My Ultimate Vegan Chili Recipe is quick and easy, healthy and has the best flavour. It ticks all the boxes, savoury, spicy, sweet and tangy. It's the ultimate comfort food and it's gluten free!
I love Chili!! And any dish remotely resembling Mexican food, haha. This is my go to Vegan Chili recipe, and husband approved, woot woot! - he loves this dish. Another Win for me!
I used to make my Chili with beef and pork. So I wanted to recreate this Chili without having to add meat (obviously, lol) and I definitely pulled it off! It's Protein packed and super satisfying and really is the Ultimate Vegan Chili Recipe!
You can easily add your favourite meat crumbles to this Chili for a meatier texture and if you add TVP I suggest pre soaking it first. Once in awhile I'll fry up a block of crumbled tofu in a non stick skillet set to medium. I add a few seasonings and cook for about 20 minutes. It works perfectly for that meaty chew! ( no I did not use tofu in these photos, this is my straight up Awesome Chili).
I like to serve this Vegan Chili with a side of basmati rice, garlic bread and a green salad. My daughters enjoy eating it with Pico de gallo, avocados, or Guacamole and sour cream and tortilla chips.
My absolute favourite way to eat this Chili is on a Vegan Hotdog with mustard and finely diced white onion- OMG THE BEST!! It's also perfectly delicious on its own?
Ok let's get to my Ultimate Vegan Chili Recipe and how to make it:
Start by sautéing all the veggies till softened. Then add in the rest of ingredients to the pot and cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove a ladle full or so of Chili, blend it up in your Nutria Bullet or Blender and return it to the pot. Give the Chili a stir then taste for seasonings and serve. Yum! Vegan Chili in a jiffy. Check out full recipe in the recipe card below?
This recipe will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, and freezes well.
Ok let's make some Vegan Chili! You'll love this recipe it’s:
Protein packed
Healthy
Easy
gluten free
Savoury
Satisfying
A great main dish
Other comforting Vegan Mains you'd like:
Vegan Mac and Cheese
Best Vegan Alfredo Sauce with Fettuccine
Enjoy! ? Happy day to you! Feel free to leave a comment and rate this recipe I'd love to hear from you!
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Ultimate Vegan Chili Recipe
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
Description
My Ultimate Vegan Chili Recipe is quick and easy, healthy and has the best flavour. It ticks all the boxes, savoury, spicy, sweet and tangy. It's the ultimate comfort food and it's gluten free!
Ingredients
THIS MIGHT SEEM LIKE A LOT OF INGREDIENTS BUT IT IS MOSTLY SPICES
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon of oil (optional), I use grape seed oil
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1 red , or orange, or yellow pepper, diced
- 4-6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 1 (398 ml) (14 fl oz) can of Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes or Regular Canned diced Tomatoes (see notes*)
- 1 and ¾ cups of water
- 1 tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian No Beef Soup Base, ( there is an organic version as well but I have not tried it)
- 3 tablespoons of Chili Powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tsp Ancho Chili Powder
- ¼ teaspoon of onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon of granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon of sugar or substitute maple syrup
- 1 tsp of yellow mustard
- 2 (540 ml) (19 fl oz) cans of pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (540 ml) (19 fl 0z) can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS FOR CHILI:
- cilantro
- Pico De Gallo or Salsa
- sliced avocado or Guacamole
- sour cream
- green onions
- finely diced white onion ( my favourite)
Instructions
- Heat a 5-6 quart Dutch Oven or heavy bottomed pot on medium heat, then add the oil ( or water or veggie stock), diced onion and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Next add in the garlic, peppers and celery and cook for 5-7 minutes, until veggies are softening, stirring a few times.
- Now add the rest of ingredients to the pot and stir. Bring the Chili to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover for 25 minutes. Stir once or twice.
- After 25 minutes uncover the Chili and add one soup ladle full of Chili to your Nutra Bullet or Blender and blend until smooth (optional). Add the puree back to the Chili. Stir and Serve.
- Enjoy the Chili by itself or serve with your favourite toppings!
Notes
- this Chili will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days
- It's totally freezer friendly
- if you'd like the Chili saucier (or if you're adding vegan meat crumbles) add another small can of roasted or regular diced tomatoes.
- feel free to add your favourite vegan crumbles. If you use TVP I recommend pre soaking it.
- I quite often will add 1 and ½ to 2 cups of Gardein Meatless ground crumbles (and yes I definitely add the another small can of tomatoes!)? It's delicious! (add after, or if) you've pureed a ladle of chili and cook for 5 more minutes)
- this Chili is SO good on a Vegan Hotdog with mustard and a little finely diced white onion!
- I have made my Chili with Fire Roasted Tomatoes and regular Diced Tomatoes, they're equally delicious.
- If you use Seasoned Fire Roasted Tomatoes omit the onion powder and granulated garlic.
