You can switch up the beans and use your family’s favorite or whatever you have on-hand! Black beans will work in place of any of the beans in this recipe. Or you can double up on the pinto beans in place of one of the cans of kidney beans. If you like to cook your own dried beans, those will work as well – just keep the ratio of cooked beans the same!

You can also switch up the canned tomatoes depending on what you have in the cupboard. As long as you’re using 56 oz. of canned tomatoes the flavors will stay just the same. Crushed tomatoes or tomato puree work best if you have picky eaters who don’t like the big chunks of tomato. I’m a big fan of diced tomatoes so we’ve almost always got a few cans of those on hand!

Feel free to increase the heat! If you like your chili more on the spicy side, add extra chiles in adobo or stir in a few pinches of cayenne or red pepper flakes. You can also just serve those spicy additions on the side for those heat seekers in your family to add into the vegan 3 bean chili themselves!

Freeze leftovers for later! If you’re doing meal prep, or if you have leftovers, this vegan lentil chili freezes really well! Pop it in an airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw it in the fridge overnight and warm on the stove in a saucepan until heated through!