Pumpkin Lentil Chili Recipe (High Protein, Gluten Free, Vegan)

This pumpkin lentil chili is a healthy fall comfort food loaded with plant protein and fresh vegetables! Great as a meal prep or game day dinner.  Serve with a slice of thick crusty bread or cornbread, and top with your favorite toppings: cilantro, crackers, sour cream or coconut cream, and melty cheese.

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the brands that support The Herbeevore and our beehives!

Fall gives me an excuse to add pumpkin to any meal!  And this pumpkin lentil chili recipe is a delicious fall meal that everyone at the table will love – it’s a favorite on our homestead for sure.  I love eating pumpkin, it really is one of my favorite foods.

Canned pumpkin works great in this chili (just make sure you get plain pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie mix!) or you can make your own puree with your leftover small sugar pie pumpkins from Halloween.

This Pumpkin Lentil Chili Recipe Is:

• Rich
• Hearty
• Thick
• Loaded with Flavor
• Perfect for Fall
• Earthy
• High Protein
• Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free

High Protein Pumpkin Soup for the Win!

I love pumpkin because of how versatile it is – it works so well in high protein dishes with beans and lentils.  You can use it in savory dishes like this healthy lentil chili.  And it’s also great to add to baked goods and desserts.  I made an amazing vegan pumpkin spice bread recipe a few weeks ago!  Pumpkin is super healthy for you and is loaded with vitamin A.  I enjoy pumpkin all year round, so I make sure to stock up on canned pumpkin in the fall when it is on sale.

Make Pumpkin Chili Vegan for a Healthy Version

This vegan pumpkin chili recipe is a simple way to get extra veggies in your diet. I’m all about making recipes plant-based when I can. Vegan cooking does NOT have to be bland, boring, or flavorless… It’s quite the opposite when done right. By building meals around vegan pantry staples and swapping in a few plant-based ingredients you can make healthier meals for you and your family. I made a list of my 125 favorite vegan pantry ingredients that we use on a weekly basis, and check out all my vegan recipes here that are on The Herbeevore. These easy and healthy recipes are fantastic meatless and dairy free meals for your table.

What In This Vegan Lentil and Pumpkin Chili Recipe?

• Pumpkin: you can use canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree (just make sure not to use sweetened pumpkin pie mix). I always keep canned pumpkin stocked up in my pantry year-round!
• Red Lentils: for extra protein! You can use any variety of lentil, but I used red lentils to enhance the rich orange color of the chili
• Bell Peppers: you can use roasted red peppers if you don’t have fresh or frozen peppers on hand… I love these sweet and flavorful jarred roasted peppers.
• Diced Tomatoes: I use a no salt added variety which are really sweet and flavorful. I like that these diced tomatoes come in a box, and not a can – these tomatoes have no sodium, are BPA free, and are more eco-friendly than canned.
• Kidney Beans: Like tomatoes, I only use no salt added beans in my pantry – using unsalted canned beans lets you control the amount of salt in you dish for better flavor!
• Onion
• Carrots
• Spices: chili powder, paprika, oregano, cumin, salt, and crushed red pepper flakes for heat
• Corn
• Toppings: fresh chopped cilantro, red onion, coconut cream, sourdough croutons, or melty cheese

Meal Prep Pumpkin Recipes

You can easily meal prep this vegan lentil pumpkin chili by following the below recipe and dividing it into a few equal portions to enjoy throughout the week. I love having a healthy homemade meal ready in my fridge during the busy weekdays. By meal prepping this recipe, you can cook once and have perfectly portioned meals ready to go. I rely heavily on meal prepping and created a whole section of the site to recipes you can meal prep, batch cook, or make ahead.  Heat + eat, you’re all set!

How Do I Make This Vegan Pumpkin Chili Recipe?