- Once in awhile I will add cooked, crumbled tofu to my Chili. I crumble the tofu into a good quality non stick skillet with a few spices and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. It's a great 'Meaty' addition.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Mains, gluten free
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Tara says
My family loves this recipe! Thanks for another great and easy to make recipe!
Verna says
Thrilled to hear your family loved the chili! Thanks for your comment Tara have a great day!
Stefanie Campbell says
Amazing! I made it in my Instant Pot. I pressured on high for 15 minutes. It turned out great! My family devoured it all so quickly!
Verna says
Yay!! Glad you enjoyed it Stephanie. Thanks so much for your comment it is so appreciated!
Morgan says
Do you drain the beans when making this recipe?
Verna says
Hi Morgan, yes I do. It's in the recipe card. Have a great day, enjoy the Chili!
Midge says
So tasty ,
Verna says
thank you so much, glad you enjoyed it.
Christine Guerriero says
Can this Chili be made in a slow cooker?
Verna says
I'm sure it would work great in a slow cooker Christine. Enjoy!
Sharon Tolar says
This Chili was a hit in our family for the Vegans! It’s really delish & easy. I browned some ground beef & added in the leftover chili for my husband who are meat eaters - awesome! I reduced sugar to 1 teaspoon & also did not drain beans & it gave chili thickening agent so didn’t have to thicken otherwise.
Verna says
Thanks so much for your comment Sharon!! Glad to hear your family loved the chili!!
Sydney says
Do you cook the beef less crumbles before adding into chili or can you add them frozen after you sauté the veggies? Thanks for this recipe! Can’t wait to try it!
Verna says
Hi Sydney, you can just add them in from frozen after the veggies have cooked or stir them in close to the end. It's great either way. Enjoy!!
Sydney says
I’ve made this chili twice now...it will forever be my go-to! I definitely do the nutri bullet and add in the beefless crumbles at the end. YUMMY. Thanks for this recipe!
Only thing I change (out of laziness 🙄) is use a chili seasoning packet that has all the same seasonings you use. I also add more of the same seasonings at the end after I put the crumbles in. Will definitely be checking out the rest of your blog!
Verna says
Nice! Thanks so much Sydney! You made my day! Glad you love the Chili! Enjoy browsing my other recipes.
Laura says
Hi- just wondering why you purée a ladle of the chilli. Haven’t made it yet but plan on doing so!
Verna says
Hi Laura, it intensifies the flavour, I highly recommend it. Enjoy the Chili recipe!
Natasha says
Started on cutting my meat consumption and this is an amazing recipe to start. This is AH-MAZING! I cut some of the ingredients because I am a picky eater and added meatless crumbles to it. Will freeze the rest tonight so I have more for later. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Verna says
Oh you are so welcome Natasha! Quite often add meatless crumbles as well great for protein and chew factor. Thanks for your wonderful comment. Happy day to you!
Beth says
This chili won second place I my rural meat eating school chili cook off! The first place winner had 4 lbs of meat and I lost by one vote! That’s a big deal. I accidentally used chipotle chili and it had a bigger kick so I added a few things to tone it down and balance it out, but this recipe is perfect!
Verna says
Oh wow!! thats is awesome! One vote oh wow!! and at a Meat eating school!! woot woot!! 👍💕 thanks so much for commenting you just made my day Beth!
Casey says
Definitely recommend topping it with an avocado over anything else. So yummy 🙂 will be making this again!
Verna says
Glad you enjoyed the Vegan Chili Casey! Topped with avocado sounds delicious! Thank you so much for your comment!
Amy says
Five Stars for sure!!! Excellent recipe, although I did reduce the amount of chili powder for the younger taste buds in our house; my pickiest (& youngest) eater loved it too!
Thank you so much for sharing this. I will be sharing this with family and friends to enjoy this winter.
Verna says
So happy to hear your family loved the Chili Amy! Thank you so much for your comment! Have a great day!
Bob L. says
Prepared this wonderful meal today using ordinary Italian Tomato Pulp. I guess my version was a little big more spicy, as I added some extra hot peppers. Thank you for inspiration.
Verna says
Sounds delicious Bob! Thanks for your comment!!Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Kari says
We eat chili a lot here, but I never use fire roasted tomatoes. I'm definitely trying those with this recipe.
The Cheeky Chickpea says
It's definitely tasty with the fire roasted tomatoes! Thanks for your comment Kari, Enjoy!!
Karen says
Looks like a good hearty chili, I'll have to try this one out. Thanks for sharing!
The Cheeky Chickpea says
It's definitely hearty and super tasty! Enjoy Karen, thanks for your comment!
Laura says
Looks delicious!
The Cheeky Chickpea says
thank you Laura!
Jennifer Fair says
I'm trying this chili in my slow cooker today. I'm not sure how it'll come out but it smells delicious so far! I'm cooking it for 6 hours on low. I replaced one can of pinto beans with 1 cup of red lentils.
Verna says
Awesome Jennifer! Enjoy! I'm sure lentils will be delicious. Thanks for your comment.