlic: Add half a chopped yellow onion and some garlic. Cook for 3-4 mins before adding sweet potato.
How To Use Leftover Quinoa Chili
- Baked Potatoes: Top a baked potato with chili, cheese, green onions, and sour cream.
- Navajo Tacos: Use fry bread, add chili, cheese, and sour cream.
- Shepherd’s Pie: Use leftover chili as a base and top with mashed potatoes.
Quick Tip
You can freeze this chili, but the quinoa can get soft as it absorbs liquid.
Reheating: Warm it in the microwave or on the stove, and add chicken or veggie stock to thin it out if needed.[/storage]
More Quinoa Recipes
- Quinoa Salad with avocado
- Quinoa Enchilada Bake with sweet potatoes
- Crockpot Quinoa Tacos 10 min prep
- Quinoa Black Bean Salad reader favorite
- Southwest Quinoa Salad with a lime dressing
Quinoa Chili
This one-pot Quinoa Chili comes together in 30 minutes, packed with hearty ingredients and bold seasonings. So delicious, you won’t miss the meat!
Equipment
- Large cast-iron pot
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups peeled and chopped sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup white quinoa
- 2 cups chicken stock or broth; use vegetarian stock/broth to keep this vegetarian
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 (15.5-ounce) can chili beans in mild sauce
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
- Toppings as desired see note 1
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large, cast-iron pot over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add peeled and chopped sweet potatoes.
- Cook until quite tender, around 7–9 minutes. Add chili powder, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Thoroughly rinse the quinoa. Remove pan from heat and add quinoa to the hot pan, stirring constantly for 30 seconds.
- Return to heat and add in stock/broth, frozen corn, undrained chili beans, black beans, and undrained diced tomatoes.
- Stir everything well and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, reduce heat to medium low and cover the pot.
- Allow to simmer 20–25 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. The time will vary, depending on the heat of your stove. For best results, check it every 3–5 minutes and give it a good stir at each check to avoid burning or sticking to the bottom.
- Once liquid is mostly absorbed, remove from heat. Season to taste with any additional salt/pepper as needed. I like to add a few tablespoons of lime juice here.
- Add your favorite toppings to individual bowls. I top mine with a good handful of freshly shredded sharp Cheddar, another squeeze of lime, a good dollop of sour cream, and some chopped cilantro. Don’t forget the toppings; they add a lot!
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Optional toppings: fresh lime juice, chopped cilantro, sour cream, and/or Cheddar cheese.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through. For longer storage, freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 456mg | Potassium: 506mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 6720IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this chili for the weekend and I was amazed at how well it turned out and looked! I have tried online recipes before that left me disappointed; this one tastes and looks amazing! I have one family member who is vegan (used vegetable broth) and it met her standard in taste as well as my other 2 non-vegan parttakers.
So happy this was a hit 🙂
This has become one of my go-to recipes in my weight loss adventure. So easy and flexible. And I love the magic of watching those little quinoa guys grow! So delicious!
So thrilled to hear it’s become a go-to 🙂 Thanks Amy!
wow! Made this for Sunday night football and its a hit!! Added a little extra spice and made sure to top with cheese and cilantro! YUM.
So happy you loved this Quinoa Chili! Thanks for your comment Abigail! 🙂
can you freeze this
Unfortunately quinoa doesn’t freeze super well; it bloats and continues to absorb liquid
I love quinoa and can not wait to try this recipe! My hubby on the other hand doesn’t like quinoa can u suggest a substitute for it?
I’m sorry Shila, I haven’t tried anything but the quinoa in this recipe so I’m not sure what to suggest. Perhaps lentils would work, but I’m not sure timing or if extra liquid would be needed. Wish I could be of more help
Just made this recipe for the first time and was blown away with how delicious it is!! The spices and flavor of everything is amazing. Will definitely be making this again very soon!
So thrilled to hear this was a hit! Thanks Laura 🙂
Omg this is soooo good!!! I’ve started going pescatarian this year and I’ve had to find substitutes for a lot of the foods I love…one of which being chili. I made this today for dinner and it was absolutely delicious!!! 🙂
So, so happy to hear you enjoyed this! Thanks for the comment and review 🙂
I love this recipe! It’s one of my go-to’s when I want something healthy but don’t have time to do a lot of prep or to sit and monitor the stovetop for an hour. And one skillet means easy cleanup!
My partner LOVES sweet potatoes but can’t handle spicy food, so I skip the chili powder and cayenne pepper and use 1 tsp of smoked paprika instead. So yummy! And I usually use plain kidney beans (I pre-cook my beans and lentils from dried and freeze them in 1-cup portions) so I add in an extra 1/2 tsp of cumin and a bit extra onion and garlic powder.
This recipe is really forgiving with substitutions too. I made it tonight and didn’t have diced tomatoes or corn so I used a small can of pizza sauce and a cup of frozen black eyed peas instead. And I fried up a diced sweet onion with the sweet potatoes for good measure. It turned out great!
I totally agree, this is one of my favorite go-to recipes when I want something healthy but not time consuming. I’m so glad all the subs worked for you and thanks so much for sharing them. So glad you guys enjoy this dish! Thanks Sarah! 🙂
I made this recipe last night and loved it! I wasn’t sure what you meant by “chili beans:” did you mean the chili beans that are mild or hot and come in sauce, or kidney beans? I assumed you meant the latter since you rinsed them, so I used black beans instead since I had them. I also used an 8.5 oz can of corn instead of frozen since I didn’t want to buy a bag just to have a bunch left over. I used more sweet potato than called for (mine was HUGE) and less quinoa since I had less than I thought. Still turned out great! The spices were pretty spot on, though I added a pinch more salt and cayenne. I’ll be saving this one!
Ive just written a post about this amazing recipes nd a few others for this week after overeating during Christmas! Thank you so much ,it’s zing
http://areadingcat.com/2016/12/28/a-week-to-rebalance-yourself/
Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