1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over low heat.  Add the onions and saute on low for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the carrots, bell pepper, chili powder, paprika, oregano, cumin, and salt to the pot. Stir with a wooden spoon for a minute until the spices have coated the vegetables.
2. To the pot, add the lentils, vegetable stock, and diced tomatoes with the juice and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook on low heat for 30 minutes or until carrots have cooked through.
3. Add the pumpkin puree kidney beans, and corn, and stir well to combine.  Add hot sauce if you like a spicier chili.  Cook for another 10 minutes on low heat until chili is hot and simmering.
4. Serve in bowls, and add any toppings you like!   Fiesta forever 🙂

One of the BEST Pantry Staple Dinner Recipes

This vegan pumpkin chili recipe is a fantastic pantry-staple meal!  It uses almost all ingredients you would have in your dry pantry or cupboards.  You probably already have a lot of these ingredients on hand!  Keeping a well-stocked pantry makes it easy to come up with delicious and healthy meals using a few staples you can rotate.  I have a whole section of TheHerbeevore dedicated to my favorite pantry staple meals.  By stocking up on healthy whole ingredients you can cook delicious recipes without a trip to the store!

Other Healthy Fall Dinner Recipes You’ll Love:

Healthy Mac and Cheese Soup Recipe (High Protein, Vegetarian)

Instant Pot Baked Ziti (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free)

Sheet Pan Chickpea & Root Vegetable Dinner (Vegan, GF)

Lentil Pasta Fagioli Soup (Vegan, Gluten Free, High Protein)

Vegan Black Eyed Pea Soup with Sausage and Collard Greens

Get the Same Ingredients I Use For My Vegan Pumpkin Chili Recipe

I get all the fresh produce for my recipes from my garden and from Misfits Market – they sell all organic produce at a super discounted price, and it’s purchased direct from the farmers. We get Misfit Market boxes every other week and love picking out our favorite seasonal produce for delivery.  You can get $10 off your first $30 box by clicking here! 

If you think organic produce is too expensive… think again, and give Misfits Market a look!

As always, if you make this vegan pumpkin lentil chili recipe be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe, and tag me @theherbeevore on Instagram so I can feature you.  I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

Let’s keep in touch – make sure to sign up for my newsletter to get healthy recipes delivered fresh to your inbox. And don’t forget to follow over on Pinterest, Instagram , & Twitter– I’d love to connect with you there!

Pumpkin Lentil Chili

The Herbeevore

This pumpkin lentil chili is a healthy fall comfort food loaded with plant protein and fresh vegetables! Great as a meal prep or game day dinner.  Serve with a slice of thick crusty bread or cornbread, and top with your favorite toppings: cilantro, crackers, sour cream or coconut cream, and melty cheese.

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Share Tweet

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Lunch, Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Calories 196 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 sweet onion sliced
• 2 carrots diced
• 2 bell pepper diced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
• 1 cup red lentils
• 3 cups No-Salt-Added Vegetable Stock
• 1 No-Salt-Added Diced Tomatoes
• 1 14 ounce can pumpkin puree
• 2 13.5 ounce cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup sweet corn
• 1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes optional, skip if you like less spicy chili
• Toppings: fresh chopped cilantro red onion, coconut cream, sourdough croutons, or melty cheese.

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Instructions

 

• In a large pot, heat the olive oil over low heat.  Add the onions and saute on low for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the carrots, bell pepper, chili powder, paprika, oregano, cumin, and salt to the pot. Stir with a wooden spoon for a minute until the spices have coated the vegetables.
• To the pot, add the lentils, vegetable stock, and diced tomatoes with the juice and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook on low heat for 30 minutes or until carrots have cooked through.
• Add the pumpkin puree kidney beans, and corn, and stir well to combine.  Add hot sauce if you like a spicier chili.  Cook for another 10 minutes on low heat until chili is hot and simmering.
• Serve in bowls, and add any toppings you like!   Fiesta forever 🙂

Notes

I get all the fresh produce for my recipes from my garden and from Misfits Market - they sell all organic produce at a super discounted price, and it’s purchased direct from the farmers. We get Misfit Market boxes every other week and love picking out our favorite seasonal produce for delivery.  You can get $10 off your first $30 box by clicking here! 

If you think organic produce is too expensive... think again, and give Misfits Market a look!

Nutrition

Calories: 196kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 7gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 517mgPotassium: 401mgFiber: 9gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 3862IUVitamin C: 43mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 2mg

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This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the brands that support The Herbeevore and our beehives!