Spicy Vegan Butternut Squash Pinto Bean Chili

This Spicy Vegan Pinto Bean Chili is bursting with flavor and texture from maple-roasted butternut squash, fresh veggies, hearty pinto beans, chili spices, and fire-roasted tomatoes. 

Updated: This post was originally published in December 2021 and has been updated with new photos and additional content.

Jump to:

•  💚 Why You’ll Love This Vegan Pinto Bean Chili Recipe
• 🛒 Ingredients
• 🌿 Variations
• ✅ How to Make Pinto Bean Chili 
• 🍽️ Serving Suggestions
• ❄️ Storage Directions
• 🔪 Helpful Kitchen Gadgets & Tools
• 👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips
• ❓Recipe FAQs
• 🌎 Making Sustainable Choices Matters!
• ➕ More Vegan Dinner Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• Butternut Squash and Pinto Bean Chili
• 💬 Comments

This vegan chili recipe is a great end-of-week meal to create with fresh vegetables, beans, herbs, and condiments left over from cooking all week. While it satiates my cravings for soup or stew when the temperature drops, it's also easy to make year-round using seasonal ingredients.

I've added butternut squash to my vegan chili because it combines sweet and spicy flavors in every spoonful. Hearty pinto beans add protein, so you’ll be full for hours. You can also top it with non-dairy cheese and sour cream.

If you're a chili fan, you may also like this Vegan White Bean Chili. If you crave squash in the winter, this Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash is a must, as is this Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese.

 💚 Why You’ll Love This Vegan Pinto Bean Chili Recipe

• Seasonal: There’s nothing better than eating with the seasons for fresh ripe produce. Squash is a fall vegetable that works well in this recipe but you can easily replace it to enjoy the flavors any season.
• Hearty: This bean chili recipe is loaded with vegetables, beans, and a rich tomato sauce. It is a nourishing and filling meal. 
• Modifiable: We all need some flexibility when it comes to cooking and chili is a great recipe that you can easily change up if needed. 

🛒 Ingredients

• Butternut squash: Maple syrup roasted butternut squash adds sweetness and texture to the chili. You can substitute with a different type of squash if you wish or use roasted sweet potatoes. 
• Aromatics and Veggies: For additional flavor, use a variety of vegetables. I used onion, green pepper, red pepper, celery rib, and garlic. 
• Pinto beans: Pinto beans in chili add protein, but you can use a combination of beans like pinto and black or even chickpeas.  I used canned but dry also works, but you’ll need to soak and boil them first.
• Tomatoes: Tomato puree and crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted or plain, help bring the chili together. You can also substitute with passata. 
• Spices and herbs: To enhance the dish and give it classic chili flavors, use a combination of chili powder, smoked paprika, dried cilantro, and oregano.
• Jalapeño: For a touch of spice, throw in a diced jalapeno or try these pickled jalapenos. Note green chile and chili in adobo sauce will add a touch of spice. If you don’t like spicy foods, you can leave the jalapeno out. 
• Lime: Lime juice ups the Mexican flavor by adding a touch of a tang—fresh or bottled both work. 

• Chili Toppings: Use your favorite toppings like vegan cheese, scallions, vegan sour cream, and fresh cilantro to finish off your chili.

See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.

🌿 Variations

• Change the beans: There are no hard and fast rules for chili. You can use black beans, kidney beans, or chickpeas; if you don’t have any of them on hand, you can also throw in navy beans. 
• Add more texture: Stir in cooked quinoa or buckwheat for added texture and a slightly thicker chili.
• Swap the squash: Try roasted sweet potatoes or stir in pumpkin puree instead of the squash. 
• Mix in more protein: For even more staying power, add crumbled tofu, veggie ground meat, or tempeh. 

✅ How to Make Pinto Bean Chili 

Here are the instructions on how to make this vegan chili dish. 

Step 1: Roast the butternut squash. Prep and roast the butternut squash cubes. I love to use this roasted butternut squash recipe for the extra flavor it adds to the chili.

Step 2: Prep the other ingredients. Dice the veggies, mince the garlic, and drain the beans. 

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

This chili with pinto beans goes well with several sides. It's hardy enough to stand alone as a main dish but I love to serve it with my vegan cornbread and a salad or other simple side.

Here are some great examples for a bit of inspiration.

• Pair it with a salad like this apple fennel slaw or this snap pea salad.
• Make for a potluck and serve with this yellow watermelon salsa. 
• Prepare a Mexican buffet and serve with these plant-based meat tacos.
• Serve it up over cooked quinoa or brown rice.

❄️ Storage Directions

• Refrigeration: Store this leftover pinto bean chili recipe in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. 
• Reheating: Reheat your chili in the microwave or over the stove. 
• Freezing: Recipes with pinto beans usually freeze well and can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw chili overnight in the fridge before reheating.

🔪 Helpful Kitchen Gadgets & Tools

Simple Utensils: You will need a handful of simple utensils to make this recipe. A colander is ideal for draining the beans, and I always love to use my garlic press instead of chopping garlic. You will also need a sharp knife for chopping and measuring cups and spoons.

Dutch Oven: A Dutch Oven is the perfect large pot for making soups, chilies, and stews. If you don't have one, you can use any other large or soup pot.

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

• Keep dried beans on hand: Dried beans are more environmentally friendly and slightly less expensive. If you have the time to soak and boil a batch, do it ahead of time so you can easily add them to soups, stews, chili, or salad. 
• Meal prep the squash: Prepare the squash during your meal prep so you can use it in this recipe and have it on hand during the week as a side dish or to add to salads. 
• Let the chili simmer: It’s important to let the chili simmer on the stove so that the flavors can develop fully.

❓Recipe FAQs

🌎 Making Sustainable Choices Matters!

Reducing or omitting the amount of meat you eat is an easy way to make a sustainable choice that matters! It becomes second nature when you learn how to replace ingredients you typically use in recipes with plant-based ingredients. You will soon enjoy the plant-based alternative even more!

If you're not ready to omit meat from your diet altogether, read Gradual Tips Towards A Plant-Based Diet!

➕ More Vegan Dinner Recipes

If you made this recipe, please leave a star 🌟 rating on the recipe card right below! You can also drop a review in the comment section. Your feedback is appreciated! And don’t forget to tag @themindfulfork so we can see your creations.

📖 Recipe