Hearty Quinoa Chili Recipe with Black Beans

This tri-color quinoa chili is a fantastic thick stew loaded with protein rich quinoa and healthy black beans! Great for a cold evening, this is a wonderful hearty chili that will leave your belly full and satisfied. 

Have Quinoa Chili Questions?

I try to provide many tips and answer questions that come up when I blog recipes.

If you simply need to print the recipe out for this chili, just head right to the bottom where I have provided a printable recipe card with a clipped version of this recipe. If you have questions on substitutions and tips while cooking, read through!

Tri-Color Quinoa Chili with Black Beans

Tri-color quinoa is a combination of several types of quinoa – black, white, and red. Each type of quinoa has a slightly different flavor and texture, so I like how the 3 colors blend and give a really delicious recipe AND looks pretty.

You could certainty use just one type of quinoa instead of a blend in this chili recipe.

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 can, 4 oz, diced green chilies
• 1 can, 28 oz, crushed tomatoes
• 1 can, 15.25 oz, white kidney beans / cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can, 15.25 oz, black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can, 15.25 oz, corn, drained
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups beef broth 
• chopped fresh cilantro

RECIPE NOTES: When it comes to canned veggies, you typically have a ton of flavor options. I love to experiment with flavors and the fire roasted corn is delicious and so is the Rotel lime and cilantro tomatoes. Don’t be afraid to grab some canned vegetables with some flavor for this chili (or really any recipe in general)!  You can also change the beef out to ground turkey.

Make this a Vegan Quinoa Chili

Beef Substitute: Well first, leave out the beef. I think that part is fairly obvious. You could easily trade beef for tofu, mushrooms, or some of the meat mock substitutions on the market. Personally, I would just simply leave out the beef. The quinoa is already protein packed and thick, so you don’t really need to add an ingredient back in unless you want. 

Beef Broth Substitute: This particular recipe inst vegan, but could easily change out the Beef broth for Vegetable broth. Using vegetable broth is not only vegan friendly but is really good for you too! Its also packed with tons of flavor and compliments the other bean and veggie ingredients.  

Thick or Thin Chili? 

This is a perpetual argument in my house – thick or thin chili? It doesn’t matter chili base- Mexican, Beef, Chicken, even this Quinoa chili, I like my chili a little bit thinner because I love the soup. This quinoa version is a thick and chunky chili, more like a stew, so if you want it to be thinner, just add up to 2 cups of beef broth until you have it at the liquid density you want.

It’s an easy adjust for your own taste buds!

Can you Freeze Quinoa Chili?

Yes! Just make sure its sealed really well in the freezer and then add to a sauce pan on stove and heat, stirring constantly until its warm. 

How best to Serve Chili

You can serve chili in bread bowls, or hard shell taco bowls, and we always serve up with tortilla chips for dipping in our house.

For some reason, the tortilla crunch keeps the kids happy too.  You can also serve with simply bread, a cold side salad, or poured over corn bread (that is how my mom did it). 

Chili Toppings are the BEST Part

Even though this is a super hearty chili already, nothing says chili like the toppings! 

• Shredded Cheese
• Chopped Avocado
• Diced Tomatoes
• Diced Onions 
• Dollop of Sour Cream
• Chopped Fresh Cilantro

Let’s Make the Best (vegetable, Quinoa and Beef filled) Chili!

Cook quinoa in 2 cups water according to package directions. Let cool. My quinoa was tri-colored. I actually made it the day before and refrigerated it. That saved a little time on chili prep day of.

Add oil, beef, onion and garlic to a large stock pot.

Heat on medium high heat until beef is brown.

Add all your spices – garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and mix well.

Stir in cooked quinoa, green chilies, tomatoes, beans, corn, pepper and beef broth.

Heat chili on medium high, covered, stirring occasionally until boiling.

Reduce heat to simmer and heat, covered, for 20 minutes or until peppers are soft and tender.

If you make this recipe and have any feedback or created any combinations that worked well, please come back and rate and leave a comment. While everyone’s taste buds are different, your feedback helps inspire other people cooking at home with suggestions and substitutions. 

Love Quinoa? Try my quinoa black bean salad too!