We taste-tested eight brands of vegetarian canned chili you’re likely to find at your local supermarket. To find the very best one, we sampled each without knowing which brand was which. Our winner is Trader Joe’s Organic Vegetarian Chili, but we also crowned one worthy runner-up.
Chili is comforting and versatile. In the fall and winter, a big bowl of chili, served with cornbread and whipped honey butter, is a frequent dinner in my household. I make different versions depending on what I have on hand: If I have beef chuck in the freezer, I’ll take the time to make a Texas-style chili con carne. If I have chicken, I’ll opt for chile verde or white chili. if I have bags of dried beans from my Rancho Gordo subscription to use up, I’ll make a hearty vegetarian chili. Though making chili isn’t difficult, it can be time-consuming. And if you’ve ever craved it but didn’t have the time or energy to make it, you’ve likely reached for the canned stuff.
As a follow-up to our meaty canned chili taste test, we decided to sample vegetarian canned chilis to find out which brand is worth buying. Our editors sampled eight brands you’re likely to find at your local grocery store or online. We heated each chili according to the package directions, then sampled them in random order without knowing which was which. After many, many spoonfuls of chili, we tabulated the results and crowned an overall winner, along with one worthy contender we’d be happy to reach for in a pinch.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
The Criteria
Vegetarian chili should be hearty, with a deep, well-rounded chile flavor that includes spicy, smoky, and fruity notes. It should be packed with well-seasoned beans that are tender but not mushy. As former Serious Eats editor Kenji wrote in his recipe for the best vegetarian bean chili, a “great, balanced bowl of chili” should have a “complex flavor profile that hits notes both high and low, mild and hot.” That may be too much to expect from canned chili, but…one can dream, right?
Overall Winner
Trader Joe’s Organic Vegetarian Chili
Most of our editors agreed this chili had a lot of potential, though it needed some help to overcome its muted (some said “bland”) flavor profile. “You could gussy it up with cilantro, sour cream, and hot sauce,” our associate culinary editor, Laila, noted. Similarly, our editorial director, Daniel, wrote: “Needs salt, but that can be added. Overall, not bad.” Our associate editorial director, Megan, thought it was “decent, quite mild, but tastes like chili” and found the bits of fake meat “very convincing, which is simultaneously nice and disconcerting.” Our associate visuals director, Amanda, praised its balanced flavor profile.
Runner-Up
Heyday Pinto & Black Bean Mole Chili
Our former senior social media editor, Kelli, was a big fan of this chili. “This one has a rich, deep flavor, like real dried chiles were used,” she wrote. Almost every taster noted the chili’s sweetness and chocolaty notes. “I kind of like the sweetness, though it’s borderline too sweet,” Amanda said. Both Daniel and Laila found the chocolate overwhelming. “Some spices don’t seem chili-esque,” Megan wrote. “That said, the flavor is good.” While our editors had different opinions on this chili’s flavor, they all agreed that they enjoyed the chili’s thick texture.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
The Contenders
- Amy’s Vegan Medium Chili
- Gardein Plant-Based Chili with Beans
- Heyday Bean Mole Chili
- Hormel Vegetarian Chili with Beans
- Pacific Foods Organic Harvest Black Bean Chili
- PlantStrong Organic Engine 2 Firehouse Chili
- Trader Joe’s Organic Vegetarian Chili
- UnMeat Chili with Beans
Key Takeaways and Conclusion
Most canned vegetarian chilis consist of similar ingredients: cooked beans; some form of textured vegetable protein (TVP, a common meat substitute); onions; water or vegetable broth; spices and seasonings such as smoked paprika, cumin, chile powder, and oregano; and tomatoes. Many also contain thickeners or stabilizers—typically cornstarch, tapioca starch, and/or xanthan gum—along with yeast extract, caramel coloring, and citric acid. Yeast extract is often used to give products a more complex, savory depth; caramel coloring is used for, well, coloring; and citric acid provides tartness and can help preserve color.
Of all the canned chilis we sampled, our winner—Trader Joe’s Organic Vegetarian Chili—has the shortest ingredients list. It contains no sugar, yeast extract, caramel coloring, citric acid, or xanthan gum. On the other hand, our runner-up, Heyday Bean Mole Chili, includes both yeast extract and citric acid. The sweetness our tasters detected likely comes from a combination of coconut sugar, prune purée, and prune powder—ingredients not typically found in chili. Another unexpected ingredient? Tahini, which may have been incorporated to give the chili a rich nuttiness and depth.
Canned vegetarian chili is undeniably convenient, and we’d reach for either of these brands in a pinch. But for chili with real complexity and depth, you’re better off making your own.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
Our Testing Methodology
All taste tests are conducted with brands completely hidden and without discussion. Tasters taste samples in random order. For example, taster A may taste sample one first, while taster B will taste sample six first. This is to prevent palate fatigue from unfairly giving any one sample an advantage. Tasters are asked to fill out tasting sheets, ranking the samples according to various criteria. All data is tabulated, and results are calculated with no editorial input to provide the most impartial representation of actual results possible.
