This Instant Pot Vegan White Bean Quinoa Chili is incredibly simple to make, uses everyday ingredients like canned beans and quinoa, packs a protein-punch, and is hearty and comforting yet nourishing.
Watch! How to make this recipe
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Instant Pot Vegan White Bean Quinoa Chili
This vegan Instant Pot White Bean Quinoa Chili is easy, quick to make (a 6-minute cook time in the Instant Pot), and perfect for weeknight meals. Plus it's hearty and cozy yet healthy, vegan, and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 jalapeño peppers, diced (use serrano peppers for a spicier version)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 4 cups (~950mL) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup (~180g) uncooked quinoa
- 2 (15-ounce) cans of cannellini beans (~850g), drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can of organic corn (~425g)
- 1 (4-ounce) can of green chiles (~115g)
- 1 cup (~260 ml) “lite” or reduced-fat coconut milk (optional for creaminess)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- Garnishes: fresh cilantro, diced avocado, tortilla chips, vegan sour cream
Instructions
- Select the Sauté setting on the Instant Pot and after a few minutes, add the olive oil, followed by the onion. Cook the onion until it begins to soften, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeño peppers for 1 minute. Then add in the cumin, oregano, cloves, 1 1/2 teaspoon of the kosher salt, and black pepper to taste, stirring well for 30 seconds.
- Add half of the vegetable broth to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining vegetable broth, followed by the beans, quinoa, corn, and canned chiles. Select the Cancel setting.
- Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and select the Pressure Cook (or Manual) setting and set the machine to high pressure for 6 minutes. Make sure the steam release valve is set to Sealing.
- Once the 6-minute timer elapses, allow a natural pressure release for 15 minutes, then switch the steam release valve from Sealing to Venting. Open the pot and stir the chili well.
- Pour in the coconut milk (optional) and the reserved 1/2 teaspoon salt, and stir until the chili is creamy and heated through.
- Stir in the lime juice and taste for seasonings, adding more salt or lime juice as needed. Garnish as desired.
Calories: 374kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 978mg | Potassium: 994mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 91IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 7mg
I’ve never commented on recipes but this deserves it. The flavor was so full and well-balanced! We didn’t have cloves so we just used pumpkin spice. Also, we didn’t have coconut milk so we just added greek yogurt when we reheated it. So easy and delicious!!!
Aw, so happy to hear that Andrea! Thanks for sharing your substitutions and leaving a generally wonderful review!
My place is too small to have an instant pot. What would be the best way to modify this recipe by cooking it on the stove?
Hi Cynthia, you can still saute in the pot like you normally would, then in step 2 add the vegetable broth, followed by the beans, quinoa, corn, and canned chiles. Cook these on the stovetop until the quinoa is cooked through, which should be around 10-20 minuts. You may need to add more liquid as water vapor escapes more easily on the stovetop than in the Instant Pot. Just keep an eye out and make sure enough liquid cooks out so its your desired consistency!
I really enjoyed this and am so glad it came out so good! I’ve had my IP for a while, but haven’t really played around with the pressure cooker setting, so I was quite nervous about making this and using my IP. You’re directions were really easy to follow and this chili came out delicious. It was flavorful and paired perfectly with tortilla chips and avocado. Thank you for an easy and delicious recipe!
Awesome, Amanda. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
It tasted like creamed corn with quinoa in it. Did not have the acidity, spice, or complexity of flavor you expect from chili. After adding tomato and a ton on spices, another can of chilis it os starting to taste like chili, except for the corn still. First recipe I have not liked on this blog tho, and I have made like 10 recipes.
I have to agree with you.
I’m newer to this plant-based lifestyle and this recipe makes eating this way super easy. I was so full after one bowl, but I went for another bowl AND I just had to stop eating, I was too full~ nice feeling.
Hi Lisa, we’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
This is so good! The only modification I made was to substitute frozen peas for the corn, since that is what I had. I will definitely be making this again and will check out your other recipes. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, Heather!
Made this tonight and followed the recipe without substitutions. It is very soupy and does not look at all like the thickness in the picture. Any suggestions on what may have gone wrong? I’m newer to instant pot cooking.
I really loved this recipe. I didn’t have a can of green chilies, and I was short a can of white beans, so I substituted chickpeas for one of them, and it still turned out really well. I really liked the contrast of textures between the beans, quinoa and corn, and the spices were really nice.
Made this last night and it was really good! Hearty, but not heavy like some other vegan chili recipes that have a ton of beans. Good tortilla chips on top is a must and vegan sour cream also mixes really well.
Please add a vegan cornbread recipe next! Or maybe you have a link to one that you really like!?
WOW. This dish is hearty, nutrient-dense and has just the right level of spicy kick! I was able to find all the ingredients I needed (I live in Iraq) other than the can of green chilies, so I omitted them. It was just as delicious as I imagined it to be, especially topped with sliced avocado, salsa, crumbled tortilla chips, and a dash of green pepper hot sauce. Will be making this again…and again and again…my first recipe attempt from Rainbow Plant Life was a smashing success :) Thanks so much, Nisha! I absolutely loved it.
Hi Kate, lovely to hear that you were able to make this recipe! I don’t think I’ve heard from a reader in Iraq before, so thank you for sharing. It’s so cool to hear from people around the globe. Your toppings sound absolutely delicious!
This chili is super delicious! I was a little leery about the 1/2 tsp ground cloves in the spice mix, but the flavor was perfect. Another great recipe to add to my rotation. P.S. I love your cookbook!
Love this chili! It’s become a staple in our household. So tasty and easy to throw together.
I made this twice. The first time I followed the recipe exactly and found the cloves to be very overpowering. The second time I greatly reduced the amount of cloves and upped the cumin a bit – it came out perfectly. I think it’s just a personal preference thing, I find the taste of cloves to be very strong and a little goes a long way. Otherwise this recipe is fantastic, super easy to put together and I love the creaminess of the chili! It’s a nice change from red chili. Thanks as always for the awesome recipes!
Hi, Nisha! I’ve made this recipe twice, but both times my Instant Pot didn’t come to pressure. It still turned out great, but I’m just curious as to why that happened. I plan on trying it again in my IP, but do you have any recommendations for the stovetop? Thank you so much, and again, this chili is so good!
My instant pot does that when the little jiggle thing gets stuck. Its the IP max that auto seals. I poke it with a skinny knife and then it seals. But like, yeah, be careful.
Made the dish today (stove top) and it turned out amazing! Thank you for sharing!
I can’t have corn, is there a substitute for this ingredient?
This recipe sounds great, but I don’t have an Instant Pot. Any recommendations on how long to simmer this chili in a regular pot on the stovetop?
I made this for the second time tonight and I liked it even more the second time around. The texture of the corn really stands out against the softness of the beans and quinoa and the flavor from the cloves come thru nicely without being overwhelming. I’m asking myself why I waited so long to make it again. So good! Thank you for sharing this with us.
Made this today, was really good! Thank you for the great recipe!
Glad to hear that, Laura! Thanks for letting me know :)
Thanks for the recipe! I am going to try to make it without an instant pot since I don’t have one. But I don’t like quinoa….do you have any suggestions for an alternative that is similarly healthy?
Hi Annie! I think you can omit the quinoa and still have a healthy, yummy chili. But honestly, the quinoa melts into the chili and it doesn’t have any flavor, so you might not really notice it! I haven’t tried making a chili with any other grains besides quinoa, so I can’t say for sure what work best. That said, my favorite healthy gluten-free grain is millet!