Instant Pot Red Lentil Chili with Pumpkin and Black Beans || Vegan, Gluten-Free

by Beth Lee · Published: Oct 27, 2018 · Modified: Oct 15, 2024

Instant Pot Red Lentil Chili with Pumpkins and Black Beans will wow your carnivores with its flavor and texture. This easy dish makes a perfect meal on Halloween night - keep it on the warm setting and grab a bowl before or after trick-or-treating.

A favorite vegetarian recipe is my elegant vegetable wellington.

For ease of browsing, here are all of my main course recipes in one place.

Red Lentil Chili your Carnivore will Adore

Instant Pot Red Lentil Chili in an orange bowl on a pumpkin plate with a copper spoon and pumpkins on the side.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this cookbook for free. All opinions shared are my own.

The Gluten-Free Instant Pot Cookbook by Jane Bonacci and Sara De Leeuw is filled with comforting, nourishing, simple recipes that use easy-to-find ingredients and pantry items you will likely have on hand. You don't need to be a gluten-free eater to enjoy this book. While Jane and Sara always offer ingredient choices to satisfy gluten-free requirements, every recipe is just as appropriate for a gluten-based diet. And if you are tentative about how to use your pressure cooker, Jane and Sara take all the fear and guesswork out of it with excellent instructions.

Instant Pot Red Lentil Chili showing the cover of the cookbook called Gluten-Free Instant Pot Cookbook.

I started with this red lentil chili because it is a tradition in our house to eat chili on Halloween. And what better chili to eat for Halloween than one with pumpkin in it?!

At first I was skeptical that it might taste sweet or just not savory enough to satisfy my carnivore husband's beefy chili expectations. But I was wrong. This Instant Pot Red Lentil Chili is a really smart recipe. It looks and tastes hearty and substantial like a traditional beef-based version. But it is vegan (if you don't put the yogurt on top) and gluten-free if you use Jane and Sara's recommended ingredients.

Instant Pot Red Lentil Chili in a bowl at an angle with avocado, cilantro and yogurt on top.

How to Make Instant Pot Red Lentil Chili

The recipe doesn't require you to saute the onions, garlic and peppers, but I chose to in the pressure cooker on sauté mode.
As they caramelized and softened, I gathered my other ingredients - the walnuts, lentils, seasonings, and stock.
Once the veggies were softened and slightly browned, I added everything except the pumpkin puree and the black beans.
This mixture cooks at pressure for 30 minutes, then you add in the pumpkin and black beans and just let it heat through on keep warm.
You end up with a deeply-colored and richly-flavored vegan and gluten-free chili.
They suggest topping with avocado, lime wedges, and cilantro and to serve it with cornbread. A dollop of sour cream or yogurt is also excellent if you are not vegan.

What Ingredients are in Instant Pot Red Lentil Chili?

In the book, they call this recipe Pumpkin Black Bean Chili. But I think every carefully chosen ingredient in this recipe matters.

Two cups of red lentils give it protein and so much wonderful texture and color. Plus red lentils cook quickly.
Fire-roasted tomatoes are the perfect addition for liquid, color, and flavor.
Vegetable stock is used to cook the red lentils under pressure. I think you could use chicken stock or beef stock if you are not trying to make this dish vegan.
Fresh peppers - jalapeno and poblano - give it flavor and heat but not too much heat if you take out the seeds.
Canned chipotle pepper adds a bit more spice and lots of smoky flavor, enhanced further by the smoked paprika.
The surprise ingredient for me are the walnuts. They are toasted up and coarsely chopped and cook in the instant pot with the lentils. When you serve the chili, they still have a crunch to them - adding an even more interesting texture to the dish.
Pumpkin puree (unsweetened) and the 2 cans of black beans are added after the pressure cooking is done and just get heated through. Turns out you can't really taste the pumpkin but it brings together the expected chili consistency just perfectly.
And it has all the expected chili basics - onion, garlic, chili powder.

I highly recommend making this Instant Pot Red Lentil Chili with Pumpkin and Black Beans, even if you are used to making beefy chili con carne. And if you are looking for inspiration to take that Instant Pot out of the box and use it, buy this book and get going! What are you waiting for?

Don't have a pressure cooker yet? We bought the 6 quart Instant Pot and are happy with it even though we mostly cook for two people these days. If you are cooking for a large family, you might consider the 8 quart version.

Other OMG! Yummy Pumpkin Recipes:

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