Darn Good Vegan Chili

Delicious, deeply flavored, and hearty chili that’s slow simmered and features a from scratch chili puree (no chili powder). Recipe is vegan and makes one large pot (8+ servings). This chili is perfect for anyone looking for a rich, meaty chili without the beef.

Andrew and his dad first made this chili over Christmas break and since then we’ve made it multiple times with adaptations so I’m excited to finally share it with you! Darn Good Vegan Chili is not your typical veggie chili–it has a bean base with meatless grounds which makes it more like traditional meat chili. The veggies in this (onion, peppers and tomatoes) are stewed in a flavorful chili puree so they develop lots of flavor but you’re not getting chunks of veggies.

A big pot of this chili goes a long way in a house of 2 people 🙂 so naturally we’ve enjoyed lots of leftovers. Just like most soups, this is even better the next day (or 3). I’ve tried the chili with baked potatoes, nachos and walking tacos. It’s great on its own but there are so many possibilities!

Darn Good Vegan Chili

Emma J. Watling

A hearty and flavorful bean and “beef” chili. Perfect on its own or as a topping for nachos, potatoes and more. Medium heat with rich undertones. This chili keeps well in the fridge and reheats easily. Consistency and profile of traditional (meat based) chili.

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Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 5 hrs

Soaking beans 8 hrs

Total Time 5 hrs 30 mins

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Calories 346 kcal

Equipment

• Large Dutch-oven or stockpot

Ingredients

  

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Base (Beans)

• 8 cups water (enough to soak beans)
• 1 lb dried dark red kidney beans
• 2 Tbsp fine salt

Chili Puree Ingredients

• 3 dried whole New Mexico red chilies seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp finely ground coffee
• 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1½ tsp whole coriander, ground = 1 tsp ground
• 1 tsp Worcestershire (vegan)
• 2 whole cloves, ground = 1/6 tsp ground clove
• 1/2 of 1 star anise, ground = 1/4 tsp ground star anise

Remaining Ingredients

• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 28 ounces canned petite diced tomatoes
• 1 pkg meatless ground/ soy crumbles 10-14 ounce pkg
• 1 large yellow onion, finely diced = 1.5 cups
• 2 poblano peppers, seeded and finely diced
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and finely diced
• 1 Anaheim pepper, seeded and finely diced
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1½ Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic = 3-4 cloves
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp Buffalo hot sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot)
• 2 whole bay leaves
• water, as needed

Instructions

 

Prep Beans

• Place beans, 2 tbsp salt and 8 cups water in large container or bowl. Allow to soak at room temperature 8 hours, or overnight. Drain and rinse soaked beans.

Make Chili Puree

• In a large heavy-bottomed stockpot, add dried New Mexico red chilies with 1 cup vegetable broth. Cook over medium low heat until chilies are softened and liquid is reduced by half, approximately 8-10 minutes. Liquid will be deep red (matching the peppers).
• Pour chilies and broth mixture into a small blender. Add the following to the blender: tomato paste, ground coffee, cocoa powder, cumin, soy sauce, coriander, Worcestershire sauce, cloves and star anise.
• Puree spice and chili mixture until very smooth, scraping sides as necessary. This takes approximately 2 minutes. Set puree aside.

Make the Chili

• In the same heavy-bottomed stockpot, heat the 1/4 cup vegetable oil over medium until simmering. Add onions and cook until soft and translucent, stirring often but not browning.
• Add fresh peppers (poblano, jalapeno and Anaheim) along with oregano and garlic to the stockpot. Stir and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
• Add the chili puree to the stockpot and stir well. Heat 2-4 minutes. Mixture should be thick and coat the bottom of the pot when stirred (building flavor base for the chili).
• Add 2 bay leaves and remaining vegetable broth (4 cups) to chili base. Stir well and bring to a simmer, approximately 10 minutes.
• Add the drained and rinsed kidney beans to pot. Reduce heat to low and cover the pot, leaving lid slightly ajar. Cook until beans are tender, approximately 2 hours. Stir beans occasionally.
• Stir in apple cider vinegar, diced tomatoes and meatless ground. Return lid, leaving slightly ajar and cook an additional 1.5 to 2 hours, or until desired consistency is reached and beans are fully tender. Add water to chili as needed to keep beans and mixture mostly submerged (we only use 1 additional cup).

Finish the Chili

• Using tongs, remove bay leaves and discard. Add in the hot sauce and brown sugar and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt, pepper and/or additional hot sauce.
• Serve with your favorite toppings immediately or allow to cool and refrigerate in a sealed container. This chili will keep for up to 1 week stored properly in the fridge and tastes even better the next day.

Notes

 Adapted from: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/01/the-best-chili-recipe.html

 

This vegan chili eats like a traditional meat based chili with beans. It is not a standard “veggie” chili filled with veggies. This is perfect for a hearty bowl as is or as a nacho or potato topping. 

 

We recommend using soaked dried beans but canned kidney beans can definitely be used! To sub canned beans, use 30-32 ounces dark red kidney beans. The cook time in the beginning of the chili will be reduced by approximately 1 hour.

 

  This chili has medium heat. You can adjust the amount of heat by reducing the jalapenos to 1 and/or omitting the hot sauce at the end.

Nutrition

Calories: 346kcal

Keyword Chili, Darn Good Vegan Chili, Vegan Chili

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

This chili is seriously so good. Worth the 5+ hours and the process of making chili puree (instead of using powder). I promise something magical happens when you throw a bunch of hot peppers + beans + “meat” in a big pot and let it simmer for the afternoon. Share this with your vegan or vegetarian friends–or anyone trying to cut down on red meat.