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Rustic bowl of vegan smoky maple lentil chili topped with golden sweet corn crumble and steam rising.

Smoky Maple Lentil Chili with Sweet Corn Crumble

This Smoky Maple Lentil Chili is slow-simmered with fire-roasted tomatoes, bell peppers, and maple sweetness, topped with a golden sweet corn crumble that’s crispy outside and soaks up every flavorful bite.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Course Dinner, Dinner Recipes, Food Recipes, Main Course, One Pot, One Pot Dishes, Slow Cooker, Summer Recipes, Vegan Recipes
Cuisine American, Southern
Servings 4

Equipment

  • 1 large pot
  • 1 dutch oven

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup dry green lentils, rinsed
  • 1 cup dry red lentils, rinsed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 2 cups fire-roasted tomatoes (canned is fine)
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)
  • 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Sweet Corn Crumble Topping

  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup flour (regular or gluten-free)
  • 2 tbsp coconut sugar or brown sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup canned or frozen corn (drained if canned)
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened plant milk (almond, coconut, etc.)
  • 2 tbsp melted vegan butter or coconut oil

Instructions
 

  • Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium. Add diced onion and bell pepper. Cook until soft and starting to brown.
  • Stir in tomato paste, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne. Let that cook 1 minute so the spices wake up.
  • Add fire-roasted tomatoes, vegetable broth, both lentils, maple syrup, salt, and black pepper. Stir.
  • Bring to a low boil, then drop heat and let it simmer uncovered about 25–30 minutes, stirring sometimes, until thick and the lentils are soft.
  • While that simmers, preheat your oven to 375°F.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, coconut/brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add corn, plant milk, and melted vegan butter. Stir just until it comes together. This should look like a thick cornbread batter.
  • Pour the finished chili into an oven-safe baking dish. Spoon the sweet corn crumble batter across the top in an even layer (doesn’t have to be perfect).
  • Bake 20–25 minutes, until the top is golden and lightly crisp.
  • Let it sit 10 minutes before serving so it firms up and gets that chili-under-cornbread effect.
Keyword easy vegan meals, hearty lentil recipes, plant-based chili, smoky maple lentil chili, sweet corn crumble, vegan comfort food, vegan dinner